Describes the Chata Project, a British research project that challenged the prevalent assumption that children will construct sound causal explanations from factual information imparted during history instruction. Their research suggests that explicit instruction is required for children to understand the causal relationships among events,…

Summarizes a Canadian study that attempted to determine how a diverse group of high school students identified and understood events of historical significance. The students' responses ranged from generally objective and analytical to wildly subjective. Includes a recommended exercise for establishing students approaches to and definitions of…

Reviews recent research on sociocultural approaches to historical understanding and concludes that students' judgment of historical significance is substantially shaped by the social and cultural characteristics of the learner. Recounts several episodes revealing how minority and mainstream students differ in their trust of the authority of the…

Maintains that although women's history has made great strides in the university environment, it remains peripheral in elementary and secondary education. Suggests feasible strategies to incorporate this subject into the curriculum. Includes Peggy McIntosh's "Five Phases of Curricular Re-Vision with Regards to Gender 1983." (MJP)

Contrasts two approaches to achieving depth in an 8th grade U.S. history class. One presents a detailed and chronological approach, the other a discipline-based matrix structure with chronological and regional evolutions as a backdrop. Favors stressing major principles and generalizations while focusing in depth on prototypical examples. (MJP)

Presents a dialog between an educational psychologist and a middle school social studies teacher concerning the integration of the arts into social studies curriculum. Both agree that the use of the arts can simultaneously enhance the presentation of content while providing multiple paths to learning. (MJP)

Describes a broad variety of instructional ideas and activities designed to make history come alive for the intermediate grades. These include personal time lines, interviewing grandparents, and show and tell with personal artifacts. Includes a section of activities designed specifically to work with historical fiction. (MJP)

Argues that historical knowledge is socially constructed, dependent upon the interplay of past, and current accepted theories and research. Maintains that history instruction should both reflect and promote this through the inclusion of multiple points of view, student centered instruction, and experiential learning. (MJP)

Describes a series of teaching activities to be used in conjunction with a reproduction of Joseph Glidden's patent for barbed wire fencing. These include document analysis, creative interpretation, and personal experience. Presents a brief history of the social and economic effects of the introduction of barbed wire to the West. (MJP)

Provides an overview of historic Native American tribal government structures and discusses ways of integrating this subject into the social studies curriculum. Specifically examines the tribal governments of the Iroquois, Muscogee, Lakota, and Pueblos. Includes illustrations, a list of references, and suggested teaching activities. (MJP)

Summarizes the global efforts of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to ease poverty and help developing nations to build their capacity for sustainable development. Includes a glossary of poverty and human development terms, a human poverty index ranking for developing countries, and suggested teaching activities. (MJP)

Provides an overview of the material included in the recently published, "Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics." The document offers teachers a package that articulates the goals of economic instruction and gives them a source of materials they can use in their classroom to teach the standards. (MJP)

Maintains that policies that recognize the commercial value of resources and offer rewards for actions that preserve rather than deplete them, offer the best chance for environmental protection. Discusses recent experiments where the right to harvest a resource is sold as a commodity. Examines the role this plays in conservation. (MJP)

Argues that well-intentioned government policies, such as the Endangered Species Act, can actually cause harm to endangered species by creating disincentives to preserving the habitat for endangered species. Maintains that the use of incentives can lead to voluntary species protection. Includes instructions for an in-class teaching activity. (MJP)

Traces the problems of water overuse to the fact that many farmers are allowed to use water at a fraction of its real cost. Maintains that government subsidies promote misuse and abuse of this resource. Proposes two solutions: environmentally friendly water prices and environmentally friendly water ownership. (MJP)