Preparing to Teach Social Studies for Social Justice: Becoming a Renegade

This book shows how veteran, justice-oriented social studies teachers build curriculum, support students’ literacy skills, and prepare students to think and act critically within and beyond the classroom. Part I of the book introduces three ways teachers navigate teaching for social justice within the context of standards-based classrooms (embracing, reframing, or resisting the standards). Part II analyzes specific approaches to teaching the Common Core, using teacher narratives to illustrate key processes. Part III demonstrates how teachers develop, support, and sustain their identities as justice-oriented educators in standards-driven classrooms. Each chapter includes lesson plans drawn from diverse grades and classrooms, and offers concrete recommendations to guide practice.