Teaching Middle Level Social Studies

A Practical Guide for 4th-8th Grade (3rd Edition)

By:
Scott L. Roberts, Central Michigan University
Benjamin R. Wellenreiter, Illinois State University
Jessica Ferreras-Stone, Western Washington University
Stephanie L. Strachan, Western Washington University
Karrie L. Palmer, Rising Starr Middle School

Published 2022

This textbook is a comprehensive and practical guide to teaching middle level social studies. Middle level students are just as capable as high school students at engaging in hands-on, progressive, reflective activities, yet pedagogical strategies designed specifically for the middle grades are often overlooked in teacher education programs. This text provides both progressive and traditional teaching methods and strategies proven effective in the middle level classroom. The content of this book consists of conventional chapters such as “What is Social Studies?” and “Unit and Curriculum Planning,” as well as unique chapters such as “The Middle Level Learner”, “Best Practices for Teaching State History” and “Integrating the “Core” Subjects in Middle Level Social Studies”.

In addition to the unique chapters and lesson plans many additional features of the book will be useful for middle level teaching and learning.

These features include:
• A list of website resources that provide links to thousands of lesson plans, state and national standards, and other multimedia tools that can be used in the classroom.

• Individual, collaborative, and whole class activities that will help methods students develop a better understanding of the topics, lessons, and strategies discussed.

• High quality lesson ideas and classroom tested teaching strategies embedded throughout the book.

• Images of student work samples that will methods students visualize the finished product that is being discussed.

• An examination of state and national standards that will help guide methods students in their lesson planning

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements. Preface 3rd Edition. CHAPTER 1: Middle Level Students: Who Are They? How Are They Different? CHAPTER 2: Social Studies in the Middle Grades. CHAPTER 3: Teaching Middle Level Social Studies: The Basics. CHAPTER 4: Teaching Middle Level Social Studies: Advanced Strategies and Methods. CHAPTER 5: Planning Middle Level Social Studies Lessons and Units. CHAPTER 6: Assessment: Formal and Informal. CHAPTER 7: Best Practices for Teaching State History. CHAPTER 8: Best Practices for Teaching United States History. CHAPTER 9: Best Practices for Teaching Geography. CHAPTER 10: Incorporating Economics and Government in Middle Level Social Studies. CHAPTER 11: Building Literacy in Middle Level Social Studies. CHAPTER 12: Integrating the “Core” Subjects in Middle Level Social Studies. CHAPTER 13: Using your Social Studies Resources Effectively. CHAPTER 14: The Recent Past and New Directions in Social Studies. CHAPTER 15: Becoming a Social Studies Professional. CHAPTER 16: Concluding Remarks. APPENDICES: TEACHING MIDDLE LEVEL SOCIAL STUDIES: A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR 4TH-8TH GRADES. APPENDIX A: Lesson Plan Template. APPENDIX B: Hollywood or History Lesson Plan/Graphic Organizaer. APPENDIX C: 25 Resources for Teaching History. APPENDIX D: 25 Resources for Teaching Geography. APPENDIX E: 25 Resources for Teaching Economics. APPENDIX F: 25 Resources for Teaching Civics/Government. About the Authors.