Using data from the National Center for Educational Statistics research spanning fifteen years, researchers examined the impact of national educational policy implementation on the role of social studies in elementary schools. Specifically, with the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2007 and the continuation of federal-mandated…

Literacy skills taught in the elementary grades establish a good foundation but are not adequate for the demands of secondary content curriculum. In history, preservice teachers must be prepared with a solid content base along with the pedagogy for teaching that content. To better teach and enhance student writing, preservice teachers need to…

Service learning is an accepted practice in many middle and high schools as a means to develop empathy for others and promote character. In elementary classrooms service learning may be considered a one time a year occurrence and carried out as a school-wide project. This article addresses a more integrated approach to service learning, wherein…

Since the inception of mandated testing in reading and mathematics, social studies instruction has been marginalized in elementary and middle schools. After the genesis of several state-mandated testing programs and nearly a decade after the launch of the No Child Left Behind legislation, the effects of limited K-8 social studies instruction are…

When teachers in elementary and middle school classrooms portray history as an immutable sequence of certain facts, dates, and events, young learners tend to view the past, and by extension the future, as something fixed and inevitable. Learning about the past through investigating biographies can help counter this tendency by teaching students to…

Book Review Committee members for the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), in collaboration with the Children's Book Council, have reviewed current copyrighted trade books with social studies themes since 1972. As a result, an annual bibliography of K-12 trade books is published each May in the "Notable Social Studies Trade Books for…

Learning social studies curriculum can present challenges for English-language learners (ELLs). The language used to present concepts is often decontextualized and abstract, making it difficult for these students to understand the content and have successful learning experiences. In this article, the authors describe strategies elementary teachers…

From the emphasis on lower-level test-prep materials to the disappearance of the subject altogether, elementary social studies is, in the best case scenario, being tested and, thus, taught with a heavy emphasis on recall; and, in the worst-case scenario, not being taught at all. In this article, the author responds to Jeff Passe's views on…

Social studies education has been endangered for a long time, with no aspect more threatened than the elementary program. This situation is problematic in itself, but its effects on the total social studies program are also pernicious. In this article, the author discusses the problems and challenges in social education, particularly in elementary…

The mere mention of the terms religion and public education in the same sentence has both educators and parents gasping aloud. Moreover, although most state adopted sixth-grade textbooks contain a fair amount of content on the world's religions, but it is also true that many social studies teachers choose to omit that content. Black (2003, 4)…

Social studies instruction in the elementary school is sometimes far removed from the students' daily lives, and teachers continually search for ideas to create more meaningful learning experiences. That is especially true when students study history, which can often be distant, abstract, and impersonal. As many classroom teachers realize,…

Especially in politically unstable countries, when a regime changes, the philosophy of education changes. Politicians use education as a tool for conditioning the citizens to adopt a particular political ideology. In Taiwan, over the past 100 years, different regimes with different political agendas have used education for political…

Presents instructional activities for classroom teachers to use in educating students about democracy and offers a definition of democracy. Includes information on how to teach about democracy, democratic deliberation, the issues of fairness and justice, social responsibility, and the history of democracy. (CMK)

Describes the author's experiences with fifth-grade students who were English Language Learners in a social studies class. Explains how the teacher used photography within the social studies classroom and took the children on a field trip to see historic sites. Discusses the outcomes of the project for the students involved. (CMK)

Explores how to teach religion in the social studies classroom in public schools. Asserts that religion should be taught to educate children about beliefs that differ from their own and about the role of religion in U.S. society. Provides suggestions for teaching about religion to students in kindergarten through sixth grade. (CMK)