Integrating the Social Studies
Since there is not enough time available to teach social studies in traditional ways, curriculum integration is a necessary strategy for teachers to use in order to focus on meaningful connections. By connecting learning activities from several subject areas to a related and meaningful theme, student interest can be enhanced and active involvement is encouraged. Interaction with other students helps students apply critical and creative thinking skills while practicing social and communication skills. Integration of the curriculum can be a powerful strategy to help students learn needed academic and social content and skills in a format that is more logical, cohesive, and learner friendly. Thus, integrated curriculum can result in greater student achievement, in better preparation for the real world, and in improved attitudes toward learning, toward the teacher, and toward classmates. Some strategies for getting started with the integration process can be found in a Scholastic article, How to Teach More in Less Time.
When curriculum integration is used, teachers look for creative ways to meet the required standards while involving students in learning experiences that are relevant to their interest. Integrated curriculum has the potential to “act as a bridge to increased student achievement and engaging, relevant curriculum”. Additional benefits of curriculum integration can be found in an Edutopia article.
Curriculum Integration Example – Moon Over Manifest
Examples of integrated activities for different curriculum areas are found in this example based on the Newbery award winning book Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (Delacorte, 2010).
Camp Funston, Kansas (1918)
Source: The Library of CongressLanguage Arts Integration Using Moon Over Manifest
- Students will identify descriptive language in Moon Over Manifest.
(p. 1) Hearing Gideon tell about it was like sucking on butterscotch. Smooth and sweet.
(p. 46) “________________ are so dry people shrivel up like November leaves and blow all the way to California.”
(p. 101) “It’s not stealing. It’s like the library. You check out a book, look at what’s inside, and take it back.”
(p. 175). “Ballast. Like the sandbags that hang off the basket of a hot-air balloon to keep it weighted and steady.”
(p. 179) “__________ is like an explosion. It makes people take notice of things they might have overlooked.”
(p. 248) “The Lord himself knew the power of __________. How it can reach out and wrap around a person like a warm blanket.” Students will create their own simile for a person or place they are familiar with and create a simile about Abilene Tucker.
- Sister Redempta tells Abilene the word “manifest” is both a verb and a noun. (p. 112 and 237) Students will write three examples of how these meanings are important in the story.
Math Integration Using Moon Over Manifest
- Students will solve word problems about the story.
Students will calculate the share Jinx and Ned each got from their fireworks sales and tell how each spent their share. (They made $50.75 selling fireworks. (p. 128) They each took half and Jinx got the extra 75 cents because he was the idea man. Ned gave his $25 share to the recruiting officer. (p. 131) Jinx bid $25.75 for the 1918 victory quilt.)
Mrs. Cane passed away on July 1, 1918. She was ninety-three. (p. 167) In what year was she born? (She was born in 1825.)
- Students will calculate the increase in population of Kansas places between 1918 and 2008.
Year
Population of Kansas
Population of Kansas City
Population of Wichita
1918
1,700,000
101,177
72,217
2008
2,853,118 (2010)
143,801 (2006 est.)
357,698 (2011)
Increase
% increase
Sources: 1918 populations from http://1918.pandemicflu.gov/your_state
Kansas and Kansas City, KS populations from http://quickfacts.census.gov
Wichita population from http://wichitakansas.org/
- Students will compute the cost of electricity used to light their classroom and compute the amount of coal needed to produce the electricity used for one hour of light in their classroom. ...http://www.teachcoal.org/lessonplans/how_much.html
Social Studies Integration Using Moon Over Manifest
- In groups, students will read about topics related to the story and report to the class.
Immigration http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/immigration/
Mining Communities http://www.kancoll.org/khq/1972/72_2_powell.htm
Orphan Trains http://www.kancoll.org/articles/orphans/index.html
Prohibition http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/prohibition/14523
Spanish Influenza http://1918.pandemicflu.gov/your_state
- Students will use primary source documents and materials to identify problems faced by Americans during the Great Depression and what was done to try to solve these problems. http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/dust-bowl-days
- Students will label locations from the book on a map of the United States.
States
Arkansas
California
Iowa
Kansas
South Carolina
Cities
Abilene, KS
Charleston, SC
Des Moines, IA
Fort Wayne, IN
Frontenac, KS
Joplin, MO
Kalamazoo, MI
Kansas City, KS
New Orleans, LA
Omaha, NE
Pittsburg, KS
Shreveport, LA
Sioux Falls, SD
Springfield, IL
Topeka, KS
Other
Camp Funston, KS (Fort Riley, KS)
Crawford County, KSScience Integration Using Moon Over Manifest
- Students will participate in a “cookie mining” simulation. Students will identify costs of coal mining including environmental reclamation.
http://www.teachcoal.org/lessonplans/cookie_mining.html- Students make observations about the crystallization process while making coal flowers.
http:// www.teachcoal.org/lessonplans/coal_flowers.htmlMusic Integration Using Moon Over Manifest
- Students will sing and play instrumental accompaniment to songs about the coal mining industry.
http://www.du.edu/ludlow/documents/tobey.pdf
Crowe Company Mine No. 16, Croweburg, Kansas
Mrs. L. C. Caldwell
Kansas State Historical SocietyOther Examples of Curriculum Integration
Delaware Social Studies Education Project
http://www.udel.edu/dssep/BF%20Literature.htmResources for integrating social studies and literature
NAEYC Links to Science and Social Studies
...http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/links/scienceandsocialstudiesResources for integrating social studies and science for young children
Smithsonian Institution
http://www.folkways.si.edu/tools-for-teaching/lessonsResources for music and social studies
North Carolina Social Studies Resources
http://ssresources-nc.wikispaces.com/Using+Music+to+Teach+Social+StudiesResources for music and social studies
Walters Museum – Baltimore
http://thewalters.org/integrating-the-arts/Resources for art and social studies
Smithsonian Institution
...http://americanart.si.edu/education/resources/links/index.cfmResources for art and social studies
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