Proposes a method for building biographies with elementary students. Called the "snapshot approach," it encourages students to visualize memorable events in the life of the person being studied. Step one is gathering and studying biographical information, step two is selecting the material to use, and step three is arranging and interpreting the…

An effective unit on the presidency must clarify the balance between the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. Two activities for use with secondary students are presented. (RM)

Presented is a self-contained lesson in land use which can be used in a high school American studies course. The lesson is cross-referenced to major textbooks. (RM)

An outline for a fourth grade local history course is presented. A historic study of the local community should focus on social/cultural, political, and economic community roots. An annotated listing of three local history books written specifically for children, which have received accreditation, is provided. (RM)

Offers suggestions for helping students in elementary level social studies classes become aware of their cultural and ethnic roots. Suggestions include directing students to interview parents, relatives, grandparents, and community members; invite people to class to tell why they came to America; investigate contributions of various immigrant…

Contains 10 citations of curriculum materials in the ERIC system appropriate for elementary or secondary U. S. history instruction. Citation topics include: elementary-level materials on cities, clothing styles, country schools, and immigration; secondary materials on women in American history, images of America at war, and critical thinking about…

Presents many activity ideas for teaching young children about time using chronological events, clocks, and calendars. Jerome Bruner's enactive-iconic-symbolic sequence of concept development is used as a guide for these learning experiences. (LP)

Seventh-graders studied inflation and other economic consumer concepts at a consumer convention. Preactivities, workshop sign-up day, and the convention schedule are discussed. A chart of the workshop design is included. (SR)

A bibliography of readings on human rights is followed by a human rights unit which provides an outline of topics for classroom instruction. Resources, major objectives, and four activities are provided. (KO)

Presents ideas for teaching middle school students how to make and use contour maps. Includes a lesson plan in which students make and read such a map. Provides details on the purpose, motivation, development, and conclusion of the lesson as well as the materials required. Identifies points students should recall as they work with the maps. (SG)

Illustrates specific ways to help students think about history within the framework of a lecture-discussion format that postulates selective coverage while relying upon the textbook as a source of information. Includes lesson plans and additional teaching ideas. (LP)

A social studies teacher who took a study trip to Kenya presents ideas for teaching about that country in the form of lesson plans that other teachers can easily use. (RM)

Presented is a selection from the last chapter of the Project on Social History (POSH) dealing with the changing family. Students are asked to speculate about the direction in which families appear to be moving and to discuss what they would like the families they form to be like. (RM)

In this social studies unit, high school students learn about apartheid, South Africa's system of racial domination, through the use of daily newspapers and weekly magazines. (RM)

A sequential skills program can provide a new and important focus for the K-12 social studies program. The reading, writing, and thinking skills which should be taught are discussed. Sample learning activities are suggested. (RM)