EED465 Curriculum of Teaching Social Studies
Week 1 Assignment
Interview and Standards Investigation
Details:
Interview
Interview a teacher in the elementary grades regarding the teacher’s social studies instruction. Include at least eight questions.
Create your own questions such as:
1. Do you use a textbook?
2. What do you think of the standards for social studies?
3. How much time is spent per day in this subject area?
Document the interview questions and answers and submit with the Standards Essay.
Standards Essay
Choose one grade level in the elementary grades. Evaluate the social studies standards on the Arizona Department of Education’s website for that grade level for such things as thoroughness, clarity, and two other criteria of your own choosing.
Write an essay of 750-1,000 words as a well-supported, objective, academic response to the interview and standards investigation, analyzing how social studies is currently taught today.
Use the GCU Library to research a minimum of six peer-reviewed articles that support your rationale.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.
Submit both the interview and the essay as one deliverable to your instructor in LoudCloud by the end of this topic.
Document the hours and locations that you spend in the field on your Practicum/Field Experience Observation and Activity Log. This document must be signed by the appropriate classroom teacher or interviewee at each location that you visit. This log is located in the Teacher Preparation Programs Practicum/Field Experience Manual, located on the College of Education site in the Student Success Center.
Submit the completed Practicum/Field Experience Observation and Activity Log to Taskstream after you have accumulated all of the required practicum/field experience hours for this course.
EED465 Curriculum of Teaching Social Studies
Week 2 Assignment
Textbook Analysis Essay
Details:
Locate a social studies textbook used in a classroom today. Analyze its contents in the following areas:
1. Topics covered in comparison to the definition of social studies;
2. Authentic activities beyond simply reading the chapters and answering the questions;
3. Integration of other subject areas (art, writing, math);
4. Assessments, both formal and authentic; and
5. Opportunities for content reading strategies and comprehension (reciprocal teaching, vocabulary, photos with captions, headings, etc.)
Write an essay of 750-1,000 words with your findings and suggestions for making the text accessible to all learners, including English language learners, special education students, and struggling readers.
Use the GCU Library to research a minimum of 4-5 peer-reviewed articles that can be used in support of your content.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.
EED465 Curriculum of Teaching Social Studies
Week 3 Assignment
Comparison Matrix and Essay
Details:
Using a matrix or chart, compare and contrast the pros and cons of the following:
1. Integrated social studies learning;
2. Textbook social studies learning;
3. Commercially purchased social studies learning; and
4. Teacher-prepared social studies learning.
In an essay of 750-1,000 words, reflect on your findings and the implications for curriculum design and social studies instruction in meeting today’s standards.
Use the GCU Library to research a minimum of 4-5 peer-reviewed articles that can be used in support of your content.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.
Submit both the chart and the essay to your instructor in LoudCloud as one file by the end of this topic.
EED465 Curriculum of Teaching Social Studies
Week 5 Assignment
Collaborative Learning Community: Cultural Mosaic and Essay
Details:
This is a CLC assignment.
In assigned CLCs, each member should choose a culture to research and inform the group members of their choice. Each individual will research information about that culture, including social perspectives that affect local and global issues.
Discuss in 750-1,000 words how you would build global awareness and understanding and integrate diverse social and cultural perspectives to create novel approaches to solving problems.
Use the GCU Library and/or academic websites to research a minimum of four articles/books about the culture.
As a group, develop a chart that breaks down components of each culture and compares them side-by-side.
Combine the information from each group member and the chart into one project. Among the group members, discuss implications for teachers and social studies instruction. Use these discussions to synthesize the individual components into one essay for the group.
Be sure to attach the cultural summaries from each group member to the assignment.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
The assignment needs to be compiled by one member of the group with the title page identifying all group members.
You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.
Submit both the chart and the group essay to your instructor in LoudCloud as one file by the end of this topic.
EED465 Curriculum of Teaching Social Studies
Week 5 Assignment
Assignment Lesson Plan and Essay
Details:
Choose a grade level and social studies topic with supporting standards and plan a lesson to present in the classroom. Include grade-level appropriate activities that encourage active student engagement.
Address the following in your lesson plan:
1. Multiple intelligences
2. Authentic literature
3. Depth of Knowledge
4. Assessment of objective- Use three formative assessments during the lesson and one summative assessment at the end.
Teach your social studies lesson to a classroom of students.
In an essay of 1,000-1,250 words, reflect on the lesson and content.
Cite at least four references from educational journals and academic websites to support your teaching strategies.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.
Submit both the lesson plan and the essay to your instructor in LoudCloud as one file by the end of this topic.
Document the hours and locations that you spend in the field on your Practicum/Field Experience Observation and Activity Log. This document must be signed by the appropriate classroom teacher or interviewee at each location that you visit. This log is located in the Teacher Preparation Programs Practicum/Field Experience Manual, located on the College of Education site in the Student Success Center.
Submit the completed Practicum/Field Experience Observation and Activity Log to Taskstream after you have accumulated all of the required practicum/field experience hours for this course.
EED465 Curriculum of Teaching Social Studies
Week 6 Assignment
Collaborative Learning Community
Social Studies Book List and Lesson Plan
Details:
This is a CLC assignment.
Within your CLC group, choose a grade level and social studies topic with supporting standards to create an annotated resource list of at least 25 websites, articles, or books.
Include the following:
1. Title
2. Author
3. Publisher and year
4. Genre
5. Description of how and why the resource supports teaching social studies content
6. What contextual factors would support selection of the type, genre, and content of the resource selected?
Create a lesson plan using one of the 25 resources in the annotated list to teach a literacy objective.
Ensure the lesson plan includes modes of assessing the objectives of the lesson plan, criteria for mastery of objectives, and utilization of formative, informal, and formal assessments. Include skill-building activities that are grade-level appropriate.
The assignment needs to be compiled by one member of the group with the title page identifying all group members.
While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.
EED465 Curriculum of Teaching Social Studies
Week 7 Assignment
Benchmark Charting the Course
Social Studies WebQuest
Details:
Choose a specific grade level and strand from the following social studies strands: American History, World History, Civics/Government, Geography, and Economics. Within your selected strand, you will also need to select one particular concept. (To assist, visit the Arizona Department of Education’s Social Studies Standards page at http://www.azed.gov/standards-practices/social-studies-standard/.)
Create an essential question that your WebQuest will address. Be sure to include the essential question on the introduction page of your WebQuest. Use the “Essential Questions” resource for details on how to create an essential question http://iss.gstboces.org/ctice/trainings/webquesting/handouts/EssentialQuestions.pdf.
Review Zunal.com to construct your WebQuest. (For examples of completed WebQuests, visit the WebQuest home page at http://webquest.org/index.php.)
Design a five-day WebQuest that could be used to teach and assess one particular concept from the social studies strand you selected. Account for the following lesson plan components:
1. Required resources and materials.
2. Strategies for integrating language arts, where applicable.
3. Strategies for teaching applicable social studies vocabulary.
4. Hands-on learning experiences.
5. A minimum of seven pages designed within the WebQuest website.
6. Differentiated instruction.
Write a reflection of 1,000-1,250 words on why you think the WebQuest you have devised represents best practices for teaching social studies and how your mentor teacher’s practices influenced your design.
APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.
Provide access for your instructor to view your WebQuest by submitting your WebQuest URL to your instructor.
Submit the assignment to the instructor by the end of Topic 7.
Additionally, submit the assignment in Taskstream along with your completed Practicum/Field Experience Observation and Activity Log after you have accumulated all of the required practicum/field experience hours for this course. Directions for submitting to Taskstream can be found on the College of Education site in the Student Success Center.
