Weekly Reflection: What are the attributes of meaningful, well-planned social studies lessons?

I think when designing any quality social studies lesson, the key is to make the content relevant to students' lives.  Social studies is about human beings, their actions, their history and their environments. Therefore, it should be made explicit to students how the content relates to their daily lives.  I think that a quality social studies teacher should identify the bigger picture understanding that is being addressed in a content standard.  The historical content or specific element of government should be used as a means to introduce a more general understanding rather than the entire focus of the lesson.  If a teacher works to decide exactly what they want their students to understand as a result of the lesson or unit, they can shape the content in an effective way to reach that goal.  I think that as a result, I see Social Studies lessons as very interactive and fluid where students are encouraged to discuss their ideas with each other and the teacher, rather than recall facts or dates.  However, I do recognize that this going to be much more challenging for me, especially my first year in an elementary classroom.  It is difficult to let students have more control and there is more work involved in planning lessons this way, but I think the reward of student engagement and understanding will make it worth the extra work and the risks.