Assignment: Teaching Social Studies
Overview
For this assignment, you will demonstrate your understanding of the skills presented course materials. "Effective Strategies for Teaching Social Studies" outlines several big ideas for teaching social studies skills: problem-solution-effect, multiple perspectives, and factors of group success. Your application assignment is to create a teaching tool (strategy) that addresses one of the big ideas. To complete your assignment, you must create the tool, implement the lesson with a student that could benefit from the instruction, and reflect on your experience. You must develop a strategy (tool), take a picture of the materials after you implement the lesson, and write a two page reflection. Your completed template must be uploaded to Blackboard and TK20.
Directions
1. Identify a student with exceptionalities or a student that struggles in the area of social studies skills.
2. Using the ideas outlined in the text, or a credible resource (see Suggested Resources), select an effective teaching strategy that targets the needs of your exceptional (struggling) student. Design an interactive, hands-on learning tool that targets the area of need for your student. You may involve a group of students for this activity, but you will be targeting the needs of your identified exceptional (struggling) student. Your activity must focus on social studies skills from the K-12 TEKS.
3. Using the template provided, design a plan to implement your strategy.
4. Create the materials you will use to implement the strategy for teaching a social studies skill.
5. Implement the strategy with your identified exceptional (struggling) student. Remember, you can incorporate a group of students in this activity, but you will be targeting the needs of your identified exceptional (struggling) student.
6. Using the Reflection section of the template, write a two page reflection on the creation and implementation of the strategy (tool). Fully discuss the topics outlined in the template. Be sure to include the effect on student learning.
7. Photograph the materials you used after implementing the tool (strategy). Imbed the photograph in your template.
Suggested Resources:
Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2000). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension to enhance understanding. York, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
This book can be purchased for $20.00 at Amazon.com.
Click on "Teaching Reading", "Classroom Strategies", then choose a "Featured Strategy."
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