This article describes a content analysis of 37 Inquiry Design Modules (https://c3teachers.org), conducted with the purpose of identifying the core teaching practices (CTP) necessary to successfully enact them. Although there has been research identifying CTP in other content areas, research on social studies inquiry at the elementary level is an…

This study aimed to produce a suitable module to improve the understanding of environmental care concepts and attitudes of fourth-grade elementary school students and determine the module's effectiveness. The data collection instruments consisted of a teacher interview guide, a student preliminary study questionnaire, a media expert validation…

There are many methods and techniques used in social studies education. Some of them are good guides for students in the subjects which they want to learn, but others cannot. Therefore, alternative methods should be used in order to understand the social studies lesson better for students. Poetry and music are some of these alternative forms. In…

Social studies teachers often find themselves in search of professional development that transforms lessons from facts, figures, and boldfaced vocabulary to lessons that develop the sophisticated thinking skills students need to make sense of the social issues of one's everyday world. Furthermore, teachers want their own learning to be similar to…

Loyola University Chicago's Teaching, Learning, and Leading With Schools and Communities (TLLSC) program is an ambitious break from traditional university-based teacher preparation models. This clinically based initial teacher preparation program, fully embedded in local schools and community organizations, takes an ecological perspective on the…

This group of commentaries on teaching human rights in Turkey includes: (1) Reflection on Turkish Human Rights Lesson from Turkey (Alper Kesten)--A lesson on human rights in Turkey is analyzed for its representativity and methodology within the Turkish teaching culture from the viewpoint of a Turkish researcher; (2) Commentary on a Turkish Lesson…

For the past 60 years, the Census Bureau has enlisted the support of educators to bring to the community the message of the importance of a complete and accurate count of the population. The U.S. Census Bureau will deliver 2010 census questionnaires to every household in the United States in March 2010. The census questionnaire is composed of only…

This article provides an example of a social studies lesson from Turkish educational context in order to facilitate comparison with examples of social studies lessons from other parts of the world. This lesson was recorded in a 7th grade class at a middle school in one of the metropolitan neighborhoods in Istanbul. According to the current…

Virtual communities of practice (VCoP) have been advocated for some time as a promising means of taking professional development to teachers in widely distributed locations. However, geography, and indeed education literature as a whole, contains very few examples where this has been achieved. This paper reports on two VCoP professional…

Presents a detailed rationale for the development of learning activities that infuse quantitative concepts and skills into secondary-level social studies classes, outlines the phases of project development, and briefly discusses the content of the learning activities developed by the project staff. (Author/JEG)

Describes a Chinese language unit for middle and high school social studies students consisting of nine modules covering aspects of both spoken and written Chinese. The unit teaches about Chinese dialects and written Chinese characters and combinations. Students read simple conversations in Chinese. (AM)

Lists Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) resources that will help bring science, technology, and society (STS) into the classroom. The annotated bibliography of seven references includes Faith Hickman's framework for curriculum reform, which compares the present trend of teaching STS-related social problems with historical trends. (LS)

Argues that the learning module, or learning activity packet (LAP), is effective in changing preconceived attitudes of students and administrators toward history instruction. Suggests that learning modules should be looked at once again because of the mainstreaming of at-risk students. Includes a sample packet on reform movements. (DK)

Presents nine entries from the ERIC database focusing on teacher-developed resources. Includes works on teaching methods, museum resources, a learning module on racism, one on the Holocaust, and an activity book on the Bill of Rights. Explains how to obtain the materials. (DK)

In response to the concern for the spreading constitutional and historical ignorance of students, the essay outlines the development of an instructional unit on the Constitution based on selected and personal documents. Covering a development period of approximately 1.5 years, the essay traces the step-by-step efforts of the National Archives to…