ELM/536
Social Studies Content and Curricular Knowledge
Online
Format
$1620
Estimated Tuition
3 credits
Total credits
6 weeks
Course length
Start when you're ready
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Course level: EDU Graduate
This course focuses on the pedagogy and assessment strategies that enhance inquiry learning in the social studies classroom. Content knowledge, interdisciplinary teaching, curriculum, and assessment are emphasized. Teacher candidates will focus on enhancing the meaning of social studies concepts, developing critical thinking skills to include the use of social studies in other disciplinary areas, and creating real-life experiences for all learners. If you reside in California please click here to enroll in the California version of this course. This course is not available for enrollment to residents of Arkansas, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, Wyoming and individuals who reside outside the United States.
Prerequisites
This graduate level course requires proof of completion of a Bachelor's degree. Be prepared to provide documentation during the checkout process.
What you'll learn
Course skills and outcomes
Week 1
- Describe the importance of social studies instruction at the elementary level.
- Analyze national and state social studies standards.
- Examine major concepts for history, geography, civics and government, and economics.
- Analyze the nature of citizenship education and its potential impact on students.
Week 2
- Assess the importance of active learning in social studies.
- Evaluate the use of primary and secondary sources in social studies instruction.
- Explore ways to create engaging lesson plans and units for achieving curricular goals.
- Describe the use of data from formative and summative assessments in planning.
Week 3
- Examine the influence of cultural diversity on curriculum and lesson design.
- Investigate methods for incorporating culturally responsive instruction in social studies.
- Analyze methods for creating student-centered social studies instruction.
- Evaluate strategies for adapting instruction to meet the needs of culturally, academically, and linguistically diverse students.
Week 4
- Investigate strategies for teaching social studies skills and concepts.
- Investigate strategies for using inquiry to develop reasoning skills in a social studies context.
- Analyze the use of current events and simulations in social studies education.
- Evaluate methods for assessing student understanding in a social studies context.
Week 5
- Analyze the connection between literacy and social studies content learning.
- Investigate strategies for incorporating writing strategies to a social studies context.
- Evaluate strategies for incorporating interdisciplinary teaching in social studies.
- Create a social studies literacy-integrated unit plan that would help students develop critical thinking skills.
Week 6
- Assess ways to research and use school and community resources for social studies instruction.
- Analyze the technological resources and tools that enhance learning in social studies instruction.
- Investigate methods for evaluating the quality of media resources for use in social studies instruction.
