Elementary Education Standards Four and Eleven

Standard 4: Elementary teachers have a broad knowledge and understanding of the major concepts in social studies.  

It is important for teachers to have a broad knowledge and understanding of the major concepts in social studies because this subject teaches students about the world in which they live.  In elementary school, social studies covers everything from local communities and government to how the United States was born, how it has grown, and how it continues to grow and change today.  It is of utmost importance for students to have a firm understanding of these events and structures in order to be productive and responsible citizens.  Leadership and community can be fostered in the classroom through classroom jobs and creating a classroom economy. Students can learn about their community and their nation through the use of research and projects.  Below are links to websites that I have created based off of social studies content.  I have also included a unit about the North Carolina Piedmont and a photo essay project covering local economy.

The Lost Colony 

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse During the Civil War

Standard 11: Elementary teachers connect social studies with the broad curriculum.  

Social studies is a subject which can be easily integrated into other subjects. You can choose novels that deal with the subject matter at hand.  Maps, coordinate grids, and word problems can easily be incorporated in math and linked back to social studies.  Students can write journals or reports dealing with social studies concepts and vocabulary words can be drawn from the topic being covered.  By integrating social studies into other subjects it makes the subject more real for studies, especially if you incorporate a novel.  Novels allow students to view the events and time period through the eyes of a character.  This is much more meaningful to the student than a list of times and dates.  The following assessment and reflection integrated the novel The Fighting Ground by Avi into a study of the Revolutionary War.