The Use of Graphic Organizers in Fifth Grade Social Studies Instruction
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Elementary social studies teachers are faced with the task of ensuring that each student get as much information and gain as much knowledge as possible from the instruction that is provided. A common observation among classroom teachers and reading researchers is that students in the middle school frequently have difficulty understanding and remembering what they have read in content area textbooks. Since these textbooks become increasingly more important as students advance through school, it is imperative that middle grade students learn how to read and study content area material (Berkowitz, 1986). This is one of the most difficult reading tasks for students (Holley & Dansereau, 1984), so teachers must search for ways in which to make this reading easier, more enjoyable, and more understandable. One means of accomplishing this is through the use of graphic organizers. This study will examine the effects of one graphic organizer strategy, semantic mapping, on fifth-grade students during a social studies unit.