As an NCSS Special Interest Community, you have a unique perspective and important resources to share with teachers. The techniques and concepts presented in Social Studies and the Young Learner, a peer-reviewed journal, are designed to help preK through grade 6 educators to teach the reading, writing, and critical thinking skills our students need to be successful in the classroom and to participate fully in the civic life of their communities.
We invite you to submit your best teaching ideas and experiences to SSYL at any time. There are no planned themes, but popular areas for teaching activities and topics to use with this age group are listed below. Please prepare your submission by reviewing the guidelines for SSYL authors at https://www.socialstudies.org/publications/guidelines-contributors-ssyl.
We encourage our authors to keep samples and take photos of preK-6 students' work, which is part of the "evidence of learning" social studies that we share with readers.
Share your copy of SSYL with a colleague and visit the collection of back issues of SSYL at https://www.socialstudies.org/social-studies-and-young-learner. Together, we will locate social studies in its rightful place: at the center of the elementary curriculum.
Possible Topics for PreK through Grade 6 Teaching:
Pandemic Era Social-Emotional Learning and Home/School Teaching Challenges
My Favorite Activity, Project, or Lesson Plan [PreK-grade 6]
How I Teach My Students Civil Discourse
A Great Civic Engagement Initiative
Fostering a Global Mindset
Teaching This Social Studies Topic (_______) to English Language Learners
Promoting Cultural Inclusion in the Classroom
Teaching Students with Exceptionalities
Using Children's Literature to Teach _______ (a social studies topic)
The Day I Became a True Elementary Social Studies Teacher
Student service-learning projects as a means of promoting the value of social studies.
Advocating about a community concern to school and district administrators, or school boards, or state or national legislators.
-- Scott Waring, Editor, Social Studies and the Young Learner, University of Central Florida
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Andrew Oglander
National Council for the Social Studies
Silver Spring MD
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