The men of the Breckinridge family have a long history of service to the nation, including many politicians, soldiers, and even a vice president of the United States. But it was a woman in the family, Mary, who had, arguably, the most direct and long-lived impact on those she served. As the founder of the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) of Eastern…

This article presents two lessons. The first one is "Carved in Stone: The Preamble to the Constitution" by Steven S. Lapham. In 1937, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) commissioned artist Lenore Thomas to create some sculptures for the planned community of Greenbelt, Maryland. Part of her work consisted of bas-relief friezes on the…

Can reading a book about a boy and a hen in Ghana make a difference to fifth graders in their Michigan community? Indeed, it can, and in myriad ways. At a suburban elementary school in Michigan, the authors introduced fifth graders to economic concepts in a project-based learning (PBL) unit. They began by reading aloud and discussing the picture…

Can an easy-to-read, funny picture book spur fifth graders to find their inner feminist? It can, if it's Anthony Browne's "Piggybook", and teachers use the activity ideas in "Every Book is a Social Studies Book". "Piggybook" by Anthony Browne is a tale whose cover tells the story: the mother, Mrs. Piggot,…

In this article sixth grade English/language arts and science teacher at Oldfield Middle School (Greenlawn, New York) Monica Zenyuh describes how she established a program called "Adopt-a-School" in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Schools that wished to provide assistance would be matched with a grade, school, or district in devastated…

Mary Ledbetter's fifth grade students at the University of Texas Elementary School know immigration well. Some of them are recent immigrants from Mexico, or they have family members who are. Several of Mary's students are first or second generation Americans. For Mary, immigration is one of the most important units she teaches, one that…

Symbols have always had an important role in shaping our identity as a nation. The American flag, the Statue of Liberty, the White House, and the bald eagle all help to convey American values such as liberty, freedom, democracy, and independence. But how do elementary students understand these symbols and the values behind them? In this article,…

Fifth-grade teachers Shari Dorfman and Ruth Rosenberg strive to help their students see the possibilities that exist within themselves, so that their students can begin to envision their own future. To this end, Dorfman and Rosenberg choose to celebrate the legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by sharing the stories of lesser-known…

In a fifth grade classroom at The University of Texas Elementary School (UTES), a unit on the Constitution sets the stage for a year of integrated learning. The very next unit of study focuses on the civil rights movement. Teaching UTES students, who come from diverse backgrounds, means exposing them to many points of view so that they may form…

An open mind--the willingness to consider experiences, beliefs, values, perspectives, etc. that differ from one's own--allows the learner to explore how diverse people across the world think and act. Open-mindedness creates opportunities to rethink assumptions, identify misinformation, and consider alternative ways to make decisions.…

In this article, the author describes a StoryCorps project for the National Day of Listening. StoryCorps is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of their lives. The organization initiated The National Day of Listening in 2008…

State history can connect to the lives of immigrant children. By discovering history's humanizing narratives, students can become more engaged with the curriculum and more appreciative of their roles as state, national, and global citizens. In Texas, students study state history in the fourth and seventh grades. Considering the continual increase…

Everybody knows how easy it is for students to react negatively to people who act or think differently from themselves. To counterbalance students' often egocentric and ethnocentric views (which are normal for this age), teaching team collaborates to integrate voices from the world across the curriculum. They want their students to be learning…

In this article, the author discusses how he began a series of lessons on the French and Indian War era. He incorporates physical activity, paintings, artifacts, diaries and discussions into the lessons, so that students in fourth grade through middle school can get a real feel for what the colonial frontier was like. He emphasizes that using…

In a history class, students typically listen to the teacher lecture, read from their textbook, then take a test. Although they may sometimes be required to memorize information or read stories about historical events and people, they rarely work with other students, use original documents, write term papers, or discuss the significance of what…