Teaching Young Children Social Studies - Hardcover

"The Teaching Young Children series draws from child development principles to advise teachers in the creation of curricula that take advantage of each learner's own experience to teach big concepts. In this volume, Mindes discusses theory and practices for teaching social studies (history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, psychology, geography, political science) to young children in an increasingly globalizing society. She discusses the opportunity offered by these disciplines for exploring personal ethics and teaching the notion of world citizenship. She addresses the mandates of No Child Left Behind and similar programs, the role of culture in social learning, using and teaching multimedia, the Anti-Bias Curriculum, and the importance of multicultural perspectives. Activities and review questions to aid reader understanding are included." - Reference & Research Book News

By linking theory to practice with an emphasis on national and state standards, Head Start Performance Standards, No Child Left Behind, and IDEA, the authors coherently combine principles of child development and social studies content to create a solid program for preschool through grade three. The authors maintain the overriding idea throughout the Teaching Young Children series-that strategies derived from knowledge of child development are used to teach content knowledge. It is this concern that makes this volume an excellent resource for teachers and parents. In addition to specific discussions of how to build and conduct a social studies curriculum, the work includes vignettes of teachers and children in the classroom; graphics illustrating concepts and methods; and matrices, charts and tables to enhance understanding. The authors effectively intertwine social learning in young children and development of self-concept with the theme-based curriculum of the National Council for Social Studies, the principles of multicultural education, parent collaboration to support learning, and creating connections between classroom and community.