Elementary Social Studies: A Practical Guide, 8th edition

• Helps Prepare Tomorrow’s Teachers for Diverse Classrooms. The expanded diversity chapter addresses not only the “boy crisis” and overweight children, but reflects new realities in the elementary classroom of today.
• Sample Lesson Plans. The sample lesson plans showcased cover a plethora of key areas, including that of topics in global education, geography, and economics, with more emphasis on formative assessment, and give teachers ideas to adapt for use in their own classrooms.
• Small Group and Individual Activities. Interwoven into the text, these activities show how to apply the methods and strategies to actual classroom experiences.
• Vignettes and Sample Classroom Episodes. Invite pre-service teachers to explore social studies issues in practice.
• Teach to the National (NCSS) and State Standards. This critical information, key to teaching in today’s classrooms, is featured in several chapters (Chapters 5, 6, & 7), providing new educators with the necessary background to teach Social Studies in today’s standards-based environment.
• Current Material on Diversity, Technology, Global Education, Standards, and Assessment. Provide readers with the cutting edge information they need to be effective teachers in today’s classrooms.

This edition has been thoroughly updated to include new content on technology (podcasts, blogs, e-books), a focus on teaching English Learners, and meeting the needs of diverse students. The text also features full chapters in history, civic education, geography, and economics with multiple activities to show how these subjects can be taught in a creative and engaging way to help all students to think and act as democratic citizens. True for this text and previous editions, Elementary Social Studies: A Practical Guide, Eighth Edition is the most up-to-date on the market.

• NEW Inclusion of Key Topics that are Changing the Face of Social Studies Education. The ninth edition covers the Common Core State Standards, 21 Century Skills, the status of No Child Left Behind Legislation, the 2010 revision of NCSS Curriculum Standards, the revision of 2010 Economic Standards, the NAEP 2010 results in history and civics, value-added assessment, technology, and more. Found throughout the text, and especially in Chapters 1, 4, 5, 6, and 8.
• NEW More Depth of Coverage on Teaching All Students. This edition covers teaching social studies to English Learners, struggling readers, and students with disabilities. New material includes teaching reading with special emphasis on reading comprehension, attention to listening, writing, and thinking skills. Differential instruction and cultural responsive differentiated instruction are also included. Featured in Chapters 3, 9, and 10.
• NEW Provides Numerous Learning Opportunities for Reflection with Small Group Work, and Individual Thinking Exercises. Featured in all chapters.
• NEW Integrated Technology. New technology coverage such as podcasts, e-books, and blogs, is featured throughout the whole text, and annotated web sites are located at the end of each chapter. Featured in every chapter.
• NEW More on the Integration of Literature Into the Social Studies Curriculum. In each of the four subject-area chapters (history, civic education, geography, and economics) a new section has been added at the end of the chapter reviewing new trade books in those areas. Found in Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8.
• NEW Value-Added Assessment Prominently Featured in the Assessment Chapters. This new content, an area where most students do not have a separate course, highlights value-added assessment including controversial testing of teachers on the basis of students’ scores as well as more on formative evaluation and student self-evaluation. In Chapter 4.
• NEW The Eighth Edition Integrates and Organizes Chapters on Planning, Instructional Methods, and Strategies with Evaluation. Found in Chapters 2, 3, and 4, which flow into each other.
• NEW Features Updated and Current Material in the Chapter on Civic Education. Chapter Six in this edition now includes new material on cyber bullying and digital citizenship, Justice Sandra O’Connor iCivics, Global Service Learning, Human Rights, and fostering global awareness.
• NEW Chapter on Teaching Economics Updated with Current Relevance. The ninth edition now covers the impact of banking/mortgage recession of 2008 on children’s lives, personal finance, and how to teach and assess students’ understanding of cash, checks, and credit cards.