History 491: Planning a Course of Instruction (Social Studies Methods)
Fall 2009
Professor William Scott
wrscott@udel.edu
Office hours: Tu. 10-12, or by appointment
215 Munroe Hall
Professor Hannah Kim
hkim@udel.edu
Tu. 11-12, 2-3, or by appointment
214 Munroe Hall
TA Alana Staiti
alana.staiti@gmail.com
Office hours: Th. 12:30-2:30, or by appointment
28 W. Delaware Ave.
TA Stephanie Hill
shill@udel.edu
Th.12:30-2:30, or by appointment
28 W. Delaware Ave.
Goals and Objectives
History 491 is a methods course. It will bring together social studies content knowledge
and pedagogical approaches to prepare you for teaching next semester and beyond. In this class,
you will develop the skills and knowledge necessary to create a rigorous and active learning
environment for all your students. Given the demographics of public schools in the twenty-first
century, this will require an active engagement with issues of equity and diversity in your
teaching and planning.
You will study the perspectives goals and methods germane to the subject disciplines that
make up the social studies: history, political science, geography, economics, and psychology.
We will also look at how these disciplines are reflected in the National Council of Social Studies
and Delaware Content Standards. You will apply this knowledge to assigned readings, activities,
case studies and project planning. We will also spend time developing instructional strategies
and activities that will ensure your students will be academically engaged and be able to meet
demanding standards.
During this class, you will create a course overview and outline, unit block-out and lesson
plans for one social studies course. This will be incorporated into a portfolio that serves as you
final exam. At the end, you will have developed a model for planning your own course of
instruction, so that you will be able to repeat the process for any social studies class at any grade
level you may find yourself teaching in the future.
A final word on the purpose of this class: “content” and “pedagogy” are necessary buy by
no means the only elements that determine your success as a teacher. Never lose sight of the fact
that teaching anything is also an art form— one that, above all, strives to create that spark of
understanding in another individual. Your success will ultimately depend on how you are able to
apply your imagination, empathy and flexibility to course content and curriculum, and in turn, to
each student.
Expectations
We will take attendance at the beginning of each class. More than three absences and/or tardies
will result in your final letter grade being lowered for each subsequent absence or tardy.
ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSES. You are leaving the fantasy world of academic higher
education and entering the real world of teaching and working.
ALL LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL RECEIVE A SCORE OF ZERO. In an emergency or if you
are absent, you should email your professor the assignment before class and turn in a hard copy
to his/her box in the History Department within 24 hours in order to get credit for your work. We
do not accept emailed assignments for grading, only as proof that you completed the assignment
on time.
ALL prior assignments must be completed and turned in before we will evaluate your portfolio.
FAILURE TO TURN IN ANY WORK AS REQUIRED WILL RESULT IN ZERO POINTS
FOR THE PORTFOLIO, FAILURE OF THE CLASS, AND INELIGIBILITY FOR STUDENT
TEACHING IN THE SPRING.
Course Materials
Davidson and Lytle, After the Fact; the Art of Historical Detection. Complete version, 5th
edition.
Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking
Delaware Social Studies Standards
National Council of Social Studies Thematic Standards
COURSE OUTLINE
WEEK ONE
Course Overview
9/1
• Introduction
• Why teach Social Studies
9/3
• Thinking Like a Geographer, Historian, Political Scientist, Economist, Psychologist
• John Hartman, Director, Office of Clinical Studies
Reading Assignment: Sam Wineburg, “Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts”;
“National Standards for Social Studies Teachers”
Work Due: “A Rapid-Fire Guide to Social Studies Disciplines”
WEEK TWO
Conceptualizing Your Course of Instruction: The Big Picture
9/8
• Introduce Observation and Evidence Assignment (Due 9/15)
• Multicultural Education in the Social Studies Classroom
Reading Assignments: Sam Wineburg and Chancey Monte-Sano “Famous Americans:
The Changing Pantheon of American Heroes,” Journal of American History, March
2008, available through History Cooperative; Sam Wineburg, “Picturing the Past”
Work Due: Post a thoughtful, one-paragraph commentary on the readings in the online
classroom forum. Post a short response to one of your classmate’s comments.
9/10
• The Achievement Gap and Educational Equity
Reading Assignments: Jonathan Kozol, “Children of the City Invincible”; Kati
Haycock, “Helping All Students Achieve”
Work Due: Post a thoughtful, one-paragraph commentary on the readings in the online
classroom forum. Post a short response to one of your classmate’s comments.
WEEK THREE
Conceptualizing Your Course of Instruction: Standards-Based Instruction and Understanding by
Design
9/15
• Planning a Class: Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions
• Content Standards: Delaware and NCSS
Reading Assignments: Delaware Content Standards; Review Ten NCSS Thematic
Standards “Teacher Expectations”; Understanding by Design, selections
Work Due: Post a thoughtful, one-paragraph commentary on the readings in the online
classroom forum. Post a short response to one of your classmate’s comments.
9/17
• Planning a Class: Knowledge and Skill Goals
• Components of a course overview (first draft due 9/29)
• How to do the Reading Evaluations (first reading evaluation due 9/24)
Work Due: Observation and Evidence Assignment
WEEK FOUR
Conceptualizing Your Course of Instruction: Assessment
9/22
• Authentic Assessment
Reading Assignments: Understanding by Design, selection
9/24
• Rubrics, benchmarks, traditional assessments
• Barbara van Dornick, Delaware Center for Teacher Education
Reading Assignments: After the Fact, Introduction and Chapters 8 and 9; Review
NCSS Thematic Standards 1 and 8 (Teacher Expectations)
Work Due: Reading Evaluation—Assessment
WEEK FIVE
Lesson Planning
9/29
• Determining questions and objectives for each lesson
• What are the characteristics of effective lessons?
• Introduce Course Outline Assignment (Due 10/8)
Reading Assignment: Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking
Work Due: Course Overview assignment
10/1
• Lesson plan format
• Building a toolbox of activities
• Pass out Class Observation assignment (Due 12/3)
Reading Assignments: After the Fact, Chapters 2 and 17; Review NCSS Thematic
Standards 4 and 5 (Teacher Expectations)
Work Due: Reading Evaluation— Lesson Planning
WEEK SIX
History: Sequence, Analysis, and Interpretation
10/6
• Using Primary Documents in the History Classroom, I
Reading Assignments: History Discipline Statement; Delaware History Benchmark
Standards; NCSS Thematic Standard 2 (Teacher Expectations); After the Fact, Prologue
and Chapter 16
Work Due: Reading Evaluation— History
10/8
• Using Primary Documents in the History Classroom, II
• Case Studies Presentation Assignment
Work Due: Course Outline Assignment
WEEK SEVEN
Civics/Political Science: Governance, Citizenship, and Power
10/13
• Talk, Talk, Talk video
• How to frame discussion questions
Reading Assignments: Political Science Discipline Statement; Delaware Civics
Benchmark Standards; NCSS Thematic Standards 6 and 10 (Teacher Expectations); After
the Fact, Chapters 3, 10, and 11
Work Due: Reading Evaluation— Political Science
10/15
• Innovative discussion techniques
• Creating a unit from your course outline (Due 10/29)
WEEK EIGHT
Economic Literacy
10/20
• Constructivist learning and economics
• Internet resources for economics
Reading Assignments: Economics Discipline Statement; Delaware Economics
Benchmark Standards; NCSS Thematic Standards 4 and 7 (Teacher Expectations); After
the Fact, Chapters 4 and 14
Work Due: Reading Evaluation— Economics
Bring laptop to class if you have one!
10/22
• Case study work time
WEEK NINE
Geography: Where, Why, and the Consequences
10/27
• Teaching strategies for geography
Reading Assignments: Geography Discipline Statement; Delaware Geography
Benchmark Standards; NCSS Thematic Standards 3 and 9 (Teacher Expectations); After
the Fact, Chapters 6 and 12
Work Due: Reading Evaluation— Geography
10/29
• Lesson Plan Assignment (Due 11/24)
• Case study work time
Work Due: First draft of Unit Plan
WEEK TEN
Teaching Content through Case Studies
11/3
• Group I Lessons
11/5
• Group II Lessons
WEEK ELEVEN
Teaching Content through Case Studies
11/10
• Group III Lessons
11/12
• Case Study Debriefs: No class meeting.
WEEK TWELVE
Teaching Content through Case Studies
11/17
• Group IV Lessons
11/19
• Case Study reflection
• Professional preparation for the job market
WEEK THIRTEEN
Lesson Planning Implementation
11/24
• Peer review of lesson plans
Work Due: First draft of two lesson plans
11/26
• Thanksgiving: No class meeting.
WEEK FOURTEEN
Classrooms, Schools, Communities
12/1
• Motivating and disciplining students
Reading Assignments: Classroom management reading selections
12/3
• Debriefing on classroom observations
Work Due: Classroom observation assignment
WEEK FIFTEEN
Introduction to History 493 and Student Teaching
12/8
• Meet your supervisors
Work Due: Completed Learning Portfolio
FINAL
FINAL 491 PORTFOLIO DUE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11 NO LATER THAN 10 AM IN THE
HISTORY DEPARTMENT OFFICE
Assignments and Grading
Students will be evaluated on the basis of their performance on the following:
Final 491 Portfolio--Revisions
Two Lesson Plans (first draft)
Case Study Presentation
Classroom Observations
Online Responses
Exploring and Observing Essay
Course Overview (first draft)
Course Outline (first draft)
Unit Plan (first draft)
Six reading evaluations
Completed Learning Portfolio
125 points
Due 12/11
70 points
Due 11/24
80 points
Weeks 10-12
70 points
Due 12/3
30 points
9/8, 9/10, 9/15
25 points
Due 9/17
25 points
Due 9/29
25 points
Due 10/8
35 points
Due 10/29
90 points total
75 points
Due 12/8
650 TOTAL POINTS
All late assignments will receive zero points, but must be turned in at some point during the
semester, otherwise your Final 491 Portfolio grade will be zero and you will receive a failing
grade for the class. More than three absences and/or tardies FOR ANY REASON will result in
the lowering of your final grade.