Returning Social Studies into Elementary Classrooms: What Fourth and Fifth-Grade Teachers Did to Their Literacy Curriculum

In elementary schools across the United States, rigid implementation of the new science of reading has led to the disappearance of social studies. This project is a glimpse into what four experienced elementary school teachers decide to do when asked to reconceive the 4th and 5th grade Expeditionary Learning (EL) literacy unit through the lens of social studies, its content, questions, and intentions. Three major concerns are raised: lack of historical knowledge and skills, relevancy to children’s lives and social worlds, and implicit ideologies around social change and justice. Teachers offer examples of what is possible given their particular contexts and argue that integration into existing packaged curriculum may not be as effective as ensuring collaborative, dialogic spaces where teachers can return social studies into their classrooms.