Elementary ELA/Social Studies Integration: Challenges and Limitations

Heafner, Tina L.

doi:10.1080/00377996.2017.1399248

Cited by 19 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Historical gaps within the available curricula, though, can be useful. Teachers can intentionally select primary sources that figuratively fill the gaps (Bickford, 2018; Demoiny and Ferraras-Stone, 2018; Heafner, 2018). Students, upon detecting the historical lacunae, are better positioned to recognize that history is constructed from evidence, logic and consideration of diverse perspectives.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Contemporary education initiatives, however, increase expectations for disciplinary literacy tasks and non-fiction texts within English and language arts (ELA) beginning in the early grades (NCSS, 2013; NGA and CCSSO, 2010). Elementary and ELA teachers can integrate history-based primary and secondary sources with disciplinary literacy strategies during inquiries (Heafner, 2018; Swan et al , 2019). Interdisciplinary teaching meets the disciplinary literacy goals while infusing social studies content into the elementary curriculum.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Elementary social studies inquiries often extend to few days, not a month; close readings are completed in a day, not multiple re-readings structured over a period of days; sources number less than ten, not five trade books and 14 primary sources; text-based writing is extemporaneous, not refined through revision (e.g. Demoiny and Ferraras-Stone, 2018; Fehn and Heckart, 2013; Heafner, 2018; Levstik and Barton, 2015; VanSledright, 2002). Writing is ubiquitous in social studies, yet revision and refined writing are largely absent from the discipline in K -12 schools and the research literature; we sought to explore how students responded to the writing process during historical argumentation.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Fourth-graders' reading, thinking, and writing about historical sources

Bickford

Clabough

Taylor

2020

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PurposeElementary classroom teachers can infuse social studies into the curriculum by integrating history, civics and English/language arts. Elementary teachers can bundle close reading, critical thinking and text-based writing within historical inquiries using accessible primary sources with engaging secondary sources.Design/methodology/approachThis article reports the successes and struggles of one fourth-grade teacher's theory-into-practice interdisciplinary unit. The month-long, history-based inquiry integrated close readings of primary and secondary sources to scaffold and refine students' text-based writing about the oft-ignored interconnections between two Civil Rights icons who never met.FindingsFindings included the import of historical inquiries within the elementary grades, students' abilities to scrutinize and extract meaning from dozens of sources and the value of revision for text-based writing, particularly its impact on the clarity, criticality and complexity of students' writing.Originality/valueThe inquiry's length, use of repeated readings, bulk of curricular resources and integration of revision are each comparably unique within the elementary social studies research literature.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Fourth-graders' reading, thinking, and writing about historical sources

Bickford

Clabough

Taylor

2020

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“…Elementary teachers who integrate may do so to guarantee time for social studies instruction, so it is important to identify effective strategies that integrate social studies with language arts/reading (Strachan, 2015). More recently, Heafner (2018) found required ELA/social studies integration does not always occur due to confusion about when to integrate, time allotted for planning, and unclear administrative goals. In their work with pre-service teachers, Shifflet and Hunt (2019) argued for high-quality modeling of integration which unpack the complexities of integration and the need for intentional planning.…”

Section: Curriculum Integrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Explicit and Implicit Social Studies: Exploring the Integration of Social Studies Experiences in Two Elementary Classrooms

Brugar¹,

Whitlock²

2020

CSS

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This study explores how two elementary teachers (first and fifth grades) integrated social studies content and skills throughout their school day. More specifically, we describe and explain their social studies instruction in terms of integration as it reflects fractured, healthy, and stealthy integration (Hinde, 2015). As researchers, we spent time in two classrooms documenting the explicit and implicit social studies instruction and the interactions of teachers and students. We found examples of fractured, healthy, and stealthy integration with most instances occurring throughout the school day but with varying degrees of transparency. This study provides insight to what is taught as elementary social studies and the study contributes to our understanding of how social studies is taught in elementary classrooms with implications for future research and teacher practice.

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“…As teachers have seen their time allotted for social studies instruction decreasing, they have increased the integration of literacy and social studies in elementary classrooms. Recent research, however, indicates that the amount of “integrated” literacy and social studies time may still prioritize literacy outcomes over social studies content and skills (Heafner, 2018; Passe, 2006).…”

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confidence: 99%

Elementary classroom libraries and social studies trade books

Hodges

Wright

Coleman

et al. 2019

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Purpose Standards and policy changes in K-12 education have created the unintended consequence of reducing instructional time spent on social studies content. This limited time devoted to social studies presumably has led to more integrated social studies and literacy instruction. The purpose of this paper is to document the types of high-quality social studies children’s books found in classroom libraries across five states. Design/methodology/approach In the present mixed methods study, the researchers utilized a database of 60 classroom libraries across five states to identify which high-quality trade books, defined by the National Council for the Social Studies, were present. The researchers document trends in both frequencies of books and social studies content across decades, classrooms, grade levels and states from 1972 to 2015. Findings The findings indicate that National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Notable Trade Books for Young People texts are largely missing from the elementary classroom libraries the researchers sampled. Of the 5,544 unique titles included on the NCSS lists from 1972 to 2015, 453 were located in the US classroom libraries database, representing 8.17 percent of books found on the notable lists. Originality/value Before teachers can take steps toward integrating social studies and literacy, they need easy access to high-quality social studies texts. Many high-quality trade books are recommended each year for exposing students to social studies content; however, the researchers found limited numbers of these books in classroom libraries. The researchers recommend the lists be circulated to a wider audience to inform more teachers about these texts.

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Elementary ELA/Social Studies Integration: Challenges and Limitations

Cited by 19 publications

References 28 publications

Fourth-graders' reading, thinking, and writing about historical sources

Fourth-graders' reading, thinking, and writing about historical sources

Explicit and Implicit Social Studies: Exploring the Integration of Social Studies Experiences in Two Elementary Classrooms

Elementary classroom libraries and social studies trade books

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