Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing on the morning of September 11, 2001. Everyone has a personal story from that day, and many of those personal stories took place in classrooms all across America. The reality of the terrorist attacks is difficult for adults to comprehend, yet it is the job of teachers to help students of…

As a music teacher, this author was always looking for good cross-curricular connections. Because music is something that all children enjoy to some degree, it is a great way to open new doors to a subject area. Music is an integral part of every culture, so it can be part of any unit of study on a foreign country or distant continent. Music can…

This article describes one of many inquiry investigations the author designed for her fifth grade students in order to provide real and meaningful reading experiences through primary documents. There are two main goals for such a lesson: students will comprehend historical events accurately and in a way meaningful to them, and they will develop…

Classroom management is big business. Entire schools or school districts are known to have subscribed to one management system or another. Teachers must, of course, make thoughtful and very careful decisions about how they will approach the learning environment, and, as might be expected, a voluminous amount of reading exists to inform and to…

This article provides examples of how a teacher can take childhood as a main topic of a unit of study and create interesting lessons that cover many aspects of social studies. It describes how a classroom learning community can be a place for helping students practice democratic principles while addressing academic subjects. It demonstrates that…

"Time, Place, and Play," is a short phrase, but is summarizes three very big concepts--history, geography, and culture--that are part of the elementary social studies curriculum. This article relates the story of how twenty-five elementary and middle school teachers, meeting over several weeks in a university class, designed a unit of study on the…

In the elementary classroom, teachers often introduce new units through the use of trade books. Children's literature, the best of which brings social studies content to life, is usually more engaging than textbook prose. Children's literature that shares the experiences, contributions, and perspectives of various cultural groups achieves several…

Public school teachers are careful not to promote or celebrate any religious holiday, but the appearance of Easter on the calendar can be the springboard for exploring the culture and history of the people of a region of the world that was, for many years, hidden by the politics of the Cold War. Ukraine is the home of arguably the world's most…

Dealing with contentious issues is a part of living in a democracy. Controversies in the classroom range from discussions of fairness regarding playground rules to the rules of "just war." Understanding that there are multiple and often competing viewpoints is a prerequisite to being an informed and effective citizen. Teaching students to define…

Suggests that graffiti presents many avenues of study within social studies and language arts for middle and high school students. Contends that graffiti is relevant to students' feelings, opinions, and ideas. Offers a list of Web sites focusing on graffiti. (CMK)

Contends that teaching students about history through storytelling enlivens the classroom and enables students to understand the past, their own history, and culture. Provides a list of 12 elements that can be included in a story, such as foods, historical context, transportation, schools, and family life/entertainment. (CMK)

Discusses the teaching of religion in the elementary classroom. Suggests activities and discusses cautions and concerns, dealing with absolutism, using religious literature, and parental rights. Compares teaching about religion with teaching for religious observance. (CMK)

Clarifies the term "Appalachia" by discussing the economic and geographic points of reference related to the term, along with the difference between rural and urban Appalachia, and considers the culture of Appalachia. Focuses on teaching about Appalachia with picture storybooks. Includes an annotated bibliography. (CMK)

Focuses on the creation of children's books as a form of alternative assessment in the history classroom. Describes a project in which high school students developed children's books of historic persons. Incorporates three of Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences: linguistic, spatial, and personal. Provides the assignment, the grading rubric,…

Presents a summary of "An Examination of Picture Story Books that Teach Children about Appalachia (Part 1)." Offers an annotated bibliography of 10 picture story books about Appalachia. Each bibliographic entry includes a summary, a listing of Appalachian names and vocabulary words, the target reading audience, and National Council for the Social…