THIS Social Studies In Preschool - HighScope

HIGHSCOPE ExtensionsGoing From Me to We: Social Studies in Preschool, continued At snacktime, Josh said to Benny, another child, “Benny, on the way to schoolI saw E-3, my favorite green fire truck at my grocery store. Did you know that“In order for childrento learn to functionas a community, theyhave to recognizeand accept (sometimesreluctantly) that theindividual does notfirefighters buy groceries and fight fires?” During their pretend play as bicyclists, Mira said to Katie, “Jane, a police officer,rides her bike past our school every day. One day she stopped by to visit andshowed us everything she carries in her bike pack. I asked if she got tired ridingher bike all day.” Several children admire Maggie, the school custodian. Three-and-a-half-yearold Leslie commented, “She carries a lot of keys on her key chain — I want to belike her.”always get what he or she wants but that allAfter a trip to a pizzeria, thechildren were excited aboutmembers of the groupbecoming pizza makers —have the right to be“Then we can add all thepepperonis we want.”heard and express theiropinions.”As part of learning aboutcommunity roles, children alsolearn that people can have morethan one role. For example,Desmond’s dad is a drummerin a band who came to schoolto play his drums and then letthe class play the drums. Moya’smom is a dance teacher, andDuring message board time, children talk about theday and contribute to classroom decisions.when she came in for large-grouptime, everyone danced together.KDI 55. Decision making: Children participate in making classroomdecisions.In order for children to learn to function as a community, they have to recognize andaccept (sometimes reluctantly) that the individual does not always get what he or shewants but that all members of the group have the right to be heard and express theiropinions. In her 2012 book Social Studies, Ann Epstein describes it like this: “Whenpreschoolers help to identify group problems or opportunities, generate and agreeVolume 29, No. 1 page 6

HIGHSCOPE ExtensionsGoing From Me to We: Social Studies in Preschool, continuedon solutions, carry out their ideas, and evaluate whether they are working, they areexperiencing democracy in action” (Epstein, 2012, p. 45). Contrast the effectiveness“It should come asno surprise, then, thatof guidelines established this way with classroom rules arbitrarily established bythe teacher in which the children have had no voice. It should come as no surprise,then, that research shows that when children are involved in the decision-makingresearch shows thatprocess they are not only more likely to go along with the decisions, but they will alsowhen children areencourage their peers to do so (Elias et al., as cited in Epstein, 2012, p. 45). Below areinvolved in the decisionmaking process theyare not only more likelyto go along with thedecisions, but they willalso encourage theirpeers to do so”some examples of what decision making looks like in the classroom. Frank and Zanni’s class has a new guinea pig, and yesterday each table grouppicked a name for it. Today during Message Board they are going to vote for thename they like best by dropping a button in the basket labeled with that name. This morning’s message let the children know there were new materials in theclassroom: long, sturdy cardboard tubes in different sizes. The teachers askedthe children if they had ideas about which area we should put them. Jonah said,“art area.” Danae suggested, “In the house area to use as crutches.” Adja said,(Elias et al., as cited in“No, they have to go in the block area — they belong there with the cars!” FeliciaEpstein, 2012, p. 45).said, “I’d like to have them outside.” The teachers explained that if the tubeswere outside, they might fall apart if it rained, since the tubes are made frompaper. The teachers wrote the three remaining areas on a piece of paper andthe children made a mark under the area they thought was best. When the votewas over they got a surprise! The block area and house area received the sameWhen children think about different parts of the classroom as they are planning where they willplay, they are engaging with geography KDIs in the Social Studies curriculum content area.Volume 29, No. 1 page 7

HIGHSCOPE ExtensionsGoing From Me to We: Social Studies in Preschool, continuednumber of votes! “What should we do now?” asked one of the teachers. The kidstalked to each other and Yael spoke up and suggested, “Put some in the house“Young childrenare born explorers,curious about thearea and some in the block area – that works, doesn’t it?”KDI 56. Geography: Children recognize and interpret features andlocations in their environment.space around them andYoung children are born explorers, curious about the space around them and thethe objects, structures,objects, structures, and physical features that are contained within that space. Asand physical featuressoon as they develop enough to become mobile, they are off — to finally discoverwhat’s behind that door, find out what’s under that chair, and learn where Momthat are containedgoes when she disappears around the corner. The following anecdotes illustratewithin that space.”what geography looks like and sounds like in the preschool classroom. During snack, Tito said, “I’m helping my dad build a garage right next to myhouse.” Bianca responded to Tito, “I think we go past your house on the way to church,and I saw your new garage — is it the one with no roof?” During recall, Louie said, “Imade a treasure map that hadthe house area, art area, toyarea, and the sink on it. ThenGareth and me went to theblock area to build a ship so wecould go look for the treasure.”As children develop a senseof spatial awareness, they arebeginning to understand aboutdirection and location. “Guess what? I found the missingpuzzle piece; it was acrossfrom the puzzle shelf and underShowing that they understand the concepts ofpast, present, and future, at recall time childrentalk about what they did during the day andsometimes mention what they will do the next day.Wendy’s table.Volume 29, No. 1 page 8

HIGHSCOPE ExtensionsGoing From Me to We: Social Studies in Preschool, continued “When it rains hard, we go to the gym. We have to walk down the hall, arounda corner, and down some steps to get there.”“HighScope’s dailyroutine is particularlyWherever children turn when they take those first few steps through their frontdoor, it’s likely that they will be having an experience in geography.effective for helpingchildren becomefamiliar with the idea ofsequence, or the orderof events — particularlycurrent, recent, andupcoming events.”KDI 57. History: Children understand past, present, and future.To make history meaningful to young children, it is wisest to frame it within theirpresent experiences: At recall time, Brook said, “I play with cars tomorrow in the block area.” During message board, Elijah read the message “We have two stay-at-homedays. No school tomorrow.”HighScope’s daily routine isparticularly effective for helpingchildren become familiar withthe idea of sequence, or theorder of events — particularlycurrent, recent, and upcomingevents. When you keep a large,clear, visual representationof the daily routine at thechildren’s level, this allowsthem to not only keep trackof where they are (e.g., largegroup time) but what they willbe doing next (planning). Theycan physically mark where theyare in the sequence by movinga clothespin to the next part ofthe day.These children reflect on what they have beenlearning about the natural world. During planning time Katiesaid, “I’m going to play in the block area with Carlie like I did yesterday.” During snacktime, while discussing the rest of the day’s routine, Brodie said,“Next is small group, then we go outside.”Volume 29, No. 1 page 9

HIGHSCOPE ExtensionsGoing From Me to We: Social Studies in Preschool, continuedKDI 58. Ecology: Children understand the importance of taking care oftheir environment.Ecology is listed under social studies because it deals with people’s responsibilityfor taking care of the environment — our relationship with, and how, we impactthe environment. While most people regard ecology as outdoor-focused, it is also ahabit practiced indoors, for example, in an early childhood classroom. Occasionallychildren come to preschool already familiar with the practice of recycling and arehelpful in getting others into the habit too. Shamir collected his paper scraps and put them in the recycle box. He noticedPolly Neill is an earlychildhood specialist atHighScope EducationalResearch Foundation.She is the author of theHighScope book RealScience in Preschool: Here,There, and Everywhere,and contributing writerto Multicultural Programsand Small-Group Times toScaffold Early Learning, bothfrom HighScope Press. Shealso develops and facilitatesHighScope online courses.Polly holds undergraduateand graduate degrees inanthropology.that Leslie was throwing hers in the waste basket and said, “Hey, don’t put itthere; put it in this green box with the arrows that go in a circle. Then they canmake it into something else and we don’t have to cut down the trees.” During snack, Kai said, “Save your applesauce cups so that we can use them aspaint containers in the art area.” Jayla chose a small piece of construction paper and said, “I don’t need a bigpiece because I only want to cut a small heart.” Of the nine content areas that make up HighScope’s curriculum content, onlysocial studies focuses on children’s role in building and forming communities. Asthey take those first tentative steps into a world that does not revolve around themand learn to practice respect and responsibility toward the people, practices, andnatural world they come into contact with, children just might find that being a“we” can be a lot more fun than just being a “me.”ReferencesD’Addesio, J., Grob, B., Furman, L., Hayes, K., and David, J. (2005). Social studies: Learning about theworld around us. Young Children, 60(5), 50–57.Epstein, A. S. (2012). Social studies. Ypsilanti, MI: HighScope Press.Mindes, G. (2005). Social studies in today’s early childhood curricula. Young Children, 60(5), 12-18.National Council for the Social Studies. (2010). National curriculum standards for social studies. A frameworkfor teaching, learning, and assessment. Silver Spring, MD: Author.Townsend-Butterworth, D. (n.d.) What to expect in preschool: social studies: All about community: kids learnsocial studies concepts by observing what’s around them. Retrieved on 12/11/2014 from me 29, No. 1 page 10

HIGHSCOPE ExtensionsCLASSROOM HINTSSocial Studies andCOR AdvantageBY SUZANNE GAINSLEY, SENIOR HIGHSCOPEEARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIALIST AND DIRECTOR OF THEHIGHSCOPE DEMONSTRATION PRESCHOOLMost of the people who had been using HighScope's child assessmentinstrument, the Child Observation Record (COR), have now switchedover to COR Advantage. While the process of collecting anecdotesremains the same, the items have changed, and so anecdoteshave to be scored under different, and sometimes entirely new,categories in COR Advantage. This takes some “relearning” on thepart of experienced “old” COR users. One of new categories in CORbetween themselves and others. We know that children’s initialAdvantage is Social Studies. I must admit that while substituteideas about themselves and other people are influenced not only byteaching, I too had the experience of being uncertain about wheretheir own experiences but also by the values and attitudes of theirto score certain anecdotes. And when I used the COR Advantageparents, other family members, and, increasingly, by social media.Anecdote Status report to check the progress of my anecdotal entries,By preschool, many children already have an idea about whichSocial Studies was the category with the most gaps. The Anecdotepersonal traits are deemed desirable by societal norms. When weStatus report shows the number of anecdotal notes a teacher haslook at the specific levels in COR Advantage item FF, Knowledge ofentered for each item for each child so that, looking at the report,self and others, we are reminded of what we need to do to nurturea teacher can see which items have more anecdotes and whichchildren’s self-acceptance and broaden their knowledge andhave fewer. I reviewed the Social Studies items in COR Advantageappreciation of others.and realized I had missed many opportunities to take socialHere are some ideas to support levels 3–7 (approximatelystudies anecdotal notes, simply because I hadn’t recognized whenearly to late preschool or kindergarten). These ideas are meant toengagement with this category was occurring in children’s play, ininspire interactions and conversations with children that in turnthe questions they asked, and in their growing understanding of howlead to rich COR Advantage anecdotal notes.their corner of society works. The purpose of this article is to remindmyself and others of the ways we can be more aware of children’sLevel 3: Child plays or talks about family orsocial studies learning and to provide opportunities that support andcommunity roles.extend it in the classroom so we won’t be left with holes in our COR Ask parents to share the names and relationships of importantAdvantage records.Item FF. Knowledge of Self and OthersLet’s start with item FF. Knowledge of self and others. Of the socialstudies items, this is the one that I feel teachers are most awareof. Young children begin learning about others by focusing on onepersonal attribute at a time, usually an obvious visible one, suchpeople in their child’s life (e.g., stepsister, nanny, Poppa). Askchildren about their family members and refer to these peopleby name and relationship when they come into the classroomso other children learn who they are (e.g., “Jonas, how is yoursister Clara?” or “There is Myah’s abuela. Her grandma ispicking Myah up today.”)as gender, size, or skin color (Epstein, 2012). Based on one trait, Make a classroom family book with pictures of children’s familychildren decide who is the same as or different from themselves.members. Include your own page so you can introduce yourAs their knowledge of their own personal characteristics expandsfamily members to the children.and they gain the ability to hold more than one attribute in mindat a time, children begin to notice more similarities and differences Talk about the jobs family members do. Ask parents aboutspecific things they do at work. Add uniforms, work attire, andVolume 29, No. 1 page 11

HIGHSCOPE ExtensionsClassroom Hints, continuedprops that reflect the things parents use at work. Share storiesabout the things you do when you are not at school. Take field trips to local businesses or municipal services. Talk tothe owners or employees beforehand, tell them about the thingschildren may find interesting, and discuss how the children can Take field trips to local businesses and talk about why peopleneed such businesses in their communities. Provide props (andmaterials to make props) so the children can incorporate thesebusinesses into their pretend play. Talk about upcoming community events such as festivals orexplore the workspace safely and without disrupting operations.parades. If families attend these events with their children,If possible, bring back materials from the business or service thatencourage them to share photos or mementos of the experience.the children can use in their pretend play.Level 7: Child takes personal responsibility for making sureLevel 4: Child identifies similarities or differences inothers are treated fairly and with respect.people’s personal characteristics. Read stories that address social conflicts between people and ask Provide dolls with different ethnic characteristics. Describe thesetraits as you play with the dolls (e.g., say something like “I’mgoing to put a hat on my baby with the curly hair” or “These dollsall have different colored skin — some are lighter and some aredarker”). Model using descriptive and nonjudgmental terms. Play “I spy a child.” Describe a child’s personal characteristics (forexample, their physical traits, the languages they speak, the thingsthey like to do) and have children guess who you are describing. Read a variety of stories depicting people of different culturesand ethnicities. Ask children to find similarities and differencesbetween the characters in the book and themselves.children for suggestions for resolving the problems. Create social stories with children as a way to address situationsin the classroom that involve respecting others. Ask questions like“What can you do to help in this situation?” Acknowledge when children solve their own problems. Ask themwhy they decided to solve the problem a certain way.Item GG, GeographyThe next COR Advantage social studies item is GG, Geography. Ithought I would have difficulty scoring this item. But when I put asidemy adult perspective on geography, and focussed on the geographyLevel 5: Child compares his or her own and others’ familycharacteristics. Compare photos on children’s family book pages, pointing out thesimilarities or differences in family makeup. Read stories that depict families that are similar and differentfrom the families you serve (nontraditional families, extendedfamilies, families where a language other than English is spokenat home). Ask children how the families in a story are the same ordifferent from their own family. Have children draw pictures of their families and describe theirfamily members. Talk about how your family or other children’sfamilies are the same or different from theirs.Level 6: Child voices a sense of belonging to a community. Take photos of familiar buildings in children’s neighborhoods orcommunities (e.g., grocery store, gas station, water tower). Createa photo album or tape the photos on blocks to use in the blockarea.Volume 29, No. 1 page 12

HIGHSCOPE ExtensionsClassroom Hints, continuedof the preschool classroom, I saw that I could write many anecdotalcourse and help children read the map so they know how to movenotes — particularly for the lower levels — just by watching childrenthrough the course.navigate their environment and participate in the plan-do-reviewprocess. Supporting the higher levels required a bi

Me to We: Social Studies in Preschool page 1 CLASSROOM HINTS: Social Studies and COR Advantage page 11 TRAINER-TO-TRAINER: Defi ning Social Studies in Early Childhood page 16 SPECIAL EDUCATION: Helping Young Children Understand Diversity page 18 ASK US: page 20 NEWS BRIEFS: page 21 What social studies "looks like" in the classroom is any