Presents a lesson in which students examine the characteristics of successful and unsuccessful tourism development projects in mountains by utilizing the included list of websites. Expounds that, based on their search of the websites, the students propose solutions for maintaining a balance among environmental conservation, cultural advancement,…

Describes a lesson in which students explore the goals of the "Mountain Agenda" that is a group of non-governmental mountain organizations that met in Lima (Peru) in 1995. States that students are asked to consider how U.S. foreign aid benefits the country domestically while supporting international policy agendas. (Contains three handouts. (CMK)

Addresses the error of treating multiculturalism and globalism as the same concept. Considers the boundaries and shared purposes of multiculturalism and globalism. Defines the former as using multiple perspectives that reflect the diversity within a society and the latter as developing students' understanding of peoples and cultures of other…

Examines some of the main issues and developments within biotechnology that legislators must address. Suggests how these can be utilized in the social studies classroom. Includes three articles by Hilary Glazer and Hannah Letterman, Elizabeth M. Yang, and Ami S. Jaeger. (CMK)

Reviews the emergence of employment opportunities for women outside the home. Focuses specifically on the Dover Cotton Factory in Dover, New Hampshire. Provides a reproduction of the page from the 1820 Census of Manufactures that contains information about the Dover Cotton Factory. (Contains document based teaching activities.) (CMK)

Presents an overview of women in the Progressive Era, providing a glimpse at how women attempted to reform society and simultaneously change ideas about the role of women at the turn of the 20th century. Reviews the various roles of these women, such as suffragettes, individual freedom activists, and labor organizers. (CMK)

Provides an introduction to the Serious-Fun model. Describes how it can be applied to social studies at the middle school level. Addresses some barriers that could undermine the model's application and ways for making social studies more interesting and relevant to students. Lists different activities according to Bloom's taxonomy. (CMK)

Believes that serious fun holds great promise for engaging special needs students in meaningful learning experiences in social studies. Describes how creative play with plastic action figures led to four students in a self-contained special education classroom collaborating on writing and illustrating their own book. (CMK)

Describes an activity called the "Freedom Train": a simulation for eighth grade students that enables them to gain an understanding of the importance and dangers of the Underground Railroad. Explains that the project encourages students to work cooperatively while also reinforcing their research and map skills. Provides follow-up activities. (CMK)

Describes an activity in which middle school students use the computer software entitles "Community Construction Kit," a computer program, to design buildings for historical and contemporary communities. Addresses the student benefits of both this activity and the "Community Construction Kit" in general. (CMK)

Describes "A Walk through Time," the "serious fun" project that evolved into a student-created living history event that incorporates various disciplines, especially social studies and language arts. Provides an assessment of the Screwen County Middle School in Georgia project and discusses the improved relationship between the school and…

Provides a geography lesson that integrates literature by focusing on the book "Robinson Crusoe." Explains that the lesson consists of three parts that students perform in groups and individually in which they follow the adventures of Crusoe using the ship's log and excerpts from his journal. (CMK)

Believes that encouraging middle school students to explore the idea of a hero enables them to understand themselves and the world in which they live. Discusses reasons for teaching about heroes in the classroom. Describes a study unit on heroes that is student-centered, ongoing and inquiry-based, and incorporates a thematic base and literature.…

Addresses the Niles Firebrick Project, an outreach program from Youngstown State University that has traveled to nine schools in six Ohio school districts, with a majority of the classrooms visited in middle schools. Explains that the project centers on the use of primary documents about the Niles Fire Brick Company. (CMK)

Provides two examples of how teachers have developed a critical and caring classroom culture. Believes that to foster this culture it is necessary to infuse the ideas of civic justice and morality into classroom activities throughout the school year. Describes how to create a classroom with a critical and caring culture. (CMK)