I'm a student
I'm an educator
Request full copy

50 Social Studies Strategies for K-8 Classrooms, 4th edition

Published by Pearson (February 24, 2014) © 2015

  • Kathryn M. Obenchain
  • Ronald V. Morris

eTextbook

per month

  • Anytime, anywhere learning with the Pearson+ app
  • Easy-to-use search, navigation and notebook
  • Simpler studying with flashcards
$53.32

  • Hardcover, paperback or looseleaf edition
  • Affordable rental option for select titles
  • Free shipping on looseleafs and traditional textbooks
  • NEW! Updating and improvements in the strategies make them more effective and easier to use than ever. See the New to This Edition section for specific improvements.
  • Each strategy is organized for flexibility and ease of use:
    • Two indicators highlight the grade level targets of the strategy and the link to appropriate National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) national curriculum standards.
    • An Introduction describes the strategy and provides a rationale as to why it is beneficial.
    • The Procedural Recommendations section shows teachers how to prepare for, facilitate, and direct the strategy, and gives readers a guide for using the strategy in their own classrooms.
    • An Applications and Ideas section includes a classroom example and implementation ideas.
    • The Fourth Edition also includes a Differentiation section, with an example to make the strategy less complex and an example to make the strategy more complex.
    • The Assessment section provides either an assessment tool or assessment discussion to model how assessment tasks vary with varied learning goals and strategies.
      • The assessments and rubrics were inspired and modified from the NCSS Powerful and Authentic Social Studies program (PASS).
      • NEW! Assessment now has a rubric for each strategy tied to NCSS or Common Core Strategies.
    • References and Resources for each strategy list any combination of scholarly support, additional readings and information, or helpful organizations. Teachers see how others have successfully used similar strategies in their own classrooms.
    • The strategies are designed to help teachers plan effective social studies lessons using multiple types of student groups, as well as the diversity of learners in our classrooms.
  • NEW! Updating and improvements in the strategies make them more effective and easier to use than ever:
    • NEW! Five completely new strategies have been added: Graphic Novels, Informal Learning, Maps and Globes using GoogleEarth, Virtual Field Trips, and Wikis.
    • NEW! All existing strategies have been revised and updated.
    • NEW! Major revisions have been made to: Cemetery Studies, Folk Culture, Games, Historical Source Work, Learning Centers, Media Literacy, Music History, Timelines, Video Production, and WebQuest.
    • NEW! Each strategy has an assessment rubric utilizing either the ELS Common Core Standards or the National Council of the Social Studies Curriculum Standards–ideal for cross referencing by students and teachers who use the standards in their planning and assessment.
    • NEW! Each strategy now includes a section for differentiation with specific examples to allow users to modify strategies for both struggling earners and high achieving learners.
    • NEW! Literacy skills are articulated throughout each strategy and built into each assessment, promoting social studies and literacy integration in order to promote thematic instruction.
    • NEW! 21st Century skills articulation is noted within each strategy, along with grade level and NCSS articulation for fast and easy identification of key elements facilitating teacher decision making.
  • NEW! National Council for the Social Studies “Powerful and Authentic Social Studies” (PASS) criteria are a guiding feature of each assessment task, aligning assessment to best practices in social studies.
  • NEW! Technology updates throughout the text, and highlighted with a “Tech” icon, are in line with the increasing skills of both K-8 learners and their teachers.
  • NEW! A new organization includes an introductory “top 10” overarching strategies followed by 40 specific social studies strategies to promote good teaching and learning across social studies.

Brief Contents

  • Introduction

PART I: Overarching Social Studies Instructional Strategies

  1. Community Building
  2. Creating Classroom Rules
  3. Developing Multiple Perspectives
  4. Concepts: Development and Attainment
  5. Questioning
  6. Media Literacy
  7. Discovery Learning
  8. Inquiry Learning
  9. Graphic Organizers
  10. Historical Source Work

PART II: Specific Social Studies Instructional Strategies to Advance Content Knowledge and Skills Development

  1. Archaeological Digs
  2. Architecture and Landscape Design Significance
  3. Case Studies
  4. Cemetery Studies
  5. Community Maps
  6. Custom Boxes
  7. Decision Trees and Decision Grids
  8. Discerning Qualifications
  9. Field Trips of Distinction
  10. Folk Culture
  11. Games
  12. Genealogies
  13. Graphic Novels
  14. Guest Speakers
  15. Historical Characters
  16. Historical Reenactments
  17. Home Living Centers
  18. Informal Learning
  19. Learning Centers
  20. Literature Book Clubs
  21. Maps and Globes using GoogleEarth
  22. Mini-Society
  23. Mock Trials
  24. Model Factory
  25. Museum Exhibits
  26. Music History
  27. Newspaper Making
  28. Oral Histories
  29. Pen Pals
  30. Readers’ Theater
  31. Role-Playing
  32. Sand Table maps
  33. Service-Learning
  34. Timelines
  35. Trash Trail
  36. Traveling Ambassador
  37. Video Production
  38. Virtual Field Trips
  39. WebQuest
  40. Wikis

Kathryn M. Obenchain is an Assistant Professor of Social Studies Education at Purdue University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses. She was previously a faculty member at University of Nevada, Reno and The University of Texas at Austin, and is a former classroom social studies teacher. Dr. Obenchain earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction and M.S. in Social Studies Education at Purdue University, as well as a B.A. in History from Hanover College. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on social studies and citizenship education, as well as social studies teacher education.

Ronald V. Morris is a Professor in the Department of History at Ball State University where he teaches graduate and undergraduate students. He earned a Ph.D. from Purdue University in Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction, a Master of Science from Purdue University in Educational Psychology and Gifted Education, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Indianapolis in Elementary and Middle School Education. He taught fourth grade social studies for eight years. He is the author of Bringing History to Life: First Person Presentations in Elementary and Middle School Social Studies, Drama in Elementary and Middle School Social Studies, and The Field Trip Book: Study Travel Experience in Social Studies. He has produced seven DVDs for elementary social studies classroom use and won one Emmy. He has co-produced a computer game to teach Civil War content to elementary students. In 1991, he won the National Council for the Social Studies Christa McAuliffe Award, and in 2010 he earned the American Association of State and Local History Award of Merit for a lifetime of service to public history. He is presently restoring a 1830s row house when he is not hiking on the Appalachian Trail.

Need help? Get in touch

Pearson+

All in one place. Pearson+ offers instant access to eTextbooks, videos and study tools in one intuitive interface. Students choose how they learn best with enhanced search, audio and flashcards. The Pearson+ app lets them read where life takes them, no wi-fi needed. Students can access Pearson+ through a subscription or their MyLab or Mastering course.

Video
Play
Privacy and cookies
By watching, you agree Pearson can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable by deleting your cookies.

Video transcript (PDF | 16KB) 

Pearson eTextbook: What’s on the inside just might surprise you

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s the same with your students. Meet each one right where they are with an engaging, interactive, personalized learning experience that goes beyond the textbook to fit any schedule, any budget, and any lifestyle. 

Digital Learning NOW

Extend your professional development and meet your students where they are with free weekly Digital Learning NOW webinars. Attend live, watch on-demand, or listen at your leisure to expand your teaching strategies. Earn digital professional development badges for attending a live session.

Explore webinars