Reviews the accomplishments of John Glenn as a pilot, astronaut, senator, and pioneer in relation to his 1998 flight that made him the oldest person to ever travel into space. Includes photographs for students to study, and recommends classroom activities related to Glenn's career. (DSK)

Describes a series of opening activities for the study of the Holocaust in order to discover: (1) students' current knowledge base about the Holocaust; (2) students' depth of knowledge about the Holocaust; and (3) students' crucial questions and concerns about the Holocaust. (CMK)

Addresses the possible impact of block scheduling on student performance on the advanced placement (AP) examination. Discusses team-teaching AP history and English courses for both junior and senior levels using alternative schedules (alternating weeks for AP English and history throughout the school year). Provides two AP syllabi for history and…

Provides background information on Seymour Fogel, a Depression era muralist. Considers Fogel's artwork of African Americans during the Depression, depicting such scenes as lynchings and the plight of the poor in many areas of the South. (CMK)

Provides five statements commonly forwarded by preservice teachers in elementary education as a means for preservice teachers to examine their feelings, attitudes, and values about teaching diverse populations. Discusses students' reactions to these statements and activities to help preservice teachers reflect on their views towards diversity.…

Examines the reasons for the death penalty, the reasons why the death penalty attracts so much attention, whether the death penalty is applied consistently, and the evidence that the application of the death penalty may be racially biased. Provides an accompanying article on "Teaching Ideas" by Ronald A. Banaszak. (CMK)

Provides guidelines for implementing portfolios in the social studies classroom that focus on the Vietnam era and incorporate Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences. Outlines the portfolio project, lists eleven portfolio components, and addresses the intelligence of each. (CMK)

Discusses Isabel Beck's and Margaret McKeown's research on reading history texts, Linda Levstik's investigation into narrative, and Samuel Wineburg's studies on the expert thinking of historians. Contends that these three research agendas suggest ways to construe and adapt the inquiry method in teaching history. (CMK)

Reports on a study that focused on Australian students' cognitive and social skills in group decision-making activities conducted in the classroom. Finds that students were motivated to participate in group decision-making and that students' decision-making strategies are destructive when students assert their own ideas at the expense of others.…

Provides background information on the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection. Presents teaching activities that focus on the background information and Commodore George Dewey's response to Assistant Secretary Roosevelt's telegram that ordered Dewey to take up offensive operations in the Philippines. (CMK)

Explores learning strategies for using the Internet in social studies instruction. Provides an annotated list of websites that help teachers with methods and ideas for assignments. Offers contact information for teachers who want to submit web-based lesson plans. (CMK)

Addresses the shortcomings of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) position statement "Fostering Civic Virtue: Character Education in the Social Studies." Challenges the work of the NCSS Task Force on Character Education in the Social Studies on four concerns: (1) necessity and timeliness; (2) generality and specificity; (3) utility;…

Presents a workbook extract from the teaching resource kit entitled "Land and Landscapes: Views of America's History and Culture" that examines landscape paintings and photographs from the 19th century to the present. Explains that the main focus of this extract is to question how European American views about landownership affected Native…

Summarizes the story of Don Henry, a student at the University of Kansas in the 1930s, focusing on how he became a communist after he left home and later went to fight in the the Spanish Civil War. Provides a teaching activity on the role of universities in influencing students and their beliefs. (CMK)

Describes the six model lessons created to coincide with the online collections of the Library of Congress that focuses on utilizing technology and primary sources; two of the lessons are for teacher use, while the other four are self-contained lessons. Discusses the basic design principles and constraints for the lessons. (CMK)