Real-World Investigations for Social Studies: Inquiries for Middle and High School Students Based on the Ten NCSS Standards - Softcover

Hoge, John; Field, Sherry; Foster, Stuart; Nickell Emeritus, Pat

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0130950033 ISBN 13: 9780130950031

Publisher: Pearson, 2020

Synopsis

This innovative book presents case studies —called investigations— that combine ready-to-implement middle and high school lessons with complementary guidelines to demonstrate how the principles of Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) can be used to meet NCSS social studies curriculum standards. This combination of CTL principles and NCSS standards creates a book that shows teachers-in-training examples of quality social studies instruction while simultaneously illustrating essential teaching methods. Intended to develop the attributes necessary for informed citizenship, each investigation provides a sequence of lessons using the teaching/learning styles that research has shown to be most effective with these age groups. Each investigation requires readers to face problematic issues, research and analyze data, construct meaning and understanding, evaluate competing points-of-view, and, finally, reach and defend conclusions. All coverage keyed to NCSS standards—with an investigation for each of the ten mandated competencies. Core or supplemental reading for middle and secondary social studies methods courses.

About this title

About the Author:

John D. Hoge is an associate professor of education at the University of Georgia, where he has taught for the past 14 years while engaging in curriculum development projects, research, and publication activities designed to promote effective elementary and middle school social studies education. Regarding the school uniforms case in chapter 6, he states, "It was a natural for me. It touched so many power, authority, and governance issues and related directly to the lives of the children and parents who experienced it."

Sherry L. Field is a Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at The University of Texas at Austin, where she is Program Area Head for Social Studies Education. She has recently served as Chair of the College and University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies, Chair of the Research in Social Studies SIG of the American Educational Research Association, and President of the Society for the Study of Curriculum History. Her research in social studies curriculum and learning has been published in journals such as Theory and Research in Social Education, Social Education, Middle Level Learner, The Educational Forum, and Journal of Supervision and Curriculum. Currently, she is editor of Social Studies and the Young Learner.

Stuart J. Foster is a senior lecturer at the Institute of Education, the University of London. He received his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. He has published widely on educational history and the teaching and learning of history and the social studies. His contributions in this book reflect his interest in the teaching of controversial issues, the politics of schooling, and the representation of ethnic groups in American education.

Pat Nickell is a former elementary teacher, school district administrator, and college professor. She served as president of the National Council for the Social Studies, 1996-1997, and has an extensive list of published articles, books, book chapters, and curriculum projects to her credit. She coauthored the NCSS Social Studies standards, Expectations of Excellence. She is currently a social studies consultant in the state of Florida.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Real-World Investigations for Social Studies grew out of a U.S. Department of Education grant that engaged the four author-editors in an exploration of the use of contextual teaching and learning (CTL) to teach social studies. Working with colleagues, doctoral students, teachers, and people in the community, we constructed 10 case studies that were designed to engage middle and high school students in issues-oriented inquiries that met the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) curriculum standards (NCSS, 1994).

Writing Real-World Investigations for Social Studies was both enjoyable and challenging. Essentially, the editors and authors of this text wanted to achieve a constructive combination of ready-to-implement middle and high school lessons and complementary guidelines for using major social studies instructional methods in support of these classroom lessons. The goal was to offer highly engaging case-based, issues-oriented instructional materials along with supporting methods to demonstrate how the principles of CTL could be used to achieve the 10 NCSS curriculum standards for social studies.

Above all, we wanted to offer ready-to-implement instructional materials that were true to the principles of CTL. In order to help bring CTL into the social studies classroom, each investigation, first and foremost, aims to provide a practical sequence of lessons for teachers to use in middle or high school classrooms. Second, the lessons are designed to take into consideration the teaching and learning styles that many educators and researchers regard as most suited to middle and high school classrooms. Third, the lessons were developed with the intention of making the issues engaging, colorful, provocative, and relevant to the lives and interests of young people. Finally, the cases were designed to develop in middle school children key attributes necessary for undertaking their civic roles and responsibilities. As a result, every investigation requires students, individually and cooperatively, to wrestle with problematic issues, to research and analyze new data, to construct new meanings and understandings, to evaluate different and competing points of view, to reach (albeit tentatively) thoughtful conclusions, and, finally, to explain and defend positions taken. Arguably, no better preparation exists "to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world" (NCSS,1994).

However, we also realized that the provision of these exemplary instructional materials offered a powerful platform—and an important opportunity—for teaching essential methods of social studies instruction. Thus, we added an introduction to the methods of CTL and an additional social studies teaching methods focus to teach each chapter's investigation. These materials are designed to offer teachers-in-training a contextually meaningful exposure to important social studies teaching methods. Practicing teachers, curriculum coordinators, and department chairs or curriculum leaders may also find that these methods materials refresh and reinforce their own classroom teaching practices.

Organization of the Text

The 10 chapters of Real-World Investigations for Social Studies are structured to match the NCSS curriculum standards. Each chapter begins with an introduction, followed by a discussion of how the case helps students to meet the relevant NCSS curriculum standard. Next, each chapter includes a teaching methods focus that is tailored to its content and NCSS standard. This methods focus is often supported by explicit guidelines for instruction and key links to the lesson content.

Ready-to-implement instructional materials follow, `Kith each chapter offering an overview of its instruction, explicit lesson plans, all necessary handouts, and supporting materials. Teaching procedures have been carefully reviewed and trial taught in middle and high school classrooms.

Overview of the Chapters

CHAPTER 1

The first chapter, "Is America United or Divided by Language?" by Stuart J. Foster, David Clark, and B. Prentiss Woods, challenges students to ask tough questions related to the status of the English language in the United States and to reflect on issues that arise as a result of their Internet research activities. Designed to address NCSS Standard I, Culture, the topic also lends itself readily to a methods focus on teaching controversial issues in a pluralistic society.

CHAPTER 2

A local business scenario is the focus of the second chapter, "Crisis at Blue Ridge Leather: The Intersection of One Life with Historical Social Structures," by Ronald L. VanSickle. Featuring NCSS Standard II, Time, Continuity, and Change, the investigation provides students an opportunity to learn how historical and existing social structures impact a small business, Blue Ridge Leather. Decision-making and problem-solving teaching methods are featured in this chapter and illustrated throughout the case.

CHAPTER 3

NCSS Standard III, People, Places, and Environments, is at the heart of "The Lake Lanier Land Use Controversy" by Geri Collins. This investigation examines a public issue that is familiar to many communities: land use and environmental change caused by development. A geographic perspective is used to explore this case and is strengthened by the chapter's methods focus on teaching geographic thinking skills.

CHAPTER 4

Individual Development and Identity, NCSS Curriculum Standard IV, is the theme addressed by Sherry L. Field and Pat Nickell in their chapter, "Getting a Job and Keeping It: Expectations in the Workplace." Inspired by the school-to-work movement, the chapter considers issues faced by employees and employers in understanding job requirements, work ethic expectations, and evaluations of work performance. The authors feature teaching methods for using interviewing, as well as character and values education, in the secondary classroom.

CHAPTER 5

Pamela S. Roach's chapter, "Defusing Hate: with Malice Toward None, with Charity for All," advances NCSS Standard V, Individuals, Groups, and Institutions, with the deliberation of a controversial topic: intolerance. The concepts of intolerance, hate, and organized violence illustrate the complexities of hate issues to students and help them to develop a plan to mitigate hatred that might arise in their own surroundings. Because this case study uses a substantial collection of historical photographs, primary source documents, and oral histories, its teaching methods focus is on how to help students analyze historical documents.

CHAPTER 6

Power, Authority, and Governance, NCSS Standard VI, is explored in "Mandatory School Uniforms: A Real-World Exploration of Power, Authority, and Governance," by John D. Hoge and Stuart J. Foster. In this chapter, the Polk County, Florida, school uniform controversy is presented for deliberation. Students are challenged to research selected issues using resources provided in the case study, in their media center, and on the Internet. Because parties on both sides of the controversy make competing claims, helping students differentiate between fact and opinion was selected as the methods focus for this chapter.

CHAPTER 7

Jon Bauer presents a motivating topic, "Pirates! From the High Seas to High Tech: The Great Debate Over Music Piracy," to address NCSS Standard VII, Production, Distribution, and Consumption. Bauer focuses on a topic of keen interest to all students—music, and its on-line distribution. Challenging students to examine the economic, political, social, and ethical dimensions of music piracy, the chapter adopts a teaching methods focus on current events.

CHAPTER 8

"To Be or Not to Be: The Zoo Is the Question," by Carolyn Lyon, presents concepts that are central to NCSS Standard VIII, Science, Technology, and Society. Students consider biological, ethical, and physical concerns raised by the presence of zoos, and they learn about the work being done by many zoos across the nation to promote the survival of endangered species in order to examine the question "Are zoos morally defensible?" Because of its demanding analysis of the science and morality of zoos, this chapter focuses on methods for teaching higher-order thinking.

CHAPTER 9

NCSS Standard IX, Global Connections, is the theme of the investigation developed by Joseph R. Feinberg and Carolyn Lyon, "Confronting the Cycle of Poverty." Focusing on poverty and its global dimensions, the investigation uses the voices of adults and children living in poverty to inform and awaken students' interest concerning the problem of poverty. Students engaged in this investigation will be challenged to confront their own biases and discover avenues of action to alleviate the suffering of those caught in the cycle of poverty. Feinberg and Lyon selected tips, techniques, and considerations for teaching about children in poverty as the methods focus for this chapter.

CHAPTER 10

Finally, "Connecting Students to Their Communities Through Service," by Joseph R. Feinberg, addresses NCSS Standard X, Civic Ideals and Practices. This investigation connects students in an inspiring way to the service-learning being done by schoolchildren across the country. By examining instances of service-learning, students gain an opportunity to learn the historical contexts of community service, recognize students like themselves who are participating in meaningful community service, and appreciate the long-term possibilities to effect change that are inherent in ongoing community service-learning projects. Methods for using service-learning in middle and high school classrooms serve as the instructional focus of this chapter.

In conclusion, we believe that students and teachers alike will find something meaningful and interesting in each of the chapters. Whether studied as a whole, taught in clusters, or taken one at a time, these investigations will promote the positive attributes of CTL in relevant and accessible ways. By including explicit and context-sensitive attention to major instructional methods of social studies, we hope to support the skillful and thoughtful use of these investigations.

We enjoyed working with each author and author team, and we hope that these case studies will become an important part of middle school social studies teaching and learning.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pearson
• Publication date: 2020
• ISBN 10: 0130950033
• ISBN 13: 9780130950031
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• Number of pages: 272