Meaningful, Well-Planned Social Studies Lessons...

What does these look like? 

Well...
This week we have been looking at the 'backwards design' model for lesson planning.  This model focuses on three major steps: 
  1. Identifying desired results
  2. Determining acceptable evidences 
  3. Planning learning experiences and instruction accordingly

In this process, teaches will set clear learning goals and expectations.  These expectations will be formed around specific and meaningful performance tasks.  Teachers will guide their students in the inquiry of genuine issues, problems, and questions.  Through instruction, important ideas and processes will be uncovered by exploring essential questions and through the genuine applications of knowledge and skills.  Learning activities will vary to accommodate learning styles, skill sets, and interests.  Through this type of active learning, students will work to make sense of complex content.  Finally, students will be given assessments based on the specific learning goals and expectations met in performance tasks.  Throughout this process, teachers should be constantly responding to students needs and revising tasks so that all students can be successful in meeting set goals. 

(McTighe, J., Wiggings, G. The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units.  Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.)

This framework can be used to create an effective lesson plan in any subject area.  It focuses on student success through Understanding a particular concept.  

In applying this framework specifically to Social Studies it is important to look at the attributes of a dynamic and interdisciplinary lesson.  Social Studies can be related to any number of subjects and content areas ranging from English language Arts, Math, and Science to Music and theatre.  It contains functional content as well as a respect for the diverse cultures and societies around the world.  Each Social Studies lesson should help studies construct background knowledge about the world, past, present and future.  In these lessons students should develop skills in organizing data, locating specific areas, and finding directions.  Students will begin constructing core values and beliefs based on civic principles, democratic values, and the interactions between social structures like families, communities, and countries.  Using the different aspects of dynamic Social Studies, meaningful and well-planned Social Studies lessons will identify distinctive learning goals and expectations and develop appropriate performance tasks for students to seek the answers to pertinent questions and demonstrate necessary skills.