Johnny Tremain and primary sources: using strategies to make elementary social studies personal and engaging

Includes bibliographical references (pages 144-152)Engaging elementary school students in social studies education has long been a difficult task for the upper grade teacher. American theorists such as Bruner and Dewey and as far back as President Thomas Jefferson have discussed the need for students to become historically and civically educated future democratic citizens. Specifically, Dewey had ideas that in order to perpetuate a successful democratic society, students need experiences with democratic ideas such as social efficiency, civic duties, and participation in society. Bruner and Thomas Jefferson also wrote about the need for a ???democratic??? education where learners have experiences with the social studies beginning at a young age to build knowledge, understanding, interest, and desire to play a role in one???s society. In the same breath, students also need to understand the historical aspects and background of their society. The United States??? origins are important to help add value to the process of educating future citizens. This graduate project centers on the historical period leading up the American Revolution in the British American colonies. Using a variety of strategies to connect students to the social studies will help students develop an interest in and make meaning of the wide array of topics covered in social studies. For the purposes of this paper, inquiry based learning through the use of primary sources and historical fiction will be discussed. A chapter on lesson planning for a unit of American history can be found in the final chapter. \ud This document focuses on educating and engaging elementary school students in the social studies based on theory by the likes of Dewey, Bruner, and Thomas Jefferson; among others. Using the constructivist theory of inquiry based education; this graduate project seeks to set up an example of one way to make social studies education meaningful and engaging to young learners. The unit plan takes the strategy of discovery learning which capitalizes on a child???s natural sense of curiosity and takes that idea one step further along with the use of Multiple Intelligences of Gardner to create pathways for constructing meaning within the social studies curriculum. The activities are created to use in conjunction with a narrative pieces of literature and build critical thinking skills through the use of primary sources and the process of inquiry to draw conclusions about a volatile time in American history