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.

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, which is summarized at www.socialstudies.org/standards/curriculum.
I have used inquiry methods when appropriate (see https://www.socialstudies.org/c3).
3. 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?)
4. 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?)
5. 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.
6. I have avoided using the passive voice.
   Right: The teacher corrects and grades the papers. Wrong: Papers are corrected and graded by the teacher.
7. I follow either APA style or the Chicago style handbook for notes, and do not use Endnote or Reference Manager programs.
8. Here is an example of the editors' preferred 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.
9. When citing online resources, I recommend specific, student-friendly websites on the topic under study, avoiding statements like, "Have students check Wikipedia," or "Just Google it."
10. 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?)
11. Optional: I have included examples of classroom experience (what students said, how they responded, and pedagogical pitfalls that arose and how to avoid them)
12. Optional: I have included examples of young students’ work (writing, art, quotes, photos of students in action)

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 “Guidelines” tab to Social Studies and the Young Learner when you format text, type references, shoot photographs, write a cover letter, and submit your manuscript online.

Other Questions?

Please feel free to contact Editor Scott Waring (University of Central Florida), at Scott.Waring@ucf.edu.