A common debate in the social studies classrooms and discussions in recent years revolves around the use of a particular type of resource, the primary source. Some are skeptical about the use of primary sources having a strong impact. Many believe that the use of primary sources allows students insight into the minds and personal stories of those who actually experienced the events and the stories behind all key concepts in social studies. The studies that are reviewed in the present paper provide evidence of the latter. (Gradwell, 2010; Hicks, Doolittle, & Lee, 2004; Malkmus, 2010, Milman & Bondie, 2012)
In this review the focus will be on the use of primary sources in the social studies classroom. A primary source in these studies would be considered text, audio, video, or other documents or artifacts that come directly from a particular time period being studied. A social studies classroom can typically include a variety of social sciences, such as geography, political science, government, or economics, but in the majority of these studies the social studies classroom mainly means a history class.
These studies also discuss various types of primary sources. They three most common types mentioned are web based sources, classroom based sources, and digital primary sources. Web based and digital primary sources both refer to resources made available through the internet. The classroom based sources are physical sources provided in the textbook or sources that the teacher may have been provided or collected through the years.
In most cases it seems that primary sources prove to be a useful tool in engaging students and promoting skills and lessons that may have otherwise been either boring or difficult. While using primary sources...
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...re also important in the undergraduate classrooms.
Works Cited
Gradwell, J. M. (2010). Using sources to teach history for the common good: A case of one teacher’s purpose. The Journal of Social Studies Research, 34(1), 59-76. Retrieved from
ERIC.
Hicks, D. , Doolittle, P., & Lee, J. K. (2004). Social studies teachers' use of classroom-based and web-based historical primary sources. Theory & Research in Social Education, 32(2),
213-247. doi: 10.1080/00933104.2004.10473253
Malkmus, D. (2010). “Old stuff” for new teaching methods: Outreach to history faculty teaching with primary sources. Libraries and the Academy, 10(4), 413-435. doi:
10.1353/pla.2010.0008
Milman, N. B., & Bondie, R. (2012). An examination of teachers’ ratings of lesson plans using digital primary sources. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education,
12(4), 391-407. Retrieved from ERIC.
The classroom in video case 42 was made up of 12 English language learners. The students were learning U.S. History content vocabulary in small, collaborative, interactive groups. The teacher used visuals – words written on a white board, a graphic organizer of the concept definitions, and a Power Point presentation with pictures and simple definitions. The teacher provided background knowledge through the use of textbooks, so the children could be successful in future history classes. The teacher used songs to assist the auditory learners in the class as well as a video to further assist the visual learners to see the concepts from the lesson in context. All of these resources were culturally appropriate as English language learners often learn best when a lesson is developed through multiple strategies and with a variety of resources.
When it comes to learning about events and people in history, nothing beats a primary source. There is information directly from the event and there are no worries about incorrect data because the author was there to witness said event. But the main problem with primary sources is the fact that it only covers part of the story. So if a book is written about, say, the concentration camps of World War II, then all that it would be about would be that persons view of the camps, not what was happening during the actually war. This is where secondary sources come in. Secondary sources are written by authors who were not involved in the event, but rather did research on said event and wrote a novel covering what they believe to be all important aspects. Secondary sources are helpful when wanting to know more than just one aspect of an event, for example, you can know what was happening with the ally powers and axis powers, rather than just one or the other. Despite not being involved in the events, secondary sources still tend to contain bias. This essay will cover the bias of the novel Over Here: How the G.I. Bill Transformed the American Dream, by Edward Humes and how this either helped to prove or disprove his thesis.
In order for a work to be considered a primary literature, it must have been written by professors or researchers who are reporting original findings and it must consist of a specialized format that includes abstracts and reference lists
Hart, Diane, Bert Bower, and Jim Lobdell. History alive!:. Palo Alto, Calif.: Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2002. Print.
Primary Source (McMillan, 2012, p. 68): A primary source is an original report in which the investigator(s) presents the methods and findings of his or her own study that he or she conducted.
The overall, topic for this week’s reading is Social Studies Textbooks and what is there point of view. In Loewen’s book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, the author makes the point that books show one-sided viewpoint of historical figures, fail to show conflict happening today, and fail to present multiple sides of an issue. The second article by David Tyack, Monuments Between Covers, talks about the idea to show that our past was full of right moments and if anything that was immoral was a small part and no big deal. Tyack points out the constant influence from political groups with different agendas fighting to influence and control what textbooks tell our countries’ children. In the last reading History Lesson by Dana Lindaman talks about the view point of American History throughout the world’s public schools’ textbooks. Overall, each of the countries diminished the role their nation played in terrible events and criticized other nations for their actions.
... a reference page for all of the sources students have researched to retrieve information for their essay. Students must remember the sources on their reference page begin in alphabetical order.
A primary source is a piece written at the time of the event; in addition, they’re written by someone who witnessed or experienced the event. For example, In Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he states, “16 April 1963…While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." This would be an example of a primary document since Dr. King wrote it during the civil rights movement. While, secondary sources are not a first hand account of an event; equally as important, they analyze, summarize or evaluate a primary source. For example, in “America The Essential Learning Edition, Volume 2” written by David Shi and George Tindall it states, “The Montgomery bus boycott achieved remarkable unity. For 381 days, African Americans, women and men, used carpools…” (Shi and Tindall 987). This history textbook serves as a secondary source seeing that it’s written after this time period and is summarizing the accounts of the Montgomery bus boycott. When passing new laws or even in friendly debates, it is important to look at ways history is a part of secondary sources, while secondary sources are dependent on primary
The concept of best practices in teaching is not a new one, and the discussion of how to implement the most effective strategies in social studies education is ongoing. By definition, social studies is a curriculum design focused on the relationships among multiple disciplines such as history, geography, philosophy, and the humanities, and its purpose is to help students develop the ability to make informed decisions with a world perspective. However, due to the ever increasing pressure from high-stakes testing, teachers feel the need to focus instead on memorization of names, dates, and other facts as the primary method for teaching social studies concepts (Au, 2011). For social studies instruction to be powerful, it must be meaningful, integrative, challenging, and active (NCSS, 1993), and as teachers begin to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) into their classroom instruction, they will need to weave in strategies that promote critical thinking, a skill that is inherently challenging for many adolescents.
Seefeldt, Carol. Social Studies for the Preschool/Primary Child. 7 th. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2004. 132-136.
In this paper I will be writing about Why we teach social studies. I will also go over why and how we teach social studies. I will also go what makes me a good candidate to teach social studies. I will go through these in good detail and try to provide good information to use in this essay.
This report goes into detail about the reasons social studies is a core subject in the New Zealand curriculum, how social studies has a unique role in preparing children to be active and critical participants in a changing society, defines and explains what ‘powerful social studies’ is and lastly it will explain what qualities are required of a successful Social Studies teacher. For the purpose of this report “social studies is the systematic study of an integrated body of content from the social sciences and humanities to develop socially informed and effective citizens who are empowered with knowledge and skills in a changing society” (Barr, H., Graham, J., Hunter, P., Keown, P., & McGee, J. 1997, p. 5).
Teacher Interview summary: I had the pleasure of interviewing the 3rd grade social studies teacher Mr. Columbie. As I observed Mr. Columbie on a weekly basis, I would constantly ask him questions on how he taught social studies in his classroom and what strategies he uses. Mr. Columbie informed me that he teaches social studies in his classroom once a week, but now that the students are preparing for the FSA test he has not been teaching social studies. He explained that the schools main focus is that every teacher is teaching and building students math and reading skills. He also explained to me that he can get in trouble with the principle if he were to teach a full social studies lesson in his classroom. He told me that for social studies he is giving his students reading passages and the students are answering comprehension questions at the end of the reading.
Social Studies education is a subject in today’s schools that is undervalued. The study of social studies in schools help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world (Seefeldt, Castle, & Falconer, 2010). When participating in social studies class children are learning so much about who they are, where they came from, how to succeed in the world, and more. Most of what we teach daily includes an aspect of social studies. But, since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 de-emphasis or nonexistence of elementary social studies is the national focus because of high stakes testing (Sunal, & Sunal, 2008). Social studies
In this course I experienced an important change in my beliefs about teaching; I came to understand that there are many different theories and methods that can be tailored to suit the teacher and the needs of the student. The readings, especially those from Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2011), Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., & Le Cornu, R. (2007), and Whitton, D., Barker, K., Nosworthy, M., Sinclair, C., Nanlohy, P. (2010), have helped me to understand this in particular. In composing my essay about teaching methods and other themes, my learning was solidified, my knowledge deepened by my research and my writing skills honed.