The document discusses the importance of teaching social studies through the lens of social justice and citizenship. It advocates for using service learning projects to help students develop empathy, engage civically in their community, and make connections between course content and real-world issues. Examples are provided of how teachers can integrate social justice topics, citizenship, and service learning into their social studies curriculum.

1. Teaching social studies
social justice
and the importance
of SERVICE LEARNING

2. Why teach social studies?
• What is the goal of social studies?
• What statement do I have on each ppt so far?

3. Citizenship!!!
• Local
• National
• Global
• What does this mean?

4. From reading on increasing citizenship and
what you are doing with current events
• “The means by which citizens can influence the
decisions and actions of their government”
• These are:
– Read about public issues
– Discuss public issues
– Communicate with public officials
– Vote
– Take an active role in interests groups, political
parties, and organizations
– Attend meetings of governing agencies, work in
campaigns, circulate petitions, take part if peaceful
demonstrations, and contribute to parties, candidates
and causes.

5. QUOTE FROM READING
• “the real rest of a social studies program comes in
the out of school lives of children”
• ONE WAY TO BRIDGE CITIZENSHIP LEARNING IN
SCHOOL WITH CITIZENSHIP EXPERIENCES IN THE
COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD IS THROUGH
COMMUNITY SERVICE EXAMPLES.
• Examples: dirty park
– SOCIAL- volunteer to help clean up
– POLITICAL-if they want to help people enforce
stronger clean up rules…

6. Social justice!
• What is it?
• Social justice topics permeate our daily lives
• refers to the idea of creating a society or
institution that is based on the principles of
equality and solidarity, that understands and
values human rights, and that recognizes the
dignity of every human being.

7. EXAMPLE OF social justice
• Human rights
• Hunger
• Sexual orientation
• Peace
• Food availability and safety
• Water safety
• Diversity
• Health care
• racism, poverty, ageism, immigration policy,
sexism, civil rights, mental health activism,
homelessness, labor law, environmentalism and
environmental justice, and so on.

8. Questions new teachers ask
• Where is there time for us to explore urgent
social matters?
• Will I get into trouble by administrators or
parents?
• Am I forcing my political ideals on my
students?
• What if I lose my job in this market?
• Is such talk even appropriate with little
children?

9. Video of first grade class
• http://socialjusticeteaching.tumblr.com/

10. SHOULD YOU TEACH SOCIAL JUSTICE
• Even before entering their first classrooms,
teachers who care about social justice seem
shaken.
• Not surprising since in some communities raising
issues about social justice results in labeling the
speaker as “anti-American” and “anti-freedom”
• when in actuality, THE STRUGGLE FOR SOCIAL
JUSTICE IS CENTRAL TO OUR NATION’S HISTORY.

12. Critical to think about and consider:
• Struggle for social justice is central to our nation’s
history…
• “Concerns about the common good and the
rights of the individual, no matter how
humble in social standing, transcends politics
and holds a definitive place in the realms of
morality, ethics and federal law, and
therefore in the world of teaching social
studies”
• YOU AS AN EDUCATOR NEED TO DECIDE FOR
YOURSELF WHAT EDUCATION IS ALL ABOUT
• DO YOU BELIEVE THAT EDUCATION IS AN
INSTRUMENT FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD?

13. Dyad discussion
• Where do you stand in your own teaching/
educational philosophy as far as teaching
social justice.
• Is education an instrument for the common
good, among other things?
• Write on sheet as part of exit card today.

14. Things to think about and question
1. How do teachers promote issues of social justice while also promoting a balanced
perspective?
2. Can and should you keep your own moral/ethical/religious values from influencing the
goal of knowledge creation?
3. Does taking a position on social issues help or hinder the ultimate goal of knowledge
facilitation in the community? How does the perception of a “teacher as activist” change
how a community might view his or her work?
5. Is it our job to see both sides of a debate and represent each equally? What does it
mean to represent a fair and balanced perspective on an issue?

15. Service learning
• What is it?
• What makes it different from volunteer work
and community service?

16. Service learning
• 1) the service activity is part of the curriculum
and helps students acquire social studies
content and civic values.
• 2) requires reflection…
• ENHANCES CITIZENSHIP

17. MEET FOUR CRITERIA- (from reading)
1. The activity provides opportunities for both students
and representatives from other agencies (the partner
or contact)
2. The activity incudes both meaningful service and the
opportunity to learn social studies content
3. The activity requires students to reflect on their
service experience and the connections between the
experience and democratic values
4. The activity should focus on how to create a better
society rather than simply providing charity that
perpetuates status quo

18. Research shows
• Participants in service learning can show
increases in:
– self esteem,
–social responsibility,
–Identity development and
–concern of others.

19. Hierarchy of service learning
• 1.service projects in schools and classrooms
– Planting trees, raising money for computers, clean
campus
• 2.Service projects on the community
– Cooperation with out of school agencies, collecting
food or books for victims, converting a vacant lot into
a park…
• 3. Individual service projects
• WHICH KIND ARE YOU THINKING OF FOR YOUR
CURRENT EVENT GROUP?

20. examples

21. INTEGRATE THE CURRICULUM
• How could the saving the creek integrated
throughout the curriculum?
• Math:
• Science:
• Language Arts:
• Social Studies:

22. Show example of Book Collection for
Haiti (hand out of service learning
sheet)
• Service learning projects should start from
students.
• Student voice:
– SHOULD START FROM THE STUDENTS, LIKE YOU
GUYS PICKED YOUR TOPIC BASED ON YOUR
INTERESTS
• After watching a video about the 2012 earthquake, the
students came up with idea of collecting books for
school children in Haiti.

23. INTEGRATED LEARNING
• Social studies: Researched the country, the geography,
the human geography, the culture, the people.
• Language Arts:
– Wrote letters to children to be sent with the books.
(include creole in their writing- social studies)
– Read books on Haiti, both fiction and non-fiction
• Math:
– counting books, calculating cost of shipping, fundraising
for books and funding of shipping.
• Science:
– study GEOLOGY earthquakes and what causes them. Will
Haiti have more earthquakes hit them. Human’s need for
water and why there is no water during catastrophe.

24. HIGH QUALITY SERVICE
• It responds to a real need in Haiti.
• The students develop empathy and
compassion for other cultures and people and
understand how people live under severe
duress.
• NOTE: http://kids.adra.org/ (A KIDS IN
ACTION WEBSITE!)

25. CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY
• By donating books, students will be caring for
the world community and sharing in the
process of giving and donating

26. collaboration
• The children with the help of the teachers,
made contact with a “community partner”
and the community partner told them of their
needs, and the children developed the project
on this.

27. REFLECTION
• They will journal throughout on the topic, the
content, and what they are doing.
• They will ultimately reflect on how this relates
to democratic ideals.

28. evaluation
• They will contact the community partner to
make sure that the books went to good use,
and ask for picture of the books and the
children.

29. Use articles
• Read article in group.
• Highlight what they did
• Fill out the service learning sheet and make up
how if it were your class, how the students
created this desire to do this project, (student
voice)
• Extend it to meet all the content areas.
• Make up how they worked with community
partners to do their project…
• Be ready to present.