LAKE SUPERIOR STATE UNIVERSITY
TEACHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
TE 444 SOCIAL STUDIES METHODS FOR SECONDARY TEACHERS
SPRING 2005
INSTRUCTOR: CRAIG D. FREED, PH.D.
OFFICE: 320A SOUTH HALL, TEACHER EUCATION DEPARTMENT
OFFICE PHONE: (906) 635-2657
E-MAIL: cfreed@lssu.edu
OFFICE HOURS: M: 11-12; T: 3-5; W: 11-12; TH: 3-4
TE 444, Social Studies Methods for Secondary Teachers, is a 3-hour undergraduate class.
1.
Course Prerequisites:
The teacher candidate must be admitted to the teacher education program prior to taking this class.
TE 150; TE 250; TE 301
2.
Course Description:
This course will examine the “curriculum, objectives, content, materials, organization, methods, and assessment of teaching social studies to diverse secondary learners.” Particular attention will be paid to Michigan standards in planning future social studies course content. Technology will be incorporated into the course. Teacher candidates should also plan to be actively involved throughout the course. Practice teaching and planning units will comprise a large segment of the course.
Fieldwork required.
3.
Knowledge Base:
This methods course will allow students to gain experience reviewing social studies curriculum and teaching methods. The topics examined in this course are ones that all secondary social studies teachers should have a large amount of familiarity with before beginning an internship. There will be an emphasis in gaining the ability to teach to a wide latitude of student diversity.
“Teaching might appear to be a solo act: w hen the door closes, it’s usually just one teacher and her students” (Christensen, 2000, p. viii). Today there are a lot of people looking over the teacher’s shoulder and demanding accountability from the instructor. State and national standards are being used to insure specific content elements are being taught to all pupils and tests are in place to measure the teacher’s ability to express those elements to all students. Never before have teachers been so much under the microscope as they deal with an increasingly diverse student body and communities increasingly unsure of the teachers’ ability to adequately teach today’s students. All teacher candidates must be aware of the state standards developed for social studies within the state they intend to teach.
Along with an increase emphasis on state standards has been more accountability for minimal abilities in math, reading and writing. The language arts teacher and the math teacher are not the only ones being held accountable for students’ abilities to read, write or do basic math. ALL teachers must insure that these basic skills are addressed within their classrooms. Rather than look upon the requirement of a literate student as simply meeting the requirements of the No Child Left Behind

Act, these basic components of learning will be placed in a new light: empowering students “to examine society and try to change it and to fight it” (Christensen, 2000, p. viii). This ability is especially critical for social studies teachers.
4.
Curricular Relationship:
This course is required by the Lake Superior State University for the secondary social studies licensure program. It must be successfully completed (grade of B- or higher) before entering the internship.
5.
Course Objectives:
Teacher candidates who successfully complete the course will be able to:
 Demonstrate cooperative learning techniques
 Adapt social studies instruction to individual needs
 Evaluate and assess student learning
 Use technology to enhance social studies instruction
 Understand the politics of language
 Unlearn the myths in social studies
 Teach in diverse classrooms
 Foster citizenship competency
 Promote reflective inquiry
 Engage students in active learning techniques
 Organize and plan lessons and units of social studies
 Incorporate state standards into units of study
6.
Course Performance Assessments:
A.
Teaching Units and Lessons.
Each teacher candidate will be expected to create a unit of study under the state standards of
Michigan and to present to the instructor outlines of lessons. These lessons to be presented to the class will include the following themes:
1) Service-learning
2) Group investigation technique
3) Role playing/simulations
4) Teaching facts and generalizations
5) Citizenship promotion unit
6) Persuasive essay
7) Integrating social studies on the internet
B.
Log and Reaction Paper from the Fieldwork
Each teacher candidate should keep a log of all hours in the internship and then compose a 5-page reaction paper to the experience.
2

B
Grade
A
C
D
C.
Examinations.
There will be one examination and one final for the course.
D.
In-Class Exercises
Several short response questions or activities will be assigned periodically in class. THESE POINTS
CANNOT BE MADE UP AND CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED IF YOU ARE IN CLASS THE
DAY THEY ARE ASSIGNED.
7.
Course Texts (Required):
Christensen, L. (2000). Reading, writing, and rising up: Teaching about social justice and the power of the written
word. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.
Martorella, P., Beal, C., & Bolick, C. (2001). (4 th ed.) Teaching social studies in middle and secondary schools.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
8.
Course Evaluation and Dispositions:
5%
20%
5% a. Log/reaction paper b. Examinations c. In-class exercises d. Teaching units
Service-learning
Group investigation
Role playing/simulation
Teaching facts
Citizenship unit
Persuasive essay
Internet lesson
10%
10%
10%
10%
10%
10%
10%
Outcomes
Consistently exceeds outcome expectations
Materials are exceptionally well presented
Consistently exhibits initiative
Establishes goals with follow through
Synthesis of experiences occur
Strong leadership skills demonstrated
Evidence of leadership skills demonstrated
Synthesis of experiences occur sometimes
Meets outcome expectations
Exhibits some initiative
Employs the principles of best practice
Meets outcome expectations on a sporadic basis
Shows little initiative
Skills are inadequate for practice
3

F
Grades:
100-90 A
89-80 B
79-70 C
Outcome expectations are not met
69-50 D
Below 50% F
All written work done outside of class must be typed. Late work is subject to penalty.
9.
Course Policy on Attendance:
Regular attendance and participation are essential to successful completion of this course. There is no difference between an unexcused absence and an excused absence. If you must miss class, ensure that a classmate picks up copies of handouts for that class. It is very important that you be in class the day you are to present to the class! Not being in class may mean you lose 10% of your course grade on that day. Please bring you textbooks to class each time we meet as a full group.
10.
Course Policy for Students with Disabilities:
It is the desire of Lake Superior State University that all students work to their potential. If you require course adaptations for accommodations because of a documented disability, if you have emergency medial information to share with me, or if you need particular arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. My office location and office hours are posted on the front of this syllabus. Proper registration will enable the
Resource Center for Students with Disabilities to verify the disability and determine reasonable academic accommodations. RCSD is located in the basement of the library. The telephone number is (906) 635-2454.
11.
Even though we will attempt to cover each topic on the days assigned, the instructor reserves the right to amend the daily syllabus as we progress through the course.
Week of
January 10
Jan. 17
Jan. 24
Jan. 31
Topic(s)
Introductions, assignments, syllabus
Assignment: Martorella—Ch. 2 & 6
Introduction to the unit plan template; Micro- teaching; Technology in Micro-teaching
Assignment: Christensen—pp. 2-13; Martorella: Ch. 3 & 5
Micro-teaching unit: Role playing/simulation
Micro-teaching unit: Persuasive essay & writing in the curriculum
4

Feb. 7
Feb. 14
Feb. 21
Feb. 28
Mar. 7
Mar. 14
Mar. 21
Mar. 28
April 4
April 11
April 18
Finals Week
Micro-teaching unit: Group Investigation technique
Assignment: Martorella: Ch. 7; Reflection in learning;
Christensen pp. 160-168
Class discussion of reflection in learning; finish any micro-teaching units
Examination
SPRING BREAK—NO CLASS
Service-learning unit planning night with other methods class
Class discussion of state standards; group activities
Micro-teaching unit: Teaching facts/lecture
Assignment: Martorella: Ch. 4; Christensen pp. 18-21; 37-38
Micro-teaching unit: Service-learning
Assignment: Martorella: Ch. 8; Christensen pp. 58-63; 68-80
Writing in the curriculum; class exercises; Finish any micro-teaching units
Assignment: Christensen pp. 81-87; 105-113; 114-124
Planning session with other methods class:
Promoting citizenship
Micro-teaching unit: Integrating social studies on the Internet
Present Promoting citizenship unit with other class. Logs and Reaction Papers Due
5