Deck 4: What Social Studies Planning Tools Are Available

Question 1

Ideally, every unit that you develop should

A)stand alone and focus on what students are most curious about in their everyday lives.
B)emphasize the content and skills laid out in the textbook and provide for lots of repetition.
C)build on the preceding ones so there is a continuous revisiting and applying of big ideas.
D)emphasize the content and skills laid out in the pacing guide and promote literacy where appropriate.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The authors of Powerful Social Studies advocate

A)following a pacing guide to ensure that minimal standards are met.
B)using the textbook as the single source because it addresses a full range of instructional situations.
C)assessing large groups, small groups, and individuals using a host of tools.
D)assigning home activities only for upper-grade students.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

NCSS states that the aim of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed decisions for the public good as ​

A)students of tomorrow's global classrooms in a dependent world.
B)successful workers in an ever-changing society.
C)American citizens in a culturally rich environment and dependent world.
D)citizens of a culturally diverse democratic society in an interdependent world.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

If you use "backward" planning, you should first determine the activities that will help students master the goals.

Question 5

One of the advantages of long-range planning is the ability to use student test data in diagnostic ways.

Question 6

In order to guarantee high test scores for all students, teachers need to follow all content standards and use the pacing guides and textbooks as directed by the principal and curriculum committee.

Question 7

Frequently, teachers lose sight of their instructional goals because

A)their students grow and change, and lose interest in topics.
B)school districts provide a host of new resources and instructional activities.
C)they become focused on content coverage and learning opportunities.
D)professional development time is increased and planning time is decreased.

Question 8

In a carefully designed social studies program you should try to avoid unanticipated learning opportunities that surface during instructional interactions.

Question 9

Research on learning tasks suggests that activities and assignments should be repetitious, interesting enough to motivate student engagement, and easy enough for all students to achieve high rates of success if they invest reasonable time and effort.

Question 10

Most technology-based lesson plans are

A)appropriate because they have documented sources.
B)good for all abilities and learning styles.
C)aligned with multiple content areas.
D)resources that need to be tailored to individual classes.

Question 11

Today, with increased pressure on standardized testing, there is a debate about whether  planning for instruction should be the responsibility of the ​

A)school district and the professionalism of the teacher.
B)national professional and parent teacher associations.
C)community leaders and educational stakeholders.
D)universities and the professionalism of teachers

Question 12

Research indicates that networks of connected knowledge structured around powerful ideas can be acquired with understanding and retained in forms that make them accessible for application.

Question 13

Curriculum alignment means adjusting the various components such as results, assessment, and instruction to fit together.

Question 14

Teachers who use textbooks successfully typically concentrate on starting with

A)their desired results for student learning, understanding, appreciating, and applying.
B)their vision engendering a sense of curiosity among the students.
C)their desired daily objectives for student learning, understanding, appreciating, and applying.
D)their assessment of the final lesson within the unit and then moving backward.

Question 15

The NCSS (2010)publication, National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies Teachers: A Framework for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment is intended to serve as a script for long- and short-term social studies planning.

Question 16

When planning, remember wise integration demands

A)selecting literature that connects to the topic under study.
B)selecting new literacy skills that match the social studies topics.
C)ensuring that the activities match the social studies goals.
D)finding fanciful children's literature that will hold students' interest.

Question 17

Typically, state social studies standards are

A)general in nature and align to quarterly assessments.
B)a more detailed version of the National Social Studies Standards.
C)detailed and provide accommodations for special needs' students.
D)detailed and carefully integrated with the literacy core.

Question 18

Goals are most likely attained when all the curricular components are

A)planned at the beginning of the year.
B)aligned with states and national standards
C)integrated across two or more subject areas.
D)aligned to help students accomplish them.

Question 19

Powerful planning begins with developing hands-on/minds-on instructional activities.

Question 20

The backgrounds and cultures of students in your classroom are not simply ethnic additives, but contributors to everyone's learning.

Question 21

Imagine you have been asked to conduct a workshop for your peers focusing on social studies planning. Prepare a two-paragraph description of what you will include in the sessions.

Question 22

Imagine standardized testing gets lots of hype in your school. How will you prepare your students for standardized testing without letting test-preparation dominate your teaching?

Question 23

Imagine the elementary principal is going to observe you in an attempt to determine your competencies in the area of planning social studies instruction. As the principal, what would you look for and what kind of evidence would you collect?