What are the attributes of a meaningful, well planned Soc St lesson?

A meaningful, well planned lesson has 3 parts: Integration among multiple disciplines, Attention to Constructivist practices, and Planning.
Building a lesson which integrates more than one subject will help students make connections from the lesson to other disciplines. Thoughtful and imaginative planning will help students connect their learning to their own lives, making the learning decidedly more meaningful to the student and, therefore, more likely to become part of their lives and memories.
Using constructivist practices, the unit will allow for students to help to guide the planning of some of the activities; focusing on the interests, ideas, problems and issues that they recognize as relevant to the topic. Further, the use of community or parent experts can be integrated into the activities to allow students to get first-hand personal accounts of information that is relevant to the lessons. In order to foster intrinsic motivation in students, activities need to be designed to be “open ended” to allow for the students to investigate and learn in a way that is meaningful for them. One student may be more inclined to research the music of a particular period in history while another student may be more interested in discovering the technological inventions of the period. When teachers allow for a variety of paths for discovery and learning, it requires an allowance for a variety of “products” which show student learning. There must be clear performance goals which integrate multiple intelligences (Gardner) and scholastic disciplines. In order for the student to understand these connections, the lesson plan must allow ample time for student reflection so that the students can communicate their understanding of their learning and their changing ideas.
Integrated lessons require planning and coordination. The scope and sequence must be planned in advance, with room for adjustment as students insert topics of interest to study. The “big picture” and parts need to be clearly communicated and referred to often throughout unit. Doing this will help the students know and remember the “reason why” they are doing these activities and projects. Modeling and models should be presented and made available throughout unit. If the teacher plans to use group learning, it will require planning and monitoring. This will require the teacher to consider questions such as:
Will groups meet with the teacher, on their own, or a combination of both?
How big will groups be?
How will groups be designated?
Will all groups be doing the same thing at the same time?
What task or product will be expected of each group?
Does the group product relate to the lesson?
How will group projects be assessed?
How will students share learning between groups?

Activities need to be planned and materials made available and ready from the beginning to the end of the unit. To tie back to constructivist practices, the lessons must have an obvious real-world application. This will require that the teacher consider diverse experiences which are culturally sensitive. This requires advance thought and planning to assure a positive and meaningful learning experience for all students.