Jessica Parker

LBS 400
4/13/15
History-Social Science Reflection
A great amount of knowledge needs to be present in order to teach History-Social Science
in an elementary classroom. The first thing you need to know are the basic knowledge and
cultural understanding of History as a whole. The second thing you need to know are the
democratic understanding and civic values. This includes: natural identity, constitutional
heritage, civic values, and the rights and responsibilities of a citizen. History isnt an easy subject
to learn, let alone teach so it is going to require a lot of work to be able to remember and
understand all of these concepts.
I have only taken two history classes here at Dominguez Hills and only one of them has
had a real impact on me. My LBS 375 was outstanding and I learned so much information about
California. This class mainly consisted of in class activities. In groups, we would either work on
worksheets, essays, maps and even games. There was a lot of hands on learning in this class and
I think that is why I learned so much. In addition, every week we had an essay due based on a
California issue that was either in the past or that was happening in the present. On the other
hand, my HIS 301 unfortunately did not teach me anything. This class did a horrible job of
preparing me and sadly it was because of the teacher. This was her first semester teaching this
class so she didnt know what she was doing. I do not even recall turning in a single assignment,
the class was strictly on attendance. It is a shame that I was not prepared proper from this class
but LBS 375 did an outstanding job at preparing me for my future in teaching History-Social
Science in an elementary classroom.

When it comes to History-Social Science there are areas where I feel prepared in and
areas I feel unprepared in. The area I feel very prepared in is California History. I remember first
learning about California History in fifth grade and it was so exciting learning about the place
you live in. Then, when I took LBS 375, it refreshed my memory about California and I was
even able to learn tons of things that I have never even heard of before. On the other hand, there
are the areas that I feel less prepared. To be honest, I dont feel very prepared in any subject in
History besides California History. Growing up History was always my worst subject. It was
always so boring to me and I didnt see the point in learning something that had already
happened.
In regards to my portfolio, I plan on using two artifacts. The first artifact I plan on using
is one of my DBQs, which is one of my in class essays for my LBS 375 class. These DBQs
consist of events that have happened in California History that have made a difference in our
lives. The second artifact I am going to use is a worksheet we did in class about the different
water storages across California. These specific artifacts demonstrate my knowledge of HistorySocial Science because it shows that I am well aware of what is going on and what has happened
in California that has had a huge impact on our lives. I will continue to study all of the subjects
in History-Social Science to ensure that I am well prepared to be able to teach in an elementary
classroom.