Benefits and Methods of Integrating Social Studies into Early Childhood Education
Mentor Information
Ilene Berson (College of Education)
Description
Integrating social studies instruction is beneficial for students for a number of reasons, but predominantly due to the fact that it gives students the knowledge needed to be informed citizens in the classroom community as well as their broader community. This teacher inquiry project further focuses on how social studies can be incorporated into the classroom, with a specific focus on its integration within Language Arts. The question guiding this inquiry is: How can I ensure that social studies is not lost in instruction? Data collection included anecdotal notes, audio recordings, and student work samples. Each of these methods allowed us to notate short, brief comments as well as more descriptive and in depth data from the integration process. The data were coded to identify trends. Our findings identify strategies to integrate social studies into language arts instruction, note the benefits for students when they are introduced to social studies concepts and skill development, and highlight students’ reactions when engaged in learning experiences that integrate social studies into instruction. Research about the methods of integrating social studies into a public-school curriculum where it is often omitted is advantageous because it introduces students to background knowledge that is essential in order to succeed in other academic disciplines.
Benefits and Methods of Integrating Social Studies into Early Childhood Education
Integrating social studies instruction is beneficial for students for a number of reasons, but predominantly due to the fact that it gives students the knowledge needed to be informed citizens in the classroom community as well as their broader community. This teacher inquiry project further focuses on how social studies can be incorporated into the classroom, with a specific focus on its integration within Language Arts. The question guiding this inquiry is: How can I ensure that social studies is not lost in instruction? Data collection included anecdotal notes, audio recordings, and student work samples. Each of these methods allowed us to notate short, brief comments as well as more descriptive and in depth data from the integration process. The data were coded to identify trends. Our findings identify strategies to integrate social studies into language arts instruction, note the benefits for students when they are introduced to social studies concepts and skill development, and highlight students’ reactions when engaged in learning experiences that integrate social studies into instruction. Research about the methods of integrating social studies into a public-school curriculum where it is often omitted is advantageous because it introduces students to background knowledge that is essential in order to succeed in other academic disciplines.
