Identifies "dummy runs" as those educational approaches and exercises that are unrelated to any real-life experience or goal. For example, writing a model business letter to a fictitious business. Maintains that social studies educators should avoid this approach and emphasize "real world" relevance and citizenship education.…

Reiterates the appropriateness and validity of using student journals in social studies instruction. Differentiates between personal and content area journals, the latter focusing on responses to issues raised in the classroom and readings. Maintains that journal writing increases critical and metacognitive thinking. (MJP)

Considers the ubiquitous use of textbooks in social studies classrooms and recommends constructing critical-thinking exercises revealing textual bias. Suggested exercises concern issues of emotional or ambiguous language, geographic and cultural inclusion/exclusion, and accuracy of data. Includes several examples of critical-thinking activities.…

Recommends using "Readers' Theater" as an interdisciplinary approach to social studies. Maintains that the format lends itself to the examination of social issues and current events while it provides opportunities for a variety of learning styles. Briefly discusses Jan Truss' book, "A Very Small Rebellion." (MJP)

Challenges citizenship educators to be more cognizant of the social and communitarian aspects of democratic citizenship. Explores engagement with children's literature and development of a classroom creed as two ways to actively engage children in citizenship roles. Includes an interview with a participating teacher. (MJP)

Describes a social studies cultural exchange program between a public school and a Canadian native school in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Outlines how the students became mutual inquirers into one another's cultures. Explores the activities and reports on the interactions among students, teachers, and parents. (CFR)

Discusses language across the curriculum movement and its impact on current social studies teaching. Asserts that social studies as a form of literacy means being able to understand the world from multiple perspectives. Recommends that social studies teachers implement inquiry and language principles across the curriculum. (CFR)

Presents six teaching ideas from teachers in Foothills Schools, Alberta, Canada. Includes suggested activities on local government, computer uses in social studies, Canadian history, current events, and world studies. Provides models of a passport application, passports, and visas. (CFR)

Maintains that the Holocaust is an integral part of the Canadian secondary history and social science curriculum. Asserts that pedagogical considerations for the Holocaust should not differ from the study of other major events. Discusses content selection, skill development, appropriate resources, and student sensitivities. (CFR)

Explores the usefulness of employing an antiracist framework to teach Holocaust education. Maintains that different forms of discrimination are linked psychologically. Asserts that Holocaust education can be used also to teach about disabled individuals, homosexuals, and other groups who suffer discrimination. (CFR)

Maintains that the large number of Holocaust victims can be difficult to comprehend. Presents a classroom exercise involving rapid counting that can give meaning to such large numbers. Contends that, along with the rapid counting procedure, there is a need to present the relationship of humanity to the numbers. (CFR)

Maintains that story is a powerful tool in teaching antiracist education. Presents the personal story of a World War II concentration camp survivor. Discusses the use of Holocaust literature to explore anti-Semitism and racism. (CFR)

Presents practical suggestions for resources and instructional strategies for teaching the Holocaust to middle school students. Describes the experiences of a classroom teacher working with an eighth-grade class on the topic of the Holocaust. Discusses the use of novels and includes a list of 11 recommended titles. (CFR)

Explains that Canadian general education is intended to prepare students for community college, whereas advanced education is meant to ready them for university study. Offers 25 strategies for teaching on the general level. Argues that the tips can improve the teacher student relationship and make any subject more interesting and enjoyable for…

Describes a project that uses childrens' literature to teach social studies and history in elementary classrooms. Reviews research which suggests that students at this level prefer to read narrative literature rather than traditional textbooks. Describes the project's impact on participating students and teachers. (CFR)