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University of La Verne Main Campus

Liberal Studies Program EDUC 385: Teaching K-8 Social Studies

Spring 2012 Tuesdays 4:00-6:50 PM

Syllabus

Modifications of this syllabus may be made at any time at the professors discretion.

Instructor: Andy Steck, Ed.D Office BB#9

1950 Third Street 909.593.3511 Ext. 4633 716.464.8522 (cell) asteck@laverne.edu Office Hours: T-1-4, W-10-4, R-10-12 Skype Hours: mutually agreed upon time College of Education and Organizational Leadership Mission: We create caring, diverse learning opportunities that foster intellectual, ethical, and social responsibilities in order to imagine, explore and design the future. The college has four guiding principles:

Caring, Excellence, Leadership, and Diversity Caring is evident in the way we interact with students, colleagues, and the community. Our programs prepare caring professionals with essential interpersonal skills and key positive dispositions. Excellence is a cornerstone of our certificate, credential, masters, and doctoral programs. We inspire students to achieve beyond their expectations. Leadership brings out the best in everyone. We equip our graduates to be leaders in schools, organizations, and their communities. Diversity is a wonderful attribute of our schools and communities. Our programs celebrate diversity, teaching the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in a wide range of settings with all people.

NCATE: College Wide Dispositions: Based on the principles of best teaching practice to provide all students with a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment, the Liberal Studies students and teacher candidates in the College of Education and Organizational Leadership at University of La Verne are requested to review the following Dispositions. These three dispositions of character, intellect and caring are determined by the College to be necessary for quality teachers. Teacher candidates are strongly urged to demonstrate these dispositions in their daily teaching practice.

1. Dispositions of Character: Taking responsibility for

ones actions, behaving in an ethical manner with

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integrity and honesty, and understanding professionalism that includes self-control, flexibility, and emotional maturity.

2. Disposition of Intellect: Demonstrating commitment to students and their families, to the profession, and to ones colleagues, and demonstrating a spirit of inquiry and lifelong learning to continuously enhance ones teaching practice.

3. Disposition of Caring: Demonstrating empathy and concern for others as well as the belief that all children can learn, being respectful, advocating for students and families, and developing social competence within different social and cultural situations.

Course Description:

This course focuses on understanding the structure and concepts of a multi-disciplinary social studies curriculum. Emphasis is given to the examination of a variety of methods and materials utilized in social Studies instruction. This course satisfies the ULV service learning requirement . Course Objectives: Define and describe social studies. Identify and apply the California Standards for History and Social Sciences. Discuss and describe how childrens literature can facilitate concept development and understanding in Social Studies. Investigate technology use in the Social Studies Classroom. Define and describe multiculturalism. Discuss methods and theories for teaching history, geography, economics, and civics. Describe the major components of citizenship education and values education. Develop lessons plans in Social Studies (grades K-8) Develop a unit outline for teaching Social Studies in accordance with the California Standards. Develop an annual plan for instruction in elementary Social Studies in accordance with the California Standards. Describe strategies for managing the Social Studies Classroom. Describe strategies for inclusion of diverse learners, including those with disabilities and those from high-risk environments in the Social Studies Classroom. Experience a culture other than ones own in a cultural experience Participate in a community organization (outside of the classroom) for community service project Review questions for CSET-History and Social Science (multiple credential) Required Text: Sunal, C. & Hass, M.E. (2011). Social Studies for the Elementary and Middle Grades: A Constructivist Approach. (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. History and Social Sciences Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten- Twelfth Grade Downloaded at www.cde.ca.gov Additional handouts or readings

http://www.cde.ca.gov/

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Recommended Text: Obenchain, K.M. & Morris, R.V. (2011). 50 Social Studies Strategies for K-8 Classrooms. (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Course Assignments: Chapter Take -aways During the semester you will be asked to respond to the readings and class discussions by submitting the five most important things you learned, or will take-away, from each chapter. Give a brief overview of the concepts. Each take-away is worth one point. Maximum page length: 1 page per chapter. Due: Weekly Show n Tell During (5) face-to-face class sessions you are to show (visually display) an instructional resource related to the assigned reading for that week and tell (verbally explain) how this resource can be used to teach social studies understandings effectively in the elementary grades. Instructional resources may be obtained from teacher journal/magazines (no older than 5 years), teacher resource books, childrens trade books (other than the book you choose to use for the Twin-text assignment), the internet, and/or an experience teacher. Please bring the appropriate citation (APA, 6th Edition) for your resource on a 3x5 index card. Due: 1 per 5 face-to-face class sessions Annual Pacing Schedule: Each summer teaching teams get together to plan a yearly schedule and map out their year. In the elementary social studies classroom, the five learning standards may be covered during any number of units. These units may last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months or even longer. The yearly plan helps teachers to equitably cover as much material as possible. Using a one page chart illustrating the September to June school calendar, choose a grade level in which you are interested. Align the standards equitably throughout some possible units and include some time for test preparation and any other special considerations. Due: Week 3 Twin Texts Experience Your textbook discusses using literature to bring social studies to life. One method which could be used is to combine a class reference type of textbook with a more entertaining work. For example, a biography of Henry Ford or the Wright brothers may help bring meaning to a textbook on the Industrial Revolution. Or: A novel like Little House on the Prairie provides a perspective that an American history or geography textbook may not. You will each be responsible for securing at least two books that complement one another in this manner and sharing them in class. Make every effort to use books that are fairly current and easily accessible. Include the following information in a two page handout about your books: The Title of each book The Author of each book The Publishing information for each book The CA State Standard(s) you feel is (are) addressed by each book

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Topic of each book Grade level of each book A one to two paragraph synopsis of each book The procedure you recommend for using the books: Which one would you use first? What writing, art, or other activity might you use in conjunction with the books? Which related ELA Standard may be addressed by doing this activity. We will spend part of a class period briefly explaining what we found and how we might use the books. Bring both or all of your books to class and share them in our class. You are to add your two page document to the Twin Text Experience wiki. Comment on two of your classmates postings. Due: Week 4 Cultural Learning Experience

The cultural learning experience will give you an opportunity to briefly explore another culture and your own ideas about your ethnicity, gender, race, or socio-economic status. During this experience, you will visit a place that you would not normally go- a place in which your ethnicity, gender, race, sexuality or socio-economic standing is not readily represented. This experience should take you out of your comfort zone! You may consider going to a grocery store with a recipe, a friends home, a worship service, a cultural community event, etc. After the experience, you will complete a short write-up of your impressions and reflections. Please refer to the following bulleted points in your reflection:

Identify and analyze the significance human beings attach to their differences.

Describe and analyze the effects of possible prejudice, exclusion, subordination, and ideologies of racial superiority have on affected groups and individuals.

Demonstrate an understanding that diversity is a key factor for the flourishing of communities (social, environmental, and /or economic ) and how a lack of diversity can compromise future generations.

You will write about an experience during this semester, even if you have found yourself in similar situations in the past. Please note that you need to plan ahead in order to find a suitable destinationdont wait until the last minute to plan your outing! Create a jing/video about this experience. Add both the reflection and jing/video to the Cultural Learning Experience wiki. You are to comment on two of your peers postings. This assignment meets the University Value; Community and Diversity (UVCD). Due: Week 6

Integrated Lesson Plan Select one lesson topic and prepare an integrated social studies lesson. The textbook consistently points out the value of combining social studies objectives with other curriculum objectives. You will also realize this is a common practice in schools today as you go into your placements. Be sure to address at least one other subject area in your lesson design. Your lesson should also include a fully prepared assessment instrument. Attach the assessment instrument to the lesson plan. Lesson format will be discussed in class. Due: Week 7

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Unit Outline Select one unit from your yearly pacing schedule that you would like to develop. This unit outline will include an overview, CA Standard information, statement of accommodations, minimum of five lesson topics, possible activities, and assessment ideas, as well as a unit assessment plan. Due: Week 9 Technology Investigation: Each chapter in the book includes information on technology use in the elementary social studies classroom. The author provides some general as well as some very specific suggestions for its use. Look in the book or elsewhere to complete the following assignment: Create a WebQuest dealing with a problem solving topic related to social studies applicable to elementary or middle school. Create the WebQuest using the resources you found that will motivate teachers/students to use the information in the classroom. Due: Week 10 Independent Project: Create your own independent project designed to meet your understanding of Social Studies methods. Your project should be an area of personal interest to you directly related to teaching Social Studies to elementary or middle school students. Submit a short project proposal paragraph describing your project idea for approval. The project may supplement, but not duplicate other assignments. You may incorporate your service learning experience within this project. Possible ideas include:

Creation of a Social Studies bibliography of trade books or resources that can be used in Social Studies.

Social Studies Today notebook (hard copy or electronic) that illustrates current real world examples of events that you could teach to make the world more meaningful to your students.

Tutoring Social Studies to a K-8 student and creating and developing a case study. We will discuss details of this assignment in class. Due: Week 12

Community Service Learning Experience All ULV graduates must fulfill a course requirement for Community Service within this course. A requirement to be involved in a community organization in which the student:

Reflects on service as a component of active citizenship, community engagement, and social responsibility

Demonstrates reciprocity and responsiveness in service work with a community organization

Describes and analyzes the social issues relevant to the community organization

Select an Organization You are to select a community organization which will allow you to participate in as a service

learning project. You are to complete 25 hours in this project. Some ideas include Boys and Girls Club, Scouts, 4-H, or a civic group. Please provide the instructor a completed Community Service Site Description form with all necessary information. You will find this form on Blackboard on the Community Service page.

Completed Time Sheet You will need to complete a time sheet which you will receive from me in class. A copy of this form is on Blackboard. Be sure all information is completed on the form. The minimum number of hours required to successfully fulfill the Service Learning requirement is 25 hours. To

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document your hours, you are to fill out your time sheet each time you attend. Make a copy for your records before you turn it in to me.

Reflective journal including dates and times: You are to write a researched paper on your community service experience which reflects your

time spent in your service to the organization. Include a description of the agency/organization, the purpose, the issues that this agency/organization addresses and exactly what you did for the

organization. Please be specific and detailed and include resources related to your experience. Use APA, 6th edition citations. Include a jing or video of your experience. You will link your work to the Community Service Wiki. Please comment on two of your peers postings. This assignment meets the University Value; Community Service (UVCS). Due: Week 14 Personal Website/ Portfolio Using your personal website/portfolio, highlight your Service Learning experience as well as other assignments and information related to this course. The following components are to be included in your personal website/portfolio:

1. Images/Photographs/ videos: Whenever and wherever possible, take some pictures to document your efforts.

2. Your assignments: Incorporate all of your assignments in a creative way to let viewers know of your professional work.

3. Other Professional Development Include the following aspects of your professional development as well as other interesting activities and other information in their electronic portfolio:

Artifacts that relate to Social Studies Assignments from other classes that relate to Social Studies Membership in educational organizations Other

You will present your personal website/portfolio during the last class as the final exam. You are to share your hopes and wishes for the work you have completed in this class. Due: Week 16 Assessment: Attendance and Participation in Class 100 pts Chapter Take-aways 200 pts Cultural Learning Experience 200 pts Twin Texts Assignment 100 pts Technology Investigation 300 pts Annual Plan 50 pts

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Unit Outline 100 pts Integrated Lesson Plan 50 pts Service Learning requirement 400 pts Independent Social Studies Project 200 pts Personal Website/Portfolio Presentation 100 pts Personal Website/Portfolio 200 pts Total Points: 2000 pts

Grade: Based on total points earned. 100%-94% A 93%-90% A- 89%-87% B+ 86%-83% B 82%-80% B- 79%-77% C+ 76%-73% C 72%-70% C- 69%-67% D+ 66%-63% D 62%-60% D- 59%-0% F

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Schedule:

Week Topic/Activities Reading Assignment

1 1/31

What is Social Studies Ch 1

Ch. Take-aways

2 2/7

Engaging Students in Social Studies Ch 2

Ch. Take-aways

3-H 2/14

Teaching Inquiry in Social Studies (On-line Instruction)

Ch 3 Ch. Take-aways Annual Pacing Schedule

4 2/21

Developing Social Studies Concepts Ch 4

Ch. Take-aways Twin Texts

5-H 2/28

Developing Citizenship (on-line instruction)

Ch 5 Ch. Take-aways

6 3/6

Approaches to Global Education Ch 6 Ch. Take-aways Cultural Learning Experience

7 3/20

Social Studies Instructional Strategies

Ch 7

Ch. Take-aways Integrated Lesson Plan

8-H 3/27

Constructing Social Studies Units (on-line instruction)

Ch 8 Ch. Take-aways

9 4/3

Being a Community Member Ch 9 Ch. Take-aways Unit Outline

10-H 4/10

Hybrid Week (On-line Instruction) Teaching Social Studies Equitably

Ch 10 Ch. Take-aways Technology Investigation

11 4/17

History Ch 11 Ch. Take-aways

12-H 4/24

Hybrid Week (On-line Instruction) Geography

Ch 12 Ch. Take-aways Independent Social Studies Project

13 5/1

Economics Ch 13 Ch. Take-aways

14-H 5/8

Hybrid Week (On-line Instruction) Assessment and Evaluation

Ch 14 Ch. Take-aways Community Service Learning

15 5/15

Wrap Up

16 5/22

Final Exam Portfolio Presentations

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University Policies:

Academic Honesty: Each student is responsible for performing academic tasks in such a way that honesty is not in question. Unless an instructor specifically defines an exception, students are expected to maintain the following standards of integrity:

1. All test, term papers, oral and written assignments and recitations are to be the work of the students presenting the material.

2. Any use of wording, ideas, or findings of other persons, writers, or researchers requires the explicit citation of the source; use of the exact wording requires a quotation format.

3. Deliberately supplying material to a student for purposes of plagiarism is also culpable. Submission & plagiarism guidelines All papers will be submitted through SafeAssign~ a plagiarism tool through Blackboard. Each paper will have several draft submission drop boxes you can use before your final. All papers must be saved as a Microsoft Word Document, Open Office, PDF, or text. A faculty member who has clear evidence that academic honesty has been violated may take appropriate disciplinary action. Such action may include, but is not limited to, requiring the student to redo the assignment, give the student an F on the assignment and/or in the course, and/or recommend expulsion. If a faculty member has reason to suspect academic dishonesty and the student denies the allegation, the faculty member may refer the matter to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Following due process of an Academic Judicial Board the Vice President will take the appropriate action, which may include, but is not limited to, academic probation, suspension, or expulsion. (Please refer to the student catalog p. 63 Academic Honesty section, for complete expectations.) Late Work Policy: All assignments and on-line activities are due as indicated by the instructor. Dates posted in the syllabus are the date of the class. Any assignment due in-class is due that day. Assignments and on-line activities are due the Sunday of the week they are due. Usually on-line activities are available beginning the Saturday prior to the week they are due. The lesson modules close the Sunday after the week these assignments and activities are due. This means you have nine days to complete each lesson on-line. If you need to submit any work due that week late, or any assignments late; you will receive 75% of the grade and no feedback. This is at the discretion of the instructor and at times, depending on the situation, may waive the late penalty.

Attendance Policy: Class Attendance. The University of La Verne faculty require regular and prompt attendance in all University courses. Students who do not attend the first class session without prior consent of the faculty member will not be guaranteed a space in the course. A faculty member can give a students space away to another student if the student 1) does not attend the first class session of the term/semester for a course or 2) does not electronically log into his or her online course during the first week of the term/semester. Students who do not attend the first class session or log in as described above may be administratively dropped, unless they make arrangements with the instructor prior to the

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first day of the course. Note: students should not assume that non-attendance will automatically result in an administrative drop. Students have the responsibility to drop the course from their schedule. This needs to be done before the end of the first week of the term/semester to avoid a failing grade, financial obligations, or late fees. Students should refer to the course syllabus of each course registered for the attendance policy of their instructor. The instructor may assign extra work, require special examinations, or refuse to grant credit for a course based on the number of class sessions missed.

Instructors Attendance Policy: As attendance is an important component of your overall grade, absences may affect your final grade. Two or more unexcused absences will result in a lower grade. The nature of your absence(s) will need to be discussed with your instructor. It is up to the instructors discretion to determine whether an absence is excused or unexcused.

On-line attendance: You are expected to check Blackboard at least 3 times a week (I can see each time you log into to Bb and where you go... scary, isnt it?). You are expected to check your @laverne.edu email daily for any updates or announcements. This course is a hybrid course consisting of face-to-face contact, on-line modules of learning units and group activities. Each module will take up to 3 hours of time to complete including learning unit, course readings, and blog posts. Group work will vary but will likely be an additional hour each week. Online office hours will take place in a Skype [asteck] Office hours are scheduled at a previously mutually agreed upon time. I am flexible with meeting times so please feel free to ask for additional help individually or as groups. Online etiquette expectations All online conversation and group discussions/meetings may be conducted using casual written speech (abbreviations, colloquialisms, and other online shorthand) Please keep it clean, however. There is an asterisk for all manner of communication! All official blog posts, or wiki submissions are to be written in grammatically correct, college level writing. So, no calling each other dude or using LOL to make a point...

In any and all communication, be sure that whatever you say online you would also be comfortable saying directly to that person~

Preferred instructor communication & response time:

Email is the best way to communicate with me: asteck@laverne.edu. I generally respond within hours on weekdays. On weekends, I will respond within a day. Chat is also another way to contact me. You can often find me online at g-mail chat: [andrew.steck@laverne.edu] you must request that I add you to my chat list~ which I will do! Thereafter you will see my name in your chat list. Minimum system requirements:

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Firefox is the recommended browser, Internet Explorer will also work but has some issues. This link will run a test on your browser. You will need Flash and Adobe Acrobat in this course. Browser Tune up (Link: http://browsertuneup.pearsoncmg.com/browser_tuneup.html) Software requirements: Google Docs & Presentations for all group collaborations (you already have this account through your @laverne.edu email account) Microsoft Office for all final papers~ I have the most recent version so a file tag of .docx or .doc is okay for my computer. The bookstore has deeply discounted versions available.

(Link to bookstore: http://www.bkstr.com/Home/10001-10160-1?demoKey=d) La Verne Technical Resources

Office of Information Technology Email HelpDeskhttp://www.ulv.edu/oit/dcs/help.phtml Blackboard HelpDesk Phone: 909.593.3511 x4089 Email: bbhelp@ulv.edu La Verne Writing Resources Learning Enhancement Center (they are available virtually on any and all APA support, use them, they rock!)Learning Enhancement Center/Graduate Success Center, Room 111 909/593-3511 ext. 4342 (Link: http://www.laverne.edu/academics/learning-enhancement-center/)

Disability Statement

Students with Disabilities: University policies concerning students with disabilities are available through the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities in the main campus Student Health Center (Ext. 4441.) Students may speak privately with the instructor for assistance contacting the Director of Students Disabilities Services.

Classroom Conduct. Instructors are responsible for presenting appropriate material in courses, and students are responsible for learning this material. Although it is a students academic performance that is evaluated in determining grades, student conduct is important in the academic setting. Enrollment in a class may be terminated due to unsatisfactory student conduct, disrespect toward an instructor or administrator, or academic dishonesty. Each student is responsible for maintaining standards of academic performance established for each course in which he or she is enrolled.

Only students registered in the course, University staff, and guests invited by the instructor may attend class sessions. All others, including children of registered students, will be asked to leave. If a minor child is present, both the parent and the child will be asked to leave.

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NOTE: CELL PHONE USE IS NOT ALLOWED IN THE CLASSROOM. If you must make or received a phone call or TEXT MESSAGE, please excuse yourself from the classroom in order to minimize the impact on the rest of the class.

Recommended Social Studies Websites: National Council for the Social Studies- www.ncss.org California Department of Education- www.cde.ca.gov Recommended Social Studies Journals: Social Education Social Studies and the Young Learner Middle Level Learning Social Studies Research and Practice The Journal of Social Studies Research Bibliography:

Billman, L. W. Aren't these books for little kids? Educational Leadership, 60(3)

Brophy, J. & Alleman, J. (2009). Meaningful social studies for elementary school students. Teachers and Teaching, 15(3), 357-376.

Johnson, A. P. (2010). Making connections in elementary and middle school social studies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Lee, J. (2008). Visualizing elementary social studies methods. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley/ National Geographic.

MdCall, A. L. (Jun 2010). Teaching powerful social studies ideas through literature circles. Social Studies, 101(4), 152-159.

Stockard, J.W. & Wogan, M.M. (2010) Activities for elementary school social studies (3rd ed.) Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press Inc.

http://www.ncss.org/http://www.cde.ca.gov/