A topic that has been on my mind quite frequently is the prevalence (or lack thereof) of Social Studies in the Elementary School classroom. This has been an ongoing debate and one of the biggest challenges for teachers, as they struggle to find the time to teach Social studies, with all the other demands on their shoulders. Unfortunately, social studies is not one of the topics that are tested for in elementary classrooms, and thus gets the back burner in the end. Additionally, studies show that the elementary school age is actually the ideal time to learn many important social issues, and middle and high school may be at the point where this ideal, opportunistic receptive period has passed. In my social studies class, I have learned a lot of new information regarding this matter. According to Chapter 1, Young Citizens of the World: Teaching Elementary Social Studies Through Civic Engagement, social studies is disappearing from elementary schools, and teachers tend to view this subject as less important than English and Math, and thus spend less time teaching it. This chapter also states that social studies should be taught daily, for about an hour. I believe that this sounds ideal, but is it really realistic? Can teachers really find an entire hour in the day with the various other demands on their agenda?
If i had to give an answer, I would say no. However, there is something else that is widely mentioned regarding this topic: integration. This seems to be one of the most effective solutions to this lack of social studies issue. If teachers can find a way integrate social studies across other content areas, then this issue is somewhat solved. Chapter 1 of Young Citizens of the World: Teaching Elementary Social Studies Through Civic Engagement disagrees, and states that integration undermines both content areas involved, and it is better to do it separately altogether. However, I believe that integration is better than nothing, and that this is the most realistic approach.
Walking into my 4th grade elementary classroom internship, I was delighted to see that the schedule included a time for social studies every day. This was not the case for my previous classroom, so I was intrigued to see how it would play out. I began to realize that though my CT planned to have these times available for social studies, it often ended up being dominated by Math or Science. However, it seems that she is utilizing the integration approach. For example, students were able to connect Science and Social studies, as well as work on their geography maps when they were finished with their assigned work. Though this is not ideal, it is still an effort made to expose students to it. As I continue at my internship, I am curious to see if this is what the average classroom would look like, or is there more that we can do?
If i had to give an answer, I would say no. However, there is something else that is widely mentioned regarding this topic: integration. This seems to be one of the most effective solutions to this lack of social studies issue. If teachers can find a way integrate social studies across other content areas, then this issue is somewhat solved. Chapter 1 of Young Citizens of the World: Teaching Elementary Social Studies Through Civic Engagement disagrees, and states that integration undermines both content areas involved, and it is better to do it separately altogether. However, I believe that integration is better than nothing, and that this is the most realistic approach.
Walking into my 4th grade elementary classroom internship, I was delighted to see that the schedule included a time for social studies every day. This was not the case for my previous classroom, so I was intrigued to see how it would play out. I began to realize that though my CT planned to have these times available for social studies, it often ended up being dominated by Math or Science. However, it seems that she is utilizing the integration approach. For example, students were able to connect Science and Social studies, as well as work on their geography maps when they were finished with their assigned work. Though this is not ideal, it is still an effort made to expose students to it. As I continue at my internship, I am curious to see if this is what the average classroom would look like, or is there more that we can do?