Social Studies Content for Elementary and Middle School Teachers

This essential overview gives teachers all the content knowledge they need to teach social studies.

A great supplement for students who need to prepare for teacher certification content exams, this concise yet comprehensive reference book provides all of the necessary elementary school content information on history, geography, economics, and government. It is a must-have for all pre-service and in-service elementary and middle school teachers who may not be experts in the field of social studies. The history chapter is arranged chronologically within regions of the world and covers early humans through the twenty-first century. The book ends with substantial resource lists for teachers and students, as well as a thorough index.

Noteworthy features of the book include:

• Provides valuable resources for planning content lessons
• Updates the Internet resources for each content area for easily researched and accurate information
• Gives teachers at-a-glance social studies information in the user-friendly and complete index
• “Educational Resources” for each content area, located at the end of each chapter, provide pedagogical grounding for the content covered in the chapter.
• “Student Resources” at the end of each content chapter offer suggestions for further research.

Penelope Fritzer is a former public school teacher who is a Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the Davie Campus of Florida Atlantic University. She earned her B. A. in History at Connecticut College, a B. A. in Education and an M. A. in English at Florida Atlantic University, and her Ph. D. in English from the University of Miami. She is the author of numerous articles on education and several books, including Math Content for Elementary and Middle School Teachers and Science Content for Elementary and Middle School Teachers, both from Allyn & Bacon.

Ernest Andrew Brewer is a former public school teacher who is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the Jupiter Campus of Florida Atlantic University. He earned his B. A. in Elementary Education and his M. Ed. in Elementary Education from the University of Florida, and his Ed. D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Central Florida. His research interests include social studies in the elementary school, civic education, classroom management, character education, bullying, and social studies integration. He is the author of numerous articles on education.

Are you feeling a little rusty with your social studies content knowledge? This brief primer, Social Studies Content for Elementary and Middle School Teachers, Second Edition, is just what you need. It provides a helpful overview of both U.S. and world history, in addition to basic knowledge in geography, economics, and civics.

The wide history coverage will allow you to see historical events in overall context, provides an overview for planning, and will help you answer student questions confidently. Geography, economics, and civics concepts are clearly explained, so the book will be helpful when used in writing lesson plans. Check out the resources lists that include relevant Websites, student literature, . major subject area organizations, museums, and U.S. government sites. Finally, an extensive index allows you to look up subjects and answers at a glance.

About the Authors

PENELOPE FRITZER is a former public school teacher who is a Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the Davie Campus of Florida Atlantic University. She earned her B. A. in History at Connecticut College, a B. A. in Education and an M. A. in English at Florida Atlantic University, and her Ph. D. in English from the University of Miami. Her research interests include various aspects of English and social studies education, literature as social history, and nineteenth century British literature. She is the author of numerous articles on education and of Jane Austen and Eighteenth Century Courtesy Books, Ethnicity and Gender in the Barsetshire Novels of Angela Thirkell, Aesthetics and Nostalgia in the Barsetshire Novels of Angela Thirkell. She is the co-author of Merry Wives: A History of Domestic Humor Writing, Science Content for Elementary and Middle School Teachers, and Mathematics Content for Elementary and Middle School Teachers, and is the editor of Character and Concept in the Barsetshire Novels of Angela Thirkell.

ERNEST ANDREW BREWER is a former public school teacher who is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the Jupiter Campus of Florida Atlantic University. He earned his B. A. in Elementary Education and his M. Ed. in Elementary Education from the University of Florida, and his Ed. D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Central Florida. His research interests include social studies in the elementary school, civic education, classroom management, character education, bullying, and social studies integration. He is the author of numerous articles on education.