Social Studies Interview and Standards Investigation
Running Head: INTERVIEW AND STANDARDS INVESTIGATION
Interview and Standards Investigation
Sarah Woods
Grand Canyon University
EED 465 Curriculum, Methods, and Assessment: Social Studies
Leah Barley
December 8, 2011
Interview and Standards Investigation Social studies is a complicated subject for teachers to teach and for students to learn because it encompasses so many different disciplines. On top of that, society is characterized by increasingly rapid social and technological changes that affect what social studies content is being taught to students (NCSS, 1988). For many years students have been forced to learn low cognitive level information that lacks meaning and fails to transfer to real life situations. For these reasons Social Studies is the subject that students love to hate (Hope, 1996). Rather than dwelling on what has gone wrong in the past, it is best to look to the future and learn from past pedagogic mistakes to determine what can be done to energize social studies instruction in order to restore respect by students and teachers alike for such an important field (Hope, 1996). The implementation of state and national standards has been an important step in making this happen. This assessment will evaluate the state of Arizona’s Social Studies Standards for sixth grade for thoroughness, clarity, user friendliness, and comprehensiveness. It will go on to provide a well-supported, objective, academic response to the interview conducted with Ms. Traci Smith, a sixth grade social studies teacher at Will Rogers Junior High in Claremore, OK, and the standards investigation by analyzing how social studies is taught today. The Arizona Department of Education website contains five sixth grade history strands that emphasize World history from its earliest cultures through Enlightenment, including the early cultures of the Americas. The Arizona State Standards for sixth grade are extremely thorough containing strands for American History, World
Interview and Standards Investigation
Sarah Woods
Grand Canyon University
EED 465 Curriculum, Methods, and Assessment: Social Studies
Leah Barley
December 8, 2011
Interview and Standards Investigation Social studies is a complicated subject for teachers to teach and for students to learn because it encompasses so many different disciplines. On top of that, society is characterized by increasingly rapid social and technological changes that affect what social studies content is being taught to students (NCSS, 1988). For many years students have been forced to learn low cognitive level information that lacks meaning and fails to transfer to real life situations. For these reasons Social Studies is the subject that students love to hate (Hope, 1996). Rather than dwelling on what has gone wrong in the past, it is best to look to the future and learn from past pedagogic mistakes to determine what can be done to energize social studies instruction in order to restore respect by students and teachers alike for such an important field (Hope, 1996). The implementation of state and national standards has been an important step in making this happen. This assessment will evaluate the state of Arizona’s Social Studies Standards for sixth grade for thoroughness, clarity, user friendliness, and comprehensiveness. It will go on to provide a well-supported, objective, academic response to the interview conducted with Ms. Traci Smith, a sixth grade social studies teacher at Will Rogers Junior High in Claremore, OK, and the standards investigation by analyzing how social studies is taught today. The Arizona Department of Education website contains five sixth grade history strands that emphasize World history from its earliest cultures through Enlightenment, including the early cultures of the Americas. The Arizona State Standards for sixth grade are extremely thorough containing strands for American History, World
References: NCSS. (1988, June). Social studies for early childhood and elementary school children: Preparing for the 21st Century Hope, W. (1996). It’s time to transform social studies teaching. The Social Studies. Washington: Jul/Aug 1996 Arizona Department of Education Standards Based Teaching and Learning. (2006). Social Studies Standards Articulated By Grade Level Sixth Grade National Council for the Social Studies. (1993, September). A vision of powerful teaching and learning in the social studies: Building social understanding and civic efficacy Vogler, K. & Virtue, D. (2007, May). “Just the facts ma’am”: Teaching Social Studies in the era of Standards and high stakes testing Wineburg, S. (2005, May). What does NCATE have to say to future history teachers? Phi Delta Kappan Adler, S., Dougan, A., & Garcia, J. (2006, January). NCATE has a lot to say to future social studies teachers: A response to Sam Wineburg