Teaching Social Issues in the Middle Grades: A Teacher’s Guide to Using Case Studies to Promote Intelligent Inquiry provides a collection of ten cases for use in the middle grades that focus on many of the critical social issues we face today. It also includes materials to enable teachers to become more skilled in using case teaching methods. The cases and the teaching strategies are designed to “develop students’ appreciation for their roles and responsibilities in relation to social and civic affairs and help them develop the critical thinking abilities to prepare them as competent and concerned citizens."
Selma Wassermann is professor emerita in the faculty of education at Simon Fraser University. Author of more than twenty books, she is the recipient of the University Excellence in Teaching Award.
PrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroductionChapter 1: What is Case Method Teaching?Chapter 2: Teaching With Cases? It’s Not for Every TeacherChapter 3: Preparing to Teach with CasesChapter 4: An Instructional Design for Teaching with CasesChapter 5: The Tools of the Interactive ProcessChapter 6: Cases based on Critical Issues in the Social StudiesChapter 7: What me? A case writer?Chapter 8: Evaluating students in a case method classroomChapter 9: And finally . . .Appendix A: Who Makes the News?BibliographyAbout the author
Using classroom case studies for middle school teachers and students to grasp ideas and thinking skills is a sparkling gem from Selma Wassermann.