In any elementary school classroom, a teacher will occasionally observe students involved in activities that seem neither honest nor ethical. What can teachers do to stimulate moral reasoning skills and principled attitudes in the elementary grades? This article suggests that situational learning is idea for developing moral reasoning in today's…

Several new books detailing various aspects of the lives and accomplishments of Wilbur and Orville Wright were written to mark the centennial of their famous 1902 entry into manned flight. This article describes eight books that are appropriate for early- to intermediate-level readers: (1) "Touching the Sky. The Flying Adventures of Wilbur and…

What does it mean to be a citizen in a digital world where technology has facilitated global connections? The children of today are immersed in a digital age, and as increasing numbers of students go online, they require skills to securely and responsibly take full advantage of computers and the Internet. Despite the natural enthusiasm that many…

A tenet of the social studies profession is that critical thinking is fundamental to good citizenship. The skills of critical thinking include collecting information from multiple perspectives, evaluating it carefully, and then applying new insight and understanding to answer a question or make a decision. In today's wired society, students of all…

Because of its interactive and multimedia nature, the Internet has been touted as an increasingly important aspect of both elementary and secondary education. A recent survey, however, indicated that the Internet and all of its apparent potential is not often used by K-5 social studies teachers. One possible reason for this is that sorting through…

In this article, the author offers criteria for evaluating WebQuests that are intended for use by students in the elementary grades. There are two general areas that teachers should consider: (1) Pedagogy--whether a WebQuest is developmentally appropriate and educationally useful for their students; and (2) Scholarship--whether the content is…

School to Career is part of a national initiative to help students make connections between the content, skills, and concepts they are learning in the classroom and careers in the real world. School-to-career practices add relevance to the elementary school curriculum and promote engagement in learning. A key feature of many school-to-career…

Children's literature is one of the more popular and useful teaching tools in the elementary social studies classroom. Children's books that communicate social studies content in an artistic manner can have a significant impact on students. In this article, the author relates her personal adventures in seeking appropriate material and gives brief…

Over the last 50 years, the United States Supreme Court has made several rulings that have had lasting effects on the American public educational system. But no ruling has been more influential than the "Brown v. Board of Education Topeka, Kansas," decision the Court handed down in 1954. 2004 marked the fiftieth anniversary of this seminal case…

Teachers have always dreamed of taking their students to visit faraway places, or traveling with them to bygone days. Now, through the power of technology, students can experience "virtually" other times and places through "distance learning." The Internet, satellite communications, television, and telephones can provide access to some exceptional…

Students at all levels need to have opportunities to represent themselves in their work in ways that are meaningful to them. The Family Artifact Museum Project provides an opportunity for students to accomplish this as they bring their family stories into the classroom and see how the lives of ordinary people are part of history. This project came…

This article relates the experiences of a fifth-grade teacher who was determined to find a creative way to engage her students in civic life. The educational standards in her state (Washington) required that fifth graders learn about the basic structure and work of government at the state and federal level. Realizing that students tend to enjoy…

During recent renovation work at the Collin County Courthouse in a suburb of Dallas Texas, workers discovered "for colored" and "for white" signs underneath layers of plaster above the bathroom doors. The discovery has ignited controversy between citizens who are concerned with the eventual fate of the signs. Some residents of Collin County, both…

In a recent survey, the authors asked 37 elementary teachers to describe websites that they found to be the most helpful in planning to teach about voting, elections in general, and the Presidential election of 2004 in particular. For this article, they selected what were, in their judgment, the most useful websites--flexible enough to use with…

Understanding multiple perspectives--how different people see one another and events now and in the past--is often cited as a goal of social studies educators. This article describes one way to encourage children to consider a variety of perspectives on a person's life story, using a literary model as a guide to thinking about the past. The book…