The fully updated fifth edition of Elementary Social Studies provides a rich and ambitious framework to help social studies teachers achieve powerful teaching and learning results. Organized around four commonplaces of education-learners and learning, subject matter, teachers and teaching, and classroom environment-and deeply rooted in inquiry-based teaching and learning, this book deeply probes the basic elements of quality instruction-planning, implementation, and assessment-always with the goal of creating and supporting students who are motivated, engaged, and thoughtful.

Book features and updates to the fifth edition include: * New guidance on tackling controversial issues in the social studies classroom. * Fully revised chapter on creating a genuine learning community, which now addresses socio-emotional learning and family involvement in the classroom. * New perspectives on the importance of teaching for social justice. * Increased attention to the C3 Framework for state social studies standards. * Chapters on using the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) to understand inquiry-based teaching and learning and to develop IDM inquiries. * Real-classroom narratives that introduce chapters and provide in-depth access to teaching and learning contexts. * Practical curriculum and resource suggestions for the social studies classroom. * End-of-chapter summaries and annotated teaching resources.

By blending the theoretical and the practical, this book is essential reading for pre-service and in-service social studies teachers.