Teacher Studies Weekly Social Studies curriculum

What Makes a Good Social Studies Curriculum?

Feb. 2, 2022 • Studies Weekly

A lot has changed over the past two years. But you know what hasn’t? Your desire to give students the best social studies education possible.

Offering children an exceptional social studies learning experience gives you a sense of pride and makes your job more meaningful. We know that before you purchase a curriculum, you want to know you are choosing the best option available.

Here are nine ways Studies Weekly offers an engaging and impactful elementary social studies curriculum to empower children with the skills they need to succeed in school and in life.

Studies Weekly online

Print and Online Editions

Digital learning platforms have become essential as schools switch back and forth between in-class and online instruction. Every Studies Weekly Social Studies publication is available in print and online so students and teachers can smoothly transition to remote learning when necessary. All digital publications have the same articles, images, and illustrations so students feel comfortable using the platform.

But Studies Weekly Online isn’t just for distance learning. Teachers can take advantage of the many videos, audio recordings, and other multimedia resources to engage students in the classroom. To make learning extra fun, Studies Weekly Online uses a reward system where students can earn coins by completing assessments and playing educational games.

Teachers can also utilize tutorial videos available on the platform for professional development.

Studies Weekly print and online materials also allow teachers to cater to students’ preferred learning styles. Students who do better with print editions can highlight, cut, and write on the publications, while students who prefer working online can also highlight articles and save notes on their student accounts.

Studies Weekly Civil Rights

Primary Sources

It is one thing to learn about the Civil Rights Movement; it’s another thing to listen to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech or see photos of the March on Washington. Primary sources spark children’s interest, engage them on an emotional level, and help them understand the significance behind what they’re learning.

Studies Weekly has over 100,000 photographs, maps, documents, video, and audio sources to support content and help students draw connections between people and events. Instead of reading summaries, students engage in deep learning by analyzing and synthesizing multiple sources.

These primary sources are available in print and online so teachers can always use them to enhance their social studies instruction.

Standards Alignment

Educators who use Studies Weekly have the satisfaction of knowing they are meeting academic requirements. Each grade level aligns with your state’s social studies standards and teaches history through different cultural lenses so students grow to appreciate all the people and cultures that make their state great.

Children learning social studies

Covering Domains in an Integrated Way

Studies Weekly introduces students to the five components of social studies – history, economics, civics, geography, and government – with important concepts and vocabulary. But while other programs may teach each one separately, Studies Weekly integrates these domains so children understand how geography affects a region’s economics, history affects governments, and governments affect civics.

ELA Support

Your students will be better prepared for state testing, thanks to Studies Weekly’s ELA integration. Publications include expository, chronological, narrative, and argumentative articles to familiarize children with these text structures.

Each unit also has vocabulary words, which are bolded in the text so students can easily see how they relate to the lesson topic.

Combining ELA and social studies also helps children become good citizens by preparing them for civic engagement. As students improve their reading, writing, and speaking skills, they can influence others and make a positive difference in their communities.

Students Voting

Relevant to Students

Children become more engaged when they can connect what they learn to their lives, said Beth Pandolpho in her 2021 Edutopia article. Sara Bernard from Edutopia added that children remember things they find emotionally relevant far better than things they don’t. That’s why Studies Weekly makes abstract concepts relevant through historical figures and their stories, familiar geographic regions, and age-appropriate economics. It also moves from federal to local civics to show how the government affects students’ daily lives.

In addition, the Teacher Edition gives educators tips and strategies on how to make the content relevant to all students.

Flexibility

Because each group of children is unique, teachers need the flexibility to meet students’ needs. Studies Weekly Social Studies curriculum fits into any schedule and any learning environment. The article-specific lesson plans make it easy to adjust for shorter or longer blocks of time. And with ELA integration, teachers can use Studies Weekly during a social studies block, ELA block, or even for transition-time learning opportunities.

On Studies Weekly Online, teachers can customize assessments and rearrange units based on students’ needs.

Student Well-Being Integration

The pandemic has had a traumatic effect on students these last couple of years, New York Times reporter David Leonhardt said in a January 2022 article. To support student health, Studies Weekly connects social studies principles to children’s lives in a way that fosters collaboration, emotional intelligence, and self-management.

Conclusion

One of the most important decisions is which materials you’ll choose to give children a quality education and foster an inclusive learning environment. Studies Weekly Social Studies curriculum can help you provide students with an unforgettable learning experience.

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