Hello,

Welcome to the blog of a teacher-in-training. This is the first blog post, and I am excited to enjoy this journey with all of you sweet readers. :)

There are several things that we are learning right now in our course as we dive into social studies methods. We are diving into KUD (Know, Understand, Do), unpacking standards, and what it means to be purposeful in our classrooms. This course is going to be so much more than social studies content, and I am very thankful to be learning new ways to become a better instructor.

https://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200509/MindesBTJ905.pdf

The article above gives a background on social studies, why it is important to students, and how it came about. It speaks highly on integration as well as making the learning important to students.

"Using the underlying concepts from social science, teachers can draw content broadly from the 10 themes and use inquiry-based processes to foster curiosity, problem-solving skills, and appreciation of investigation. Social studies curricula can support children as they solve classroom and school issues as well as investigate neighborhood and community problems with the goal of enhancing understanding and civic awareness and pride. Thus, broadly defined, the social studies include the following disparate but intertwined content (Mindes)."

In the NCPTS, under standard three, the teacher is responsible for making learning relevant to students. This includes incorporating essential skills such as a personal responsibility to the community, leadership within the community, and adaptability to name a few. While learning about and from history is essential, it is more beneficial to students when they understand why the history they are learning can be applied to their culture and lives in this day in age.

I can use this information to better my future classroom by understanding the shift in social studies that has been made recently. By understanding that social studies is no longer just about memorizing facts, I can help my students become more productive, knowledgeable, and helpful citizens of their society. The learning that the students do in my classroom will, hopefully, have an overflow effect into their community.