MAT 547 Curriculum Constructs and Assessment: Secondary History/Social Science

This course explores the application of basic instructional methods and strategies of teaching social studies in middle school and high school settings. Participants identify the educational needs of secondary students by exploring current instructional and assessment theory; national, state, and local standards; and social issues that are found in various social studies courses. The course also helps prospective educators develop skills in selecting and adapting delivery methods and behavior management plans for diverse individual students and student populations.

Topics and Objectives

Rationale for Social Studies Education

· Compare and contrast different rationales for the teaching of social studies.

· Analyze differing visions of social studies education.

· Develop a class mission statement for teaching social studies.

· Identify the historical developments that have impacted social studies education.

Teaching Skills and Values

· Identify skills and values that should be developed in social studies classrooms.

Standards-Based Instruction

· Identify relevant content standards to use in structuring lessons and units.

· Develop essential questions in order to focus a standards-based unit of study.

· Select appropriate standards for chosen learning goals.

· Analyze the use of standards-based teaching and learning strategies when constructing social studies lessons and units.

Planning Lessons and Units

· Write lesson plans that provide clear instructions for conducting social studies lessons.

· Analyze social studies lessons that meet the needs of diverse learners and take into account multiple learning styles.

Classroom Teaching Strategies and Management

· Analyze the use of a wide variety of teaching strategies in the social studies classroom.

· Identify traditional and alternative instructional strategies to use with middle and high school students.

· Integrate the use of literature, other non-textbook resources, and technology into social studies instruction.

· Integrate writing into social studies instruction.

· Identify strategies for promoting positive learning environments in social studies classrooms.

Assessment in the Social Studies Classroom

· Identify the goals of assessment in the social studies classroom and the different means of assessing student learning.

· Evaluate effective assessment strategies for the social studies classroom.

· Develop standards-based assessments appropriate for the standards-based social studies classroom.

Question-Asking Strategies

· Compare and contrast different levels of questioning using Bloom's Taxonomy.

· Analyze specific questioning strategies using different levels of questioning for the social studies classroom.