Most Americans believe that civility has severely declined over the past two decades. We hear stories daily about ridicule, bullying, and simple rudeness – and these stories are happening in homes, classrooms, on the Internet, and in businesses. There are several reasons for this decline. Some scholars suggest that as society has become more informal …
Category Archives: Supporting Social Studies
Super Social Studies
“This is boring.” “Why do we have to learn this?” “My students don’t like Social Studies.” Why do students dread Social Studies and why do teachers find teaching Social Studies frustrating? There are many possible answers to this dilemma, but I suspect that a major cause is the marginalization of Social Studies due to …
Promoting Public Service
Our communities depend on individuals that believe in public service. How can we inspire and nurture public service with elementary students? First, have a discussion about the meaning of public service. Discuss different ways that public employees help the community. Brainstorm services provided by public servants. (firefighters, lawmakers, military personnel, postal delivery, teachers, and …
More Facts than Fiction Please!
State and national standards are changing to emphasize the reading of more informational texts in elementary grades. In fact, Common Core standards require that 50% of reading in elementary grades should focus on reading non-fiction, informational text. Why? Reading informational text in elementary school prepares students for high school and college. Most of the text …
Social Studies Matters Today
In an age when you can find facts about geography and history in your phone, some may wonder about the purpose of social studies education. Social studies matters more than ever. Four Reasons to Study Social Studies in the Information Age: 1.) Information is everywhere (and it isn’t always fact-checked). We are inundated with information every …
