Running Head: SOCIAL STUDIES IN THE K-8 CURRICULUM

Social Studies in the K-8 Curriculum:

A System of Inquiry

Mariah Brashar

University of Alaska, Southeast

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Philosophy of teaching social studies

The social sciences help us understand ourselves, our society, and our history. From

anthropology, to economics, to political science, to women’s studies, the disciplines that fall

under the heading of the “Social Studies” run the gamut of the human experience. We study

these disciplines to increase our cultural capital, to become better stewards for the future by

being more active citizens, and to more fully understand where we came from and how that

might shape where we are and where we’re going as individuals, as societies, nations, and

cultures, and as a species. It is the prerogative of public education to help shape the youth of our

country. The responsibility to help students understand society and their role within it is implicit

within this privilege. For this, we must design a system of social studies education that engages

our students.

When one thinks of studying history in school, perhaps one conjures up a mental picture

of a lecture. Students sit quietly, with their pencils dutifully cocked, while the teacher holds

forth. “Remember,” the teacher pontificates, “these dates will be on the exam.” As the lecture

continues, heads droop: lower…lower…lower… until half the students sit hunched over their

desks, asleep, while the other half stare blankly into the middle distance, drool pooling in the

corners of their open mouths. Sound familiar?

History wasn’t this boring while it was happening, and it doesn’t need to be this boring

when we study it. History can and should be taught through a system of inquiry that focuses on

asking important questions and trying to answer them by using carefully examined evidence. Our

students deserve an authentic look at history and, while students are too young to demand the

kind of authenticity they deserve, educators should be culturally aware and responsive enough to

recognize that the old, tired, whitewashed versions of history that are often seen in textbooks do
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not adequately cover the scope of our shared experiences. Teachers need to be brave enough to

delve into the nitty-gritty of our past and examine the oft forgotten voices of women, minorities,

and dissidents of all kinds. (Zinn, 2009) Students should learn to “do” history and to think like

historians. In other disciplines, we teach our students how to do, we can do the same in history.

(Lesh, 2011) Students learn best when they are engaged, and they are most effectively engaged

when they are given the autonomy to develop their own ideas.

Students should learn to see that history is a discipline based on questions, that

understanding history is based on one’s ability to critically analyze sources by looking at text,

subtext, and context, and that to do history, one must create evidence-based interpretations of the

past. (Lesh, 2011) Social studies in the classroom should be approached from the lens of the

students. Research shows that students learn best when they are able to connect what they’re

learning to what they know. (Harvey and Goudvis, 2007)

The role of the teacher, then, is to help her students attain not a set of static facts, but a

way of thinking: asking questions, analyzing, and building arguments. The teacher should

scaffold student learning by designing thoughtful, meaningful questions. (Koechlin and Zwaan,

2014) She should gain an understanding of who her students are, what they know, and where

their interests lie and use that to activate their background knowledge. A good teacher also must

give her students authentic feedback through assessment of student work and activities so that

students can delve deeper into their own learning and self-improvement.

An elementary school teacher must also integrate social studies into the curriculum,

incorporating the study of history, economics, geography, and more, into the daily life of the

classroom, through classroom economies, content area literacy studies, debates, and other cross-

content strategies. (Harvey and Goudvis, 2007) The social studies necessarily build upon prior
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knowledge, so it is also the responsibility of the teacher to be aware of the pertinent standards

and the sequence of knowledge that her students will need by the end of the year. The scope of a

class’s study should take into consideration time, essential understandings, and the push and pull

between depth and breadth of study.

Anchorage School District Fourth Grade Classroom Social Studies plan

“Students build upon geography knowledge and skills as a basis for study of

the Americas and beyond. Ancient civilizations and indigenous peoples of the

Americas are introduced through geography, historiography, economics,

government, civics, and the humanities. The last quarter offers multiple

perspectives on “exploration and encounters”, leading to further study of U.S.

history in 5th and 6th grades.” (Anchorage School District Curriculum Guide, 2018)

First Quarter:

Reading for the teacher: The Last Giant of Beringia (O’Neil)

Chapter book for daily read aloud: Wolf Brother (Paver)

Theme: Human Geography

Content Topic: Indigenous Peoples and Civilizations of Central and South America

Essential Question: What separates and defines different groups of people?

Enduring Understanding: Peoples are separated by distance and differences in culture.

Learning Activities

Weeks 1-2: Globe studies

Interactive read aloud: The Discovery of the Americas (Maestro)

Collaborative Western Hemisphere wall map designed by students shows

migration of people over Bering Strait through North America to South America
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Weeks 3-4: Major groups

Stop, Think React Video: “The History of Chocolate” (Deanna Pucciarelli)

Classroom timeline depicting the relationship between the rise and fall of the

Incas, Mayas, and Aztecs

Connection to current events

Weeks 5-6: People of the rain forest

Read aloud: “The Rabbit and the Coyote,” “The Rabbit Throws Out His Sandal,”

“The Jaguar and the Little Skunk,” and “The Disobedient Son” (World of Tales)

Folktales of South America story maps

Weeks 7-8: Diorama

Individuals create dioramas depicting their choice of scene: Aztec, Maya, Inca,

folk tale, migration

Connection to current events

Portfolio creation (student choice), assessment

Second Quarter:

Reading for the teacher: Two Old Women (Wallis)

Chapter book for daily read aloud: My Name is Not Easy (Edwardson)

Theme: Human Geography

Content Topic: Indigenous Peoples and Civilizations of Mexico and North America

Essential Question: How does the land/environment mold the people that live there?

Enduring Understanding: Differences in environment help shape differences in

culture/lifestyle.

Learning Activities
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Weeks 1-2 From the Mountains to the Valleys

Interactive read aloud (multi day): Many Biomes, One Earth (Sneed, Needham)

Writer’s workshop: Essay: How does the geography of Anchorage effect my life?

Weeks 3-4 Folk Tales of North America

Interactive read alouds: The Star People, A Boy Called Slow, and The First

Strawberries. Story Maps (Focus: how does geography effect these stories?)

Connection to current events

Weeks 5-6 Horse People

Stop, think, react video: “Wild Horses History”

Debate research: Were horses a good thing for Native Americans?

Weeks 7-8 Debates

Interactive read aloud: Children of the Earth and Sky (Krensky)

Team debates

Connection to current events

Portfolio creation, (student choice), assessment

Third Quarter:

Reading for the teacher: Guns, Germs and Steel (Diamond)

Chapter book for daily read aloud: The Hobbit (Tolkien)

Theme: Economics and Government

Content Topic: First Contact

Essential Question: What motivates people to explore the unknown or to defend their

homeland?

Enduring Understanding: People can be motivated to explore by religion, riches,

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desire for glory, need for materials, and hope for a better life.

People defend their homelands because they wish to preserve their

way of life, their culture, and their economic holdings.

Learning Activities

Weeks 1-2: Economics – What is it?

Interactive read aloud: (select stories) Economics through Everyday Stories from

Around the World (Prados)

Set up Mini Society

Weeks 3-4 Government: what is it good for?

Interactive read aloud: (multi day) Exploration and Conquest (Maestro)

Essay: Why is gold so important and why do governments need or want money?

Connection to current events

Weeks 5-6 Who says so?

Stop, think, react video: “Christopher Columbus: What Really Happened?” (Bad

Crayfish Productions) – graphic organizer

Classwide debate: Why do we often hear about the importance/good things about

Columbus?

Weeks 7-8 Who were these people?

Writers workshop: choose an explorer or famous Native American person,

research them, and keep a journal about their life.

Resource: library, internet

Connection to current events

Portfolio creation, (student choice), assessment

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Fourth Quarter:

Reading for the teacher: The Two Faces of American Freedom (Aziz Rana)

Chapter book for Daily read aloud: Explorers Who Got Lost (Sansevere-Dreher)

Theme: Civics and Humanities

Content Topic: European Explorers in the Americas

Essential Question: Who did the Americas belong to, how do we know, and why?

Enduring Understanding: Humans have moved around the globe for various reasons over

the course of human history. When European explorers came to the

Americas, there were many different peoples here.

Learning Activities

Weeks 1-2 Oral History: Who writes the history books?

Interactive Read Aloud: Encounter (Yolen)

Concept Map: What happened to Native American peoples when European

explorers arrived.

Weeks 3-4 Imagining Alternative Endings

Stop, think, and react video: “History of the Potato”

Writers Workshop: What if the Europeans had stayed put? What would have been

different?

Connection to current events

Weeks 5-6 Columbus on Trial

Mock Trial

Resource: The Zinn project (https://zinnedproject.org)

Weeks 7-8 What have we learned? What’s Next?

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Review: Indigenous peoples, environmental impacts, economics, government

Writers Workshop: If I could change one thing about this period in history it

would be…

Connection to current events

Portfolio creation, (student choice), assessment

Best Practices for Assessment:

Encourage contact with students, develops cooperation between students, encourages

active learning, prompt feedback, emphasizes effort/time on task, high expectations, respect

diverse talents, interests, and learning styles

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References:

Harvey, Stephanie and Ann Goudvis. (2007). Strategies that work: teaching comprehension

for understanding and engagement. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Koechlin, Carol and Sandi Zwaan. (2014). Q tasks. Markham, Ontario: Pembroke

Publishers Limited.

Lesh, Bruce A. (2011). Why won’t you just tell us the answer? Teaching historical thinking in

grades 7-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Zinn, Howard. (2009). A young people’ history of the United States. New York, NY: Seven

Stories Press.