COURSE DESCRIPTION: As the first methods course required of social studies students seeking higher certification, this class will expand students’ social studies content knowledge, introduce students to the fundamental aspects of classroom instruction and basic curriculum development, acquaint the student with various methods and strategies found in today’s schools, and offer practical ‘how-to’ knowledge for new or soon-to-be teachers.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:   Upon completion of this course, students will further their ability to:

• develop and teach effective social studies lessons based on an understanding and knowledge of current social studies content, concepts, and State of Michigan guidelines.
• identify, select, and implement a variety of effective teaching strategies, techniques, and learning activities for secondary students designed to develop social studies knowledge, skills, values, and civic participation.
• choose, implement, and evaluate a variety of instructional resources and materials appropriate for social studies units, lessons, and learning activities.
• identify and incorporate appropriate community resources into the social studies curriculum.
• understand and critique the essential elements and various methods of effective evaluation of student learning.
• understand that the key aspect of social studies education is the development of responsible citizens.

APPLICATION OF COURSE OBJECTIVES: Course objectives will be accomplished through:

• designing two lessons that incorporate this year’s theme of the 82nd NCSS Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizonia. One ‘hands-on’ lesson will be taught to the class being created solely for the purpose of submission to the NCSS for annual conference session. The second lesson will logically dovetail with the first lesson in a meaningful manner.
• creating a lesson plan that revolves around a field trip of the student’s own choosing.
• reviewing and critiquing two professional journal readings.
• developing and presenting a lesson that incorporates and demonstrates an understanding of the Michigan Framework for social studies strands and the Core Democratic Values.
• completing and exercise involving the Ten Themes of Social Studies.
• reading a recent book dealing with social studies education and demonstrating written and oral mastery of content material.
• interviewing a student teacher or first-year teacher.
• participating in an alternative perspective exercise concerning a controversial issue.
• participating in weekly group discussions of current educational concerns and issues in the social studies community.

* Attendance: Effective learning—and democracies—require active participation. Absences in this class are just that, absences; they are neither excused nor unexcused. Students are expected to be punctually present for each and every class meeting. Being late to class or leaving early may count as .5 of an absence. Perfect attendance will raise your grade by a third; every 2 absences will lower your grade by a third. We need you here to help us learn.

* Submission of assignments: All written work will be typed or word-processed. Written work is expected to be competent, insightful, and free of grammatical and mechanical/spelling errors. Proofread all assignments! In a nutshell: Poor quality and uninspired work will hurt your grade. All course assignments must be submitted on the specified due date. Late assignments will not be accepted. If you will not be here, make sure your work is! E-mail it to me by class time (scotsman@blclinks.net) or give it to another student to bring in.

* Discussion of ideas is core to the social studies. It is not a way to simply ‘pass time’ in the classroom but provides a means to really examine and understand the human condition. It is one way civilized women and men interact. I expect you to be organized and well prepared since it will help move our discussions along effectively and efficiently. The better you listen and the deeper you think before responding to others will serve you well, not only in this classroom but also in your own. As a last note, contempt for colleagues and the learning environment has no place in any classroom and will not be viewed compassionately here—agree and disagree with manners and style.

* At the outset of this course I encourage you to continue, or begin, the transformation to professional educators even though you may not be teaching yet. Don’t waste your time here. Utilize the power and energy of your colleagues as you challenge your assumptions, sort through new strategies and ideas, and think outside the box while you stay balanced and grounded. In other words, start to truly picture yourself as a teacher, not just as a student. As you participate in classroom conversation, formulate and ask questions, and turn in and present work, think about how you would guide the discussion, how you would answer the question just asked, how you would grade you and your colleagues’ work if you held the red pen. Begin to think like the teacher you want to be.

You are on the journey now that will influence the future. Manifest it.

* Evaluation and Grading: A = 93-100,  A- = 90-92,   B+ = 87-89,  B = 83-86,   B- = 80-82,           C+ = 77-79,  C = 73-76,   C- = 70-72,   D+ = 67-69,  D = 63-66,           D- = 60-62.

OVERVIEW OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADE WEIGHT: (details in class)

* NCSS Lessons: These two lessons (and the submission paperwork) are the major assignment in this class.  They will center around the theme of the 82nd NCSS Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizonia and one of the major social studies content areas: geography, history, civics, economics. This is a collaborative project involving triads. Lesson plans must follow the format laid out by instructor and must demonstrate a flawless matching of conceptual and performance objectives, procedures, and evaluation. Furthermore, between the two lessons (in any combination of your choosing) you must include at least one assessment (complete with sample questions and answers) that would approximate the weight of at least a quiz grade and one rubric. The lesson presented/taught to the class must provide secondary students an opportunity to be active participants (ie. hands-on) and will be the lesson that will be ‘submitted’ for the 82nd NCSS annual session. You will also participate in a peer evaluation of fellow students’ units providing meaningful comments and analysis. Prepare yourself so that your lesson summary is presented first (approx. 2 minutes) and your lesson follows (max. 40 minutes).                            30 points.

* Field Trip: Students will visit a historical, cultural, or educational site and create a meaningful lesson that incorporates elements of the site with one or more of the social studies disciplines in mind. This lesson must include a hand-drawn map of the site’s location (5 miles) and a non-traditional assessment method that demonstrates student learning.      14 points.

* Journal Review: All reviews must be taken from professional or educational journals and adhere to the following requirements:
 1)  1 _-2 pages, standard spacing and font, at least one citation, APA style
 2) Copy of article attached
 3) 50-70 word abstract of article with meaningful critique. Denote abstract/critique w/heading.
4) Conforms to stated topic and due-date restrictions    6 points apiece =12 points total.

* Lesson Plans, Interview, and Required Reading:
1) Core Democratic Values and Michigan Frameworks Lesson (must follow instructor lesson format)……….........……………………………………………………………….6 points.
2) Ten Themes lesson exercise (1-5; 6-10; details later in class)..................................7 points.
 3)  Interview: Completed as required…………………………………………………..7 points.
 4)  Required reading exercises (2) ….....……………………………………(critique) 7 points.
            ………………………………..…(in-class exercise) 7 points.

* General Requirements: Most class periods will involve some social studies instructor-generated readings or activities. Your active, meaningful participation is expected. Attendance procedures followed as described under Class Policies.       10 points.

* Extra Credit: Students who join a professional social studies educational organization, or are current members, (ie. Michigan Council for the Social Studies or the National Council for the Social Studies) and can produce a valid membership card (by 4/8) will receive………3 points.

REQUIRED TEXTS AND EXPENSES:

* Michigan Frameworks for Social Studies (University Copy Service)
* Lies My Teacher Told Me; James Loewen; Touchstone Books (WSU Bookstore)
* Transportation and entrance/donation expenses for field trip
* You will be expected to provide each classmate with a basic copy of the two lesson plans you do. However, you will be expected to provide me with all aspects of your lesson plans in order for me to evaluate them properly—within reason—(ie. if your lesson calls for students to write a poem about the inscription on the Statue of Liberty I want the inscription included; if it involves examining the contents of the second floor junior hall trash containers, don’t staple them to your packet!)
 
 
 
 

TENATIVE CLASS CALENDAR:
*I plan on sticking to this schedule as closely as possible, but the availability of guest speakers, labs, and equipment may require adjustments as to when we examine certain topics or the due dates of some assignments. Also remember that this is not a complete schedule—not everything that will be dealt with during each class meeting is listed.

Jan. 7: “168 hours—the First Day of the week”: Introduction and review of course guidelines and expectations. Assign 1st Professional Journal Review (the topic of this first review must relate to the following: post-1995 research on student learning styles). You will be expected to write a 300-500-word critique on any of the first three chapters of Lies My Teacher Told Me for the Jan. 28 class. Pick something in any of those chapters that gets you going and write on it—what is being said, what do you think about it?

Jan. 14: “It’s All in the Timing—A look at the Brain”
  First professional journal review due. Be prepared to present a summary of your review to the class. A look at brain processing. Classroom layout.

Jan. 21: No Class. Martin Luther King Day.

Jan. 28: “Lesson Plans and Units”:
   Lies My Teacher Told Me critique due. The importance of lessons and units. A discussion of MEAP, Core Democratic Values and the Michigan Frameworks for Social Studies. Sample lesson. NCSS Lesson Presentation Groups picked and due date schedules assigned. CDV Lesson due next class.

Feb. 4: “A Field of Dreams—What is out there and why you should care”
  *Core Democratic Lesson due. Be prepared to discuss and critique lessons. An examination of the field of social studies. How the five types of writing can help social studies students and teachers. 2nd Review due next class (topic of this review will center on post-1995 alternative methods for secondary social studies evaluation and assessment).

Feb. 11: “What Do You Want From Me?—The Questioning Mind”
  2nd professional journal review due. Be prepared to present and discuss reviews and alternative assessments with fellow students. A look at rubrics. Discussion of the Ten Themes and Student Teaching. Ten Themes lesson exercise due next week.

Feb. 18: “It’s All Fun and Games until . . .”
   Ten Themes lesson exercise due—be prepared to discuss this topic. Multicultural, meaningful play in today’s classroom. An early reminder—you must have all of Lies My Teacher Told Me read by the March 4th class.

Feb. 25:  “Cooperation and Conflict—Why four heads are better than one”
   A look at cooperative learning: a hands-on lesson will be presented along with reasons why you should team kids up.

Mar. 4: “Both sides now—Controversy in the classroom”
  Lies My Teacher Told Me in-class required reading exercise. Discussion and examination of teaching strategies and ethics for ‘touchy’ issues. Field trip lesson due in two weeks.

Mar. 11: No class. Spring Recess

Mar. 18: “On the Road Again—How getting away can really pay”:
   *Student-generated field trip and lesson plan (with map) due. Be prepared to discuss  your field trip and selected instructional methods with class. Suggestions for great field  trips.

Mar. 25: “Having a Byte to Eat—the Electronic Smorgasbord”
  Computer lab with guest instructors. An examination of the many new directions brought on by the Internet and computers.

Apr. 1:  “Does Mind Over Matter, Matter?—Psychology and Teaching”:
  A profile model and some exercises to help open doors to students you will deal with.
  Guest speaker.

Apr. 8: “Roller skates at the Top of the Stairs”
  Beyond theory: successful modern-day classroom management and self-survival tips. Interviews with new teachers due. Guest presenters.

Apr. 15: Presentation of NCSS hands-on lessons.

Apr. 22: Presentation of NCSS hands-on lessons.

Apr. 29: Presentations of NCSS hands-on lessons. Course evaluation.