Instructional Strategies on SOCIAL STUDIES

Social Studies:  http://www.georgetownisd.org/ccorner/socstudies/index.asp

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Department
Georgetown Independent School District
603

Lakeway Drive, Georgetown, TX 78628

(512) 943-5000

I found this great website for social studies ideas.  This website provides instructional strategies, lessons, and ideas for the classroom.  It also covers grades pre-k to 9^th grade and delves further into the topics of world history, government, economics, and U.S. history. 

One strategy presented in the 4^th grade section is review cards.  They are exactly what they sound like.  You can click on the link titled 4^th grade review cards.  The review cards have pictures with the vocabulary word on the card and then the opposite side has the definition.  I think that this is great for 4^th grade students.  I know that many of us use review cards when we are getting ready for a test.  I think it is a good idea to teach students how to use them.  If I were to use these in my classroom I would have the students create their own review cards at the beginning of each unit or chapter.  After creating them I would have the students use them for five to ten minutes each day throughout the unit.  This would be a way that the students could review for the test.  This would also make the daunting task of studying seem less scary. 

Another strategy is a graphic organizer.  With a graphic organizer the student identifies the subject or the event, four statements, and answers the following questions; what do these facts have in common (in words/short form), what do these facts have in common (in sentence form), do the facts directly support the conclusion.  For a sample of a graphic organizer you can look on the website at Handbook for Grades 4-12 on pages 2 and 3.  I think that this would be great to use at the beginning of the chapter.  As the teacher I can assign the topics/subjects for the students to look up.  These could be the major the concepts at the beginning of each chapter.  If I were going to use this strategy in my classroom I would have the students fill out the four statements at the beginning of the chapter/unit.  As the chapter progresses I would have the students continue to fill out the organizer by answering the question of what do these facts have in common.  At the end of the chapter I would have the student decide if the facts directly support conclusion.  I think that this would be a great strategy to use with upper elementary, middle school, and high school students. 

Sequencing is another strategy that could be used for students in the grade range of 4^th-12^th.  The students are required to 4 steps.

1. Place the events in the correct order in the event boxes.

2. Classify each event as political, intellectual, economic, geography, or social.

3. Determine the relationship between each of the events.

4. In one or two complete sentences describe the story being told by the timeline. 

Again, an example of this strategy can be found in the Handbook for Grades 4-12 on page 6.

I think that this would be great to use in the classroom.  I think that it allows the students to see the time span of when events happened and then they are also able to see if one event sparked the onset of another. 

Significant Era Charts: I would use significant era charts in my classroom by hanging them up around the room.  On this website for the 8^th grade it provides seven era charts.  Within the charts it talks about significant people of that era, key terms, dates, quotes, documents, and literature.  I think that these would be great to use in the classroom because it provide a visual aid that the students could look to find information.  I believe that this would also be something that students could create on their own.  I think if the students can create something like this on their own then they will retain the information better.  I think that the students could do this in groups as well. 

Learning with Postcards:  I found this strategy under the 1^st grade tab.  I think that many of us work with younger elementary students.  I know that when I was a kid I loved postcards.  Any time my friends or family went somewhere I had them mail postcards.  It was so fun to see where they came from.  On this website they give 5 great ideas of teaching/learning with postcards.

1. Matching the postcard to the place. The students would pick a postcard and then find the place on a map.

2. Join Postcard Exchange groups. (I didn’t know these existed!) The group is exactly what it sounds like…people exchange postcards.  Apparently you can find these groups online.

3. Postcard Display. Have a huge map of the world posted in your classroom.  As your class receives postcards have the students place them on the map.  Then they will there for the students to see throughout the school year.

4. Journey of a Postcard.  As the class receives a post card they find where their own school is on the map (their town) then find where the postcard came from.  Then the student basically tells a story about where the postcard may have gone.

5. Make a postcard.  After the students understand what a postcard is they can create their own and mail it to their friends or family.

I think that all of these strategies would work fine with students who are deaf or hard of hearing.  I don’t think that modifications would need to be made.  I am so happy that I found this website.  I think that it is full of wonderful ideas that cover such a vast range of ages and topics.  I think that it is well worth any teacher’s time to checkout this website.  Hopefully, this will help you guys out with social studies ideas and strategies. 

Other websites/resources:

http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/teachers/strategies/

http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/plans.html

http://www.readingquest.org/strat/

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~db=all~content=t926281170