Teaching Elementary Social Studies: Strategies, Standards, and Internet Resources
"I found as I went through, I immediately wanted to check online to see what was available, and how it tied in with what we were talking about. As a teacher I love the imbedded assignments which students will see as an integral part of the learning, not just an add-on...."It's truly an interactive style. Not add-on activities but integrated activities and technology usage. Great resources: web sites, ERIC documents, basal K-6 excerpts, online videos, graphic organizers, etc. Currency is also a strength. I particularly liked the literacy and basic skills unit which explicitly shows how literacy strategies must be incorporated in the social studies class.""Yes, I would definitely consider adopting this book for my course as I particularly find the web site links and resources to be very helpful for me as an instructor. I also like the constructivist approach to teaching social studies--very appropriate because as teachers, we cannot solely transmit knowledge, but rather guide students in formulating their own views and perspectives about historical and contemporary knowledge and the causes and effects of our own thinking and actions.""It appears from my review of the TOC, Professor's Preface, Student Introduction, and Units 1 & 2 that the layout, language, and resources provided in this text will make lectures and assignments less formidable on both sides of the desk. In these regards, it is superior to the text I currently use. Based on my review, and having scanned the entire manuscript, the goals and approaches in the Preface have been achieved."The interactive approach of the text is stellar in that it is critical for teachers to experience 'how' they should teach. It focuses the strategy (List, Group, and Label) with teachers' in-class participation. Many professors will become aware of this effective way to get teachers to integrate theory with practice (in their presence) and to generalize instruction of specific strategies to their classrooms."