Many school districts across North America have turned to a framework for curriculum design and instruction called "Understanding by Design." Included in the framework is a call for teachers to create "essential questions" that provocatively ask students to consider and learn the "big ideas and core processes within the…

Drawing on a three-year multimethod study of civic engagement within "Dewey Elementary," this article identifies the contextual supports of civic efficacy. In particular, it works to map the role of the teacher in supporting the civic action and efficacy of six fifth-grade girls who requested changes to the school's existing lunch…

This research describes how enrolling students in an afterschool Geography Club affects their perception of the discipline and their geographic literacy. The creation of the afterschool club at this particular school came out of the recognition of the need to increase students' exposure to geographical content. The results of this study show the…

Applying a consistent historical theme throughout a social studies course is an effective long-term planning strategy that can promote student engagement, retention of information, and contextualized knowledge of history's continuity and change. This article demonstrates how one such theme, power and liberty, might be incorporated into a secondary…

Numeracy is as essential to becoming an active and thoughtful citizen as literacy. Although the concept of numeracy is complex and robust, there are four areas in which teachers can fairly easily begin to incorporate it into social studies curriculum and instruction. The areas include the students' ability to understand raw numeric data in…

In this case study, the work of an exemplary high school social studies teacher is highlighted. In her class, late-arrival immigrant students participated in oral, writing, and demonstration activities as they learned the physical, cultural, and historical traditions of geography education. As newcomers to the English language, the students'…

Hollywood films based in history are inevitably a blend of historical record, fiction, and a film-maker's perspective. If films are not perfect representations of the past, then how can and should we interpret their images and messages? How might teachers talk about or show historically based films during lessons in a way that promotes students'…

Proving history's relevance to students is a daunting task that social studies educators face everyday as they create lesson plans that they hope will spark their students' interest in learning about the past. Few educators would argue that demonstrating the relevance of the objectives toward which they are teaching is an unnecessary duty. Perhaps…

In most school settings, textbooks, which can be static and frequently outdated, are the major source of instruction about societal and science issues. Educators, however, want students to be less reliant on the static, sometimes dated, information and didactic instructions found in those books and to be more active in gathering their own…

Discusses the collaboration between two teacher educators working in the United States and Botswana. Focuses on cross-continent teaching to prepare students and future teachers for understanding globalization. Describes the project in which they explored ways for using photography. (CMK)

Discusses the use of the inquiry cycle during a professional development program for social studies teachers. Focuses on controversial issues, specifically the problems in Kosovo. Describes the inquiry cycle in detail and the three-phase cycle that helped teachers understand the importance of social studies. (CMK)

Contends that picture story books meet the goals of social studies, promote social inquiry, and are compatible with social studies curriculum standards. Describes the use of picture story books in the classroom. Includes an annotated bibliography, and discussion of the bibliography, that is meant to encourage social consciousness in students five-…

Believes that students should learn about cultural similarities as opposed to differences to help them understand the connections among the cultures of the world. Provides practical suggestions for meaningful learning experiences focusing on cultural similarities using children's literature, proverbs, a venn diagram, and real-life examples. (CMK)

Describes a series of four lessons that integrate social studies, language arts, and life science for high school students. Explains that students participate in a wildflower collection activity, interview a person from another culture to collect interesting facts and wild stories, research a flowering plant, and make wildflower bookmarks. (CMK)

Focuses on using music as a tool for teaching about the U.S. Civil War. States that music was integral to life in the United States and for the soldiers during this time period. Discusses why teachers should use music and how to integrate songs into instruction. Includes song lyrics. (CMK)