INTRODUCTION
After considering the social studies content that must be taught in an entire school year, teachers create multiweek learning segments that focus on various social studies topics, such as westward expansion in the U.S., ancient Egypt, maritime explorers, etc. Within each learning segment, teachers then create individual lesson plans.
In this task, you will create an elementary social studies learning segment for a K–6 elementary grade with a single central focus. You will first create a learning segment outline that incorporates social studies themes. You may wish to use online resources to explore social studies or history topics that align with your state’s standards. Next, you will plan a field trip related to the central focus of your social studies learning segment and elaborate on how the trip engages students in learning. You will then develop an inquiry-based, integrative lesson and discuss how you will differentiate instruction for defined student groups. You will also describe a method of evaluating student learning to inform instructional decisions.
As part of this task, you will select a different social studies theme from the following list for each week. One of your weekly themes must be culture:
• culture (required)
• time, continuity, and change
• people, places, and environment
• individual development and identity
• individuals, groups, and institutions
• power, governance, and authority
• production, distribution, and consumption
• science, technology, and society
• global connections
• civic ideals and practices
Note: You will use the attached “Social Studies Learning Segment Template” to complete this task.
REQUIREMENTS.
Note: The standard description should contain the full text and alphanumeric indicator code from your chosen education source. For example:
New York Social Studies Standard, grade 4: 4.6e Entrepreneurs and inventors associated with New York State have made important contributions to business and technology
Utah Social Studies Standard, grade 1: Standard 1 (Culture): Students will recognize and describe how schools and neighborhoods are both similar and different. 1 Recognize and describe examples of differences within school and neighborhood. a. Recognize differences within their school and neighborhood.
Note: It is acceptable to repeat one or more standards.
3. Select five social studies themes from the following list, one for each of the five weeks of your learning segment outline, using a different theme for each week. Oneweek must use the theme of culture:
• culture (required)
• time, continuity, and change
• people, places, and environment
• individual development and identity
• individuals, groups, and institutions
• power, governance, and authority
• production, distribution, and consumption
• science, technology, and society
• global connections
• civic ideals and practices
4. Describe one lesson idea to be the focus for each of the five weeks in your learning segment outline, and include how the lesson idea aligns with the central focus, the standard, and the theme for that week.
B. Plan a field trip for your social studies learning segment by doing the following:
1. Identify a field trip that relates to social studies and aligns with the elementary grade level specified in part A1.
2. Identify a state or local social studies standard for your specified elementary grade level and explain how the field trip aligns with the standard. The full standard description from your state or local education source, including the alphanumeric indicator, is required.
Note: The social studies standard for part B2 does not need to be the same as the social studies standard identified in part A.
3. Explain how the field trip aligns with the learning segment’s central focus identified in part A1.
4. Describe a learning experience that relates to the field trip and engages students in each of the following methods of engagement:
• researching
• analyzing
• evaluating
C. Develop an inquiry-based, integrative lesson focusing on the social studies central focus identified in part A1 by doing the following:
1. Identify one standard in social studies andone standard in an additional K–6 elementary content area on which your lesson will be based. The full standard description from your state or local education source, including the alphanumeric indicator, is required.
Note: The social studies standard for part C1 does not need to be the same as the social studies standard identified in parts A or B.
a. Provide one measurable learning objective, including a condition, a behavior, and a criterion, that aligns with both standards identified in part C1.
2. Describe a lesson that incorporates bothstandards identified in part C1 in an interdisciplinary learning experience that effectively utilizes the concepts and methods of social studies inquiry (e.g., problem-solving, analysis).
a. Explain how students would use concepts or skills from the additional elementary content area standard identified in part C1 to investigate the social studies focus of the lesson.
3. Explain how you would differentiate instruction for each of the following students, including how the differentiation would effectively meet the student’s needs:
a. a gifted and talented student
b. a student with an identified special education exceptionality
c. an English learner (EL) student
D. Explain how assessment will inform instructional decision-making by doing the following:
1. Describe one formative or summative assessment that would be used to evaluate student learning during your learning segment.
2. Explain how student outcomes (i.e., data) from the assessment described in part D1 would be used to make informed instructional decisions.
E. Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.
F. Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.
