The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Elementary Teachers

The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Elementary Teachers brings together the work of education scholars and the experiences of teachers, the best of theory and of practice, in a comprehensive collection of ideas and activities for elementary social studies. The twenty-seven chapters present a diversity of perspectives that provide context, insight, and direction for social studies teaching and learning.

This updated edition of The Anthology of Social Studies presents a powerful and exciting vision of social studies. It has a stronger focus on elementary examples, a new chapter on teaching elementary students to think geographically, updated references, and a greater emphasis on the use of innovative technologies and digital resources in social studies. This collection blends specific, practical teaching suggestions with important discussions of the foundational issues at the heart of social studies teaching. It is an essential resource for pre-service and practising elementary teachers and curriculum developers.

Table of Contents

• • Brings together the best of theory and practice in the teaching and learning of social studies
  • Provides practical tips, teaching suggestions, and lesson ideas
  • Addresses the following topics:
    • Historical Thinking
    • Using Artifacts
    • Using Visual Resources
    • Applying Strategies
    • Planning Courses, Units, and Lessons
    • Engaging Students
    • Geographical Thinking
    • Citizenship Education
    • Preparing for Inquiry Teaching
    • Responding to Literature
    • Creating a Community of Thinkers
    • Teaching for Conceptual Understanding
    • Integrating Digital Technologies
    • Authentic Assessment Strategies

Reviews of previous editions:

“The Anthology of Social Studies has been the backbone of my social studies education course for pre-service teachers, providing the overall theoretical framework for the course while at the same time providing practical tools for the classroom. It captures the ‘enduring understandings’ that we hope our students walk into the classrooms with, ensuring that the learning experience will continue well beyond the covers of the book and the walls of our classroom.”

—Wendy D. Bokhorst-Heng, associate professor, Crandall University

“The Anthology has proved an invaluable resource with chapter after chapter of essential learning for social studies teacher candidates; this book will continue on as a valued and well-used desktop companion as they embark on their teaching careers.”

—Joan M. Chambers, assistant professor, Lakehead University

“The Anthology of Social Studies is accessible and well written. Students really appreciate the hands-on teaching strategies that they can use in their social studies classrooms.”

—Marianne Larsen, associate professor, Western University

“This is the most useful and widely applicable textbook I’ve had at the Faculty of Education. Amazing.”

—Bachelor of Education student, Western University

“The Anthology of Social Studies is a must-read for practicing and pre-service teachers of social studies alike. Updated and added chapters provide the latest ideas for addressing all aspects of teaching and learning social studies in the elementary school.”

—Susan Gibson, professor, University of Alberta

“The articles, with their wealth of activities and excellent ideas, are valuable whether the reader is a student teacher, a practising teacher, or an instructor at a university. Highly recommended.”

—Canadian Materials

“No resource I own has so many notes in the margins, post-its, and highlighting that help guide me in creating activities for both students and teachers. This is the one teaching resource that every teacher of geography, history, and social studies must have as a part of their library.”

—Bernie Rubenstein, Toronto District School Board consultant (retired)

“…a must-have for the social studies teacher. Not only was it invaluable to me as an education student, but I still find myself consulting it on a regular basis years into my career.”

—Gordon von Muehldorfer, social studies teacher, Calgary, Alberta

Editors

Roland Case is the executive director of the Critical Thinking Consortium (TC²)—a non-profit association of school districts and educational organizations across Canada. He is a retired professor of social studies education at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. Roland has edited or authored over 100 published works. Notable among these is the award-winning series of TC² teaching resources entitled Critical Challenges Across the Curriculum. In addition to his public school and university teaching, Roland has worked with over 18,000 educators across Canada and in the United States, England, Israel, Russia, India, Finland, and Hong Kong to support the infusion of critical thinking. Roland was the 2006 recipient of the Distinguished Academics Career Achievement Award from the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC (CUFA).

Dr. Penney Clark is a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia and the director of the History Education Network/Histoire et éducation en réseau (THEN/ HiER). She was awarded the Killam Teaching Prize in 2005 for her teaching of social studies curriculum and instruction, the history of curriculum, and the politics of curriculum development courses at UBC. She co-authored three Canadian history textbooks and has published articles in the Journal of Canadian Studies, Canadian Journal of Education, American Journal of Education, History of Education Quarterly, and Theory and Research in Social Education. Her most recent publication is the edited volume, New Possibilities for the Past: Shaping History Education in Canada (UBC Press, 2011). For additional information, see edcp.educ.ubc.ca/faculty/penney-clark/.

Contributors

Mary Abbott retired from the Faculty of Education at Vancouver Island University in 2009; her teaching areas included social studies methods, language arts methods, literacy development, and assessment.

Philip Balcaen is a faculty member at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus where he teaches mathematics, teaching methodology for science, and graduate courses in curriculum studies.

Wanda Cassidy is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education and Director of the Centre for Education, Law and Society at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia; her research primarily focuses on law-related education and its intersection with citizenship education and the civil society.

LeRoi Daniels was a professor emeritus in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia until his death in 2011; he was a founding member of the Critical Thinking Consortium and an author of the model of critical thinking that forms the conceptual foundation of the consortium’s work.

Linda Farr Darling is the Eleanor Rix Professor of Rural Teacher Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia, a position dedicated to preparing, recruiting, and supporting rural teachers through research, teaching, and policy work.

Christine Eide has taught a range of grade levels in various northern communities in British Columbia, was a principal before retirement, and has also been a faculty associate in Simon Fraser University’s teacher education program as well as a practicum placement coordinator for the University of Northern British Columbia’s B.Ed. program.

Margaret Ferguson is a teacher in northern British Columbia; she holds a law degree and has also been the School Reorganizing Coordinator for the Legal Resource Centre in the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta.

Susan Gibson began her career as a social studies teacher in the public school systems in both Alberta and Ontario; she is now a professor in the Department of Elementary Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta

Garfield Gini-Newman is a senior lecturer at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto and a senior national consultant with the Critical Thinking Consortium.

Laura Gini-Newman is currently an instructional resource teacher and a Math Gains coach for the Peel District School Board in Ontario; she is also a facilitator for the Critical Thinking Consortium.

Michael Ling is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, working primarily with in-service teachers in graduate diploma and degree programs.

Roberta McKay has been a professor in the Department of Elementary Education and is currently the Director of the Master of Education in Educational Studies program in the Faculty of Education—both positions at the University of Alberta.

Cathy Morgan began teaching primary grades in a small northern community in British Columbia, was a faculty associate in Simon Fraser University’s professional development program, and served as the administrator of a small rural school prior to retirement.

Tom Morton has taught at the high school and university levels; he has received the British Columbia Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award, the Governor General’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History, and the Kron Award for Excellence in Holocaust Education.

John Myers is an instructor in elementary and secondary education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto; his interests include Canadian immigration history and policy, classroom assessment, and teaching strategies across the curriculum.

Paul Neufeld is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, where he teaches courses on reading and learning disabilities.

Lynn Newbery began her teaching career in a coastal community in British Columbia and has held teaching or administrative positions at the elementary and secondary levels; after retiring, she became a faculty associate with Simon Fraser University.

Özlem Sensoy is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, where she conducts research on social justice education, critical media literacy, and cultural studies.

Neil Smith has been an instructor of social studies curriculum and instruction courses at Vancouver Island University; he now works as an educational consultant with a focus on developing professional learning communities through inquiry learning.

Stefan Stipp has taught humanities at secondary schools in Surrey, BC, and has also been a faculty associate in Simon Fraser University’s teacher education program.

Amy von Heyking is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta; her areas of research include history teaching and learning, and the history of school curricula in Canada.

Walter Werner is a retired faculty member who taught social studies education in the University of British Columbia’s Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy.

Andrew Young has taught geography in BC public schools for over 20 years; he completed an MA in Environmental Education and Communications from Royal Roads University.

The Anthology of Social Studies Volume 2: Issues and Strategies for Secondary Teachers (ISBN 9781895766479): 2008 edition.