| The social studies units
emphasize primary source analysis, critical thinking,
and concept development to help students develop understanding
of high-level social studies content in key areas. Thus,
the units reflect the focus of national and state-level
standards on historical thinking and research and on
the integration of major concepts across disciplines.
With five American History units, an American Government
unit, and two units focused on ancient cultures, the
unit series covers a wide range of topics while maintaining
consistent models for understanding issues, documents,
and artifacts. Interdisciplinary connections are explored
through in-class activities and student projects. The
units also emphasize the development of student skills
in the areas of discussion, writing, and research.
To order one or all of the following units for review
or purchase, contact Kendall/Hunt Publishing at www.kendallhunt.com.
social studies
Materials
| Title |
Description |
Grade Level |
| Ancient Egypt: Gift of the Nile |
This unit is designed around the idea that
human civilizations develop and sustain themselves
as a collection of interdependent systems. The
civilization of ancient Egypt forms the central
content of the unit, with exploration of systems
of agriculture, economics, language, and leadership
in this ancient culture. The unit also provides
opportunities for students to broaden their understanding
by comparing the ancient Egyptian civilization
with aspects of their own lives and communities.
(2001) [Note: This unit may be used in conjunction
with Ancient China: The Middle Kingdom
for a broader exploration of ancient civilizations.]
2003 Winner of a National Association
for Gifted Children Curriculum Division Award
for Outstanding Curriculum |
2 - 3 |
| Ancient China: The Middle Kingdom |
The concept of systems is the foundation for
this unit, which explores ancient China to demonstrate
the interdependent systems that develop and sustain
a civilization. The unit explores systems of agriculture,
language, leadership, and trade in ancient China,
using models for reasoning and document analysis
to support student understanding. Students also
have opportunities to broaden their understanding
by comparing the ancient Chinese civilization
with aspects of their own lives and communities.
(2002) [Note: This unit may be used in conjunction
with Ancient Egypt: Gift of the Nile
for a broader exploration of ancient civilizations.]
2004 Winner of a National Association
for Gifted Children Curriculum Division Award
for Outstanding Curriculum |
2 - 3 |
| Building a New System: Colonial America 1607-1763
|
This unit begins with an in-depth study of the
interrelationships between the Chesapeake Bay System
and both the Native Americans and the early English
colonists in Virginia. The unit then turns to an
exploration of the economic, social, and political
systems of early America across the colonies, comparing
and contrasting lifestyles of different groups in
different regions. Frameworks for reasoning and
document analysis support students in their explorations
of this period of history. (2002)
2007 Winner of a National Association
for Gifted Children Curriculum Division Award
for Outstanding Curriculum |
4 - 5 |
| The World Turned Upside Down: The American
Revolution |
Intensive document analysis and exploration of
the concept of cause and effect form the foundation
of this unit exploring the Revolutionary Period
in American history. The unit explores the chronology
and major events leading up to and during the Revolutionary
War and uses primary sources to demonstrate the
social and political context. The contributions
of particular individuals and groups to the history
of the time are also highlighted. (2002) |
4 - 5 |
| A House Divided?: The Civil War, Its Causes
and Effects |
The concept of cause and effect serves as a
central organizing theme of this unit, which explores
the events and perspectives leading to the American
Civil War and the chronology and context of the
war itself. Using primary source documents as
a major resource, students investigate the social,
political, and economic influences that were significant
in this period of history. In addition, the unit
focuses on particular individuals and groups and
their contributions and responses to the events
of the time. (2002)
2005 Winner of a National Association
for Gifted Children Curriculum Division Award
for Outstanding Curriculum |
5 - 6 |
| The 1920s in America: A Decade of Tensions |
Centered on a variety of primary sources including
music and advertisements as well as more traditional
documents, this unit provides insight into not
only the events, but also the values, lifestyles,
and experiences of the period of the 1920s. Students
explore the concept of cause and effect and how
it relates to the events of the time, gaining
a deeper level of appreciation and understanding
as they look at the ways different aspects of
the era interact with and influence one another.
(2002)
2002 Winner of a National Association
for Gifted Children Curriculum Division Award
for Outstanding Curriculum
|
6 - 7 |
| The 1930s in America: Facing Depression |
This unit explores Depression-era America from
the perspective of many different groups of people,
utilizing a variety of primary sources to illustrate
events and the social-political context. The concept
of cause and effect is employed to support student
understanding of the complexity of history. The
unit emphasizes the interplay of changes in geography,
government, and the economy, as well as the influence
of particular individuals and groups, to deepen
student understanding of the period. (2002) |
6 - 7 |
| The Road to the White House: Electing the
American President |
The concept of systems forms the basis for this
exploration of American government, particularly
focused on the processes involved in the election
of the President and the constitutional context
of these processes. Students investigate the chronology
of campaign and election and study documents and
statistics related to Presidential elections in
American history. In addition, the unit explores
the concept of leadership as it emerges both in
the process of being elected and in the context
of being a President. (2002) |
6 - 8 |
The Renaissance and Reformation in Europe
|
This unit focuses on the concept of authority
and how the Renaissance and Reformation period was
defined by changing notions of political and religious
authority. The unit traces the background of the
Renaissance and Reformation through exploration
of the Mediterranean world in medieval times, then
engages students in analysis of various influences
on changing conceptions of the Church and of political
leadership and authority. In addition, the unit
explores the cultural changes occurring in the Renaissance
and their influence on the past and present. Students
engage in extensive primary source analysis and
structured reasoning as they explore how political,
religious, and economic authority were constituted
and legitimized throughout the period. |
9 - 10 |
Questions and Answers
about the Social Studies Curriculum
How were the William and Mary
social studies units developed?
The units align with the standards set forth
by the National Center for History in the Schools and
the National Council for the Social Studies, with regard
to both process and content elements. These elements
include emphases on chronological thinking, historical
analysis and interpretation, and examination of cultures
across time and space. The units also support student
learning in other areas, particularly in the language
arts area of persuasive writing.
Why do the social studies
units focus on the concepts of systems and
cause and effect?
The use of concepts promotes higher-order thinking
and the use of a conceptual framework supplies a meaningful
way of organizing and incorporating new information,
which then encourages the transfer of knowledge learned
in one situation to other situations. The social studies
units focus on the concepts of systems and cause and
effect because these concepts are common to multiple
disciplines as well as central to the social studies.
A system forms a complete and complex whole
from a group of interacting, interrelated, or independent
elements. Because students are themselves elements of
or influenced by numerous systems, they benefit from
an understanding of these systems, their component parts,
how systems function, how they interact and influence
one another, and the outcomes they produce (National
Center for History in Schools). In social studies, the
concept of systems provides a schema for understanding
the interactions of the multitude of actors, institutions,
and elements that make up the diverse disciplines of
the subject. Examples of systems addressed in the social
studies units include political science, culture, economics,
geography, and history.
The study of cause and effect relates to how
people and circumstances interact to cause change. History
is a complex study of the many causes that have influenced
happenings of the past and the complicated effects of
those varied causes. The units that employ a study of
cause and effect discuss the influence of individuals
and groups, expressing their perspective through documents
and actions, as they relate to the context addressed
in the units. Primary sources and historical summaries
are also used to explore various perspectives within
the context of the unit’s timeline to encourage
students to explore the complexity of history.
Can I use these units with
my students that are not identified as gifted? It seems
that a lot of the material in these units would be good
for all kids.
We feel that the organization of the units and
several of the teaching models included may be effective
with students other than high-ability groups. We have
several sites in which teachers use all of the models
with all of their students to some degree. If teachers
are going to try to use the models with all students,
we recommend that they: (a) use alternative primary
source documents with average-ability students, just
like a teacher may substitute a literature selection
that matches a student’s reading level, (b) use
extra reinforcement for the reasoning model, (c) vary
the prompts for writing and the requirements for writing
format (paragraph, essay, etc.), (d) allow gifted students
to work together in groups for group activities rather
than making small groups heterogeneous, and (e) modify
the research assignment for average-ability students.
What's the time frame on the
units?
We estimate that full implementation for one
of the social studies units would range from 6 to 9
weeks of instructional time, depending on the specific
curriculum unit chosen and the weekly amount of instructional
time available. We recommend using the teaching models
beyond the context of the units -- it may even be useful
to introduce some of the models before you start the
units so that students are familiar with their use before
they are faced with them all at once! This will also
help connect all of the various foci of study during
the school year.
Is professional development
related to the units available?
Professional development opportunities related
to the Center's curriculum are available periodically
at the College and may also be arranged for local school
districts through our curriculum consultant program.
See the Professional Development page for more information.
Internet Resources
for Social Studies
Digital History - www.digitalhistory.uh.edu
Created by the Department of History at the University
of Houston, this site was created to support the teaching
of American History in K-12 schools and colleges. This
site includes an interactive, multimedia U.S. History
textbook as well as over 400 annotated historical documents
and primary sources available through a searchable database.
This site also features an Ask the Expert section called
Ask the HyperHistorian.
The National Archives Digital
Classroom - www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/index.html
The Digital Classroom provides materials from the National
Archives as well as lessons and methods for teaching
with primary sources. This is great resource for students
working on History Day projects and teachers who want
to supplement the basic history texts.
Best of History Web Sites
- www.besthistorysites.net
Best of History Web Sites is an award-winning portal
created for history teachers, students, and general
history enthusiasts. Best of History Web Sites now features
links to K-12 history lesson plans, teacher guides,
activities, games, quizzes, and more throughout its
pages.
EDSITEment - edsitement.neh.gov/
EDSITEment is a compilation of many humanities sites
by the National Endowment for the Humanities. This site
includes lesson plans and links to other sites in all
areas of the humanities, history, and social studies.
USAToday Snapshots -
www.usatoday.com/news/snapshot.htm
As part of USAToday.com, the Snapshots page provides
students and teachers with insights into current political
and cultural events.
Social Studies Sources for Teachers
- www.indiana.edu/~socialst/
This page is designed for K-12 social studies teachers
and students and contains hundreds of links in the areas
of history, geography, government, global studies, and
cultural diversity. |
