Home

Chapter 8

Helping All Students Experience Meaningful Social Studies

Helping All Students Experience Meaningful Social Studies

This activity contains 12 questions.

	More than one-third of our students are from diverse cultural backgrounds. Which of the following is not a reason for teaching social studies to all students?   Social studies activities broaden and enrich personal experiences. Special needs learners benefit from guided or selected activities that are based on reality and have predictable outcomes. Social studies activities involve learning about cause-and-effect relationships. All students should be competent in civic matters. Social studies is the easiest subject to teach. Americans from all cultures need social studies to solve everyday problems.

	What areas should teachers consider when helping students comprehend social studies resources?   Writing style of the resource Vocabulary level Content in terms of conceptual complexity Special features such as illustrations and graphics Organization of materials All of the above

	Mr. Byars is writing a plan for a social studies lesson. He has three ELL students, two below level readers, and one gifted student in his classroom. He always writes the same accommodation for every social studies lesson, "The students will work with a peer buddy." What is wrong with Mr. Byars' plan?   Nothing is wrong; this is an accommodation that can be used for every situation. ELL students, gifted students, and students at lower reading levels may have different and very specific needs during the lesson. It does not describe the specific actions that need to be taken for each student or each part of the lesson. The teacher should not always rely on peer tutors; there are additional accommodations which teachers can plan and facilitate. This is not an adequate accommodation; there should be more. All of the above

	Which is not a question that teachers should ask themselves when planning a specific lesson or unit?   What components of the task require accommodation? Why do I have to teach an inclusive classroom? What does the task/assignment/activity require? What accommodation options exist? What physical, sensory, and cognitive skills are needed?

	Which is not an example of a common text structure found in social studies textbooks and materials?   Time, order Cause-effect Sequence Compare-contrast Fact memorization guidelines Main idea

	Which variable, more than any other, distinguishes the learning behavior of students with disabilities?   Context Time Supplemental materials Classroom environment

	Ms. O'Neal is a third grade teacher. Her normal mode of teaching is traditional. During her 45 minute social studies class each day, she assigns a chapter or part of a chapter for homework reading. The next day she presents a lecture on this section. If there is extra class time left, she asks students to write answers to the questions at the end of each chapter. When this work is completed, she reviews the questions and answers with students, and they are given a chapter test. Ms. O'Neal has one mildly retarded student and two emotionally conflicted students in her classroom. She feels that she is covering the information to a great extent, but most students are not doing well on tests and are misbehaving. How could Ms. O'Neal better meet her students' needs?   She could stop concerning herself with whether they pass or fail the tests because they just are not trying. She could consider that many students, especially those who are mentally retarded or emotionally conflicted need active, not passive, activities to hold their attention. She could get a new textbook. She could send some of them to the principal when they misbehave in class. She could have them answer the questions in the book at home, so their parents could see what she has to deal with each day.

	In what ways is a multicultural social studies program different from a traditional social studies program?   It meets the standards set forth concerning the diversity issue. Students are able to do the Mexican Hat Dance. It has both content and a context. First graders can have fun studying Christmas Around the World.

	Mr. Francis is planning a social studies unit for his fourth grade students. One social studies standard states that, "Students will gain knowledge of how certain people have contributed to the education and society of the state." He decides that he will focus the first lesson on Helen Keller; her contributions to education and society. The main idea will be that disabled people have rights, our society passed laws, and each is free to obtain an equal education because of the contributions of Helen Keller and others. At the end of the development phase of this lesson, he plans for students to compare and contrast education and society for disabled children before Helen Keller was educated and education and society for disabled children today. The next day he plans to follow up this lesson with examples of contributions by little known people. He also intends for his students to interview their parents and grandparents to learn their perspectives on who has impacted education and society in the state. What is Mr. Francis doing right?   He studied the standard and tried to focus on the "big idea." He plans his activities to involve students. He is connecting to real life experiences. He plans follow-up lessons that give students more experience with the concept. All of the above

	Mrs. Armstrong's knew that something was wrong in her second grade class. As the months progressed, she realized that the girls were growing quieter and more reserved. She asked one of her team members, Mrs. McIntyre to come to her classroom and observe her class one morning. Mrs. McIntyre's job was to tally how often Mrs. Armstrong called on each student to answer questions. Afterwards, Mrs. Armstrong learned that she called on the boys twice as often as the girls to answer questions. She also found that she called on one particular boy, Max, more often than anyone, and that Julie was never called to participate. What should she do?   She should not call on Max anymore. She should pay attention to how she responds to both passive and active behaviors from boys and girls. She should pay attention to whether and how her expectations for boys and girls differ. She should continue to leave Julie alone because she is shy. Answers 2 and 3 Answers 1 and 4

	Which is not an instructional strategy for helping ELL students understand socials studies content?   Use a community resource person to help you send a letter home to family members in their native language on class expectations and policies, major topics, projects, and the like. Check continuously for comprehension by asking for simple one-word responses, asking yes-or-no questions, and making true-or-false statements. Send home updates, weekly assignments, or class news in the ELL students' languages, if possible, through help from a community resource person. Do not expect too much. Invite ELL students to make a presentation about their culture to the class. Label items in the classrooms in the languages of your ELL students

	Which is not an alternative assessment which would be helpful to improve educational options for ELL students?   Group assessments though cooperative learning Projects Textbook chapter tests Portfolios Oral interviews Graphic organizers

Copyright © 1995 - 2010 Pearson Education . All rights reserved. Pearson Allyn & Bacon is an imprint of Pearson . Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Permissions