Social Studies Curriculum

TCH 347Social Studies in the Elementary School

Department of Education

Shippensburg University

Han Liu, Ph. D.

Curriculum

Definition #1What a student should know and be able to do, which is defined by the state standards linked to high-stake tests.

Curriculum

Definition #2 What a student should know and be

able to do Grade-level content expectations Instructional methods Any classroom learning materials

Curriculum for Social Studies

Curriculum Content Curriculum Organization Curriculum Delivery Conceptual Structure Curriculum Scope & Sequence Social Studies Skills

Social Studies Content(Basic Disciplines)

Culture History Geography Economics Civics Current

Affaires

Sociology Anthropology Psychology Philosophy

Social Studies Curriculum Organization

Interdisciplinary Approach is applied in Elementary and middle schools, such as family life, cultural diversity, improve the environment…

Separate Subject Approach is applied in high schools, such as U.S History, American Government, Economics…

Multidisciplinary Approach is applied in teaching units, such as U.S. state, Latin America, middle east…

Special topics, such as globalization, the Middle East, etc.

Approaches to Deliver Social Studies Curriculum

Conceptual Approach Emphasizing the mastery of social studies concepts

Topical Approach Focus on topics, such as WW II, civil rights

movement, etc.

Inquiry Approach Generating questions Making Hypothesis to address the questions Testing the hypothesis

Conceptual Structure for Social Studies

Facts Vocabulary Concepts

Concept Clusters Themes Generalizations

Descriptive Generalizations Prescriptive Generalizations

Scope and Sequence Scope: Sample. Textbook p.10, Figure 1.1

Basic Contents defined by state standards Comparative Studies & Global Perspective Special Topics: Peace Studies, Environmental

Issues… Sequence: Sample. Textbook p.20, Units of Instruction in the K-8 Curriculum

Basic sequence defined by state standards based on knowledge acquisition theory and grade levels

School’s decisions Teacher’s decisions

Skills for Social Studies

Thinking Skills Language & Communication Skills

Vocabulary Building Skills Research Skills Data Processing Skills Technology Skills

Thinking Skills Inductive Thinking Deductive Thinking Critical Thinking Creative Thinking Analogical Thinking

Problem Solving

Decision-Making

Generalizing Particularizing Metacognition

Language and Communication Skills

Receptive Skills Reading Listening

Expressive Skills Speaking Writing Presenting

Comprehensive Communication Skills Debating

Vocabulary Building Skills

Semantic map (relationship between/among concept clusters)

Clusters Pairs Mnemonics

Research Skills Problem Identifying Predicting/Hypothesizing Inquiry Method Selecting Data processing Analyzing Synthesizing Interpreting Inferring Evaluating/Appraising

Data Processing Skills Data Source Identifying Data collection Data Tabulation Data Organizing Data Aggregation Data Analysis Data Presentation

Technology Skills Searching Classifying Organizing Tabulating Communicating Transmitting Presenting Graphing Multimedia integrating Teaching aids developing