The Sad Truth About Social Studies
Hi friends,
With everything going on in your classes and extracurricular activities, I hope you all have found time to relax and celebrate you this week! I believe mental health is just as important in life as anything and should be emphasized daily. So with that being said, the productive level that I have achieved this week has been quite surprising for me. I set a goal for myself on Monday, wrote down what all needed to be completed and when, and for the most part, I've reached that goal. Hopefully that continues! I've discovered this new tactic that is super helpful, which is using a "brown noise" video when trying to complete tasks. This has come to be surprisingly beneficial and has caused me to stay focused and efficient. Try it sometime this week; I think it's great!
This week we have our Wisdom From Experience project due, and because of scheduling conflicts I was not able to interview my last teacher until today. The 3-5 teacher informed me that her school allots time for Social Studies teaching, but today I was saddened to hear that the K-2 teacher from a different school is not so fortunate. Why is this? I do not understand the logic behind removing time for this subject. Granted, the 2nd grade teacher integrates Social Studies into other areas, mainly reading, and her class has a designated Social Studies book. However, I cannot wrap my mind around the possibility that students are receiving adequate instruction in this subject, compared to the previous school of thought. Taking away time for this instruction is not only more stressful on the classroom teacher, but also unfair to students. In order to be competent, effective citizens in our society, students must be taught concepts and further details from the 5 strands of Social Studies. To not do so would be a disservice to your students.
So, since this is apparently a "new trend," I decided to look up strategies for integrating Social Studies into my future classroom lessons. This website: http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/social-studies-in-literacy-routines was created by Angela Watson, a teacher in NY. She lists several ways to integrate Social Studies, particularly in Literacy/Language Arts, which I believe would be the easiest subject to integrate in. Because I can utilize this source, I plan to incorporate historical readings into "Read Aloud" portion of Literacy class. This is an effective, simple way of integrating. Angela Watson also said to use technology as a resource. Since students have to know standards from technology too, together students can use iPads to complete historical web quests or fill geographical locations.
When teaching Social Studies, it's important to think about NCPTS IV, Section B, "Teachers facilitate learning for their students; Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students." This needs to be heavily emphasized, especially in a political season such as this. In my classroom, I plan to always make instruction relevant to the students, so that they will develop interest and a deeper understanding of the material. But, I also plan to always be appropriate and have appropriate material for my students. This can sometimes be overlooked, but I think professionalism, along with appropriate content is crucial to the learning process.
Hope you all enjoyed this long post (sorry). Have a fantastic weekend!
Gabrielle
With everything going on in your classes and extracurricular activities, I hope you all have found time to relax and celebrate you this week! I believe mental health is just as important in life as anything and should be emphasized daily. So with that being said, the productive level that I have achieved this week has been quite surprising for me. I set a goal for myself on Monday, wrote down what all needed to be completed and when, and for the most part, I've reached that goal. Hopefully that continues! I've discovered this new tactic that is super helpful, which is using a "brown noise" video when trying to complete tasks. This has come to be surprisingly beneficial and has caused me to stay focused and efficient. Try it sometime this week; I think it's great!
This week we have our Wisdom From Experience project due, and because of scheduling conflicts I was not able to interview my last teacher until today. The 3-5 teacher informed me that her school allots time for Social Studies teaching, but today I was saddened to hear that the K-2 teacher from a different school is not so fortunate. Why is this? I do not understand the logic behind removing time for this subject. Granted, the 2nd grade teacher integrates Social Studies into other areas, mainly reading, and her class has a designated Social Studies book. However, I cannot wrap my mind around the possibility that students are receiving adequate instruction in this subject, compared to the previous school of thought. Taking away time for this instruction is not only more stressful on the classroom teacher, but also unfair to students. In order to be competent, effective citizens in our society, students must be taught concepts and further details from the 5 strands of Social Studies. To not do so would be a disservice to your students.
So, since this is apparently a "new trend," I decided to look up strategies for integrating Social Studies into my future classroom lessons. This website: http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/social-studies-in-literacy-routines was created by Angela Watson, a teacher in NY. She lists several ways to integrate Social Studies, particularly in Literacy/Language Arts, which I believe would be the easiest subject to integrate in. Because I can utilize this source, I plan to incorporate historical readings into "Read Aloud" portion of Literacy class. This is an effective, simple way of integrating. Angela Watson also said to use technology as a resource. Since students have to know standards from technology too, together students can use iPads to complete historical web quests or fill geographical locations.
When teaching Social Studies, it's important to think about NCPTS IV, Section B, "Teachers facilitate learning for their students; Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students." This needs to be heavily emphasized, especially in a political season such as this. In my classroom, I plan to always make instruction relevant to the students, so that they will develop interest and a deeper understanding of the material. But, I also plan to always be appropriate and have appropriate material for my students. This can sometimes be overlooked, but I think professionalism, along with appropriate content is crucial to the learning process.
Hope you all enjoyed this long post (sorry). Have a fantastic weekend!
Gabrielle
Gabriella, I like the website you posted on blog. One thing which stood out on the link is for teachers to share current events with their class. Students can be connected with history in the making as well as reading about historical people or events. I could not agree more on your mental health comment. By relaxing, our brains can relax and get refreshed. I believe a person needs a little "chill time" everyday to relieve stress.
ReplyDeleteGabby,
ReplyDeleteIt is truly sad that social studies is so undervalued, when in reality, it is so applicable to our students. I had both of my teachers tell me that social studies was not on their schedule. It was pretty sad, but luckily my 2nd grade teacher has a subscription to social studies weekly. It is a non-fiction text so students get some ELA in there as well. My 5th grade teacher actually said when she was hired that her principal told her she would hardly ever teach social studies and only teach science. She quickly realized the importance of social studies and started to integrate it within her science lessons.
I think that it is so important to take time for ourselves during the week. You said it right that mental health is SO important. If we allow ourselves to be run down, our work will not benefit. Great post, Gabbs.
Brown noise video? Never heard of that... I am super proud of you for being determined to meet your goals for this week! Awesome. Continue to grow this habit and you will be better prepared for student teaching! Angela Watson publishes GREAT information - good find!
ReplyDelete