SSE 4112 - Social Studies Content in the Elementary Classroom

College of Education

Credit(s): 3
Contact Hours: 47
Effective Term Fall 2024 (640)

Requisites

Admission to Elementary Education (K-6) with Infused ESOL & Reading Endorsements (Bachelor of Science) (ELEDR-BS)

Course Description

This course is designed to focus on and increase the content knowledge of Social Studies for future elementary educators. The students will explore the themes of Social Studies by: 1) utilizing primary and secondary sources to examine key historical events that are related by cause and effect; 2) analyzing the impact of the World Wars and Globalization on the United States; 3) researching various world cultural/technological contributions to the United States; 4) interpreting maps, statistics, and digital technology for physical and human systems in geography; 5) summarizing the structure, function and practices of the American Government and 6) synthesizing allocation of resources for economic conditions. Lectures, discussions, and extensive technology integration, constitute different course activities that are aligned with the Florida Elementary Education K-6 Social Studies competencies and the National Standards for Social Studies. This course is reading and writing intensive.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

  1. The student will interpret the standards, objectives, subject matter, and materials of elementary social studies instruction by:
    1. identifying the disciplines that contribute to Social Studies
    2. examining the scope and sequence of Florida Social Studies Standards
    3. developing interdisciplinary connections between content areas taught in grades K-5
  2. The student will analyze the relationships between human populations and the physical world by:
    1. applying the six elements of geography
    2. interpreting maps and other graphic representations of physical and human systems
    3. identifying reasons for human migration across the world
    4. examining the changes in the relationship between peoples, places, and environments
  3. The student will compare how people organize the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services by:
    1. explaining how scarcity necessitates economic decision making
    2. reviewing the role of markets from production through distribution to consumption
    3. determining factors to consider when making consumer decisions
    4. explaining how trade leads to increasing economic interdependence among nations
  4. The student will evaluate change and continuity over time through application of historical thinking skills by:
    1. classifying series of historical events and developments as examples of change and/or continuity
    2. describing how people’s perspectives shaped the historical sources they created
    3. analyzing examples of primary and secondary sources for historical perspective
    4. integrating evidence from multiple historical sources into a reasoned argument about the past
  5. The student will analyze the purposes, principles and practices of the American Government as established by the Constitution by:
    1. discussing core civic virtues and democratic principles that guide government, society, and communities
    2. assessing the impact of laws and landmark court cases as means of addressing public problems
    3. differentiating the ways the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the government share power and responsibility
    4. comparing the rights and responsibilities of a citizen in the world, nation, state, and community

Criteria Performance Standard

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will, with a minimum of 75% accuracy, demonstrate mastery of each of the above stated objectives through classroom measures developed by individual course instructors.

History of Changes

C&I Approval: 11/20/2015, BOT Approval: 03/15/2016, Effective Term: Fall 2016 (520).
C&I Approval: 02/17/2024, BOT Approval: 03/19/2024, Effective Term: Fall 2024 (640)

Related Programs

  1. Elementary Education (K-6) with Infused ESOL & Reading Endorsements (ELEDR-BS) (660) (Active)
  2. Elementary Education (K-6) with Reading Endorsement Apprenticeship (ELEDRA-BS) (660) (Active)