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Test Bank for Social Studies For The Elementary And Middle Grades: A Constructivist Approach, 4th Edition

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    Test Bank for Social Studies for the Elementary and Middle Grades A Constructivist Approach Fourth Edition Cynthia Syzmanski Sunal University of Alabama Mary Elizabeth Haas West Viriginia University

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    Contents Preface Chapter 1: What Is Powerful and Meaningful Social Studies? 1 Chapter 2: How Do Students Engage in Powerful and Meaningful Social Studies? 14 Chapter 3: How Are Social Studies Inquiry Skills Learned? 23 Chapter 4: How A re Social St udies Concepts and Generalizations Developed? 31 Chapter 5: How Do Students Develop Citizenship in Dem ocratic and Global Societies? 46 Chapter 6:What Is Social Studies’ Contribution to Global Education? 57 Chapter 7: How Do Teachers Use and Manage Soci al Studies Instructional Strategies Effectively? 65 Chapter 8: How Are Powerful and Meaningful Social Studies Units Constructed? 72 Chapter 9: How Do Teachers Foster Students’ Development as Individuals and Community Members? 80 Chapter 10: How Can I I nvolve All Students in Meaningful Social Studies? 92 Chapter 11: How Do I Engage Students in Examining History? 98 Chapter 12: How Do I Engage Students in Interpreting the Earth and Its People Through Geography? 106 Chapter 13: How Do I Engage Studen ts in Making Economic Decisions? 115 Chapter 14: How Do I Teach Student to Learn Through Multiple Assessments and Evaluation? 121

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    1 Chapter 1: What Is Powerful and Meaningful Social Studies? Objecti ves 1. Describe the characteristics of powerful social studies. 2. Explain the model for meaningful social studies instruction. 3. Describe participatory citizenship in a democracy. 4. Define social studies as an integrated school subject with the goa l of promoting civic competency. 5. Describe a structure for a social studies lesson and unit instruction that gives students greater control of their learning and thinking along the continuum from greater students control to greater teacher control. 6. Describe how the structure for social studies instruction demonstrates the use of best practices by teachers who have social studies pedagogical content knowledge. 7. Evaluate a social studies lesson plan by identifying the degree to which it applies soci al studies pedagogical content knowledge. Chapter 1 sets the stage for the studying social studies issues and strategies by considering questions such as: • What is social studies? • What are the sources of social studies content? • What are cha racteristics of social studies teaching? Many students have no memory of studying social studies in the elementary grades and very often what memories are present are not favorable. This is one of the times when connecting to personal memory may not b e a motivator for future learning. Therefore, this chapter presents several classroom scenarios and a primary unit, “Making Good Rules,” to illustrate powerful social studies teaching with elementary and middle school students. It is important to have stud ents share and discuss their reflections, predictions, and responses to these examples. Help your students establish the habit of doing the interactive exercises as they read the text by integrating their discussion into your classroom instruction. The cha pter also includes a short history of the development of social studies, its present definition, and several of the more popular curriculum sequences used in various states of the United States of America. This manual includes two reproducible charts that can help focus attention on the characteristics of powerful social studies and The NCSS Standards. On the website for Chapter 1 are expansion/application activities with detailed instructions. These can be used for individual, class, or small - group assignm ents. Class Activities 1. Review several questions from the Time for Reflection: What Do You Think? portions of the textbook and/or from the Activity to Do in Class.

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    IMTB for Social Studies for the Elementary and Middle Grades 4e 2 2. You may wish to use the chart with the statement of the characteristics of powerf ul social studies as a focus for a class discussion or your lecture. Social Studies Teaching and Learning Are Powerful on page 9 of the instructor’s manual. 3. You may also want students to consider how a single social studies topic can help to answer que stions related to each of the social studies standards/themes. The exercise on instructor’s manual page 11 provides ideas for doing this. After students or groups complete this sheet, you might ask the class to share their questions. 4. Have students thin k about the Incorporating the ten themes of the NCSS standards into a social studies unit and the social studies curriculum K – 8. In groups have the students complete the exercise in Incorporating the Ten Themes on page 10 of the instructor’s manual. Discus s their experiences and some of their questions. Then have each group return to their questions and assign what they believe to be an appropriate grade level for teaching about each of the questions. As a class, discuss what criteria they might use for sel ecting the appropriate grade levels. Link this to the idea of the spiral curriculum and the need to return to a topic for greater study at another time. 5. Have pairs of students examine your state’s social studies goals and compare them with the nationa l standards for one grade level. Use the questions on page 12 of the instructor’s manual as a guide. Test Questions Multiple - Choice Questions 1. Researchers report that students want social studies instruction to use: A. more reading. B. mo re group projects. C. fewer simulations. D. less discussion. ANSWER: B 2. The content of a powerful social studies lesson is: A. based in history or the social sciences. B. challenging, integrative, and value - based. C. obtained from local resources. D. a set of major concepts everyone in a democracy needs to know. ANSWER: B

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    Chapter 1: What is Powerful and Meaningful Social Studies? 3 3. Social studies has been called “the great connection” by Goodman and Alder (1985) because they see social studies functioning as: A. the major subject in the curriculum to which all other subjects are a subsidiary. B. providing a foundation that is required before studying and learning other subjects. C. the core to which all parts of the elementary and middle school curriculum can b e tied. D. a pathway that moves between separate disciplines. ANSWER: C 4. Which of the following is a “tool” that assists in an investigation of a social studies question? A. reading B. mathematics C. language D. all of the abo ve E. none of the above ANSWER: D 5. Among the implications for helping students to construct their own knowledge is: A. students’ collection of evidence through interacting with people, objectives, and educational materials. B. the need for students to memorize lots of facts about the topic under study. C. discussion of the pictures and diagrams in the textbook. D. a match between the reading level of the textbook and the students. ANSWER: A 6. The National Council for the Socia l Studies has defined powerful social studies as: A. rooted in the factual knowledge of our nation’s history. B. meaningful, integrative, value based, challenging, and active. C. designed to create citizens who support the decisions of their governm ent. D. factual, chronological, and focused on the roles of government leaders. ANSWER: B 7. Citizenship is a basic concept in social studies. Citizenship is viewed as: A. voting regularly and showing support for the political party of your cho ice. B. attending political debates and contributing money to political organizations. C. actively participating in the community and in local and national decision making. D. making one’s community decisions by finding an authority with whom you agr ee and supporting the statements proposed by that authority figure. ANSWER: C

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    IMTB for Social Studies for the Elementary and Middle Grades 4e 4 8. Social studies is: A. an interdisciplinary approach to learning. B. a subject that connects with language arts but not with science or mathematics. C. the study of geography and history. D. a discipline focused on current problems. ANSWER: A 9. The role elementary and middle school social studies plays in our lives: A. is one of helping youths to memorize important events in the history of our country and the world. B. is to help students become familiar with a large set of readings that will be useful to them later in life. C. is to help students learn to make the same sorts of judgments their family and community members made when faced with an i ssue. D. is to help youths understand how and why people act as they do and whether particular behaviors are worthy of adopting. ANSWER: D 10. National standards in social studies were described in 1994 under a set of ten themes that: A. are add ressed each year from kindergarten through twelfth grade. B. focus on the basic theme of culture and adding a new theme each year as students progress through the grade levels. C. are very specific sets of important individuals and events that students must study to be knowledgeable citizens. D. are mostly appropriate when taught in the middle school and not very appropriate for the elementary the grades. ANSWER: A 11. Perhaps the most used curriculum pattern in social studies in the last 50 year s has been: A. a focus on inquiry into history and the social sciences. B. the expanding environments approach. C. a focus on civic values and participation. D. a focus on character education. ANSWER: B

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    Chapter 1: What is Powerful and Meaningful Social Studies? 5 12. Reports on the kinds of instructi onal strategies students want to see used in social studies have indicated that students prefer: A. reading with an opportunity to individually answer questions about that reading. B. frequent research assignments where they can write papers about fa mous people such as Martin Luther King, Jr. or Jane Adams. C. contests where individual students compete against each other such as a geography bee and a “Who Is This Famous Person?” game. D. group projects and discussions. ANSWER: D 13. Which act ivity described below gives students the greatest control of a lesson? A. Students answer questions the author of the textbook thinks are important to know about England. B. Students decide which colors and symbols to use when making a map of their st ate. C. Students make a map of their neighborhood showing the places they think are most important to include on the map. D. Students look at a group of pictures of England and tell their teacher ten things they observed. ANSWER: C 14. Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is: A. increased through continuous efforts to learn social studies content. B. increased through learning how students learn and respond to social studies content. C. increased through advanced study. D. increased through mem bership in professional organizations. E. that all of the above increase PCK. ANSWER: E 15. PCK is a product of: A. knowledge of social studies content. B. classroom management techniques. C. knowledge of what and how students understand social studies. D. all of the above. E. none of the above. ANSWER: D

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    IMTB for Social Studies for the Elementary and Middle Grades 4e 6 16. Which of the following are most likely NOT used by teachers to assist them in establishing their year’s instructional units? A. A favorite topic they know a lot about B. Impor tant celebrations or events that happen in the state or nation C. The scores on student achievement test from last year’s class D. Suggestions from students on what they would like to study ANSWER: D 17. Which of the following social studies a reas does NCLB legislation identify as social studies knowledge important to teach? A. Eeconomics, careers, history, and global studies B. History, government, geography, and economics C. Government, civics, history, and geography D. Civics, govern ment, personal development, and history ANSWER: C 18. Which of the following is NOT a way in which technology can change the social studies class? A. Students expand control over their own learning. B. Students become highly involved in separati ng opinion from knowledge. C. Students see teachers as having great knowledge about topics being studied. D. Teachers aid students in becoming seekers of information. ANSWER: C 19. Which is NOT a sound procedure for teaching social studies? A. Ass ess students’ performance throughout the lesson. B. Present students with a problem and then teach about the knowledge and skills related to the problem. C. Teach students an interesting social studies fact about the United States every day. D. As the year progresses, withdraw your help in learning and encourage students to independently approach their social studies learning. ANSWER: C True and False Questions 20. Teachers must carefully plan and assess lessons in order to provide the experiences that result in meaningful learning. ANSWER: TRUE

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    Chapter 1: What is Powerful and Meaningful Social Studies? 7 21. Meaningful social studies learning require a cooperative and supportive classroom climate rather than a restrictive atmosphere based on a fear of failure. ANSWER: TRUE 22. Content from the h umanities, the arts, and biological and physical sciences contribute to the knowledge base of social studies. ANSWER: TRUE 23. As students gather more information through their life experiences, they construct and redefine the patterns they see in the social world. ANSWER: TRUE 24. Students prefer teaching strategies where they listen and review what they have heard in written exercises and tests. ANSWER: FALSE 25. Social studies questions arise from a child’s natural exploration of t he world that begins at birth. ANSWER: TRUE 26. Social studies is a personal construction of the meaning of information interpreted through the student’s prior knowledge of the social world. ANSWER: TRUE 27. It is through encountering prob lems that are not easily answered from existing knowledge that students come to understand new ideas. ANSWER: TRUE 28. Students’ conclusions about the world are interpretations based upon their values and those of their families and the communities in which they live. ANSWER: TRUE 29. Being active, participatory citizens requires students to ask questions, determine answers based upon information, and act to bring about changes in their everyday world. ANSWER: TRUE

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    IMTB for Social Studies for the Elementary and Middle Grades 4e 8 30. The problems of t he real world in which citizens live and work require thinking about information in separate categories or subjects just as the school curriculum does. ANSWER: FALSE 31. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the abi lity to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world. ANSWER: TRUE 32. The NCSS Standards clearly state that social studies is not rooted in a single dis cipline, but is multidisciplinary in its content. ANSWER: TRUE 33. A major goal of social studies instruction is to prepare students for success in history and the social sciences when they go to college. ANSWER: FALSE Essay Questions 34. Write a social studies question to serve as a lesson or unit title. Give an example of how reading, mathematics, and language can each be used to help students investigate your social studies question. 35. Explain why the expanding environments approach to a curriculum for social studies is less appropriate in today’s world than it might have been when it was developed before WWII. 36. Review the ten themes of the social studies standards. Identify one theme that, in your view, was not commonly taught at the elementary and middle school levels 20 years ago. Give your rationale for this view and explain why this theme should be taught in today’s curriculum. 37. Select and identify one of the unit titles below. Indicate the grade for which you would rec ommend this unit. Then, describe how the study of this topic can incorporate several social studies themes and standards. Describe the social studies content you anticipate students will be studying in this unit and identify the academic disciplines that w ould be studied in this unit. 1. Our State: Its Past and Future 2. How Transportation Makes the World Both Better and Worse 3. Where Do We Get the Food We Eat? 4. How Do People Show They Are Thankful? 5. Why Is There a President’s Day?

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    Chapter 1: What is Powerful and Meaningful Social Studies? 9 38. Cit izenship implies being active in your community in multiple ways based on your skills, interests, and time. Identify five ways people are active members of their community or nation and explain how, in an elementary or middle school classroom, the teacher and fellow faculty members might help students to develop an attitude that respects these behaviors and encourages students to learn and practice skills necessary to be active in each of the five ways you have identified.

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    IMTB for Social Studies for the Elementary and Middle Grades 4e 10

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    Chapter 1: What is Powerful and Meaningful Social Studies? 11 Practicing the Incorporation of the 10 NCSS Standards into Social Studies Units Group members: ____________________________________________________ In your group select one of the following ten topics below for a unit of study and generate ideas for addressing each of the ten NCSS st andards with the topic. Write the names of the standards under the left heading and a question that relates to your topic and the standard under the heading on the right. 1. Civil War 6. Westward Movement 2. Your State 7. Colonial America 3. Canada, Our Northern Neighbor 8. Famous Explorers 4. Life in Ancient Egypt 9. Careers: Past, Present, and Future 5. Transportation and Growth of the United States 10. Safety Topic selected _ ________________________________________________

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    IMTB for Social Studies for the Elementary and Middle Grades 4e 12 You have been given a single NCSS Standard to consider more in depth and discuss with classmates. After reading the explanation of the social studies curriculum and definition in Chapter 1, read the ex panded explanation at the website of NCSS ( http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands/) , scroll down the page to find your standard. Share your ideas and some specific examples of what you think are included when studying your assigned standards’ them e. Explain why this theme is important for students in a democracy that is a leading nation in the world. Then look at your state’s standards/objectives and see if and where this theme is addressed. If you do not see it in the general listing, you might look in the listing of objectives for the grade. If you do not find the theme present at your grade level, you need to report that fact to your group AND you need to try to offer a reason why that is the case. You also need to think of some way that you mi ght introduce that standard at your assigned grade level. The group should discuss at what point in the school year you might be most appropriate to address and teach this theme. Sometimes a curriculum becomes outdated because of events that happen in the world change the needs or special celebrations of an event come along in a year that need to be added for just that year. (For example, some teachers might have wanted to teach about Abraham Lincoln because 2009 is the two - hundreth anniversary of his birth or in 2005 many teachers added a study on Brown vs. the Board of Education because of the anniversary of the Supreme Court striking down the earlier “separate but equal ruling,” the death of President Ford and his funeral with all of the comments on his l ife provided an opportunity to examine the presidency and the role of personal character in leadership.) It is NOT necessary to agree with each other nor do you need to heartily believe what others suggest as a possibility is extremely good. What you are trying to do is stimulate possible thoughts and ideas. You might pick up on an idea and modify it in a way that you see as more appropriate.

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    Chapter 1: What is Powerful and Meaningful Social Studies? 13 This exercise is to be done with a partner. Examine the description of Social Studies for the grade appropriate to the detailed listing of individual goals for your selected grade. You will also want to refer to the SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS for your selected grade (page 15 of the text. Write your answers on lined paper. 1. Read through the descriptive paragraph an d the individual goals/objectives. Which of the NCSS standards are represented? 2. Which NCSS standards, if any, are missing? 3. Can you find any of the standards implied in the paragraph or in the individual statements? 4. Look at the verbs used in the individual statements. List them and classify them by Bloom’s taxonomy into knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. 5. Look at the individual goals and list several social studies concepts or values that teachers wi ll need to teach to the students at your grade level if they are to attain the goal/objective. 6. Look at the individual goals and list one or two generalizations children will be expected to make to illustrate they have learned this goal/objective. 7. W hat attitudes or values are specifically to be stressed about citizenship or scholarship for your grade level? 8. Look at the study skills and technology skills. What types of process skills are being stressed? Are there any skills not mentioned that you believe need to be included? 9. Is there something that you think children at this grade level should be learning in social studies not included? Name and give a reason to support its inclusion.

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