In Chapter #10 of the K Today text, one of the things that was said that I thought was really important was, “the primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world,” (Gullo 107). I think this is very important because I think too often, social studies instruction is just helping students memorize important dates of when really important things happened in our country and world’s history. These things are important, but I think that in my classroom I will try and implement more day to day things that will help children grow into productive and responsible citizens one day. I will do this by encouraging them to participate in recycling events both at school or in the community and at home, teaching them the meaning of the words that are in the flag salute and the National Anthem so that once they are able to understand the meaning, they may appreciate the sacrifices previously made and be a proud American. I also really like the idea of the class meetings. I think that this is a great way for issues to be solved in a diplomatic way where everyone has a right to their own opinion, they are free to express that opinion, and while others may not agree with it, the different opinions presented are respected. When children are taught to handle problems and issues in this way at a young age, they are a lot more likely to continue this trend and use it to solve problems that they may and will come up against as they grow older. I plan on implementing these meetings into my classroom because I think they would greatly benefit the students and teacher in any setting. I thought that the section about choosing strategies when planning curriculum was really helpful and informative. While I would try to implement all of the strategies that they mentioned at some point just for the sake of having a variety of experiences and instruction, I think that I would tend to gravitate toward the project approach more. This is more a of thematic approach, which I think really works well with younger children because when done right it easily balances instruction with hands-on projects or experiences, as well as incorporates different learning centers that relate to the theme.
I like the quote of a definition or purpose of social studies that you chose from the text Kayla. I like how you focused on the simplicity of it made it a manageable piece for kindergarteners. I like your suggestions on how to do it. Recycling is a great piece that would make a terrific thematic unit. Class meetings are also a great idea. Students should feel that their ideas and opinions matter and that they can make a difference. This is great for teaching cooperation and compromise.
Jessica, I also really liked the idea of the big/little brothers/sisters. The section over planning the curriculum was very helpful and I plan on using it as a resource as well. I liked that it gave different categories of approaches you could take, and then gave examples of what it would you would actually do to implement that into your classroom. I think that I would tend to use the project approach more often because I think it would balance out instruction time with hands-on projects and experiences that the students would enjoy. I think that too often social studies instruction becomes a matter of memorizing important dates and events instead of teaching the students that they have a civic responsibility to the country that they live in. I would like to see that change and I will make great efforts to make sure social studies is about more than just knowing dates of important events in my classroom.
Erin Flax I was scared to learn from Mrs. Stoppel last night that most schools do not have a social studies curriculum you come up with things to study and ways to integrate it into other studies. But after reading this chapter I feel a little better. It gave a lot of good ideas. I was relieved to find out that “In kindergarten, the main focus of social studies is to foster a child’s awareness of self in the social setting.” Many of the descriptions given in the book were things that I am used to teaching from my previous experience. This is the part of teaching that I am most excited to teach and is a big reason I would love to teach kindergarten. This is where they are first learning about themselves and the world around them. Also about how to interact with others and how even though we are all unique, we also have many commonalities. It was interesting to learn about the “school self.” We help to develop this by teaching our students about rules in the classroom and how we work together. I will definitely spend a lot of time having the students get to know each other because we are a “school family.” We also will spend time learning how the class is structured and functions. When rules are easy to understand, taught well, and enforced children feel more relaxed and safe which lends itself to better learning. It was great to have the list of social skills we want our students to learn in kindergarten on page 108. The book made it simple and helps this concept to make sense.
Page 110 discussed having an antibias approach to curriculum. I feel this is so important. I will make sure all of my students feel excepted, loved, and capable of learning and doing great things in my class. I would love to teach about other cultures and not with the “tourist” approach that is mentioned in the textbook. Uniqueness will be treasured in my classroom. I also liked page 112 where it talked about how we also teach our students to be responsible for their own behavior. I can speak from experience as a former preschool teacher’s assistant and as a mom, you can tell who the children are who have not had to suffer natural consequences. Where parents or teachers have swooped in to save the day and either shield the child from consequences or tell the child what to do to get it right without letting the child make decisions and learn on their own. It is hard to see your child get hurt and is very hard to stand back and let them do it on their own and learn the hard way. My son is 12 and still struggles with us making him do his homework and reminding him of everything so that he can do okay in school. And perhaps this would be better if I had let him have more responsibility growing up. This was a very informative chapter that will be very useful to me in my teaching career.
I definitely agree with you when you discussed about teaching student's to be responsible for their own behavior. I also beleive that many times parents try so hard to protect their children that they end up struggling with taking responsibility for their behvior and actions and acceptign the consequences of those actions. As teachers we can be there to let these children know that it is okay to make mistakes, but most importantly to learn from those mistakes.
Jessica, I also thought that the KWL chart is something that would work well for kindergarten because there is so much that they want to know. I think that they would really enjoy telling the teacher all of the things that they want to learn about that specific topic. I also liked the section over planning the curriculum because when it comes to social studies and kindergarten, you really aren't sure of what to teach. I thought that they had some good ideas.
Chapter 10 discusses how to implement social studies in a kindergarten classroom. The first part of the text that I found interesting discusses the school self. The school self is a person who works responsively as an individual, how to work independently, and how to reflect on tasks. The development of the school self usually begins in preschool but for those students who do not attend preschool the kindergarten teacher is responsible for helping the children have experiences that they can relate to their learning. The next part of the text that I found to be important discusses character education. Character education is learning about honesty, caring, and fairness. This helps the students develop into good citizens. This is something that I want my students to learn about all year long. The third item that I found interesting was the discussion about choosing the content to teach. We covered the ten different areas of social studies on our social studies methods course and we were also able to create lesson plans to go with those different areas. I think that exposing the students to as many of these aspects as possible would be best. This also allows for the teacher to integrate many topics into one area of discussion. The last part of the chapter that I enjoyed discussed a project approach to teaching. I think that this is a great way to teach students because it is hands on and it relates to things that they already know about. Using a thematic unit to teach kindergarten is great because the students are interested and engaged in the learning.
I also agree with the text and your discussion on how there are many students who do not attend preschool especially now that a lot of the programs are income based a lot of the parents make too much money to put their students in the programs that are available so they do not start school until kindergarten. So as instructors keeping this in mind will help us to be relative to the students where they are. The students are very much interested in engaged learning and i believe it makes the instructors job a lot easier when the students are engaged they are more prone to staying focused. Great post
I love this book it makes for a lot of learning and ideas that you may not have yourself for a subject that may not necessarily appeal to you but you have to teach the children and make sure that it is going to be exciting for them and also informative for them to learn as well without losing focus. the K-W-L strategy is great I thought and is something that I will definately adopt they are very basic questions to promote learning and thinking process. What do we know, what do we want to learn (this piece gets your students to create their own learning plan.) What have we learned. The last piece promotes review and allows for students to recall what they learned. With the K-W-L utilizing the thinking web also helps to get to know what your students already know based off the questions or words they know based off of their web. In the web you can use them collectively to create your lesson. I agree with the assessing of Social studies I do agree that a majority of the assessment is observing your student along with rubrics and check lists. This was one area I had a hard time with because i gained the knowledge but the assessments at times were hard to recall the information in a essay rather if maybe oral questions during a project etc were done. The other idea that they brought up that I will use is making sure that I use content that naturally lead to either field trips and promotes learning of those models of adults they may know in the world that are relevant to them during their time not just from decades ago who they can't really relate to.
I've seen KWLs used in class and they are a wonderful tool for children to organize their thoughts and promote learning in the classroom. I will also definitely be using these in my classroom to guide their learning and have them ask themselves what do they want to learn from the activity. I also agree that the majority of assessment is observing throughout activities and lessons. Great post!
I liked the quote on page 107 that says, “social studies is the exploration of people’s interactions in an with their social an physical environments.” Social studies is so important in a kindergarten classroom and this chapter gives a lot of great information on how to teach social/emotional growth. Page 108 talks about developing the school self, which is the competent learner who knows when to work responsively as an individual and work individually. It is important for all learners to find their school self and become individuals in the classroom. Preschool works a lot on socializing students and kindergarten continues on that path. I really liked the different charts on page 113. Webs and KWL charts are great graphic organizers to use in a classroom for any subject. I will use both examples of charts in my future classroom. Page 114 talks about taking trips to teach. Field trips and nature walks are great ways for students to experience hands on activities. Simple walks around the playground or even planned out field trips is a great way for students to learn social studies hands on. I will plan nature trips for my classes.
I didn't realize how important social studies was in kindergarten! That is a really great quote that explains it. Children have to learn how to react appropriately to others and how to regulate their behavior when their interacting with other people. Many times they don't come into school knowing these things. It is our job to help scaffold them into becoming good little people. :)
When I saw that the chapter was on social studies, I'm not going to lie, I rolled my eyes a bit. In school this had to be one of the most boring subjects for me. Even math, which terrified me, gave my mind something to figure out. Social studies didn't capture my interest at all. After reading through the chapter though, it seems that it focuses on how to relate and accept others. It gave a lot of information about celebrating our differences and helping us all to understand what makes each of us special. I especially liked the idea of keeping an open communication line with parents. When I worked at a preschool we had many parents from different cultures. They would bring in food, clothes, or different objects that represented their culture. The kids were exposed to so much because the families knew that they were open to share their culture. This is a great way to bring other countries to the kids here in America. The text also mentioned helping kids learn how to develop their "school self". Children need to learn how to interact with others, work by themselves, and reflect on what they did. I also liked how the text said to have children work in small groups. This helps children regulate their behavior with other students, but I also think it helps build a sense of community in the classroom. This helps them learn how to work together while also building a relationship between them.
Kristin, I have the opposite opinion on social studies. It was one of my favorite subjects in school. As a young child I was very interested in maps and other things of that sort, so I think that have a little bit to do with it. My dad loves social studies and history too.
Chapter 10 in our K: Today text was very interesting to me due to the fact that I love the subject of social studies and have always been very interested in it. One item in this chapter that was mentioned is that “social studies content can be found in the everyday events of the classroom.” In kindergarten, I can’t really remember talking about social studies in particular but I do remember my teacher pointing out specific interactions after they happened. A very important point that was made in the chapter that every teacher needs to remember is not to be biased towards any group’s culture or traditions when on the subject of social studies. It is especially important for the teacher to become familiar with each child’s background so they can do all they can to make the child feel welcome and important in the classroom. The last topic that I found interesting and that could be very useful in the future is to teach social studies through thematic units. According to the book, this form of teaching gives the students the “opportunity to use their budding research skills for observing, reading, writing, interviewing, and computing to pursue their own interests. This form of teaching helps the student tie all of their skills together to talk about one main topic and can be done through individual work, small groups, or even large groups. Although this chapter was pretty short, it was full of information and it got me excited to teach social studies to young children in my future classroom.
I think that social studies is one of the easiest subject to integrate with and across in lesson plans. I am interning at a school with the largest diversity group I've ever been in - and I am in a smaller city. So, it is important for all teachers to know that we cannot be biased to any culture. I love thematic units! I am still struggling with how to make 1st grades and higher thematic, but with experience I'm sure I will work it out.
There were many things that I read in this chapter that I actually observed in the kindergarten observation video. The books talks about classroom meetings being an effective tool in community building. Kindergarten is the only grade level I have yet to observe. So, I am looking forward to Student Teaching. The text also points out that “the school experience is crucial in developing children’s social ehaviors” (110). This is such a good point. I was a long term sub in a school where there was a student who had had absolutely no school experience or any kind of childcare before a second grade. This student came in with the social skills of a 5 year old. In the month that I was there, this student obtained several skills just from observing their peers. So, even though this student missed out – they learned a lot just by observing. So, it was interesting to see this student in comparison to the classmates and how social interactions affect a child. The final thing I like is the KWL chart being used in social students as that is a great form of integration across.
Jonelle, I think it is so interesting that kids can adjust real fast. It is awesome that your student gained social skills from watching his peers. I think that different kids would react differently to differ peer groups and not being socialized do to their personalities and confer zones.
This Chapter was very interesting I learned so much. I found it interesting that in kindergarten social studies is more about the child understanding their self in a social setting. It is also to help students understand that they can make informed decisions to help the community and to do good. I also really liked the section on Character education. I do believe that parents have a hug role in their child's character but I also think that a teacher can help influence the characters of their students. I liked how the book talked a lot about teaching about different cultures and excepting people who are different from them. I thought that it was a good idea to have people that the kids might know or at least see in the community come to the classroom and talk about their culture or what makes them different from other people. I also liked how social studies can be apart of the every day activities and little lessons will go a long way. I see my self using all these great ideas in my future room.
Little things can go a really long way with all subject matter. Like you, I was interested in the fact that kindergarten social studies is more about the understanding of self in social situations. I think that social studies is one subject that has the opportunity to cross subject lines often and combine into information relevant to other subjects.
Chapter 10 was about social studies in kindergarten. This chapter was full of very good information that will help me be able to better incorporate social studies into the curriculum. The main focus of social studies in kindergarten is to “foster a child’s awareness of self in the social setting” and the content “focuses on self and the child’s relationship to family, school, and the community.” This chapter gives great ideas on how this can be integrated into the curriculum. I was saddened to read that because of the emphasis on testing in language arts and mathematics that teachers have reduced the amount of time that is actually spent on social studies. I think that teachers are becoming more creative in their teaching and are able to come up with ways that they can integrate across and within different subject areas so that social studies is included . I really like the idea of using project based learning to do this. In this chapter they also discuss the use of class meetings to help the students to learn about community building. The students must listen to one another and try to resolve conflict in a respectful manner, while following the rules of the classroom. Another item that was brought up in this chapter was that of being culturally responsive, I think that this day in age this is very important. That is why it is so important that we get to know our students, their families, and their backgrounds, and allow them to share their experiences with one another in the classroom.
I agree that teachers now have to be more creative in order to integrate social studies and other lesser topics into the lessons. When we focus more on math, reading and writing it does not allow time for all the other subjects, so it’s so important to integrate within and across the standard.
This chapter was about Social Studies in Kindergarten. It is defined as the exploration of people’s interactions in and with their social and physical environments. One of my favorite things I read in this chapter was the building of a community in the classroom. I believe this is the base of all effective classrooms. Children need to know how to socially interact with peers and teachers. Using everyday occurrences in the classroom to teach students social studies is necessary to help them negotiate the world. Once they learn the world from their point of view, they can then see the world through other’s eyes, and this is the fundamental lesson that teachers should focus on when teaching social studies.
I agree with your comment about children needing to know how to socially interact with peers and teachers. With anything kids do, I believe this is the base to everyday life. If they aren't able communicate what they think, or how they feel about a situation then they will have a lot harder time than children that do.
On page 107 it talks about what social studies is in the kindergarten classroom. I think that there are a lot of people that aren't aware what social studies is in this age group. The content focuses on self and the child's relationship to family, school, and community. I will use this knowledge in my classroom by teaching children to understand the world in a larger view as a society rather than just through their understanding of themselves and experiences. On page 112 it discusses critical thinking with children. This is a time for teachers to lead activities that touch on multiple learning domains an reinforce important concepts. It is so important that we question children and ask questions which promote and allow for higher order thinking. I can use this in my classroom by having the children research their own questions that they ask and allow them to find the answers of their interests. The third point that really stuck out to me was when the book talks about thematic projects on page 112. It says that teachers who focus on a themes may find a project approach useful. By doing this it will build on what children already know, develop concepts of social studies rather than focus on isolated facts, as well as provide hands on activities. I will use this in my classroom by concentrating on content and processes throughout the year. It is also helpful that we are going over how to build a thematic unit in class so it will be good practice!
For me, recognizing that social studies in the kindergarten age as mostly tied to self recognition and relationships to others was a relief. I've worked in enough schools to know this, but reading it really reaffirmed it. I also liked that in the power point we talked about the National Geographic/Scholastic pamphlets. I've seen these in use and the kids love them. On p. 113, I really liked reading about the K-W-L strategy. I could use that for myself! It's such a valuable tool and I can really see where it would benefit students. The K-W-L strategy is what do I "KNOW", shat do I "WANT" to know and shat did I "LEARN." How effective! The other part of the text that I found to be both informative and helpful was the idea of a culturally relevant pedagogy. That is to say, keeping material relevant to things that kids know and care about. This is about their ability to make connections between home and community. At the kindergarten level, this material is the most relevant. Teaching things such as 'who is who in your family', 'what does that mean to you', etc. On the last page of the chapter, p. 114, I was intrigued to see that social studies is one subject that naturally lends itself to field trips. This offers firsthand opportunities for engagement with the community, its resources, and exploration of the community (which can be a science tie-in!)
In Chapter #10 of the K Today text, one of the things that was said that I thought was really important was, “the primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world,” (Gullo 107). I think this is very important because I think too often, social studies instruction is just helping students memorize important dates of when really important things happened in our country and world’s history. These things are important, but I think that in my classroom I will try and implement more day to day things that will help children grow into productive and responsible citizens one day. I will do this by encouraging them to participate in recycling events both at school or in the community and at home, teaching them the meaning of the words that are in the flag salute and the National Anthem so that once they are able to understand the meaning, they may appreciate the sacrifices previously made and be a proud American.
ReplyDeleteI also really like the idea of the class meetings. I think that this is a great way for issues to be solved in a diplomatic way where everyone has a right to their own opinion, they are free to express that opinion, and while others may not agree with it, the different opinions presented are respected. When children are taught to handle problems and issues in this way at a young age, they are a lot more likely to continue this trend and use it to solve problems that they may and will come up against as they grow older. I plan on implementing these meetings into my classroom because I think they would greatly benefit the students and teacher in any setting.
I thought that the section about choosing strategies when planning curriculum was really helpful and informative. While I would try to implement all of the strategies that they mentioned at some point just for the sake of having a variety of experiences and instruction, I think that I would tend to gravitate toward the project approach more. This is more a of thematic approach, which I think really works well with younger children because when done right it easily balances instruction with hands-on projects or experiences, as well as incorporates different learning centers that relate to the theme.
I like the quote of a definition or purpose of social studies that you chose from the text Kayla. I like how you focused on the simplicity of it made it a manageable piece for kindergarteners. I like your suggestions on how to do it. Recycling is a great piece that would make a terrific thematic unit. Class meetings are also a great idea. Students should feel that their ideas and opinions matter and that they can make a difference. This is great for teaching cooperation and compromise.
DeleteJessica,
ReplyDeleteI also really liked the idea of the big/little brothers/sisters. The section over planning the curriculum was very helpful and I plan on using it as a resource as well. I liked that it gave different categories of approaches you could take, and then gave examples of what it would you would actually do to implement that into your classroom. I think that I would tend to use the project approach more often because I think it would balance out instruction time with hands-on projects and experiences that the students would enjoy. I think that too often social studies instruction becomes a matter of memorizing important dates and events instead of teaching the students that they have a civic responsibility to the country that they live in. I would like to see that change and I will make great efforts to make sure social studies is about more than just knowing dates of important events in my classroom.
Erin Flax
ReplyDeleteI was scared to learn from Mrs. Stoppel last night that most schools do not have a social studies curriculum you come up with things to study and ways to integrate it into other studies. But after reading this chapter I feel a little better. It gave a lot of good ideas. I was relieved to find out that “In kindergarten, the main focus of social studies is to foster a child’s awareness of self in the social setting.” Many of the descriptions given in the book were things that I am used to teaching from my previous experience. This is the part of teaching that I am most excited to teach and is a big reason I would love to teach kindergarten. This is where they are first learning about themselves and the world around them. Also about how to interact with others and how even though we are all unique, we also have many commonalities. It was interesting to learn about the “school self.” We help to develop this by teaching our students about rules in the classroom and how we work together. I will definitely spend a lot of time having the students get to know each other because we are a “school family.” We also will spend time learning how the class is structured and functions. When rules are easy to understand, taught well, and enforced children feel more relaxed and safe which lends itself to better learning. It was great to have the list of social skills we want our students to learn in kindergarten on page 108. The book made it simple and helps this concept to make sense.
Page 110 discussed having an antibias approach to curriculum. I feel this is so important. I will make sure all of my students feel excepted, loved, and capable of learning and doing great things in my class. I would love to teach about other cultures and not with the “tourist” approach that is mentioned in the textbook. Uniqueness will be treasured in my classroom. I also liked page 112 where it talked about how we also teach our students to be responsible for their own behavior. I can speak from experience as a former preschool teacher’s assistant and as a mom, you can tell who the children are who have not had to suffer natural consequences. Where parents or teachers have swooped in to save the day and either shield the child from consequences or tell the child what to do to get it right without letting the child make decisions and learn on their own. It is hard to see your child get hurt and is very hard to stand back and let them do it on their own and learn the hard way. My son is 12 and still struggles with us making him do his homework and reminding him of everything so that he can do okay in school. And perhaps this would be better if I had let him have more responsibility growing up. This was a very informative chapter that will be very useful to me in my teaching career.
I definitely agree with you when you discussed about teaching student's to be responsible for their own behavior. I also beleive that many times parents try so hard to protect their children that they end up struggling with taking responsibility for their behvior and actions and acceptign the consequences of those actions. As teachers we can be there to let these children know that it is okay to make mistakes, but most importantly to learn from those mistakes.
DeleteJessica,
ReplyDeleteI also thought that the KWL chart is something that would work well for kindergarten because there is so much that they want to know. I think that they would really enjoy telling the teacher all of the things that they want to learn about that specific topic. I also liked the section over planning the curriculum because when it comes to social studies and kindergarten, you really aren't sure of what to teach. I thought that they had some good ideas.
Chapter 10 discusses how to implement social studies in a kindergarten classroom. The first part of the text that I found interesting discusses the school self. The school self is a person who works responsively as an individual, how to work independently, and how to reflect on tasks. The development of the school self usually begins in preschool but for those students who do not attend preschool the kindergarten teacher is responsible for helping the children have experiences that they can relate to their learning. The next part of the text that I found to be important discusses character education. Character education is learning about honesty, caring, and fairness. This helps the students develop into good citizens. This is something that I want my students to learn about all year long. The third item that I found interesting was the discussion about choosing the content to teach. We covered the ten different areas of social studies on our social studies methods course and we were also able to create lesson plans to go with those different areas. I think that exposing the students to as many of these aspects as possible would be best. This also allows for the teacher to integrate many topics into one area of discussion. The last part of the chapter that I enjoyed discussed a project approach to teaching. I think that this is a great way to teach students because it is hands on and it relates to things that they already know about. Using a thematic unit to teach kindergarten is great because the students are interested and engaged in the learning.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the text and your discussion on how there are many students who do not attend preschool especially now that a lot of the programs are income based a lot of the parents make too much money to put their students in the programs that are available so they do not start school until kindergarten. So as instructors keeping this in mind will help us to be relative to the students where they are. The students are very much interested in engaged learning and i believe it makes the instructors job a lot easier when the students are engaged they are more prone to staying focused. Great post
DeleteI love this book it makes for a lot of learning and ideas that you may not have yourself for a subject that may not necessarily appeal to you but you have to teach the children and make sure that it is going to be exciting for them and also informative for them to learn as well without losing focus. the K-W-L strategy is great I thought and is something that I will definately adopt they are very basic questions to promote learning and thinking process. What do we know, what do we want to learn (this piece gets your students to create their own learning plan.) What have we learned. The last piece promotes review and allows for students to recall what they learned. With the K-W-L utilizing the thinking web also helps to get to know what your students already know based off the questions or words they know based off of their web. In the web you can use them collectively to create your lesson. I agree with the assessing of Social studies I do agree that a majority of the assessment is observing your student along with rubrics and check lists. This was one area I had a hard time with because i gained the knowledge but the assessments at times were hard to recall the information in a essay rather if maybe oral questions during a project etc were done. The other idea that they brought up that I will use is making sure that I use content that naturally lead to either field trips and promotes learning of those models of adults they may know in the world that are relevant to them during their time not just from decades ago who they can't really relate to.
ReplyDeleteI've seen KWLs used in class and they are a wonderful tool for children to organize their thoughts and promote learning in the classroom. I will also definitely be using these in my classroom to guide their learning and have them ask themselves what do they want to learn from the activity. I also agree that the majority of assessment is observing throughout activities and lessons. Great post!
DeleteI liked the quote on page 107 that says, “social studies is the exploration of people’s interactions in an with their social an physical environments.” Social studies is so important in a kindergarten classroom and this chapter gives a lot of great information on how to teach social/emotional growth. Page 108 talks about developing the school self, which is the competent learner who knows when to work responsively as an individual and work individually. It is important for all learners to find their school self and become individuals in the classroom. Preschool works a lot on socializing students and kindergarten continues on that path. I really liked the different charts on page 113. Webs and KWL charts are great graphic organizers to use in a classroom for any subject. I will use both examples of charts in my future classroom. Page 114 talks about taking trips to teach. Field trips and nature walks are great ways for students to experience hands on activities. Simple walks around the playground or even planned out field trips is a great way for students to learn social studies hands on. I will plan nature trips for my classes.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize how important social studies was in kindergarten! That is a really great quote that explains it. Children have to learn how to react appropriately to others and how to regulate their behavior when their interacting with other people. Many times they don't come into school knowing these things. It is our job to help scaffold them into becoming good little people. :)
DeleteWhen I saw that the chapter was on social studies, I'm not going to lie, I rolled my eyes a bit. In school this had to be one of the most boring subjects for me. Even math, which terrified me, gave my mind something to figure out. Social studies didn't capture my interest at all. After reading through the chapter though, it seems that it focuses on how to relate and accept others. It gave a lot of information about celebrating our differences and helping us all to understand what makes each of us special. I especially liked the idea of keeping an open communication line with parents. When I worked at a preschool we had many parents from different cultures. They would bring in food, clothes, or different objects that represented their culture. The kids were exposed to so much because the families knew that they were open to share their culture. This is a great way to bring other countries to the kids here in America. The text also mentioned helping kids learn how to develop their "school self". Children need to learn how to interact with others, work by themselves, and reflect on what they did. I also liked how the text said to have children work in small groups. This helps children regulate their behavior with other students, but I also think it helps build a sense of community in the classroom. This helps them learn how to work together while also building a relationship between them.
ReplyDeleteKristin, I have the opposite opinion on social studies. It was one of my favorite subjects in school. As a young child I was very interested in maps and other things of that sort, so I think that have a little bit to do with it. My dad loves social studies and history too.
DeleteChapter 10 in our K: Today text was very interesting to me due to the fact that I love the subject of social studies and have always been very interested in it. One item in this chapter that was mentioned is that “social studies content can be found in the everyday events of the classroom.” In kindergarten, I can’t really remember talking about social studies in particular but I do remember my teacher pointing out specific interactions after they happened.
ReplyDeleteA very important point that was made in the chapter that every teacher needs to remember is not to be biased towards any group’s culture or traditions when on the subject of social studies. It is especially important for the teacher to become familiar with each child’s background so they can do all they can to make the child feel welcome and important in the classroom.
The last topic that I found interesting and that could be very useful in the future is to teach social studies through thematic units. According to the book, this form of teaching gives the students the “opportunity to use their budding research skills for observing, reading, writing, interviewing, and computing to pursue their own interests. This form of teaching helps the student tie all of their skills together to talk about one main topic and can be done through individual work, small groups, or even large groups. Although this chapter was pretty short, it was full of information and it got me excited to teach social studies to young children in my future classroom.
Hi Brandy!
DeleteI think that social studies is one of the easiest subject to integrate with and across in lesson plans. I am interning at a school with the largest diversity group I've ever been in - and I am in a smaller city. So, it is important for all teachers to know that we cannot be biased to any culture. I love thematic units! I am still struggling with how to make 1st grades and higher thematic, but with experience I'm sure I will work it out.
There were many things that I read in this chapter that I actually observed in the kindergarten observation video. The books talks about classroom meetings being an effective tool in community building. Kindergarten is the only grade level I have yet to observe. So, I am looking forward to Student Teaching. The text also points out that “the school experience is crucial in developing children’s social ehaviors” (110). This is such a good point. I was a long term sub in a school where there was a student who had had absolutely no school experience or any kind of childcare before a second grade. This student came in with the social skills of a 5 year old. In the month that I was there, this student obtained several skills just from observing their peers. So, even though this student missed out – they learned a lot just by observing. So, it was interesting to see this student in comparison to the classmates and how social interactions affect a child. The final thing I like is the KWL chart being used in social students as that is a great form of integration across.
ReplyDeleteJonelle, I think it is so interesting that kids can adjust real fast. It is awesome that your student gained social skills from watching his peers. I think that different kids would react differently to differ peer groups and not being socialized do to their personalities and confer zones.
ReplyDeleteThis Chapter was very interesting I learned so much. I found it interesting that in kindergarten social studies is more about the child understanding their self in a social setting. It is also to help students understand that they can make informed decisions to help the community and to do good.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked the section on Character education. I do believe that parents have a hug role in their child's character but I also think that a teacher can help influence the characters of their students. I liked how the book talked a lot about teaching about different cultures and excepting people who are different from them. I thought that it was a good idea to have people that the kids might know or at least see in the community come to the classroom and talk about their culture or what makes them different from other people.
I also liked how social studies can be apart of the every day activities and little lessons will go a long way. I see my self using all these great ideas in my future room.
Little things can go a really long way with all subject matter. Like you, I was interested in the fact that kindergarten social studies is more about the understanding of self in social situations. I think that social studies is one subject that has the opportunity to cross subject lines often and combine into information relevant to other subjects.
DeleteChapter 10 was about social studies in kindergarten. This chapter was full of very good information that will help me be able to better incorporate social studies into the curriculum. The main focus of social studies in kindergarten is to “foster a child’s awareness of self in the social setting” and the content “focuses on self and the child’s relationship to family, school, and the community.” This chapter gives great ideas on how this can be integrated into the curriculum.
ReplyDeleteI was saddened to read that because of the emphasis on testing in language arts and mathematics that teachers have reduced the amount of time that is actually spent on social studies. I think that teachers are becoming more creative in their teaching and are able to come up with ways that they can integrate across and within different subject areas so that social studies is included . I really like the idea of using project based learning to do this.
In this chapter they also discuss the use of class meetings to help the students to learn about community building. The students must listen to one another and try to resolve conflict in a respectful manner, while following the rules of the classroom.
Another item that was brought up in this chapter was that of being culturally responsive, I think that this day in age this is very important. That is why it is so important that we get to know our students, their families, and their backgrounds, and allow them to share their experiences with one another in the classroom.
I agree that teachers now have to be more creative in order to integrate social studies and other lesser topics into the lessons. When we focus more on math, reading and writing it does not allow time for all the other subjects, so it’s so important to integrate within and across the standard.
DeleteThis chapter was about Social Studies in Kindergarten. It is defined as the exploration of people’s interactions in and with their social and physical environments. One of my favorite things I read in this chapter was the building of a community in the classroom. I believe this is the base of all effective classrooms. Children need to know how to socially interact with peers and teachers. Using everyday occurrences in the classroom to teach students social studies is necessary to help them negotiate the world. Once they learn the world from their point of view, they can then see the world through other’s eyes, and this is the fundamental lesson that teachers should focus on when teaching social studies.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment about children needing to know how to socially interact with peers and teachers. With anything kids do, I believe this is the base to everyday life. If they aren't able communicate what they think, or how they feel about a situation then they will have a lot harder time than children that do.
DeleteOn page 107 it talks about what social studies is in the kindergarten classroom. I think that there are a lot of people that aren't aware what social studies is in this age group. The content focuses on self and the child's relationship to family, school, and community. I will use this knowledge in my classroom by teaching children to understand the world in a larger view as a society rather than just through their understanding of themselves and experiences.
ReplyDeleteOn page 112 it discusses critical thinking with children. This is a time for teachers to lead activities that touch on multiple learning domains an reinforce important concepts. It is so important that we question children and ask questions which promote and allow for higher order thinking. I can use this in my classroom by having the children research their own questions that they ask and allow them to find the answers of their interests.
The third point that really stuck out to me was when the book talks about thematic projects on page 112. It says that teachers who focus on a themes may find a project approach useful. By doing this it will build on what children already know, develop concepts of social studies rather than focus on isolated facts, as well as provide hands on activities. I will use this in my classroom by concentrating on content and processes throughout the year. It is also helpful that we are going over how to build a thematic unit in class so it will be good practice!
For me, recognizing that social studies in the kindergarten age as mostly tied to self recognition and relationships to others was a relief. I've worked in enough schools to know this, but reading it really reaffirmed it. I also liked that in the power point we talked about the National Geographic/Scholastic pamphlets. I've seen these in use and the kids love them.
ReplyDeleteOn p. 113, I really liked reading about the K-W-L strategy. I could use that for myself! It's such a valuable tool and I can really see where it would benefit students. The K-W-L strategy is what do I "KNOW", shat do I "WANT" to know and shat did I "LEARN." How effective!
The other part of the text that I found to be both informative and helpful was the idea of a culturally relevant pedagogy. That is to say, keeping material relevant to things that kids know and care about. This is about their ability to make connections between home and community. At the kindergarten level, this material is the most relevant. Teaching things such as 'who is who in your family', 'what does that mean to you', etc.
On the last page of the chapter, p. 114, I was intrigued to see that social studies is one subject that naturally lends itself to field trips. This offers firsthand opportunities for engagement with the community, its resources, and exploration of the community (which can be a science tie-in!)