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Giving young people opportunities to grapple with complex social problems can inspire them to build a better world. In this bestselling book, two experienced educators lay out their vision for an elementary social studies education to help students find value in learning about the world and consider how to make their communities more just.
List of contents
Part I: Why Social Studies Can Change the World 1. The Social Studies 2. The Transformative Potential of Social Studies 3. Sustaining Anti-Oppressive Social Studies
Part II: Common Pitfalls and Creative Solutions 4. Normalization: Families and Holidays 5. Idealization: Rules, Communities, and Community Helpers 6. Heroification: The "Founding Fathers," Suffragists, and Civil Rights Movement Leaders 7. Dramatization and Gamification: Immigration, "Westward Expansion," and Slavery
Part III: Teaching Anti-Oppressive Social Studies 8. Building Better Curriculum 9. Frequently Asked Questions about Teaching Anti-Oppressive Social Studies 10. Epilogue Appendix A: Recommended Resources: The Tip of the Iceberg Appendix B: Educator Tools and Guides
About the author
Noreen Naseem Rodríguez (she/her) is the daughter of Asian immigrants and was a bilingual elementary educator in Austin, Texas, before becoming a teacher educator. She is currently an assistant professor of elementary education and educational justice in the College of Education and core faculty in Asian Pacific American Studies and Muslim Studies at Michigan State University. Noreen engages in tsundoku-the art of collecting books but not reading them-and enjoys art projects, baking, and cooking.
Katy Swalwell (she/her) is the descendent of European settlers in Iowa and was a middle and high school social studies teacher before becoming a professor in elementary education programs at universities in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. She is now a consultant with the Equity Literacy Institute and Past Present Future Consulting & Media. She enjoys road trips with her family, co-hosts a history podcast called "Our Dirty Laundry," and co-founded a children's book company called Past Present Future Publishing. Noreen and Katy bonded over their love of escape rooms, theme parties, and dessert. When together, they are bound to burst into song and gesticulate wildly.
Summary
Giving young people opportunities to grapple with complex social problems can inspire them to build a better world. In this bestselling book, two experienced educators lay out their vision for an elementary social studies education to help students find value in learning about the world and consider how to make their communities more just.
