Curriculum Audit
Introduction
The following is a curriculum audit of six grade social studies at Rockmart Middle School. Also, to recommend changes to the six grade social studies curriculum with a textbook program, this will ensure that Polk School District has a differentiated rigorous curriculum which challenges all students to reach their full potential while in the six grade. Rockmart Social Studies students at the middle school level develop an increased depth of understanding of global society by expanding their learning networks through collaboration with experts and other students from our local and worldwide communities. At the same time, their understanding of the fundamental principles and values of American democracy
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Rockmart Middle has a student population of 714 students and 238 of those students are six graders. I currently teach 137 of those six grade students. Rockmart Middle School is a Title I school with every student receives a free breakfast and lunch. Six graders are not tested on social studies on the Georgia Milestones, that is reserved for 8th graders. Polk School District has 1 college and career academy, 2 high schools, 2 middle schools and 6 elementary schools. Throughout Polk School District it provides an excellent educational program for all students to be successful and graduate. The district implements the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) for English Language Arts and Mathematics, as well as the Georgia Performance Standards Science, Social Studies, CTAE, electives, and connection classes. These standards are the basis of the curriculum that will be implemented throughout district. The standards and frameworks for each specific core content area and grade level can be found by clicking on the appropriate section of the chart below. Instruction throughout all grade levels and schools is supported and developed through the access and use of the following traditional and digital resources: GSE/GPS standards, Classworks, iTunes U, Edugenuity, Georgia Virtual Schools Resources, Lesson Planet, myON Reader, Study Island, USA Test Prep, and other research-based programs. …show more content…
Understanding of these themes is not the end product of a single unit or lesson, but the product of long term, ongoing instruction. The bold terms represent the connecting themes that appear in multiple units throughout the course. Following the term is an enduring understanding that gives focus to the theme and, in parentheses, the grades or courses where they appear. Enduring understandings transcend specific units and courses and increase student understanding and retention of knowledge. (Georgia Standard of Excellence in Social
Murray, O. (2011, January). A Call for K-12 Schools to Invest in Social Justice Education. The Education Digest, 76(5), 60-64.
Mifflin, Houghton. (2008). “Communities: Social Studies Curriculum, California Edition.” Series: Houghton Mifflin Publishers: Liberty Edition.
What should the student's understand about the text's major themes? How was the theme conveyed throughout the text?
'Making cognitive connections, within subjects and between subjects...' ( Piaget 1977, Cockburn and Haylock 2008,Rose 2009) is an aspect of cross-curricular learning. Generally speaking, cross-curricular learning is when skills, knowledge and attitudes of a number of disciplines which are applied to a single experience, problem, question, theme or idea. In simple terms, it's also known as a thematic approach. From this point, I'd be exploring the reasons why a thematic approach should be adopted in the classroom and this approach could deliver the four core subjects in the National Curriculum in Key Stage 1. On top of that I'd be exploring the issues raised of adopting a cross-curricular approach and the implications of using a theme-based unit of integrating various subjects within a theme.
The relevance to the dimension of quality is that it is possible to identify the features of courses that foster a surface or deep approach (Entwistle, 2000). In addition, learning is argued as an activity that combines the aspects of ‘what’ and ‘how’ and, most importantly, how the two aspects are integrated during the learning process. The ‘what’ aspect concerns the activity of learning, and the ‘how’ aspect concerns the structure of a learning task (how learning is done). How the two aspects are merged inform whether students employ a deep approach or a surface approach to learning (Ramsden, 2003). Thus, if learning is focused on the content, e.g. when a text in itself is the object of learning, and the learning task is approached by organizing it into smaller separate parts, a surface approach to learning is adopted. By contrast, if learning is focused on the content, extraction of meaning is the object of learning, and the learning task is approached or managed as a whole, a deep approach to learning is
The desegregation of public facilities began with the decision of Brown vs Board of Education in 1954, where the Supreme Court of the United States deemed segregation unlawful and unconstitutional. The country was told that desegregation was to take place "with all deliberate speed". This angered the white community. Violent retaliation was the means used to prevent the integration of blacks into various public facilities. In fact, the Autherine Lucy case demonstrated to the entire country that violent mobs could halt integration demanded by a federal court order. However, three years later, the Little Rock Crisis would affirm that if provoked by mobs, the executive branch of the US government would impose by force a federal court order.
Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. 10th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008.622-626. Print.
What is the most important concept that you learned in this class? Write this for a reader who is unfamiliar with the concept.
Develop an argument on or some ideas of understanding about curriculum as multicultural text by relating the works of Darling-Hammond, French, & Garcia-Lopez, Delpit, Duarte & Smith, Greene, Nieto and Sletter to your experience of curriculum, teaching, and learning as affirming diversity. You could think specifically about the following questions: Is there a need for diversity in curriculum studies and designs? Why? What measures do you think will be effective in incorporating such a need into curriculum studies and designs? What is the relevance of diversity to your career goal, to education in your family, community, and school, to education in Georgia, and to education in general? In which way can you develop a curriculum which helps cultivate empathy, compassion, passion, and hope for citizens of the world, and which fosters social justice?
This report goes into detail about the reasons social studies is a core subject in the New Zealand curriculum, how social studies has a unique role in preparing children to be active and critical participants in a changing society, defines and explains what ‘powerful social studies’ is and lastly it will explain what qualities are required of a successful Social Studies teacher. For the purpose of this report “social studies is the systematic study of an integrated body of content from the social sciences and humanities to develop socially informed and effective citizens who are empowered with knowledge and skills in a changing society” (Barr, H., Graham, J., Hunter, P., Keown, P., & McGee, J. 1997, p. 5).
The learning environment connects the classroom to the community through a democratic approach. This community based learning brings the world into the classroom so students can implement social change and challenge social inequalities. The curriculum focuses on student experience and taking social action on real problems such as hunger, violence, and discrimination. It is important to instruct students to explore in group settings so they can work together to analyze and develop theories that can help each other and make a real different in the world. As a future educator, it is important to not only to teach my students the issues in our world, but how we can work together to find
Teacher Interview summary: I had the pleasure of interviewing the 3rd grade social studies teacher Mr. Columbie. As I observed Mr. Columbie on a weekly basis, I would constantly ask him questions on how he taught social studies in his classroom and what strategies he uses. Mr. Columbie informed me that he teaches social studies in his classroom once a week, but now that the students are preparing for the FSA test he has not been teaching social studies. He explained that the schools main focus is that every teacher is teaching and building students math and reading skills. He also explained to me that he can get in trouble with the principle if he were to teach a full social studies lesson in his classroom. He told me that for social studies he is giving his students reading passages and the students are answering comprehension questions at the end of the reading.
A curriculum is a compilation of study materials that are used at all grade levels, classroom and homework assignments and a set of teacher guides. It could also include a list of prescribed methodology and guidelines of teaching and some material for the parents etc. It is generally determined by an external governing body. However, there are some cases where it may be developed by the schools and teachers themselves.
Students need to understand the essence of what is being said to them or presented to them during instructional periods. For students to understand what is being said to them, teachers should use graphic organizers to help students understand what is being taught to them. Teachers can also present applicable background information and content about what they are teaching. Teachers can also present information that brings the ELLs’ cultures and experiences into the curriculum and vocabulary;...
In this course I experienced an important change in my beliefs about teaching; I came to understand that there are many different theories and methods that can be tailored to suit the teacher and the needs of the student. The readings, especially those from Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2011), Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., & Le Cornu, R. (2007), and Whitton, D., Barker, K., Nosworthy, M., Sinclair, C., Nanlohy, P. (2010), have helped me to understand this in particular. In composing my essay about teaching methods and other themes, my learning was solidified, my knowledge deepened by my research and my writing skills honed.