Today in class, we saw Dr. Parker effectively demonstrate how to teach social studies literacy from a book. He read to us from "Uncle Jed's Barbershop" by Margaree King Mitchell and showed us how to relate books to the 5 strands of social studies. In his demonstration, our professor showed us examples of relating the books to the reader and it's audience as well. This book was great to introduce certain moments in history such as the Great Depression and the Civil Rights' Movement. It also provides an interactive way to teach life lessons and character traits, such as kindness and self control, in the classroom. He emphasized the importance of text to self and making the connections between the book and the student. During this reading, he didn't simply read, but he taught science, math, social studies and language arts, simply using this one book.
"This is all too good to be true." That was my thought when he ended his teaching on this book. It seemed so effortless and simple, and even as a college student, I was very engaged in this story and what happened next in the each of these character's lives. I wanted everything to work out for Uncle Jed and I wanted to learn more about life back in the "good 'ole days."
Encompassing all strands of social studies and other subject areas into one lesson is kind of like a game to me. Not only do books often provide more up-to-date content than even textbooks, but they also allow other students to "live" a life and experience empathy for the characters within the story. Our professor shared with us these slides that give tips and ideas as well as support to why children's literature is important in the classroom.
It was incredibly easy to find resources and books that fit in with social studies standards. This website lists books that would be beneficial to the classroom in teaching different subjects and concepts. This list shares ideas and a sentence or two summary of what the book is about. I definitely plan on using this list for my classroom and reading these books to develop empathy towards the past and inspiration towards learning and achieving goals for the future.
Much love,
Brittany Kertesz
I'm glad you thought it was easy to find books that fit the standards! I don't know why I struggled so much with this. Once I found the book and aligned it with a standard however, it was smooth sailing from there! I would've loved to have found the resource you provided before completing the assignment!
ReplyDeleteBrittany,
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading this blog as well. I am glad you were able to see how children's literature can go a long way in helping students understand a variety of concepts.
As you mentioned, teaching is like a game...you have multiple moving parts and you are the master of ceremonies. You have to get all the players across the finish line but so many variables can come into play.
What impact did this class have on your future classroom?