Elementary classroom libraries and social studies trade books

Abstract

Purpose Standards and policy changes in K-12 education have created the unintended consequence of reducing instructional time spent on social studies content. This limited time devoted to social studies presumably has led to more integrated social studies and literacy instruction. The purpose of this paper is to document the types of high-quality social studies children’s books found in classroom libraries across five states. Design/methodology/approach In the present mixed methods study, the researchers utilized a database of 60 classroom libraries across five states to identify which high-quality trade books, defined by the National Council for the Social Studies, were present. The researchers document trends in both frequencies of books and social studies content across decades, classrooms, grade levels and states from 1972 to 2015. Findings The findings indicate that National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Notable Trade Books for Young People texts are largely missing from the elementary classroom libraries the researchers sampled. Of the 5,544 unique titles included on the NCSS lists from 1972 to 2015, 453 were located in the US classroom libraries database, representing 8.17 percent of books found on the notable lists. Originality/value Before teachers can take steps toward integrating social studies and literacy, they need easy access to high-quality social studies texts. Many high-quality trade books are recommended each year for exposing students to social studies content; however, the researchers found limited numbers of these books in classroom libraries. The researchers recommend the lists be circulated to a wider audience to inform more teachers about these texts.

Enhancing classroom instruction with online news

“…This is not enough, as the quality and quantity of books available in classroom libraries vary greatly ( Hodges et al , 2019). Furthermore, in an analysis of 60 classroom libraries, Hodges et al (2019a, b) found that very few award-winning informational texts (as define by national educational organizations) are actually present in classrooms. Existing research does outline best practices for incorporating informational texts into the classroom (Bradley and Donovan, 2010); however, it does not address the challenge of actually providing students access to quality, relevant and suitable informational texts.…”

We are Late Enough: Take Action in Social Studies Classes

“…Since the early 1970s, teachers were reduced teaching time devoted to social studies as they increasingly focus on reading and mathematics, and this trend continued until the 1980s (Hodges et al, 2019). The decrease in interest in social studies education over time has started with the acceleration of standards and test movements in mathematics, especially since 1991 in the world.…”