EED 465 Topic 1 Discussion Question 1

EED 465 Topic 1 Discussion Question 1

What is your personal experience with learning social studies? Do you have any memories that stand out as highly effective learning experiences? Compare this with your readings regarding social studies instruction.

EED 465 Topic 1 Discussion Question 2

Max Points: 5.0

How does the social studies instruction in the school that you chose for your teacher interview relate to the definition of social studies? Explain your answer.

EED 465 Week 1 Assignment Interview and Standards Investigation

Details:

Interview

Interview a teacher in the elementary grades regarding the teacher’s social studies instruction. Include at least eight questions.

Create your own questions such as:

Do you use a textbook?
What do you think of the standards for social studies?
How much time is spent per day in this subject area?

Document the interview questions and answers and submit with the Standards Essay.

Standards Essay

Choose one grade level in the elementary grades. Evaluate the social studies standards on the Arizona Department of Education’s website for that grade level for such things as thoroughness, clarity, and two other criteria of your own choosing.

Write an essay of 750-1,000 words as a well-supported, objective, academic response to the interview and standards investigation, analyzing how social studies is currently taught today.

Use the GCU Library to research a minimum of six peer-reviewed articles that support your rationale.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.

Submit both the interview and the essay as one deliverable to your instructor in LoudCloud by the end of this topic.

Document the hours and locations that you spend in the field on your Practicum/Field Experience Observation and Activity Log. This document must be signed by the appropriate classroom teacher or interviewee at each location that you visit. This log is located in the Teacher Preparation Programs Practicum/Field Experience Manual, located on the College of Education site in the Student Success Center.

Submit the completed Practicum/Field Experience Observation and Activity Log to Taskstream after you have accumulated all of the required practicum/field experience hours for this course.

EED 465 Topic 2 Discussion Question 1

Choose one instructional strategy from your readings and describe it in your own words. How could it be used with social studies curriculum? Give two examples.

EED 465 Topic 2 Discussion Question 2

What are some other resources a teacher can use besides the textbook to teach social studies? Which resources do you like the best? Why?

EED 465 Week 2 Assignment Textbook Analysis Essay

Details:

Locate a social studies textbook used in a classroom today. Analyze its contents in the following areas:

Topics covered in comparison to the definition of social studies;
Authentic activities beyond simply reading the chapters and answering the questions;
Integration of other subject areas (art, writing, math);
Assessments, both formal and authentic; and
Opportunities for content reading strategies and comprehension (reciprocal teaching, vocabulary, photos with captions, headings, etc.)

Write an essay of 750-1,000 words with your findings and suggestions for making the text accessible to all learners, including English language learners, special education students, and struggling readers.

Use the GCU Library to research a minimum of 4-5 peer-reviewed articles that can be used in support of your content.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

EED 465 Topic 3 Discussion Question 1

What do you think of elementary school social studies texts being used in today’s classrooms? Have they improved since you were a child? How have they changed? What sort of supplemental materials make a difference?

EED 465 Topic 3 Discussion Question 2

Reflect on any authentic learning experiences such as field trips, mock trials, artifacts, genealogies, or historical reenactments from your own social studies learning. Which of these were used effectively? How did these experiences better facilitate your learning?

EED 465 Week 3 Assignment Comparison Matrix and Essay

Details:

Using a matrix or chart, compare and contrast the pros and cons of the following:

Integrated social studies learning;
Textbook social studies learning;
Commercially purchased social studies learning; and
Teacher-prepared social studies learning.

In an essay of 750-1,000 words, reflect on your findings and the implications for curriculum design and social studies instruction in meeting today’s standards.

Use the GCU Library to research a minimum of 4-5 peer-reviewed articles that can be used in support of your content.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.

Submit both the chart and the essay to your instructor in LoudCloud as one file by the end of this topic.

EED 465 Topic 4 Discussion Question 1

What are some cultural groups that may be represented in your future classroom? How will you support a policy of tolerance toward all cultures in the classroom?

EED 465 Topic 4 Discussion Question 2

What are some instructional strategies or activities that would promote a civic education?

EED 465 Week 5 Assignment Collaborative Learning Community: Cultural Mosaic and Essay

Details:

This is a CLC assignment.

In assigned CLCs, each member should choose a culture to research and inform the group members of their choice. Each individual will research information about that culture, including social perspectives that affect local and global issues.

Discuss in 750-1,000 words how you would build global awareness and understanding and integrate diverse social and cultural perspectives to create novel approaches to solving problems.

Use the GCU Library and/or academic websites to research a minimum of four articles/books about the culture.

As a group, develop a chart that breaks down components of each culture and compares them side-by-side.

Combine the information from each group member and the chart into one project. Among the group members, discuss implications for teachers and social studies instruction. Use these discussions to synthesize the individual components into one essay for the group.

Be sure to attach the cultural summaries from each group member to the assignment.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

The assignment needs to be compiled by one member of the group with the title page identifying all group members.

You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.

Submit both the chart and the group essay to your instructor in LoudCloud as one file by the end of this topic.

EED 465 Topic 5 Discussion Question 1

Why is children’s literature a key component in social studies reading instruction? Create a list of at least five children’s books that would be beneficial in teaching some of the social studies topics discussed in this course. Include the author, title, and your personal comments regarding why these books would be helpful.

EED 465 Topic 5 Discussion Question 2

What are some effective ways to teach academic language in social studies? Why is it important to teach students important vocabulary prior to studying a concept?

EED 465 Week 5 Assignment Lesson Plan and Essay

Details:

Choose a grade level and social studies topic with supporting standards and plan a lesson to present in the classroom. Include grade-level appropriate activities that encourage active student engagement.

Address the following in your lesson plan:

Multiple intelligences
Authentic literature
Depth of Knowledge
Assessment of objective- Use three formative assessments during the lesson and one summative assessment at the end.

Teach your social studies lesson to a classroom of students.

In an essay of 1,000-1,250 words, reflect on the lesson and content.

Cite at least four references from educational journals and academic websites to support your teaching strategies.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.

Submit both the lesson plan and the essay to your instructor in LoudCloud as one file by the end of this topic.

Document the hours and locations that you spend in the field on your Practicum/Field Experience Observation and Activity Log. This document must be signed by the appropriate classroom teacher or interviewee at each location that you visit. This log is located in the Teacher Preparation Programs Practicum/Field Experience Manual, located on the College of Education site in the Student Success Center.

Submit the completed Practicum/Field Experience Observation and Activity Log to Taskstream after you have accumulated all of the required practicum/field experience hours for this course.

EED 465 Topic 6 Discussion Question 1

What factors should be considered in selecting social studies textbooks and resources?

EED 465 Topic 6 Discussion Question 2

What are some pre-reading, reading, and post-reading activities you could use along with social studies content?

EED 465 Week 6 Assignment Collaborative Learning Community: Social Studies Book List and Lesson Plan

Details:

This is a CLC assignment.

Within your CLC group, choose a grade level and social studies topic with supporting standards to create an annotated resource list of at least 25 websites, articles, or books.

Include the following:

Title
Author
Publisher and year
Genre
Description of how and why the resource supports teaching social studies content
What contextual factors would support selection of the type, genre, and content of the resource selected?

Create a lesson plan using one of the 25 resources in the annotated list to teach a literacy objective.

Ensure the lesson plan includes modes of assessing the objectives of the lesson plan, criteria for mastery of objectives, and utilization of formative, informal, and formal assessments. Include skill-building activities that are grade-level appropriate.

The assignment needs to be compiled by one member of the group with the title page identifying all group members.

While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.

EED 465 Topic 7 Discussion Question 1

How will your social studies instruction utilize reading, writing, listening, speaking, and the dramatic arts? Why is it important to utilize these aspects into your teaching of social studies?

EED 465 Topic 7 Discussion Question 2

How could technology be integrated into the teaching of social studies?

EED 465 Week 7 Assignment Benchmark – Charting the Course: Social Studies WebQuest

Details:

Choose a specific grade level and strand from the following social studies strands: American History, World History, Civics/Government, Geography, and Economics. Within your selected strand, you will also need to select one particular concept. (To assist, visit the Arizona Department of Education’s Social Studies Standards page at http://www.azed.gov/standards-practices/social-studies-standard/.)

Create an essential question that your WebQuest will address. Be sure to include the essential question on the introduction page of your WebQuest. Use the “Essential Questions” resource for details on how to create an essential question http://iss.gstboces.org/ctice/trainings/webquesting/handouts/EssentialQuestions.pdf.

Review Zunal.com to construct your WebQuest. (For examples of completed WebQuests, visit the WebQuest home page at http://webquest.org/index.php.)

Design a five-day WebQuest that could be used to teach and assess one particular concept from the social studies strand you selected. Account for the following lesson plan components:

Required resources and materials.
Strategies for integrating language arts, where applicable.
Strategies for teaching applicable social studies vocabulary.
Hands-on learning experiences.
A minimum of seven pages designed within the WebQuest website.
Differentiated instruction.

Write a reflection of 1,000-1,250 words on why you think the WebQuest you have devised represents best practices for teaching social studies and how your mentor teacher’s practices influenced your design.

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

Provide access for your instructor to view your WebQuest by submitting your WebQuest URL to your instructor.

Submit the assignment to the instructor by the end of Topic 7.

Additionally, submit the assignment in Taskstream along with your completed Practicum/Field Experience Observation and Activity Log after you have accumulated all of the required practicum/field experience hours for this course. Directions for submitting to Taskstream can be found on the College of Education site in the Student Success Center.

EED 465 Topic 8 Discussion Question 1

Max Points: 5.0

What is a social studies thematic unit you would like to use with your students? Why do you feel this theme is important? How could you use this theme to bridge the gap between home and school for social studies learning?

EED 465 Topic 8 Discussion Question 2

What are the assessments for the social studies text like for your school? Are they authentic or formal? What are some ways that you would like to assess your students’ understanding of social studies concepts