Social studies for social justice : teaching strategies for the elementary classroom / Rahima C. Wade ; foreword by Sonia Nieto.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-117) and index.

Series foreword by William C Ayers and Therese Quinn -- Foreword by Sonia Nieto -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1: Introduction -- 2: Understanding Social Justice Education -- Nature of social justice -- Care and fairness -- Characteristics of social justice education -- Conclusion -- Reflection exercises -- 3: Creating A Socially Just Classroom Community -- Embracing the individual -- Building a socially just community from day one -- Speaking up -- Arranging the room -- Supporting the community with circle meetings -- Widening the community -- Teaching a social curriculum -- Putting it all together: Melinda's "Kids Who Care" class -- Conclusion -- Reflection exercises -- 4: Reinventing The Social Studies Curriculum -- Adapting the standard curriculum -- Dealing with standards and tests -- Teaching history for social justice -- Seeking support for social justice teaching -- Social justice teaching in action -- Conclusion -- Reflection exercises -- 5: Social Justice Themes And Skills -- Social justice themes -- Social justice skills -- Sample unit: the civil rights movement -- Conclusion -- Reflection exercises -- 6: Essential Teaching Strategies -- Thematic approach -- Children's literature -- Questions -- Role-play and simulations -- Primary sources -- Visual and performing arts -- More -- Conclusion -- Teaching ideas -- 7: Activism And Community Connections -- Community connections -- Activism -- Conclusion -- Teaching ideas -- 8: Looking Forward -- Appendix A: Social justice teaching resources -- Appendix B: Description of the research -- References -- Index -- About the author.

From the Publisher: Dedication to social justice teaching is important, yet putting one's ideals into practice in American schools is a challenging task. This book goes beyond theory and idealism to fully explore the value and impact of implementing social action and social justice activities in the elementary school classroom. Informed by the experiences of more than forty teachers across the country, this thoughtful resource: (1) examines how elementary teachers, from inner cities to rural towns, use the social studies curriculum to teach about and for social justice; (2) focuses on how teaching social studies for social justice relates to standardized testing, state curricula, and the local challenges teachers face; (3) offers classroom activities and "Reflection Exercises" and "Teaching Ideas" to provide teachers with practical applications for the topics discussed; and (4) includes a list of children's literature books, curriculum materials, and websites.