A Note for the Teachers
Social Studies are a broad subject. Using media within my third grade social studies class will help the students to tackle and grasp each aspect of the social studies curriculum. Within the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for the third grade Social Studies Curriculum, I am using media to help the students understand competency goal one, and course objective 1.04. Competency Goal One states that “the learner will characterize qualities of good citizenship by identifying people who make a difference in the community and other social environments.” I want the students to understand objective 1.04 which they would learn the need for leaders in their community and they would be able to describe their roles and responsibilities. Social Studies are a significant part of a third graders curriculum; in fact, the NCSS's statement, "Essentials of the Social Studies" (NCSS 1990, 9-11), further identifies citizenship education as the primary purpose of K-12 social studies. Effective social studies programs prepare young people to identify, understand, and work to solve the problems facing our diverse nation in an increasingly interdependent world. In order to teach my children about the importance of citizenship and community leaders, I am connecting media literacy to the social studies goal, in which I am sharing a You Tube video on the importance of community leaders which is directed toward children. Also, within the citizenship lesson I am teaching in social studies, I am weaving in the concept of Information Skills from the NCSOC website. The website states, that “information literacy skills emphasize the problem solving, critical and creative thinking, decision making, and cooperative learning that prepare students for the challenges in society. The new curriculum is more than lessons to be taught at a fixed time. It offers the wider window of opportunity to connect learning with meaningful experiences.” Within the lesson, the students will be utilizing information skills by thinking creatively and going out into their community to interview different community leaders to find out their importance in the community. Students will remember and grasp the lesson on citizenship by interviewing these different community leaders by connecting learning with meaningful experiences. After their interviews with different community leaders, the students will have the choice to present the information they learned by creating a power point, or posting a You Tube video, only if they have the correct tools to do so. I will help clear up any questions on how to do power points and videos by sharing two You Tube videos that demonstrate how to create a power point or You Tube video correctly. Using a power point or You Tube video, will give the children a sense of confidence on their technological accomplishment, and will give some spice to the traditional school presentation. Lastly, students with various skills, interests, and intelligences will gain something from the citizenship project; not only from the lesson they are taught, but the media they analyze. Whether the student is a visual or kinesthetic learner, knowing how to correctly use and analyze power points and You Tube videos, gives them an opportunity to use a different tool to grasp material they are learning, and a different way to learn it. Most of my students really enjoyed doing this project, and I had a really good time assisting the students with their interviews and presentations. Depending on the skills and levels of your students, you make have to change certain areas within this project. Below is the NCSCOS website which highlight the goals and objectives used within this project. I hope you enjoyed my webquest, and have found some helpful ideas to use in your classroom. Thanks for visiting the page and Good luck!