Considers the concept of heroes historically and currently. Explains that the media and the disillusionment in society have contributed to a confusion between celebrity and heroism. Discusses the role of the social studies educator in encouraging notions of heroism that develop effective citizenship and embody moral and ethnic heritage. (CMK)

Describes a seventh and eighth grade social studies unit on the Civil War that incorporates language arts. The unit addresses the four levels of perspective development. Aims to provide students with a better understanding of the Civil War and develop students' personal perspectives. (CMK)

Examines the transplanting of curricular and instructional practices from the United States to the state educational system of Queensland (Australia) from 1969 to 1981. Provides an overview of the involvement of curriculum workers and the contextual influences that impacted their work. Discusses the educators' reaction to the social studies…

Addresses teaching about the Vietnam War. Focuses on selecting literature and how to implement the "mines and booby traps simulation," which demonstrates the experience of an infantry soldier. Describes follow-up activities to the simulation, the connections students made between the simulation and literature, and the importance of simulation…

Provides background information on India's educational system. Focuses on history teaching in India after independence from British rule. Addresses the role of textbooks in the curriculum and types of instructional strategies. Considers some critical issues in the teaching of history in Indian schools. (CMK)

Describes a fifth grade social studies unit on the concept of time. Explains that the unit focused on teaching about the terms century and millennium in order to help students understand that the true date of the new millennium is January 1, 2001. (CMK)

Focuses on the way Oliver Stone's "JFK" was incorporated into a 20th century U.S. history course and examines the film's effect on student learning and critical thinking. Explains that the comments on the film result from a study on student learning that involved 46 students who agreed to participate in questionnaires and interviews. (CMK)

Describes how secondary teachers can design oral history research projects: (1) assess availability of materials; (2) select a project theme; (3) establish a project outcome/skills checklist; (4) preliminary research; (5) mock interviews; (6) pre-interview proposal and scheduling an interview; (7) developing interview schedule; (8) the interview;…

Presents a strategy for a study of social problems that involves selecting brief excerpts from various literary genres that focus on a key social issue or problem. Explains that middle-level students are presented with a problem to identify, explore, and attempt to solve. Presents an appendix using this excerpt format. (CMK)

Describes an action research study designed to examine high school students' use of the Internet, their evaluation of it as a learning tool, and their personal satisfaction at using the Internet for educational research. Presents the findings in detail and concludes by discussing the need for information literacy in the social studies curriculum.…

Addresses the role of the Internet in studying various rebel groups. Reviews the Zapatistas of the Chiapas region of Mexico and the Albanians and Serbs of the Balkans in order to see what resources some of the websites offer. Considers the power of each group on the Internet. (CMK)

Discusses how four different teachers utilize active instruction in their social studies classrooms. Addresses how the textbooks should be used. Covers materials and objectives, the reactions of community members to new methods, and the benefits of active instruction over an increased workload. Discusses how to begin and provides a bibliography of…

Illustrates the use of multigenre research reports, a collection of student responses to a topic that incorporates several different writing modes. A ninth-grade global issues class was assigned a multigenre research project on Latin America. Reveals the results of the projects and provides an appendix. (CMK)

Asserts that the social studies classroom is ideal for the development of students' civic decision-making skills explaining that decision making must include elements of group interaction and creative expression. Describes traditional decision-making models and decision making as a process and performance. Addresses group interaction, cooperative…

Presents a planning model that serves as a guide for social studies teachers using block scheduling, but is appropriate for any time format. Explains that the model consists of four topics describing each in detail: (1) content selection; (2) instructional strategies; (3) assessment; and (4) higher-order thinking skills. (CMK)