This supplement for pre-service and in-service courses for teachers of elementary social studies or urban education is designed to stimulate a more positive and creative approach toward the teaching of social studies and to offer specific examples of imaginative methods. Written by teachers for teachers, the articles represent a wide range of grade levels (4-12), although the methods discussed can be adapted for children of varying ages. Several of the contributing teachers have worked in both the city and the suburbs, and their testimony suggests the possibility of adaptation of suburban program to an inner city class. In a few of the ten chapters, Larry Cuban suggests a direction for improving the quality of education for the so-called slow learner; Daniel Cheever discusses the Human Development Lab at the Pennsylvania Advancement School; Reevan Tucker describes her use of Man: A Course of Study with fifth graders; and, Jim Banks describes an inquiry approach to the study of Black Power that can help children gain an appreciation for the difficulties involved in deriving social knowledge and strengthen problem solving skills. The book may be read on both philosophical and methodological planes. (Author/JLB)