Social Studies and the Young Learner


Current Issue

Social Studies and the Young Learner
Volume 22, Number 3
January/February 2010

cover The theme of this issue of Social Studies and the Young Learner is “Economics and Higher Order Thinking.” This is a very timely issue. Indeed, while the U.S. and global economies may be slowly pulling out of the worst recession in decades, economics still dominates the headlines. Articles in this issue make it clear that even elementary-age students can benefit from increased economic understanding.

In their opening article “It’s Never Too Early for Economics Education,” Bonnie T. Meszaros and Stella Evans stress that even young children can learn the basics of how to analyze the costs and benefits of their options before they make a choice, and they can practice explaining their decisions.

“The Entrepreneur Fair: Creating Fifth Grade Student Businesses” by Teresa Moore describes how students write a business plan, keep track of expenses, build a “small business,” and then enjoy a culminating event at which they purchase goods and services from each other.

In their article “Let’s Teach Students to Prioritize: Reconsidering ‘Wants’ and ‘Needs’,” Suzanne Gallagher and Shannon Hodges ask whether a pedagogical focus on classification (of items as “wants” or “needs”) overlooks the higher-order thinking skills required in considering costs and benefits, prioritizing one’s wants, and making thoughtful, informed choices.

Then, in the Pullout “Prioritizing Our Wants, Step by Step,” these same two authors outline four classroom activities to get young learners in the practice of thinking critically about costs, benefits, and limited resources.

In “The Federal Reserve and the Elementary Classroom,” Mary C. Suiter and Lyndlee Mabry explain that each of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks around the country offers different curriculum materials, publications, and professional development opportunities. The Banks add to their education resources occasionally, so check their websites often.

“Let’s Go to Market! First Graders Discover Economics and Cultures on Field Trips” by Diana Gomez describes a series of visits to different ethnic food markets in Philadelphia as well as a working agricultural museum. She reveals how children interpret their new experiences during class discussions.

In “Money Matters for the Young Learner,” Andrew T. Hill offers activities to help students discover the advantages of using money (as opposed to a barter system) and think about the functions and characteristics of currency. Would a fresh carrot make a good form of money? Why or why not?

We would like to close by announcing that Charlee Passig Archuleta, a fifth grade teacher at Rogers Elementary School in Denver, Colorado, has agreed to serve on the SSYL Editorial Board. Welcome, Charlee!

Invite

Write About Your Classroom Lesson

Having your article considered for publication can be an informative and rewarding professional experience. We especially encourage classroom teachers to write up their work and submit a paper.

If you are an enthusiastic elementary teacher with great ideas that you have put to use in the classroom, here is an opportunity to share your work. Your paper could even be published in Social Studies and the Young Learner.

Do any of these themes spark your interest? (Issue dates and deadlines are listed below each theme.)

Count Me In! The United States Census
March/April 2010
Submit by October 1, 2009

  • Each Person Counts
  • April 1, 2010 is Census Day
  • Basic Statistics in Social Studies
  • Analysis and Tough Decisions

Contact co-editors Linda Bennett (ssyl@missouri.edu) with your ideas.

Learning and Language
September/October 2010
Submit by May 1, 2010

  • English as a second language in elementary social studies
  • Learning to read with history
  • Geography: words, pictures, symbols

Young Learners are Our Future
November/December 2010
Submit by July 1, 2010

  • Children as advocates and activists
  • Exploring careers in the 21st century
  • Taking action for young children

Authentic Instruction and Assessment
January/February 2011
Submit by October 1, 2010

  • Assessment with technology
  • Strategies for formative assessment
  • Techniques and tools
  • Projects, performances, and portfolios

Washington, DC and Me*
March/April 2011
Submit by November 1, 2010

  • My federal government at work
  • Visiting virtual Washington
  • Discovering my representatives
  • What makes a "capital" city?

*The 91st NCSS Annual Conference will be held in Washington, DC, December 2-4, 2011.

Contact Linda Bennett (ssyl@missouri.edu) with your ideas for articles.

The "guide" and "tips" tabs above, can help you get started on your way to being a published author.

Sincerely yours,
Linda Bennett, Ed.D.
Social Studies and the Young Learner, Editor
Associate Professor, Social Studies Education
Department of Learning, Teaching, & Curriculum
University of Missouri-Columbia

Guide

Guidelines for Contributors to SSYL

The goal of Social Studies and the Young Learner is to a) capture and enthuse elementary teachers across the country; and b) provide relevant and useful information about the teaching of social studies to elementary students. The editor especially encourages submission of manuscripts authored by K-5 classroom teachers themselves, or co-authored by professors and classroom teachers.

E-Mailing
E-mail your manuscript directly to the editor, Dr. Linda Bennett, at ssyl@missouri.edu, and expect an acknowledgement of receipt within a week. Manuscripts submitted for a particular theme issue are due four months prior to publication. Final decisions are usually made within one year.

Formatting
The first page should contain the title, word count, and contact information for all authors: name, title, position, complete mailing address, e-mail, phone, and fax. Identify the lead and/or corresponding author. The authors' names should appear only on this page for purposes of blind peer review.
Include a statement that the manuscript has not been submitted or published elsewhere. The second page should begin with the title and start the main text. With regard to citation notes, follow The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993) as closely as possible (not APA style). See examples of notes in the journal.
Margins: 1 inch top and bottom and 1.25 inch sides
Font: 12-point, Times New Roman
Length: Double Space, 1000 - 3000 words

Images and Examples
Follow up your e-mailed submission by mailing photocopies of examples of student work and learning, if possible—writing, photos of projects, art, or other media. Submit tables, graphics, photos, etc. as separate files by e-mail, not embedded in the text. If the manuscript is accepted, we will request high-resolution image files or glossy prints. Please set your digital camera at high resolution. Authors must obtain parental permission allowing publication of photos of students, as well as permission for the reprint of copyrighted materials used in a lesson.

Peer Review
SSYL is peer reviewed. If a manuscript is considered for publication, the author must be willing to work with the editor on revisions. SSYL is published by the National Council for the Social Studies.

Reprints
Authors of published manuscripts receive up to 50 complimentary copies of the journal in which the article appears, courtesy of NCSS. Authors are not paid for contributions.

Please feel free to contact the editor by e-mail if you have a question at any time.

Linda Bennett
ssyl@missouri.edu
Social Studies and the Young Learner, Editor
Associate Professor, Elementary Social Studies Education
303 Townsend Hall
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, MO, 65211-2400 USA

Tips

Tips for Authors

Who May Submit an Article?
Anybody may submit an article to Social Studies and the Young Learner. The editors especially look for manuscripts co-authored by classroom teachers and professors, or authored by K-5 classroom teachers alone.

What are Good Topics?
Articles in Social Studies and the Young Learner show how social studies (history, geography, civics, economics, anthropology, etc.) is taught in the pre-K-6 classroom. The lead article often provides background on the theme for that issue. A children's literature piece describes how to use quality books in the classroom. A pullout usually includes a lesson with handouts.

See the “Invite” tab to see themes of upcoming issues of SSYL (but you may also write on a topic that does not fit a theme).

How Will My Paper Be Judged?

This checklist shows the features that editors and reviewers will be watching for. Read your own paper against this checklist.

  1. I have described the basic setting (grade level, time required to teach each activity, materials and resources needed)
  2. The social studies content is strong (students learn history, civics, geography, economics, or anthropology, etc.) See the themes I-X in Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies
  3. I have included examples of classroom experience (what students said, how they responded, and pedagogical pitfalls that arose and how to avoid them)
  4. I have included examples of young students' work (writing, art, quotes, photos of students in action)
  5. Other teachers could use these ideas and methods (Can this lesson or activity be applied to other classrooms, in other states, with a low budget, and with a reasonable commitment of time and materials?)
  6. There is a clear assessment of student learning. (How is student learning measured at end of the lesson? Are discussion questions or test questions included?)
  7. I have linked the subject matter in my paper to state and national content standards and to the required curriculum of my school for this grade level.
  8. I have avoided using the passive voice.
    Right: The teacher corrects and grades the papers. Wrong: Papers are corrected and graded by the teacher.
  9. I follow the the Chicago style handbook for notes, and do not use Endnote or Reference Manager programs.
  10. My notes follow this style-
    BOOKS: Alfie Kohn, What to Look For in a Classroom (San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass, 1998), 45.
    ARTICLES: Bruce E. Larson, "The Makah: Exploring Public Issues During a Structured Classroom Discussion,"
    Social Studies and the Young Learner 10, no. 1 (September/October 1997): 10-13.
    WEBSITES: "Creating the United States," (Library of Congress), myloc.gov/exhibitions/creatingtheus.
  11. When citing online resources, I recommend specific, student-friendly websites, avoiding Wikipedia and Google.
  12. I kept my reading audience in mind. (Will classroom teachers, who are the primary audience of SSYL, eagerly read this from start to finish? Will they find it useful to their actual practice?)

Proofreading?
Ask a colleague to read your paper and check it for grammar, organization, and writing style.

Who, When, and How?
Be sure to follow the basic advice found at the “Guide” tab to Social Studies and the Young Learner when you format text, type references, shoot photographs, write a cover letter, and submit your manuscript.

Other Questions?
Feel free to contact me at ssyl@missouri.edu if you have any further questions. Thank you for your time, effort, and expertise. —Linda Bennett, Editor

Archive

Conference Archives provide handouts and other materials given out at recent sessons on "best practices in the elementary grades" at NCSS Annual Conferences. (For journal back issues, click the Publications Archive link at right.)

2009 NCSS Annual Conference

Count Me IN! Census and Economic Sustainability
Linda Bennett, University of Missouri

Classroom Practices and Applications
Paul Nagel, Northwestern State University

It's about Us: 2010 Census in Schools [powerpoint]
Patricia Dillon Watson, Census in Schools, U.S. Census Bureau

Federal Resources for the Classroom [powerpoint]
Mary C. Suiter, Ph.D.
St. Louis Federal Reserve

2008 NCSS Annual Conference Best Practice in Elementary Geography

Welcome to the Digital Classroom [URL]
Linda Bennett, Barbara Jamison & Michelle Nebel

Google Earth: A Virtual Globe for Elementary Geography [pdf]
Google Earth [powerpoint]
Judy Gritt and Gus La Fontaine

PBS Presentation [powerpoint]
Marnie Lewis

2007 NCSS Annual Conference Best Practice in Elementary Geography

The World in Spatial Terms: Mapmaking and Map Reading
Gale Ekiss & Judy Philips

Using “The Great Mail Race” to Learn About Communities (PowerPoint)
Shelli Jukel, Jill Strong, & Janna Hannon

Developmentally Appropriate Geography (PowerPoint)
Kay Gandy

Le Vieux Carre: A Marketplace Approach to the Standards (PowerPoint)
Craig Howat

A is for Aerial Maps and Art (PowerPoint)
Larry Littrell & Reese H. Todd

2006 NCSS Annual Conference Best Practice in Elementary Social Studies

Best Practice in Elementary Social Studies from the SSYL Editorial Board
(PowerPoint includes Groce & Knighton’s presentations)

Authenticating Historical Fiction: Rationale & Process—Eric Groce

Supporting Struggling Learners in Social Studies—Barb Knighton
Mrs. Knighton’s Classroom Goals (Word Document)
Community Building (Word Document)
Co-Constructing (Word Document)
Traditional Social Studies Programs—Expanding Communities Sequence (Word Document)

Project Hometown—Ginger Smit
Project Hometown (PowerPoint)
Project Hometown Flyer (PDF)

What Makes an Effective S.S. Program Tick?—Kimberly Pearre (PowerPoint)

Editorial Board

Linda Bennett, Editor, University of Missouri-Columbia, MO

Charlee Passig Archuleta, Will Rogers Elementary School, Colorado Springs, CO

Ann Claunch, National History Day, DC

Mary Fortney, Children's Museum of Indianapolis, IN

Jesus Garcia, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, NV

Elizabeth R. Hinde, Arizona State University, AZ

Chrystal S. Johnson, Purdue University, IN

Tim Keiper, Western Washington University, WA

Paul Nagel, Northwestern State University, LA

Kim D. O'Neil, Liverpool Elementary School, NY

Patricia D. Watson, Educational Consultant, Census in Schools, DC