Describes an easy project that uses postcards to engage elementary and middle school students in reading, writing, and social studies. Students write letters to the editors of different newspapers asking their readers to send postcards to the class. Follow up activities include response letters, maps, and writing assignments. (MJP)

Reviews a series of teaching activities that revolve around family photographs, letters, and artifacts. Outlines how these items can be used to teach recommended National Council for the Social Studies strands and provides classroom examples. Discusses developing a unit of study and includes a form for a Family Artifact Report. (MJP)

Articulates many reasons to teach about Sub-Saharan Africa in social studies classes. Although the region will become increasingly important because of global interdependence, it suffers widespread misunderstanding concerning its history and culture. Discusses the region's need for economic development and the quest for political democracy. (MJP)

Demonstrates how introducing students to African literature can appeal to their imaginations and encourage them to develop their insights into African culture. Outlines the procedures in a middle school class where the students are transformed into anthropologists as they read Chinua Achebe's, "Things Fall Apart." (MJP)

Describes a lesson plan that uses on the ordinary life of women in Kenya as a means of introducing students to issues concerning women and work in Africa. Students compare the typical daily schedules of a rural and an urban Kenyan woman and examine their different sets of obligations. (MJP)

Profiles Liberia, the West African nation patterned after the United States and colonized with freed U.S. slaves in the early 19th century. Reviews the country's history and its eruption into civil strife in 1990, showing how tensions have often characterized relationships between Liberians of different ethnic identities. (MJP)

Profiles the process of South Africa's transformation into a democracy. Outlines the many characteristics of the transition from white to majority rule, such as the attempt to achieve catharsis and bury the apartheid past through a process of amnesty and reconciliation. Describes the remaining obstacles to that transition. (MJP)

Reprints the Bill of Rights as instituted in the 1996 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Most of the provisions have been summarized but the basic rights (which cannot be rescinded in even in a state of emergency) are reprinted in their entirety. Includes topics for discussion and research. (MJP)

Describes the problems of education in Southern and South Africa. Maintains that, although the need to incorporate the four traditions of geography into the curriculum is widely recognized, much teaching is still traditional and unimaginative, leaving students unaware of the possibilities for geography. Also offers Five suggestions for solving the…

Shows the acute dilemma facing a country with a widely spoken indigenous language, Kiswahili, in circumstances where a foreign language, English, has become the de facto language of instruction. Discusses the background of this policy and suggests an alternative, bilingual policy that gives equal weight to Kiswahili and English. (MJP)

Presents a wealth of statistical, geographic, and economic information on Sub-Saharan Africa arranged and displayed for easy and immediate access. Lists all of the countries of the region along with pertinent information including religious affiliation, capital, Gross National Product, main exports, population growth, education, and literacy. (MJP)

Provides an annotated list of the many and varied educational resources on Sub-Saharan Africa. Briefly describes related university programs, African Studies Associations, nonprofit organizations, history and political studies, and biographies. A separate section outlines Internet resources including newsgroups, World Wide Web pages, and…

Outlines a multicultural approach to World War I that emphasizes the truly international character of the war, in which many soldiers and support workers from European colonies were compelled to participate. Discusses the fighting in East Africa and Asia, as well as, the contributions of the Indian Expeditionary Forces. (MJP)

Identifies and discusses recent decisions and upcoming cases of the Supreme Court that are likely to be of interest to teachers. Educational issues addressed include Internet access and censorship, affirmative action, sexual harassment, drug testing, and the separation of church and state. Includes a brief description Supreme Court duties. (MJP)

Discusses the development of the partnership between Indiana University (Bloomington) and Ryazan State Pedagogical University (Russia) in March 1994 that is funded by the United States Information Agency. Reports that the areas of activity include global education, university administration, the library, research training, and continuing…