As a teacher in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) for the past 16 years, the author has grown used to dismal budget cut news arriving each February. Although cuts are always frustrating and their results burdensome, the school has been able to "hang on" reasonably well. This year, however, the budget cuts were extreme. In this article, the author…

There never seems to be enough time to teach everything that administrators, policy advocates, parents, legislators, and the general public think should be addressed in the elementary classroom. Each year, elementary teachers are asked to add more and more to their already crowded curriculum. Add to this the pressures of state standards and making…

Elementary teachers frequently face the challenge of teaching about their state with limited time and resources. Teaching state or regional history is a longstanding tradition in fourth grade and has been part of the social studies curriculum since the beginning of the 20th century. In addition, national and state standards include attention to…

In this article, the author reflects back to when he was in fifth grade, when his teacher taught the class to bake bread in school. It was November, and baking bread tied into the lesson. His teacher and some open-minded parents and students knew that to bake, sew, paint, sing, play an instrument, or dance as part of a lesson for a math class,…

The fifth grade social studies curriculum includes a study democracy within the context of United Sates history. The traditional approach to teaching the material focuses on stories of the white, male heroes of American History and calls on students to be passive recipients of information. History is presented as a series of events that "just…

A deliberation is a discussion aimed at making a decision. In elementary and middle school classrooms, problems that can be tackled with deliberation are, among others, contemplating a new classroom rule, writing a "classroom constitution," and deciding how to share toys fairly. In this article, the author discusses the interactions of students…

As a teacher of fourth and fifth grade students, this author wanted to teach her students to assume the responsibility of civic activism for the public good, but found that students at this age do not always understand that they can make important civic contributions or that one child can make a difference. To illustrate these concepts and…

Guiding students through a dramatic exploration of an historical event can elicit strong emotional reactions that can deepen student understanding and interest in the subject matter. This article describes an integrated third grade lesson plan that focuses on Henry Hudson's voyages in the early 1600s. The students take on the roles of Hudson's…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Asserts that educators should not teach about the Holocaust to K-4 students. Addresses the purpose of teaching the Holocaust and whether it can be taught to young children; questions the use of the term "Holocaust education"; and discusses the future of Holocaust education at the K-4 level. (CMK)