This article aims to report on and introduce Rob Ley’s speech “Integrating Social Studies in the Elementary Classroom,” organized by the Research Initiative for Developing Learning Systems (RIDLS) on July 2 and 5, 2016, and his collectively written book Homework Done Right: Powerful Learning in Real-Life Situations. The article reviews Ley’s work from three educational viewpoints: the “curriculum integration,”
“integrated social studies curriculum,” and “education connecting the classroom and the society.” Healthy integration of social studies, one of the three types of integrated curriculum, requires teachers to use not only the perspectives of social studies based on children’s/students’ life and experience in a community and/or society, but also to include reading/writing skills and mathematics in lessons. Lessons designed to help students understand society and develop into better citizens include assignments that are completed outside of school, as well as in social studies classes. In addition, a Social Studies assignment titled “Extending Democracy via Voter Registration” in the book promises a “subjective, discussion and in-depth learning experience for students.”