It's a good day to bring a ware, let's have a trade fair

Recently in my social studies methods class we had a trade fair. All of my classmates brought an item or items to trade. The purpose was to expose us to what it was like to barter and trade for goods. It is meant as an opening for teaching students about a trade economy such as Native Americans and Europeans. Our trade fair was a success. People bartered and traded for baked goods, coupons, pictures, bracelets, lotions, and mystery items. The trades were interesting to say the least. A tin of gum bought a lanyard. Five bags of gummy candies bought a cake. A cupcake and some candy bought a bracelet.

This activity was enjoyable. I can only imagine how it would work in a classroom of young students. This will likely get them out of their comfort zone. They will have to think about what items their classmates will like. They will have to figure out how to trade for what they really want while also accepting that what they want may be unobtainable. This activity not only teaches students about the economy of yesteryear but also about communication skills, supply and demand, persuasion, and need vs. want.

This activity can be done in almost any classroom grade three and up but there are some things to keep in mind:

1. Make sure every student has an item for the trade fair.

2. Know what each student is bringing beforehand so you can decide if it is appropriate.

3. If a student does not have an item or an appropriate item then get them an item. Talk to the parents and ask them if their is an item the student can bring. If the parents cannot provide an item either have the student make something or bring the student something to trade.

4. Make sure students understand that common courtesies should be used while trading. Bullying can easily occur during the trade fair and this must be avoided.

5. Make sure every student makes at least one trade. A trade fair is not fun if you do not get to trade with anyone.

6. Remind students to use their communication skills and talk about problems should they come up.

7. Give students plenty of time to trade but do not let it drag on forever because chaos will very likely ensue.

Is North America a country or a continent? Is a gerbil a reptile?

It appears that there is a very sad trend happening in education today. I cannot speak for every teacher and every school but from what I know and have seen the subjects of social studies and science are going the way of the poor dodo bird at the elementary level. These subjects are being left out of the classroom while all attention is focused on English/language arts and mathematics. Why is this happening? Well, to be perfectly honest, it is because of those little bubble tests. In the state of Indiana, that means ISTEP tests. Starting in third grade public school and many private school students have to take these tests. These tests compare students across the state thus comparing schools. This means if a majority of a school's students do not pass the ISTEP tests then the school fails. If a school fails that means the staff is failing. If the failing continues to happen then it becomes a trend and when it is a trend the state may very well step in. Schools do not want the state to step in. Lots of people lose their jobs, schools close, students get shuffled around. No one likes take overs. This fear of take overs is what drives many schools to push instruction of English/language arts and mathematics. This fear is also what seems to be driving social studies and science out of the curriculum. Let me say this before I go any farther: social studies and science are getting some room in the curriculum because they are being assessed in fifth grade but often there is just a push of those subjects in that grade.

It seems that many teachers would love to teach social studies and science. What is stopping them? Please go back and read the last paragraph. Standardized tests are now driving the curriculum in classrooms. The need to pass the test has started to consume administrators, teachers, and students. Standardized tests do have their place in education but they should not be the end all be all for students and teachers. There is more to life than what can be assessed on a test. This is where the need for subjects like social studies and science come in. These subjects teach students about their past and the world around them. If they do not have a basic understanding of how people interact with one another and have been doing so for many, many years or how Earth is one planet in the solar system and sunlight is needed to keep living things alive than how will they ever understand more complex topics. Understanding human interaction and what it means to be a citizen leads to understanding how wars start and political parties. Understanding the need for sunlight leads to the understanding of photosynthesis and chemical interactions. There needs to be a foundation to build upon when it comes to teaching and the foundation for social studies and science should happen in elementary school. By the time students enter the upper grades they are expected to know this information and if the current trend continues they will not know the information because they will not have been taught it.

Teachers should be allowed to teach all subjects. They should not have to "teach to the test". This limits the education students get as well as the opportunity for teachers to impart knowledge to their students. I am not pointing the fingers at any teachers and saying, "You fail" because they are not teaching social studies and science. I have been in enough classrooms and have been around education long enough to know that it is not easy to incorporate these subjects nor is it easy to allow for time when a standardized test is looming over their heads. Integration of subjects should be happening but I know it is easier said than done. I have written enough lesson plans to realize that bringing in standards from multiple subjects can get messy and murky and the purpose of the lesson gets lost on everyone. There should be time for all subjects.

I should probably wrap this up because I have gone on quite a bit. I guess the purpose of my post is to say that "teaching to the test" hurts everyone involved. I fear that students are getting a limited education because so much focus has been placed on certain subjects. I fear that teachers are not getting to impart their full knowledge because they have been told to narrow their focus. I fear that one day I might hear an adult ask the questions in the title of this post because they did not get the foundation for social studies and science that they needed when they were in elementary school.