The power of social studies

The modern world needs people with a complex identity who are intellectually autonomous and prepared to cope with uncertainty; who are able to tolerate ambiguity and not be driven by fear into a rigid, single-solution approach to problems, who are rational, foresightful and who look for facts; who can draw inferences and can control their behavior in the light of foreseen consequences, who are altruistic and enjoy doing for others, and who understand social forces and trends. (Robert Havighurst, in Cohen, 1972, pp. 346–347)

Social Studies

Social Knowing

Theme-based Approach

Constructivist

Overview

Early childhood educators agree that the foundation for all curricula in the birth to age 8 range is thorough understanding of child development in a multicultural social context. That is, teachers must understand how children learn to move and navigate physically and how children use fine motor and gross-motor skills in different ways as they grow. They surely must understand the multiple ways that children communicate with each 2 Teaching Young Children Social Studies other, their families, and with the people in child care, school, and community settings. Knowledge of this communication development includes perspectives on the evolution of language, speech, and the development of early literacy skills and competencies. Teachers also concern themselves with the personal and social development of their students. Where do the social studies fit within this foundational knowledge of child development theories? How then do teachers decide upon the content and processes for day-to-day activities, strategies for implementing a social studies curriculum in programs for the various ages? How do teachers choose important overall goals for the social studies curriculum? What exactly are the social studies? In the book that follows, these important considerations will be explicated. To begin, a consideration of the definition of the social studies precedes the investigation of social studies

content and processes in early childhood education.

Focus Questions

1. What are the social studies and where do they fit in the early childhood curriculum?

2. What is the content of social studies and what are the processes of instruction?

3. What do young children learn through the social studies?

4. How does culture influence development and knowledge?

5. What is the power of social studies in the curriculum?

Social Studies Explored

The content of social studies emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century as a holistic approach to citizenship education. Policy makers at the time were concerned that large numbers of immigrants coming to the United States were not prepared to live in a democratic society. They would need, according to the policy makers, to be shown how to be citizens. Schools were the best place to ensure that citizenship education began. Thus, historically, social studies content met the educational needs of society for the preparation of citizens. Early policy makers concerned themselves with the curricula of the high school, urging teachers to use the techniques of social science: raising questions and gathering, analyzing, discussing, and displaying data. Elementary schools in the beginning of the 20th Century focused on basic education—reading, writing, arithmetic. As elementary schools trickled the content of social studies down

Introduction to the Power of Social Studies 3

fromthe high school objectives, i.e. citizenship education and socialmores appreciation, teachers read stories about the early formation of the United States and focused on children’s development of the virtues exemplified in moralistic stories (such as those in the McGuffey readers).

The “subject matter” for this school subject was to be drawn from the most influential social sciences of the time—history, geography, and civics—and blended together as one school subject for the purpose of helping children understand our American heritage and acquire the skills and sensitivities basic to constructive participation in our nation’s democratic society.

(Maxim, 2006, p. 13)

The Social Studies Defined

The primary purpose for the study of social studies content is “to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens in a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.” Social studies investigations promote “civic competence” and draw upon such disciplines as “anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences” (National Council for the Social Studies [NCSS], 1994, p. 3).

In the early childhood years, then, social studies takes place in such diverse activities as when children decide together which imaginary roles to play on the jungle gym, which structure to plan to build in the blocks corner, or how to interact when meeting a person in a wheelchair. As well, social studies take place when young children learn about the community where they live and investigate questions of interest to them using social science techniques.

Social studies content learning also occurs when children observe purchases and deliveries at a supermarket, when they see their parents voting during an election, and when they watch a caregiver consult MapQuest (http://www.mapquest.com/) for the best route to the swimming pool.

Curricular investigations of social studies happen in a project-based learning environment that permits children the opportunities to see the shared roles of construction workers at a job site, or the wedding photographs of their grandparents. Children also expand their social learning when they meet and play with children whose first language is different than the one they speak.

Social learning and social studies clearly pervade life in any classroom community. The child care and school experiences in the early years thus

4 Teaching Young Children Social Studies help prepare each generation to function as citizens in a civil society. So, the ways in which rules are established in the classroom, the choice of the matic investigations to include ecological conservation or other important societal matters, influence the perceptions that children will have about citizenship.

The primary method for incorporating social studies in curricular activity is investigation of content using the processes of social scientists. In this way children construct understandings, develop skills, and acquire dispositions that serve them as lifelong learners. “Teachers can help children develop social perceptions, social skills, a sense of community, and knowledge by adding props to blocks and other sociodramatic play areas that represent different times and places. Teachers can also add transparent pipes to blocks, water, and ‘pouring’ areas in ways that support collaborative play” (Fromberg, 2002, p. 87). Teachers also facilitate learning by engaging children in thematic topics derived fromtheir curiosity about the world around them.

The Curriculum of the Social Studies

As a result, topics for the investigation of social understandings and the content of social studies come from child experience, mandates of various state and federal agencies, and teacher knowledge of the traditional disciplines of the social sciences—history, geography, political science, economics, anthropology, and sociology. In the course of building content knowledge about social studies, children interview elders, visit a variety of community sites, read biographies, stories about people, and observe the interactions of other people. They glean through direct observation and interactions a great deal of information about people and the function of goods and services in their community, as well as much social studies content. In the course of their direct curricular experiences, young children interpret what they see on television. Children increase their vocabulary, see signs and other printed material. They learn to compare quantities, to measure, and to display the results of their various explorations. As well, children consider how their social lives and communities are affected by natural phenomena such as storms and floods.

The tools for social studies inquiries are hypothesis development, data gathering and summarization, as well as interpretative displays and summarization. For preschoolers this can mean investigation of such questions as, How does a letter travel from Cleveland to Peoria? Where does email come from? How come it is still light when I talk on the phone to my grandmother and it is dark where I live?

Introduction to the Power of Social Studies 5

At the primary age, hypotheses investigated may include questions:

Should families rebuild homes on marshland after they are lost in a hurricane? Where exactly is Iraq? What will happen to families in our community when the plant closes?

Through the investigation of these questions, children will utilize early literacy skills, problem-solving techniques, and the skills of knowledge representation such as pictures, charts, graphs, maps, oral and written presentations. In this way, social studies functions as an integrator of curriculum.

Social Studies as Curricular Integrator

Building on real-life experiences, the study of social studies facilitates young children’s knowledge of the social world as well as influences their capacity to function socially and emotionally in the classroom and the world at large. Often, social studies investigations begin with a profound current event that perplexes adults and shakes the very foundations of child life. Consider, for example, the following: It is September 13, 2001, in a New Jersey public school. Nolan, age 61 2 , sits at his seat in his first-grade classroom. He is a vivacious and talkative child, yet he now is quiet and he stares vacantly ahead. Nolan knows something is terribly wrong in his world. The Twin Towers have fallen down and it had something to do with “bad men on planes”—but he has seen those buildings and cannot comprehend how they could fall down. They are so big. He knows that several of his friends are not in school today because they have a parent who will not be coming home from the Twin Towers. He heard his mom crying and talking about the Towers falling on the phone. He also knows his own father is not home. His mother said that Daddy cannot get back fromCalifornia because no planes are flying, but a part of him is worried: His father worked in a tall building in New York sometimes too. His Mom has packed the car with supplies and blankets, “just in case,” and he isn’t too sure of what that means exactly. The teacher notices Nolan’s distraction and asks, “Are you OK?” The boy quietly answers, “No.” “Are you sick?” she probes. He nods affirmatively and then adds haltingly, as if trying to put this new feeling into words, “I feel sick . . . inside my heart.” (Davey, 2001, personal communication) 6 Teaching Young Children Social Studies The ways in which teachers in New Jersey and elsewhere facilitated

children’s coping in response to this tragic period, paired with parental guidance, and media coverage at the time and currently influence the child’s social knowledge—“knowing that comes fromexperiences that build social perceptions, social skills, a sense of community, and knowledge” (Fromberg, 2002, p. 87). More recently, teachers and young children come to understand societal interpretations of the War in Iraq, international tragedies such as the tsunami that struck Thailand, Hurricane Katrina that disrupted children’s lives and education in New Orleans and elsewhere. The direct effect of these events on children’s social understandings depend in part on the proximity of the event to the immediate lives of children; that is, children in Manhattan, New Jersey, were more likely to know a family member or friend directly affected by 9/11. Young children with relatives in Thailand or those who knew vacationers would be more directly affected by the tsunami than those viewing the events on television. Finally, young children in New Orleans who survived the Superdome experience are more directly influenced by parental attitudes,

school responses, andmedia portrayal of the events as they interpret these major life events.

Thus, young children begin to learn about their social world frombirth. The messages they receive in their early years are both vivid and lasting. In the investigation of major life-altering events, as well as the seemingly more mundane explorations, such as, What toys did my grandparents play with? What will happen if they serve tilapia in the school cafeteria? require that teachers facilitate a theme-based approach to curriculum—one that addresses broad questions of social understandings and learning.Thus questions appropriately explored such asWho amI? How do people move from place to place? as well as those growing from child experience permit the learner to acquire significant understandings about the world and the way in which it works. This is the approach to curriculum that considers developmentally appropriate practice caveats:

Build on what children already know.

Develop concepts and processes rather than focusing on isolated facts.

Provide hands-on activities.

Use relevant social studies content throughout the year.

Capitalize on child interest. (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997)

Such principles tell us that young children understand the world from

their particular vantage and build knowledge, skills, and dispositions

Introduction to the Power of Social Studies 7

through their diverse home, community, child care and school experiences.

Such an approach validates that young children learn best from teaching practice that fosters multiple ways of knowing. This approach is informed by integrated interdisciplinary experiences that promote understanding, cooperation, and caring in context, in ways that relate to children’s knowledge and experience (Fromberg, 1995, p. 77). While some of the disciplines that make up the social studies may seem complex and beyond the capabilities of young children at first glance, thematic investigation of the social studies applies children’s immediate lives and appeals to their imagination. The traditional content for social studies in the primary grades, as defined by the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS):

Kindergarten—awareness of self in the social setting

First grade—the individual in school and family life

Second grade—the neighborhood

Third grade—sharing the earth with others in the community. (NCSS, 1984, pp. 376–385)

These same topics are often part of preschool curricula, as well. The depth of investigation varies accordingly. For example, awareness of self in preschoolmay begin with focuses such as I ama boy or I ama girl. I can play with friends. I live with my family. In kindergarten, the focus builds to include reflection on competencies such as writing, ability to work cooperatively in a group, and so on. In preschool, a study of sharing the earth might revolve around an exploration of Where does the trash go when it leaves the wastebaskets in the center? By third grade, the same topic may explore Why do we need oil? Where in the world is oil located? Why do some people want to drill for oil in Alaska? Thus, the early childhood curriculum relies less on traditional disciplines, as artificial divisions of knowledge categories—mathematics, literacy, science, social studies, and relies on the insightful teacher to help children make connections to learning. In this way, teachers help young children become effective citizens of the world. Such citizenship, it is important to note, is expected to respect multicultural perspectives and values while helping children find common ground with each other (Edwards & Queen, 2002, p. 19). This approach to social studies provides children with an introduction to the ways of a democratic society as well as guiding them through intrapersonal relationships. In addition,the method provides children with approaches to problem solving such 8 Teaching Young Children Social Studies issues as social justice, equality, and world hunger. Examples of this kind of problem-solving investigatory activity incorporates child attention to establishing equitable distribution of scarce resources within the classroom, examination of available public transportation options in the neighborhoods of their city, and the dictation or writing of a position statement on the benefits of recycling the garbage in the classroom, school, home, or community. For teachers of young children, social studies processes are a way of being with children, as much, if not more, than a subject in the curriculum. This approach considers the social part of social studies and the “complex social interactions affecting children today—inside and outside the

school setting” (Edwards and Queen, 2002, p. 6). Thus, social studies content and processes explore how people can get along and interact with each other in families, groups, classes, communities, and theworld in general. This exploration by children of such enduring issues impacts and influences their understanding of the social world. Teachers scaffold child experiences in the social world so that initial encounters with concepts represent first-draft interpretations. For example, several years ago, when Haley’s comet was making its once-in-a-century appearance, a teacher arranged a field trip to a campus planetarium. The children were enthralled by the night sky projected on the ceiling. When the astronomer asked them to “call” the comet out, they were delighted that each time they said, “Comet, please come out,” the comet tracked across the sky as if on command. These children’s memories would initially promote the belief that calling to the comet caused the tracking (Davey, 2005, personal communication).

As the children returned to their classroom, their teacher would then help children understand the nature of comets by reading stories so they could begin foundational knowledge in astronomy. Thus, children use this experiential knowledge and their literacy experiences as they move into their adult years and as they are called on to refine, to interpret, and, ultimately, to protect the democratic principles of U.S. society. “If equality, humanity, and freedom are the promise of democracy, then education is the promise keeper” (Darling-Hammond, 1995, p. 6). In U.S. schools, this “promise keeping” undergirds the social studies curriculum.

The Critical Intersections of Social Development

and the Social Studies

The expectation in the United States is that through social studies curricula, children will also learn aspects of social interaction that include Introduction to the Power of Social Studies 9 fairness, social justice, and democratic principles; such skills will enable them to become informed and caring citizens. In this sense, the most important element in social studies takes place from the moment a teacher greets a child entering the classroom. For example, consider the following anecdote:

Noelle is five and she is late for school. Her working mom is away at a conference and everything is out of kilter in Noelle’s world. As she approaches her roomwith a neighbor, she appears obviously anxious and unsure.When the door to the classroom is opened, she sees that her classmates are gathered at the opposite corner of the room, singing with a teaching assistant. The teacher is working with a small group of children on a letter of thanks to the fifth graders who came to read to them yesterday. Noelle hesitates uncertainly at the door. The teacher nods to Noelle and says, Good morning, I am glad you are here today. Please put your coat away and join your friends who are singing. We’ll talk in a minute so you can know what we’ve done so far today. Noelle smiles, puts her coat away and goes to sit by her friend, Qiana. (Davey, 2005, personal communication With this experience, Noelle meets an empathetic teacher who recognizes her distress about being late. She provides a graceful way for her to enter the ongoing activities. The other children continue with their activities. Later the teacher will find out why Noelle was late and offer assurances that these things happen. She may ask if Noelle wants to draw a picture for her mother as a gift when she returns. Through these personal interactions, then, Noelle and the other children learn strategies forcoping with stress, classroom disruption, and acceptance of momentary or unusual events.

Accordingly, there are many social learnings that children can absorb in the course of daily interactions. For example, children learn to balance self-interestwith caring for others. If there is one copper crayon in the class crayon bin, Andy may want to use it to draw the roof of a building. He realizes that Harold is drawing plumbing pipes, so he cares for Harold by handing him the copper crayon and selecting the green one for himself. They learn the responsibilities of ownership as well as the requirements for sharing. For example, Lauren brought a book about babies that Aunt Susan gave her for her birthday. She has protected the book by bringing it in a brown paper bag. The teacher will read the story and classmates will have an opportunity to read it throughout the day. Children experience opportunities to empathize with others as well as opportunities to become independent and self-motivated. For example, Loreta drops the utility ball in the circle game on the playground almost every time it is 10 Teaching Young Children Social Studies

thrown to her. Brian starts to laugh and say something like, Loreta you are such a dork. Damien reminds Brian that he, Brian, dropped the ball several times yesterday and that it is rude to laugh and call others names. As part of a thematic investigation of families, Tricia draws a family tree, Lee cuts photos of family members and places them on a picture of a tree, while Avery uses the computer and Kidspiration software to complete the depiction of his family tree. As sensitive teachers promote social learnings in the daily life of the classroom, theymust consider the cultural context of the classroom, as well and the diverse family experiences that determine family perceptions of the obligations of citizenship and the principles of democracy.

Cultural Contributions in the Investigation

of Social Studies

Just as we commonly assume that young children come to early childhood programs with a personal set of skills, concepts, and ways of behaving, children bring to school their interpretations of their familial and community social experiences in the community. That is, they bring the concepts of appropriate behavior, relationships, and habitual ways of exploring based on their experiences in their families and in the community. In addition, young children bring various understanding of their social world through their personal lens of culture.

One definition of culture is

the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. These patterns, traits, and products considered as the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population: Edwardian culture; Japanese culture; the culture of poverty. These patterns, traits, and products considered with respect to a particular category, such as a field, subject, or mode of expression: religious culture in the Middle Ages; musical culture; oral culture. [Culture is the] predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization. Intellectual and artistic activity and the works produced by [a culture]. (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 2004) Frequently in classrooms across the country, culture and the implications of diversity is reduced to a consideration of the food, art, crafts, music, and clothing that serve as identifying codes for separating and sorting people by simple observable signifiers. This surface viewof culturemisses Introduction to the Power of Social Studies 11 the richness of cultural influences that enriches people’s lives. A closer look at culture might choose to examine a particular group’s history or race, tying in such activities as common geography, language, class, and traditions. This view also tends to rely on outside indicators that may or may not represent a true picture of diversity (Ramsey, 2004).

Looking beyond and expanding such arbitrary surface divisions of culture is viewed as the way a group of people commonly understand their world; how they think, feel, and act; what they value; how they behave; what they honor; and what they believe (Hollins, 1996). This view of culture opens the door for understanding the complexity of family and self definition of culture that transcends external, arbitrary ascriptions by others and the requirements for static definitions of culture, permitting the family to pick and choose the attributions of traditional cultural definitions as well as those gained through interactions with dominant cultures in a society. As well, those who come from a dominant culture, situationally defined, come to understand the disparate views of specific “other” cultures.

Thus, in trying to understand the children in our early childhood programs, we must note that children’s individual experience occur through the interactions between adults and children in “specific cultural contexts or situations” (DeGaetano, Williams, & Volk, 1998, p. 46). Culture here is meant to include not only differences among children and their families, but also the teachers’ “ethnicity, gender, race, economic class, religion, abilities and disabilities, age, sexual orientation, and experiences” (DeGaetano et al., 1998, p. 46). Consequently, the ways in which cultural factors influence a teacher’s planning for and interaction with children is an essential ingredient in the choices that teachers make in support of optimal learning and teaching for all children. This is a view of diversity that moves beyond a focus on the externals of a child’s or a teacher’s culture and addresses the complexities of the forces that affect every individual social action and interactions among and across children with different cultural experiences. From this perspective, diversity is described as “encompassing the domain of human characteristics that affect an individual’s capacity to learn from, respond to, or interact in a social environment” (Ducette, Sewell & Shapiro, 1996, p. 324). When teachers recognize that learning is so inextricably tied to a respect for diversity and culture, they begin to see why in-depth definitions are important in order to helpmeet the needs of the young child. Unfortunately, the failure to recognize and appreciate the dynamic nature of cultural influences on children’s learning leads to misconceptions that can intrude into many early childhood programs. This occurs 12 Teaching Young Children Social Studies

even in programs that strive to implement diverse perspectives without considering the complexities involved. Three approaches that are common but inappropriate are the European American culture–centered (focuses on a single culture, such as “Irish”), the difference denial (sees everyone as alike and therefore soon takes on an European American face, such as everyone celebrates a holiday in December), and multicultural (addresses differences as an “add-on” not truly integrated into the curriculum, e.g., “let’s make latkes in December or read a poem about Rosa Parksin February’s Black History month”; (Bredekamp & Rosengrant, 1999).

These well-meaning but misplaced efforts are in contrast to instruction that is expressed in an overarching orienting concept for understanding cultural processes as “humans develop through their changing participation in the social activities of their communities, which also change” (Rogoff, 2003, pp. 3–4). This concept lays the mental framework for interpreting culture as not just what other people do, but understanding one’s own cultural heritage, as well as other cultural communities. The approach requires taking the perspective of people of contrasting backgrounds, recognizing that particular cultural practices fit together and are connected. As well, this perspective respects that cultural communities continue to change, as do individuals. Finally, there is not likely to be onebest way (Rogoff, 2003, pp. 11–12). In addition to respecting the complexity of cultural understandings as these impact teachers’ work with children, teachers’ interactions with parents are a critical component for respecting diversity and difference. “Anyone who works with other people’s children—for instance, as a teacher, child care provider or social worker—should understand the values and goals of the parents of those children. [Teachers] should examine their own behaviors to see whether what they are doing with the children, or with the families, is in harmony with what the families want for themselves and their children. Recognizing that cultural learning starts at birth and is mostly nonverbal, it is imperative that those who work with families familiarize themselves with cultural differences” (Gonzalez-Mena, 2002, p. 104).

Finally, in another definitional understanding of the term culture are the trends that influence societal perceptions and activities, i.e. popular culture.Teachers recognize that popular culture is always changing. These changes are reflected in, for example, the toys andmedia of a generation—Barbie Dolls, GI Joe, Power Rangers, Spongebob Squarepants, and so on. As well, sports and games played differ by generationsor by cultural traditions. For example, is it soccer, baseball, football, lacrosse or rugby that consumes the interests of children? In addition, books, movies, and art of Introduction to the Power of Social Studies 13 popular culture vary by generation. For example, is it Mickey Mouse, Toy Story, or Harry Potter that permeate the interests of families and children? Inventions transform society and cultures—the printing press, the automobile, shopping malls, Post-it notes. Throughout history, as industrial and technological advances occur, inventions tend to trickle down from the innovators, throughout the adult community members to children. Today, advances related to technology are implemented, in many cases, by the children in our society before these are woven into the popular cultural life experiences of the adults around them. Children navigate the Internet, play video games, and use iPods, cell phones, as well as other digital gadgets with an aplomb, creativity, and confidence that sometimes leave some adults around them baffled. They experiment and pick up the new “language” with ease. Thus, the technologically influenced popular culture requires that teachers consider appropriate inclusions of technology in the social studies curriculum as a measure of societal impact, as tools to enhance the personalization of learning, and as phenomena that transforms the very way in which knowledge develops.

The Power of Social Studies in the Early Childhood

Curriculum

What, then, do the processes and content of social studies offer the early childhood curriculum? “Social studies as content and process is a vibrant and vital part of early childhood curricula. Social studies at the center of early childhood curricula offers the hope that the focus of education will be on the development of effective, efficient, ethical children who will approach their world nonsimplistically and thoughtfully. With the help of good teachers, children will not only absorb the content that focuses on citizenship education in all its permutations but also learn how to learn and how to consider multiple perspectives” (Mindes, 2005, p. 17). This view of the power of social studies is explicated in the following pages of this book. Specifically, social studies investigations in early childhood offer opportunities for children and teachers to develop rules and structure to support social learning, to build a sense of community, to attend to a culturally relevant pedagogy that focuses on a global human rights perspective and appreciates the virtues that sustain a moral approach to learning. To implement the social studies curriculum in early childhood programs, teachers organize learning through a theme-based approach that sets the stage for learning using toys, texts, literature, symbols, as well as video, computer, and othermassmedia. In this approach to teaching, assessment 14 Teaching Young Children Social Studies is aligned to curricular goals, and the measurement of learning relies on an understanding of the day-to-day application of performance-based assessment. Such an approach focuses on thinking, creativity, and a constructivist view of learning, or that it is the learner who constructs or develops new knowledge by actively pursuing the understanding of concepts in light of the learner’s previous experiences. It is the teacher who knows the learners in a class who provides diversified learning opportunities for the particular children. Teaching and learning is thus inquiry-based—built on the curiosities of the learners. The power of a vital early childhood social studies curriculumgoes beyond the antibias curriculumto a forthright understanding of the complexities of a diverse society,with considerations of social class and power relationships in our society as these affect the lives of children and their families, as well as the early childhood programs that serve them.

Summary

This chapter presented a definition of social studies, a brief history of the field, and a preview of ways to incorporate social studies investigation in early childhood programs. An overview of the dynamic, inquiry-based social studies curriculum featuring a holistic and thematic approach to teaching and learning is previewed. Social learning resulting from a holistic approach to social studies curricular implementation is described. Important ways that teachers and children use their social interactions to acquire knowledge and dispositions is illustrated. In addition, the chapter highlighted the imperative need to respect, understand, and consider cultures from the perspectives of families and children. Finally, the chapter featured a preliminary description of technology as a product of culture, as well as a tool and influencer of the social studies curriculum.

Activities in the Field

1. Interview several teachers who are working with groups of various ages. Ask about the cultural composition of the class. Find out how they meet parents at the beginning of the year. Learn how they incorporate culture diversity in their programs. Discuss your findings with your colleagues.

2. Visit a local elementary school. Ask teachers at various grade levels how they incorporate social studies in the classroom. In your notebook, sketch room arrangements. Note bulletin board displays. Discuss your findings with your colleagues.

Introduction to the Power of Social Studies 15

3. Think back to your childhood experiences with technology. What kinds did you use at different stages of your development? What technological tools do you use as a college student? How does your reflection match what you see in schools and child care centers?

Activities in the Library

1. Review the last several issues of Social Studies and the Young Learner and of Young Children. Which social policy issues are discussed? What are some of the curricular and instructional strategies high lighted in these journals? How will you use your findings in planning social studies for your class?

2. In a curriculum library at your college or public library, look at the materials available for use with children. Think about the materials available when you were a child. How do the materials compare? What issues or topics do you see in modern materials? Which issues and topics might be missing? Discuss your findings with your colleagues.

Study Questions

1. In your own words, what is social studies?

2. What is the content and what are the processes of social studies?

3. What is the curriculum of the social studies in the early years?

4. How are activities structured for social studies?What is your preliminary understanding of theme-based and constructivist approaches to education?

5. What do children learn from social studies?

6. How do your own cultural understandings and the cultural backgrounds of young children and their families affect social studies education?

7. What is the power of social studies in early childhood?

Reflect and Re-read

1. How do young children learn social studies?

2. What did policy makers want to accomplish in the past through social studies education? What do you believe current policy makers are emphasizing related to social studies?

16 Teaching Young Children Social Studies

3. Is children’s play and children’s literature a powerful way for children to learn about the social world?