Abstract
The study was in response to four questions regarding the use of trade books to teach social studies. Is the literature-social studies connection a recent addition to social studies methodology? How do proponents characterize it? Why is children’s literature strongly advocated, yet rarely adopted as a teaching tool? Does the connection reflect social studies education as a whole? Surveys of bibliographic tools yielded 164 sources treating this relationship between 1929 and 1988. These items were grouped by decade and categorized by type, grade level, focus, and journal. Selected entries were examined to clarify definitions of trade book and perceptions of literature’s instructional uses. The study contributes to social studies research in two ways. Specifically, findings illuminate the trade book-social studies link, central to such curriculum reform efforts as California’s History-Social Science Framework. The relationship has persisted for over 6 decades and adjusted to changes in public mood. Advocates recommended trade book use primarily in grades K-6, and implied deficiencies in social studies instruction. In a general sense, the study confirms conclusions that social studies resists change and has been ill-served by reformers who ignored classroom reality and pressed forward without a sense of the past.
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