Critical Democratic Literacy: Integrating Social Studies and Literacy at the Elementary Level

• In Event: 63.085 - Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: 63.085-3 - Examining Teaching Practices Across the Content Areas

Abstract

Many elementary school teachers are not adequately prepared to teach social studies and/or address civic/democratic education due to the pressures of focusing on literacy instruction. The purpose of this study was to explore how graduate level education students in a master’s program understood, designed, and implemented lessons related to critical democratic literacy at the elementary level. We focus on the learning of one student as she progressed through course readings, lesson planning, and book club activities. Findings indicate that while many of the graduate students struggled with integration, Marla excelled with conceptual understandings of critical theory and integration. Our examination sought to deconstruct her understandings in order to refine and expand on teacher knowledge acquisition and application.

Authors

• Julie L. Pennington, University of Nevada - Reno

• Kathryn M. Obenchain, Purdue University