A Meaningful Well-Planned Social Studies Lesson

There are many aspects to draw from in Maxim’s book Social Studies for Constructivist Classrooms, Chapters 1 and 3, regarding the attributes of a meaningful, well-planned Social Studies lesson. I will start by citing some excellent examples that are addressed in these chapters. At the end of chapter 3, the most compelling case for a well-planned lesson is centered on Thematic Units. The crux of the thematic unit is aptly addressed as “extended blueprints of instruction, created by teachers around a central idea; they contain an orderly sequence of lessons that provide a sense of cohesiveness, or unity, to classroom instruction. Experiences cut across traditional subject lines and are comfortably integrated with other subjects… It is an idea that centers education in a true “child’s world” where children are able to attach what they’re learning to the real world.” (p. 133)

Some other issues Maxim talks about as to important attributes are “when learning is fun, students become more interested and open to acquiring new knowledge.” (p. 6) Lastly, in quoting Maxim he talks of “effective social studies teaching, then, begins with a clear understanding of the subject’s distinctive instructional goals…include the categories of knowledge, thinking skills, and democratic values and beliefs.” (p.18).

Maxim’s reference to attaching learning to the real world is critical. Social studies used to be centered on the memorization of dates and events, without enough of a context to give the subject matter relevancy. I look back to one week ago when you asked us our memories of Social Studies. I am not sure, but you might have been as surprised as I was that there were a number of students who actually did have positive experiences. I also remember clearly stating a loud “no” in answer to the value of my Social Studies experience. My experience had virtually no real world relevancy and was about as far from “fun” as one can get.
One result of my social studies education is I would be challenged on the show “Are you smarter than a fifth grader?” as I would guess I got about half the states in the correct location on the map of the US. There was no context, no relevancy, so I am sure I learned the states and proceeded to forget them as time went on. Yet, last night, when learning the capitals in a fun, challenging way I went from knowing about 20 capitals to knowing 48 of the 50 capitals (just tested myself to see if I retained what I had learned).

In summary, relevance, challenge, and fun are three components that can contribute to a meaningful, well-planned Social Studies lesson. The thematic unit is but one approach for this type of lesson.