Dr. Wangari Maathai--"environmentalist, human rights advocate, global peace worker, and community builder"--passed away in 2011. The first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. Maathai left a legacy even greater than the 47 million trees that her organization, the Greenbelt Movement, has planted across Kenya since 1977. As the Nobel…

In this article, the authors describe how a teacher (Carrie Hamilton) can scaffold and connect social studies concepts to a variety of students' experiences in meaningful ways. They draw on findings from Laura J. Quaynor's study about social studies education for immigrant students who are also refugees. Together, they discuss effective pedagogic…

According to the authors, five years ago their school district embraced Understanding by Design as the organizing framework for curriculum. The emphasis on enduring understandings and essential questions led the sixth grade social studies teachers to reevaluate what they were teaching in their World History Curriculum. Together the authors worked…

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.…

The Belize Education Project seeks to empower Belizean children and teachers by providing professional development for teachers, and books, school supplies and scholarships for students. According to the authors, involving their U.S. students not only helps sustain the initiative, it allows their students to make lasting connections with teachers…

In the age of globalization--marked by growing interrelationships and interdependence between nations, economies, people, and cultures the world over--U.S. educators are increasingly interested in how to induct young children effectively and appropriately into the responsibilities of global citizenship. Research studies, conceptual explorations,…

In this article, the author talks about a rain garden project at Hampton Elementary School in Bay City, Michigan. The goal of the project was to slow and filter silt-laden runoff (from parking lots, sidewalks, and playground) on its path to Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron. In addition, doing so, the rain gardens would demonstrate to the township, city,…

Geography Action Week 2000 was fast approaching and the author was trying to decide on a way for her fourth grade class to actively participate in the theme for the year. The theme "Here Today--Here Tomorrow: A Geographic Focus on Conservation" centered on sustainable use, preservation, and restoration of our natural and cultural environment. As…

Cesar Chavez, who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with Dolores Huerta in 1962, dedicated his life to grassroots organizing to persuade lawmakers and the public to help improve the working conditions of migrant farm workers. In October 1992, the author had been teaching a unit of study on civics to her sixth grade bilingual students in…

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…

If educators recall hating homework as students, why then would they continue to subject their students to similar experiences? The authors believe that, by finding ways to leverage learning opportunities outside of school, the curriculum could become more dynamic and personal. Their intent in writing this article is to reveal how one can maintain…

Social studies should prepare children to participate in society. Teachers can help children study their local neighborhoods and communities on foot, with maps and books, and on websites. Studying the community can reveal a wealth of issues and ideas that matter to students and their families, while students also learn important things about the…

Children are active watchers of the world as they learn to be a part of their community. Field trips are a key component in addressing the 10 themes of the social studies standards through experiential learning. The authors recognize that in today's tough economic times, field trips that require additional funding may not be possible for all…

Despite wars, natural disasters, fears of epidemics and pandemics, and other catastrophic events that are vividly featured in media outlets, the world's population continues to rise. In fact, the world recently passed another demographic milestone: a human population of 7 billion people. The number of people on Earth has tripled since around 1930,…

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…