Social Studies Reflection!

Social Studies throughout the semester has been a very interesting and very enjoyable.  I started the semester dreading this class almost as the worst.  However, it has quickly grown on me.  I was always the person who thought social studies did not need to be in elementary school.  I never understood why these young children needed to memorize all of this information and never use it.  I felt that I was going to incorporate social studies with research.  I always thought that students could be just as well off if they knew how to research the material.

With all of this said, this semester has changed my mind completely.  I still do not feel that the students should have to memorize the presidents in order, or know where all the different countries are, or even know the capitals to all of the states in the U.S.  Now, I feel that the students need to be involved in active learning.  They need to participate in hands on activities to help them evaluate all of the materials we are discussing.  I want students to see the main idea of the important events in history.  I also want to get away from the politically correct versions of social studies.  I want my students to understand what really happened at the first Thanksgiving, or what Christopher Columbus really did.  I realize this is going to be very difficult in an area like this one.  Most peoples’ minds in this area are very closed, and there is only one way to be right.  However, this is where my critical voice will come in.  I want the students to not feel deprived in their education. 

I really want to have a culturally responsive classroom.  Even though in this area there is not much diversity involved, I want the students to be aware of all the different cultures that they may one day be in contact with.  I really hope to integrate social studies into all the other subjects in my classroom.  I think reading stories with the students about other cultures is the perfect way to have a culturally responsive classroom.  Art, music, science, language arts, all of these subjects will be perfectly capable of being integrated into my social studies segment of the class.  I plan to use the NCSS standards as well as the TN (or whatever state I happen to reside in) standards to make sure my students are well rounded.

Students really need social studies to make them well rounded learners.  If I do not teach them social studies, how will they ever decide to go into a history major in the future?  The love of history starts at such a young age and I don’t want to turn a student off to any type of learner.  I intend to develop classroom rules democratically and let the students help vote and create the procedures in the class.  These students need the responsibility of this and it will lead into a perfect lesson of government. 

So with all of this said, the students need social studies.  This class has definitely changed my perspective of it.  I had such a terrible experience with social studies in all of the classes I have had it in.  I want to make sure all of my students can have a fun and exciting learning time with social studies.  I think we need to get past dates and memorization and turn social studies into a much more active and fun lesson to keep the students interested and involved.  Besides, are we not teachers for the students?  If the students need social studies, it is our job to present it in a way that is beneficial to them. This only makes sense to keep it fun and active and to incorporate it into everything we do! Put social studies back into the classroom!

History jumps to life!!!!

I loved the living history museum!! I really thought that it would be dull and boring.  I thought it was one of those projects that you would just spend money on and it would be pointless.  However, once I was involved in it, I realized just how fun and great it really is!!! I never knew how many people really impacted history and yet i had no idea who they even were.  This was such a weird realization though.  I do wish that some people had done some well known people though.  I mainly thought this because, everyone came up with really unique facts that could alter your opinion of the person.  This would have been really fascinating to hear about the people that you feel like you hear about all the time and yet you really don't know the truth behind it at all.  Anyways, I really plan on doing several of these throughout my teaching.  I think it would be great to have students choose a person in the time frame that you are studying.  But this means you could do multiple throughout the year.  I really think the students would improve on their researching and be more confident in themselves by the end of the year.  I loved this and can't wait to do it in my own classroom!

FQR and Thanksgiving!

So I really enjoyed the FQR activity in class.  I remember in school when we would have to write things that we were thinking on a separate sheet of paper.  I always hated having to keep up with it when it was all separated.  I liked being able to use Post it notes.  I think I would have enjoyed the activity a lot more if I could have used the Post It notes.  I think it is a great way to make kids think about what they are reading.  This requires some thought while reading which enhances their critical thinking skills!

As Thanksgiving gets closer, I keep getting mad about what I read.  I realize that that is the way it is socially accepted.  But, I don't think it is fair to the kids who are having to learn it.  If they have to come to school, I think it is the least we can do to actually teach them what really happened.  Otherwise, what is truely the point of making them come to learn the "socially accepted" version of what happened.  But anyways, I understand that they have to pass the tests, but I think there has to be a better way of teaching the material that actually occurred and won't be on the tests.  It's only fair that we inform our children properly!

Book Talk It Up!

So I loved the idea of the book talk! I thought it was such a great way to keep language arts in social studies! Having the class to tell us all about the books that were read was fascinating! I have always struggled to read history books, so learning about it through historical fiction makes the material so much more exciting! I feel like I have come away with so many fun and exciting books to incorporate in my classroom.  Not only can these be read to the students to study with a lesson, but having the students to do their own book talk encourages them to read for entertainment!  It would be a great way to have the students read, do Accelerated Reader, learn a history or what ever else subject is in the book, and even get them used to public speaking, since it is the most feared thing.  I am really excited to have each of my students to participate in book talks off and on.  I think it is a great thing to get other children interested in new books as well! Having their classmates state what they liked about the book is so much more exciting then just reading the back of the book for a synopsis!

Mount Everest!!

This place is insane!! I would so do this trek if I had any sort of money, or skills of climbing.  But knowing me, this would be the end of me.

But I really enjoy the studying of this region.  I would love to teach this to younger children, but the death and bodies really wouldnt be a great idea to introduce to them.  But I think older students would really get into this topic.  I loved doing story path with this.  Story path could be my new favorite way of teaching social studies.  The kids really get to be creative and get into the time and place of where they are studying.  Not only this, but it's a great way to incorporate language arts, by doing the language experience journals!!! This would even be appropriate for the struggling students.  I really hope we are not finished doing story path.  I have really gotten excited about coming up with another incident!

$GEOCACHING$ Kaching!!!!!!

Just kidding! Geocaching really isn't a good way of getting money, but it does provide hours of fun! I could really see me getting into this! I have recently tried to find several of these, but I have not actually brought any of them to the finsh.

Anyways, I think this would be an awesome way of getting the students involved in geography.  Just by having a keychain that people take around the world, is just a fantastic way for the students to have an ongoing social studies lessons.  They could learn the different cultures if it happens to go to other countries.  I really hope I can have my students to do something like this.  The possibilities are endless with this simple little scavenger hunt!!

Lilly is the master geographer!

So now, for this weeks post.  I was soo impressed by Lilly.  The way she knew where all the countries were just completely fascinated me.  I have always hated geography and never knew why I needed to know where all those countries were.  This to me seemed like such a waste of time.  But by seeing a 2 year old who knows where all of these countries are just gave me future hope and ideas for my classroom.

I know that the way they were testing Lilly on youtube was just completely against everything we have learned in teacher education.  However, it also showed what high expectations can do for your students.  By turning all of this into a game, the students can really learn how to do all of this and more.  They can really have fun and enjoy what they are learning about.  If you could get the entire school to gradually go over each of the countries and the cultures, the students would really be able to recall where the countries are and see the differences in people all over the world and even in neighboring countries. 

So when I get my classroom I do think i want Lilly to come and show my students all her knowledge so they can gain confidence.  Who else is in on having Lilly just come to our classroom and show us how to learn?!