We learned about what powerful social studies instruction entails According to the NCSS social studies is most powerful when it is: Meaningful – Students are motivated by appreciation and interest as opposed to accountability and grades Integrative – Cross disciplinary boundaries, students acquire information from multiple sources Challenging – Everyone likes to be challenged, including students. Remember special needs, ESL, and Gifted students as well Value-based – Acknowledgement of opposing viewpoints, social responsibility Active – Adjustments are made to account for both teacher and students needs. Requires effort from both teacher and students

Social Studies instruction supports citizenship education Elements of Effective Citizenship According to NCSS 1. Transmission of cultural heritage Knowledge and values for making decisions 2. Social Science Use social science concepts to build a knowledge base 3. Reflective Inquiry What citizens need to know to make informed decisions and solve problems 4. Informed Social Criticism Examine, critique, and revise past traditions 5. Personal Development Develop a strong positive self-concept and sense of efficacy

lesson plan is like an agenda for you, it keeps you focus on the topic you want to teach. it helps you see the whole picture of the curriculum and this happens because your lesson plan makes a connection between the previous lesson as well as the future one. Writing a lesson plan makes you feel comfortable with the class management because you know exactly what you want to teach, when and how.

Big Picture / Rationale Where today's material fits into a larger theme you are developing. How the lesson fits into the social studies standards. How it builds on yesterday and foreshadows tomorrow... Outcomes / Objectives What you want students to be able to do as a result of the lesson-- use action verbs for this. What skills do you want them to improve? What terms and event to understand? Why?

Opening Activity Something to get class started when the bell rings (or before). Think about activity to get students attention, you may review the main points of the last class. You may explain the class agenda Activities What will happen throughout the lesson. What is your teaching strategy? How are you planning to use different resources in the class? How are you planning to connect the class topic to students’ lives?

Examples / Questions Examples you will use during your demonstrations or explanations. How do you plan to summarize the class topic? Questions you will use to generate thoughtful discussions or for assessment of students' understanding. Management Special concerns about classroom organization and management. How long it takes to complete each activity, Expectations for student behavior, transitions between activities, students' roles in activities, etc. Duration of lesson components or when each part will start. It is very recommended if you start the lesson with a short review of what was taught in the last class. Moreover, it is usually important to give a short summary of the lesson at the end of it.

Adaptations How will you adapt the lesson, instruction, activities, and materials for special needs, ELL, or other students? for example you may arrange that special education students work in pairs with others students and so on. Materials / Supplies What you need to carry out activities. For example, are you going to use the class board or deliver handouts or you might want to use the computer.

Assessments Formal and informal checks you build into the lesson to gauge how things are developing inside the students' heads. At least every 20 minutes, better yet, every minutes. Plan the thought-provoking questions you are going to ask - the best ones do not reliably come “in the moment” during class. Closing Activity Bring closure and point to tomorrow. Time for homework According to lot of researches homework helps the student to review the subject material and to understand it as well.

Gradual Release of Responsibility I Do… (Introducing New Material) We Do… (Guided Practice) You Do (Independent Practice) 5 E’s Structure Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate

Do you think that the lesson plan need to be the same for all classes you teach?/ different classes in the same level? What are the advantages and the disadvantages? Do you think you need to have lesson plan B”. Why? What happens if you do not succeed to complete teaching all the topics, activities in one lesson ?