Elementary teacher Ms. Huff realized that her third grade students were limited in their knowledge and experiences related to gardening. Most of today's young learners in the United States do not live on farms, and few families maintain gardens. Only a few of Ms. Huff's students could say they had a family garden. In schools, students learn about…

Since 1790, the United States government has conducted a count of its people by conducting a census every decade. The U.S. Census provides valuable data describing the population according to a variety of criteria including ethnicity, gender, age, and income, among other categories. Teaching about demographics and some of the interesting issues…

Frequently the words "cooperation" and "collaboration" are used interchangeably; both words mean to develop relationships or to form associations by helping and supporting one another through organized teamwork and partnerships. Although both cooperation and collaboration feature working in groups to produce outcomes, the authors would like to…

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…

"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…

Discusses national teacher certification in question-answer format, addressing issues such as why teachers become nationally certified; preparing the material for certification; the requirements for certification; assistance with fees; the rewards for embarking on certification; and recognition for becoming certified. (CMK)

Focuses on a 1998 University of Nevada project in which forty elementary and middle school teachers learned about the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) "Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People" and the NCSS thematic strands. Highlights strategies that emerged from the project that integrates children's literature and…

Suggests a four-stage framework that teachers can use to integrate creative dance into the social studies curriculum. Discusses the four stages through the use of a sample dance about tornadoes that complements a thematic social studies unit about the impact of weather and natural disasters upon people and their environments. (CMK)

Observes that writing is a process of learning and that students learn best when the writing process is well-organized. Outlines a process for writing, named DRAFT (Design, Role, Audience, Format, and Topic), that bridges social studies with critical thinking and problem solving, and allows writing projects to be easily transformed into models…