Terence Beck teaches in the School of Education at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. He works with aspiring K-12 teachers in the areas of social studies and literacy education. He also teaches classes focused on issues of education and social justice. Terence is particularly interested in classroom conversations that engage diverse students in thinking and exploring big and often controversial ideas. Terence taught in elementary and middle schools for 11 years before serving nine years as an elementary school principal.

CHAPTER 1 Social Studies Education: What and Why 1

Goals for Social Studies: Social Understanding and Civic Competence 2

Knowledge 3

Attitudes and Values 4

Skills 5

Curriculum Scope and Sequence 6

Unit Topics by Grade Level 9

Five Key Trends 13

Trend 1: Closing the Opportunity Gap 13

Trend 2: Curriculum Standards: National, State, and Local 14

Trend 3: Assessment, Accountability, and the Global Achievement Gap 16

Trend 4: Democracy 18

Trend 5: Making the Literacy–Social Studies Connection 19

Summary 20

Discussion Questions and Suggested Activities 20

Selected References 21

CHAPTER 2 Teaching in Diverse Classrooms 22

The Changing Demographics of Today’s Classrooms 23

Understanding Diverse Classrooms 25

Two Extremes and a Middle Way 26

Different or Deprived 26

Race, Ethnicity, and Culture 27

Social Class 32

Religion 33

Language Differences in the Classroom 34

Sex and Gender 36

Sexual Orientation 38

Children with Special Needs 40

Multiple Intelligences 45

Guidelines for Teaching in Diverse Classrooms 46

Seven Guidelines for Teaching in Diverse Classrooms 47

Guideline 1. Culturally Responsive Instruction 47

Guideline 2. Know Your “Cell Phone” 48

Guideline 3. Engaging with Learning 50

Guideline 4. High Expectations for Learning 51

Guideline 5. Flexible Grouping 52

Guideline 6. Differentiated Instruction 53

Guideline 7. Multicultural Curriculum 54

Summary 56

Discussion Questions and Suggested Activities 56

Selected References 57

Why Citizenship Education? 60

Active and Passive Citizenship Education: The Case of the Pledge 63

Seminars on the Pledge 65

Simulating a Naturalization Ceremony 66

Citizenship Education: Six Dimensions 68

1. Deliberation: Discussion and Decision Making 68

2. Voting and Elections 76

3. Service Learning and Community Action 82

4. Citizenship Knowledge 85

5. Citizenship Values 86

6. Citizenship Dispositions and Virtues 91

Religion and Social Studies 94

Summary 95

Discussion Questions and Suggested Activities 95

Selected References 96

CHAPTER 4 History, Geography, and the Social Sciences 97

Teaching History 98

Identifying the Rationale 99

Developing a Sense of Time and Chronology 101

Determining What History Should Be Taught 102

Historical Reasoning 104

Teaching Suggestions 105

Absorbing History 109

Doing History 112

Teaching Geography 117

Rationale 117

The Geography Curriculum: The Thematic Approach 118

Teaching Suggestions 119

Teaching Political Science 123

Teaching Suggestions 123

Teaching Economics 124

Teaching Suggestions and Strategies 125

Teaching Anthropology and Sociology 129

Anthropology 130

Sociology 132

Summary 137

Discussion Questions and Suggested Activities 137

Selected References 138

CHAPTER 5 Powerful Tools: Maps, Globes, Charts, and Graphs 139

Map and Globe Skills Essential to the Social Studies Curriculum 141

Understanding Directional Orientation 142

Using Map Scales 142

Locating Places 143

Expressing Location 144

Reading Map Symbols 145

Teaching Maps, Mapping and the Globe 147

Teaching Map Symbols 148

Teaching Map Directions 148

Teaching Map Interpretation 149

Comparing Maps of the Same Place 150

Teaching Map Color 153

Zooming In and Out with Google Earth and Google Maps 154

Teaching the Globe 155

The Projection Puzzle: From Globe to Map 158

Applying Map and Globe Skills 163

Summarizing Map and Globe Skills 166

Teaching Charts and Graphs 168

Charts 168

Graphs 169

Summary 172

Discussion Questions and Suggested Activities 172

Selected References 172

Purpose of Teaching Current Events and Social Problems 175

Building a Current Events Program: Three Approaches 176

Teaching Current Events in Addition to Social Studies 176

Using Current Events to Supplement Social Studies 176

Using Current Events as the Basis for Social Studies Units 177

Implementing Four Strategies for Teaching Current Events 180

Strategy 1: Daily Discussion of News 180

Strategy 2: Decision Making on Controversial Issues 182

Strategy 3: Teaching About Different Kinds of Controversy 188

Strategy 4: Writing About Issues 189

Teaching Enduring Public Issues 190

Poverty 191

Human–Environment Interaction 191

Crime and the Rule of Law 195

Peace and Global Perspective 196

Diversity, Fairness, and Prejudice 197

Summary 198

Discussion Questions and Suggested Activities 199

Selected References 199

The Process and Purposes of Assessment 203

The Process of Assessment 204

The Purposes of Assessment 204

Principles of Assessment 206

Principle 1: Assessment Is an Integral Part of Curriculum and Instruction 207

Principle 2: Devote Time to Essential Learnings 207

Principle 3: Set High Standards for Teaching and Learning 209

Principle 4: Clarify Targets (Objectives) Early 211

Principle 5: Aim for More Authentic Assessments 212

Principle 6: Collect Multiple Indicators of Learning—An Array of Evidence 212

Principle 7: Provide Ample Opportunities to Learn 213

Methods of Assessment 213

Informal Assessment Techniques 214

Paper-and-Pencil Tests 217

Performance Assessment 219

Checklists 222

Portfolios 222

Summary 227

Discussion Questions and Suggested Activities 227

Selected References 228

CHAPTER 8 Planning Units, Lessons, and Activities 229

Developing Teachers’ Knowledge and Goals 232

Knowledge Development 232

Goals 233

Planning the Unit 233

Study the Curriculum Guide and Talk About It with Colleagues 234

Frame Learning Objectives (Determine Desired Results of Study—The Targets) 237

Unit Questions 239

Concluding Advice: Priorities, Targets, and Scope 240

Determine Assessments 242

Section Review 244

Planning to Teach the Unit 246

Phase 1: Launching the Unit 246

Phase 2: Developing the Study with Learning Activities 248

Phase 3: Concluding the Study 250

Section Review 251

Planning Lessons within Units 251

Judging the Adequacy of a Lesson Plan 254

Five Ways to Enrich Any Unit 255

1. Incorporating Literacy Instruction 255

2. Incorporating Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) 255

3. Incorporating Construction Activities 256

4. Incorporating Simulations, Role-Playing and Music 263

5. Introducing a Little Controversy 266

Summary 267

Discussion Questions and Suggested Activities 268

Selected References 268

CHAPTER 9 Five Great Teaching Strategies 269

Strategy 1. Teaching Concepts 271

Concepts Are Ideas 271

Concept Formation 273

Variation 1 on Concept Formation: List, Group, and Label 279

Variation 2 on Concept Formation: Concept Attainment 280

Making Concepts Graphic 282

Relationship of Facts to Concepts 282

Strategy 2. Teaching with Inquiry 283

Inquiry Example 1: Who Benefits from Advertising? 287

Inquiry Example 2: What Caused the Titanic Tragedy? 287

Strategy 3. Teaching Social Studies Skills 291

Strategy 4. Asking Good Questions 292

Identifying Purposes of Asking Questions 295

Improving the Teacher’s Questioning Skills 297

Helping Students Ask Productive Questions 298

Strategy 5. Teaching with Cooperative Learning Groups 301

Creating a Positive Climate for Human Relations 302

Getting Started with Cooperative Groups 303

Managing Cooperative Group Work 304

Alternative Frameworks for Cooperative Tasks 307

Identifying and Teaching Group Work Skills 309

Summary 312

Discussion Questions and Suggested Activities 312

Selected References 313

CHAPTER 10 The Literacy–Social Studies Connection 314

Addressing Literacy and Content-Area Learning 316

Teaching Reading Skills Essential to Social Studies Learning 317

Using Textbooks as Study Aids 319

Building Social Studies Vocabulary 322

Improving Text Comprehension: Helping Students Make Sense of

What They Read 324

Activate Prior Knowledge Using Graphic Organizers 326

Preview 327

Skim for Ideas and Related Details 329

Summarize 329

Introducing the Socratic Seminar: Interpretive Discussion 333

Choose a Worthy Text 333

Explain the Purpose 334

State and Clarify Expectations 334

Preteach or Postteach Needed Skills 334

Ask an Interpretive, Genuine Question 335

Make Facilitation “Moves” 335

Using Children’s Trade Books for Multiple Perspectives 336

Launching 336

Examining Multiple Perspectives 336

Summary 341

Discussion Questions and Suggested Activities 341

Selected References 342

CHAPTER 11 Social Studies as the Integrating Core 343

Curriculum Integration 344

Definitions 345

Pitfalls 346

Two Examples of Curriculum Integration: Composing Cooperative Biographies and Understanding Living Things 348

Example 1: Composing Cooperative Biographies 348

Example 2: Understanding Living Things 361

Understanding the Two Examples 363

Summary 373

Discussion Questions and Suggested Activities 373

Selected References 374

School and Community Resources: School Library, Textbooks, Guest Speakers, and Fieldtrips 376

The School Media/Resource Center (Library) 377

The Social Studies Textbook 377

Community Resources 383

Digital Resources: What Social Studies Teachers Need to Know 389

Technology Use That Promotes Learning 390

Technology and Using Good Judgment 394

Technology’s Give-and-Take Conundrum 395

Summary 397

Discussion Questions and Suggested Activities 397

Selected References 398

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