Discusses the use of primary sources in a fourth grade unit on Calvin Fletcher and the topic of transportation. Addresses the difficulties of using primary source material with elementary school students. Identifies ways for students to demonstrate their newly acquired knowledge. (CMK)

Describes a literature discussion group consisting of eleven social studies representatives involved in a discussion of children's multicultural literature and articles. Focuses on story as a resource for exploring diversity and for sharing personal experiences and responses with others. Includes the discussion group's schedule and a list of…

Addresses the issue of assisting and motivating weak readers in history courses to participate more in research projects by utilizing varied types of materials in small group settings that incorporate different ability levels. Discusses specific types of materials (books, films, and oral history) and sources to locate these materials. (CMK)

Discusses the use of virtual expeditions in the social studies classroom through a real-life journey documented on the Internet using images, sounds, and text. Addresses how virtual expeditions work, includes four web sites to locate virtual expeditions, and explores such issues as the computer system requirements, support, and cost. (CMK)

Discusses intervention options that help prevent violence in schools by affecting the school climate. Describes five approaches to improve the school climate: (1) parent and community involvement; (2) character education; (3) violence-prevention and conflict-resolution curricula; (4) peer mediation; and (5) bullying prevention. (CMK)

This manuscript reports the findings from a web-based, issues-centered project created by teacher education students for high school seniors in a government class. The university students compiled web pages that formulated an issue facing the Kansas Legislature and authored questions to be evaluated by the high school government students. The…

Building on previous research conducted over the past thirty years, this study attempts to inquire about students' attitudes towards social studies. Using a phenomenological research approach, two groups of eighth and eleventh grade students were interviewed. A total of forty-eight students were selected to participate in the study. With…

The teaching of American history is not neutral; teachers and textbooks often define what is important and what is not. It is through this historical subjectivity that stereotypes and biases emerge and ultimately persist. With relevance to African Americans and American Indians, such stereotypes can be culturally, politically and economically…

The intent of this study was to interpret the processes of journal keeping through written and electronic means to determine if the interns "saw" what their master teachers' saw in the myriad complexities of the social studies classroom. Three teachers identified as master teachers and interns placed under their tutelage examined interns their…

Issues-centered teaching is considered an alternative to the monotonous, fragmented and coverage-oriented approach characteristic of most approaches to social studies instruction. This paper sought to investigate how six second-year middle and high school social studies teachers attempted to implement an issues-centered instructional model taught…

Heritage in the Classroom consisted of workshops designed to assist teachers in developing lesson plans that use Louisiana cultural resources as content to address curriculum standards. Teachers created lesson plans and activities that were piloted during the 2001-02 school year. The Cultural Heritage Attitude Survey measured students' attitudes…

In this study, 30 students in a graduate level social studies methods course used digital historical resources to respond to a single question about the Cuban Missile Crisis: "How was the Cuban Missile Crisis resolved?" The participants were placed in three groups and each group was given a different scaffolding strategy for using online sources…

Paula Underwood's "Learning Stories" braid together body, mind, and spirit to enable understanding that does not easily unravel. They tell of relationships among individual and community learning that parallel other ancient and contemporary ideas about learning in caring communities. Underwood's tradition considers learning sacred; everyone's…

A Talking Circle incorporates traditions from various Native American tribes and represents the practice of gathering as a community to solve problems, and the practice of respectful listening. This article describes the benefits of introducing students to a Talking Circle as a way of creating community in the classroom. Having a weekly class…

While an abundance of classroom and teacher education research has been dedicated towards understanding young elementary children's use of primary sources, not nearly enough exemplars have been examined that demonstrate the teaching of historical reasoning within linguistically and culturally diverse settings. The complexity of teaching social…