Meaningful Integration in Social Studies

1. Meaningful Integration in Social Studies • Work on K-W on how to integrate other subject areas and technology into Social Studies

2. Today’s Agenda • Book Commercials • Fritzer • Meaningful Integration • Lesson Plan ‘Workshop’ • Don’t forget to sign up for Loewen

3. Positive Features of Integration • Enhancing meaningfulness of what is taught • Save teacher’s time • Teach knowledge and skills simultaneously • Restore an emphasis on social studies in climate of standardized tests

4. Accountability • On the knowledge (ex. Content of a letter written to representative about legislation) • On the skills (ex. Descriptive writing piece about a trip to the White House) • On both (ex. In Language arts studying narratives and in Social Studies studying the American Revolution—writing biographies on key revolutionary figures)

5. Desirable Integration • Topics that naturally draw content from more than one subject. • Ex. Maps—geography and mathematics • Ex. Needs and wants—economics and mathematics

6. Desirable Integration • Skills learned in one subject are used to process or apply knowledge learned in another subject area. • Ex. Pretend you are a Native American on the Trail of Tears journey, write a series of diary entries describing your feelings, attitudes, and future expectations. • Ex. In a unit on the Middle East, identify biases and points of view in newspaper articles. • What other sorts of skills are common across subject areas that we can integrate into Social Studies instruction?

7. Desirable Integration • Enrichment activities that help to personalize content, make it more concrete, enhance learner curiosity, or add an affective perspective. • Ex. Using literature (Unit on wants and needs-read King Midas, Cinderella) • Ex. Integrating art or music • How might technology play a role in integrating the Social Studies curriculum?

8. Undesirable Integration • Activities that lack social education goals • Ex. ABC order of state capitals, making vocabulary words into plurals. • Ex. Write a research paper on coal. • Remember that RELEVANCE is important! Projects should reflect specific goals, needs, or desires of the student population • How might a research paper on coal BE relevant?

9. Undesirable Integration • Cost-Effectiveness Problems-more focus on other subject area goal rather than social education goal. Time! • Ex. Constructing houses from tropical regions • Ex. Create family members using paper plates • Ex. Role Play-participate in a parade to show how families celebrate • Ex. Collage and scrapbooking

10. Undesirable Integration • Distorts Content • Difficult or Impossible tasks • Feasibility

11. For Next Time... • Concept Map Reading Strategy

12. Lesson Plan Workshop • Exchange lesson plans with someone other than your partner • Evaluate the lesson plan for evidence of MEANINGFUL Integration • Comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the particular lesson • Work with your colleague to improve the lesson • What suggestions would you make? How might YOU approach this particular subject matter?