Presents a study in which 12 multicultural literature selections were used in a unit on families in order to facilitate the cultural awareness of second-grade students who live in a predominately African American, rural community. Discusses the themes that emerged. Includes an appendix with a copy of the interview, literature selections, and unit…

Focuses on the use of primary sources to help students learn about children from the past. Offers resources and teaching ideas on topics such as children living during the frontier, the American Revolution, the U.S. Civil War, slavery and civil rights, and immigration. (CMK)

Examines the status of mandated character education in schools throughout Georgia using a questionnaire sent to public school principals. Reveals that the principals' degree of acceptance of character education is fairly strong, while the degree of implementation is significantly below the level of acceptance for 13 attributes of character…

Describes a learning activity that focuses on geographic profiles. Students are divided into five groups and are responsible for creating a profile of one geographic data set. The five data sets are based on thematic maps of the United States found in "Goode's World Atlas, 19th edition." (CMK)

Questions how the review process affects the outcome of grant review. Considers the procedures of The Research Council of Norway which practices several different grant-review models and consequently is especially suited for explorations of the implications of different models. (Contains 24 references.) (Author/YDS)

Examines a subset of tools (atlases of the brain) developed in the Human Brain Project (HBP) in order to understand how the use of these tools changes the practice of science. Discusses the redefinition of what constitutes 'objective' neuroscientific knowledge according to both technological possibilities built into these tools and the constraints…

Examines 53 collaborations in physics and related sciences with two unexpected findings: (1) trust is no higher in projects formed through pre-existing relationships than those without such ties; and (2) there is no relationship between trust and performance. Concludes that more important than trust for an understanding of large scientific…

Explores the changes in the U.S. economy explaining that it became an engine of growth for the entire world economy. Describes the transformation in economic thought during the 20th century and relates these changes to issues of interest to social studies educators. Concludes with a discussion on 21st century thought. (CMK)

Describes a middle school unit that uses short projects to encourage the students to think about slavery and the Reconstruction Era in terms of narrative; as part of the take-home examination, the students write a narrative of the Civil War and Reconstruction in which they invent characters and a plot. (CMK)

Describes three different types of curriculum organization (activity curriculum, general education, and core curriculum) and identifies curriculum development principles that emerged from these past practices that are important to issues-centered education today. Discusses ways to apply the curriculum development principles to contemporary efforts…

Considers the taboo topics that social studies teachers avoid or de-emphasize, such as topics that tend to provoke strong emotional reactions. Addresses the reasons for the stifling of taboo topics and finds that the closer a topic is to students' lives the more likely the topic is labeled as taboo. (CMK)

Describes the Center for Human Origin and Cultural Diversity program that is a model for multicultural education in which students learn about the human fossil record, the value of biological variation, and the characteristics common to all humans. Presents results from a study that support the use of this program. (CMK)

Urges social studies educators to explore textile art and interviews with textile artists as a tool for fostering understanding and empathy for Hmong Americans. Summarizes Hmong history and culture as they lived traditionally in Laos, as refugees in Thailand, and as immigrants in the United States suggesting examples of textile art. (CMK)

Describes a unit for third-grade students where they learn about the Pilgrim's experiences on the Mayflower. Explains that in order to bring history alive for the students, each student is assigned the name of a Pilgrim child who was on the Mayflower and assumes the identity of that child throughout the unit. (CMK)

Presents a framework developed for the Library of Congress staff of the Social Science Education Consortium for using primary sources with students. Offers a brief rationale for using primary sources in the classroom, gives suggestions for using such sources in various phases of instruction, and provides a list of Web sites containing primary…