Social Studies in Clinicals

So far this semester I have not seen any social studies in my kindergarten clinical classroom. In fact, when I asked my clinical teacher about social studies she said, “we don’t really do social studies”. I think this is a sad thing to hear! Through my ISU class TCH 277 I have learned how much fun teaching social studies can be. I went into this class with a negative view on social studies because of my own experiences as a student. What I remember from social studies as a kid was that we would mostly read out of a textbook and watch videos. After learning about ways to make social studies fun this semester I feel like it could actually be one of the most fun subjects to teach.

Even though I have not seen social studies in my clinical setting this semester I have seen it in a past semester. Last semester, in my third grade classroom, I saw my teacher read books to the students about moments or people in history. Also the students when the students were learning about different environments (desert, rainforest, etc.) they learned about countries where these environments are found. Other than these two examples I have not seen social studies in my clinical experiences. These examples did not really go along with what I have learned about at ISU because the students were mostly being taught through direct instruction and not their own experiences. I think that it is unfortunate that social studies is so often pushed to the side for younger classrooms and not addressed until older grades. Social studies introduces important concepts that can and should be introduced to young children.

After seeing this lack of social studies instruction in my clinical settings I will be sure to include social studies in my future class. I feel like I already have so many ideas about ways I can incorporate social studies into the school day. First, I would make sure that my social studies lessons integrate other subjects as well. This often happens naturally, but I want to intentionally plan ways I can teach other subjects within social studies. For example, if I was teaching a unit on cultures of the world I could have students explore write, draw, create art, dance, make a video, or sing to show what they learned about another culture. This could cross into the subject areas of music, art, literacy, and technology.

Another thing I will make sure to do in my social studies lessons is provide opportunities for students to do activities that are hands-on and applicable to their lives. I think that physically doing something makes learning a concept not only easier but also more fun! I also feel like relating social studies lessons to students personally can make concepts more simple to grasp and more exciting.
After spending these last few weeks at my clinicals I find myself wondering what is happening on the days of the week that I am not at clinicals! This week, I went into clinicals on Monday and it was interesting to see how parts of the day were structured differently then they are on Wednesdays. I want to make sure to ask my teacher more about how the school week has been so far that week when I come into clinicals on Wednesdays. I find that having some background information on how much the kids are familiar with a topic can help to direct my instruction.

http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200509/SocialStudiesBooksBTJ905.pdf
Check out this awesome list of children's books to use as a part of social studies lessons for young students! I have noticed a lack of books that address issues covered in social studies in my clinical classroom this semester.

P.S. I highly suggest "Sky Dancers" by Connie Ann Kirk. I read this book with a third grade student last semester and it had cool information and beautiful pictures!

Workjobs!

For one of my classes this semester we are required to make something called "workjobs". A workjob is an activity that a child could do independently. Below are my four workjobs that I have created!

This is a Civics and Government workjob titled "When I am Upset...". This workjob is appropriate for kindergarten-aged students. Students must arrange the pictures either under the categories "good choices" or "bad choices". The pictures are of things that a student can do when they are feeling upset. Some of the options in the "good choices" category are things like going to the peace table or taking a butterfly breath. 

This is a Economics workjob I created titled "Money Matching". It is appropriate for 1st grade students. The students match the pictures and the values of money the name of the coin or bill. Afterwards students can check their answers on the back of the file-folder.

This is a geography workjob I made for second graders titled "Name Our Neighbors". I cut the states neighboring Illinois out of different colors of felt and then created labels for the states. Students are to place Illinois in the center of a large piece of white felt and then put the bordering states in the correct spots. To finish, students label the states. This workjob aligns with Illinois standard IL 17.A.1a 

This is a History workjob I created titled "Inventors and Inventions". This workjob is appropriate for third grade students. The students must match the name of the inventor with the inventions on the timeline. All of the materials are attached to the file-folder.