Recommends providing fifth and sixth grade students in social studies classes with an understanding of how people lived in a specific era through original experiences. Outlines two lesson plans for studying ancient Egypt, giving students hands-on experiences. Finds lessons appropriate for special education students and those with limited English…

Recommends giving students responsibility for maintaining a daily record of the class activities using a class log to record the year's events. States that students gain writing experience and learn responsibility. Explains the methodology and includes a sample entry. Suggested entries include homework assignments, summaries of class lessons, and…

Suggests teaching listening skills at the beginning of the school year to enhance the high school classroom learning environment. Outlines a five-step lesson plan for teaching listening skills. Notes that students can use this plan on their own. Reports a renewed interest in social studies and better performance on tests. (NL)

Presents abstracts of 10 documents, selected and reviewed from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) that deal with the debate over how to teach history. Includes information for accessing or ordering documents. (NL)

Evaluates the California History Social Science Framework from the perspective of a world civilizations social studies teacher. Criticizes the coverage expected and the Framework's implicit racism. Develops an approach to teaching world history and includes questions to be examined, challenging racist interpretations, limited perspectives, and…

Offers suggestions for incorporating literature into teaching history. Outlines several activities designed to extend students' understanding of historical events. Includes a suggested reading list of fiction covering various periods in U.S. history for grades 4 through 12. (NL)

Explains a method for teaching current events that helps students understand an event's setting, character, vocabulary, and plot. Provides a lesson that approaches the Persian Gulf crisis as a living novel. Uses news stories for information. Includes review questions, suggested activities, and a Middle Eastern parable. (CH)

Describes five themes of geography used as a model for generating classroom activities in an integrated teaching approach. Uses James Michener's book, "Texas," to demonstrate the integration of geography and literature. Includes a teaching outline, class activities, and lessons plans for a five-day unit. (NL)

Uses Japanese family crests to motivate students to construct a family history. Includes background information on Japanese history and culture. Provides an outline for the student research project. Supplies a list of Japanese emblems and their symbolism. (NL)

Suggests that those teaching "basic" social studies should establish a climate of success for students, who often suffer from low self-esteem. Recommends organized, brief, concise daily lessons, consistent routines, and frequent opportunities for student writing. Explains a Model Student Program in which the reading teacher acts as a role model…

Presents two geography problem-solving scenarios for use with elementary and middle school children or preservice teachers in social studies methods courses. Provides problems about the magnetic poles and the presence of ice in desert conditions. Calls upon teachers to encourage students to use their thinking skills to solve the problems. (SG)

Presents an analysis of the development of the basic themes of geography (location, place, relationships, movement, and regions) by selected southwestern Pennsylvania public schools. Concludes that students in grades three through six are most often exposed to the location theme and that sixth graders have the greatest overall exposure to all five…

Presents a lesson plan for teaching students about international alliances. Calls upon students to decide which Middle Eastern nations would be the most beneficial allies for the United States. Includes an activity sheet, guidelines for selection, and teacher questions for processing student decisions. (SG)

Examines the origins of the U.S. Bill of Rights in Pennsylvania's Antifederalism movement. Suggests methods for teaching about Antifederalists' demands for the Bill of Rights. Recommends class discussions, writing assignments, student speechmaking, and the viewing of relevant films. Includes discussion questions. (SG)

Discusses a study of the voting attitudes of students at several southwestern New Mexico high schools. Reports that most respondents had not voted on an issue of particular importance to themselves while in school. Indicates that most expected to vote in the next presidential election, but few were able to define democracy. (SG)