6th Edition
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies
Essentials of Elementary Social Studies is a teacher friendly text that provides comprehensive treatment of classroom planning, instruction, and strategies. Praised for its dynamic approaches and a writing style that is conversational, personal, and professional, this text enables and encourages teachers to effectively teach elementary social studies using creative and active learning strategies.
This sixth edition has been refined with new and relevant topics and strategies needed for effectively teaching elementary social studies. A few of new features include:
- An expanded chapter on the decision-making process in elementary social studies. This chapter provides additional discussion about the importance of helping young learners better understand the decision-making process and offers strategies for helping teachers make connections between choices, values, character development, and social justice.
- An updated chapter on technology designed to better prepare elementary teachers to effectively incorporate technology into social studies instruction. Attention is given to virtual teaching and learning, media literacy, teaching with film, and numerous other ways to improve teaching and learning in the digital age.
- Updated further readings and helpful resources for all chapters to include supplemental digital and video sources related to various topics throughout the chapter.
- New "Checking for Understanding" section at the end of each chapter that focuses on comprehension, application, and reflection on key concepts throughout the chapters.
- An updated chapter on lesson plans, in keeping with the book’s emphasis on planning and teaching. This chapter is designed to provide elementary social studies teachers with new classroom-tested lesson plans and includes two classroom-tested lessons for each grade level (K–6).
1 Contemporary Elementary Social Studies; 2 Social Studies Curriculum; 3 Decision Making in Social Studies; 4 Planning Social Studies Instruction; 5 Assessment and Evaluation; 6 Reading and Writing in Social Studies; 7 Social Studies and Diverse Learners; 8 Social Studies and the Acquisition of Skills; 9 Critical Thinking and Problem Solving; 10 Experiencing Social Studies; 11 Technology and Media in Social Studies; 12 Lesson Plans for Elementary Social Studies
Biography
William B. Russell III is Professor of Social Science Education at the University of Central Florida, Orlando.
Stewart Waters is Associate Professor of Social Science Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
"Essentials of Elementary Social Studies 6th Edition offers a fresh and contemporary collection of research-based strategies, topics, resources, instructional technologies, and theory-to-practice connections… all of which are needed and wanted by elementary educators. The energetic and conversational style invites interaction. Russell and Waters successfully capture current thinking, content, and skills vital for empowering children in their journeys to understand and participate as active citizens in the world."
Janie Hubbard, Associate Professor of Elementary Social Studies Education, The University of Alabama, USA
"Essentials of Elementary Social Studies 6th Edition is a thorough and thoughtful introduction to the practice of teaching elementary social studies. As a true methods book, Russell and Waters focus on an array of approaches to teaching elementary social studies that would be beneficial to both beginning and experienced educators. For anyone interested in a book that is built around the practical aspects of elementary social studies, this book is a must read."
Bonnie Bittman, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, The University of Hawaii, USA
"Russell and Waters have written a very teacher friendly text that offers practical and engaging strategies for elementary classrooms. The text includes useful lesson plans as well as innovative and diverse teaching ideas that are sure to be helpful for any current or future elementary social studies teacher. Additionally, the authors provide activities for each chapter that can be utilized in elementary social studies methods courses for teacher preparation programs. Essentials of Elementary Social Studies 6th Edition is well organized, easy to read, and is certain to be a useful resource for anyone interested in methods for teaching elementary social studies."
Irenea Walker, Assistant Professor of Elementary Education, The University of Northern Iowa, USA
