Social Studies in Special Education
How to Teach Social Studies in Special Education
The one thing that I found tricky about teaching special education was finding content rich resources that supported my learners. Everything that I found online, or on Teachers Pay Teachers seemed to support students who have a strength with reading and writing. I was seriously struggling to teach Social Studies, which is a heavy content course to my students. I found a few hacks and things to keep in mind that really helped me get going with teaching social studies to my students. Read below for more information!
1. Use simple content heavy language
The first thing to keep in mind that social studies tends to be a very content heavy subject, that students will struggle with as a result. Knowing that in advance, helps you to create lessons that are rich in learning, but simple enough for every student to access. I do this by thinking of the simplest language I can, and by trying to define words as much as possible. A concept that may take a mainstream class one lesson, may need a few days in a special education class. That is ok.
For example: If you are teaching about the continents, make sure that you are using very simple language to list and locate the seven continents. Define what the word continent is and break it down with a story or song visual to match.
2. Use visuals to support every concept
This next tip seems like a no brainer in special education but it cannot be emphasized enough- USE visuals. Define words. Show pictures. Write key words on the board. Display videos. These are all great ways that you can be more intentional with the visuals that you share of the content. Try to connect a few pictures or videos to every single content piece or lesson concept that you want students to understand. Bonus points, if you can do a hands on activity to reinforce this learning.
For example: Back to the seven continents example. Create a water table full of water and magnetic world puzzle to demonstrate the seven continents in a very tactile way. This is where your teacher creativity can totally skyrocket!
3. Add videos + songs to enhance learning
This is the fun part! I love finding videos and resources to support learning. I am currently teaching in Ontario, Canada so the links that I might post in this article are specific to Ontario- however I am sure other districts focus on very similar social studies content so you can use this content in your classroom.
A- TVO Kids Learn- this website has so many songs and videos to enhance your students social studies knowledge
B- Seven Continents Song
C-Community Helpers Song
Youtube is FULL of fun and repetitive songs to enhance student learning and concept acquisition. A quick search and you’ll find something you need!
4. Repetition is your friend
The key here is repetition! Repetition in special education works when you repeat concepts in a different way. There is a little off the cuff rule that says a student has mastered a task or subject when they have mastered the task across 3 different environments with 3 different people. The 3 by 3 rule. This is especially true for social studies because the concepts can become so abstract and confusing for students. The key is that when you keep the language simple, use a lot of visuals, and enhance with videos and songs, you are setting students up for success with grasping the concepts.
If you want content that is specific to Ontario Social Studies and that is completed for you, I have them on sale on my Teachers Pay Teachers site. I am working through all of the social studies units in Ontario so that there is an option for any grade! Here are the ones that are available at the time of this writing. You can check out my shop here to see if any other ones have been added since the time of this writing.
