Research indicates that social studies classrooms, as they currently exist, are a site of suffering for Black students. This is largely because social studies curricula limit Black experiences to oppression and liberation. In this article, we propose implementing and centering Black joy in social studies classrooms to help social studies education…

The emergence of the Times Up and the #MeToo movements has sparked a conversation in the United States uncovering the grim realities that many women face. As the focus on gender equity and power dynamics between men and women continue to garner national attention, the authors of this article were curious to see if this progress manifested itself…

In this article, the authors discuss how to explore the agency of ordinary citizens using local institutions to combat Jim Crow segregation laws during Freedom Summer. Primary sources from Miami (OH) University website about Freedom Summer and Susan Goldman Rubin's trade book ground the inquiry. Through the series of activities discussed, middle…

Youth are an ever-present component of conversations about culture, interconnectedness, and its effects, especially characterized as readily consuming all that globalization has to offer them. However, opportunities to acknowledge and legitimize the civic experiences youth have and the contributions they make to society have been overlooked in our…

In the current era of high-stakes testing and accountability, many social studies teachers struggle to find creative ways to add depth and authenticity to a broad, shallow curriculum. Teachers can use the time after tests are administered for students to reflect back on the social studies curriculum and select topics they want to study more deeply…

Given the current national debate over immigration reform and the plethora of anti-immigrant policies, practices, and laws, school curriculums should include materials that will allow students to learn about, and reflect on, the impact this debate has on the lived realities of those most impacted. Specifically, teachers and their students will…

In this article, the author discusses the importance of continuing study of the events surrounding 9/11. She also provides ideas on how the 9/11 Education Trust's curriculum can be implemented in a variety of classroom settings.

This article describes the Native American History in a Box curriculum which is designed to introduce elementary and middle-level students to Native American cultures. The curriculum consists of a five day unit addressing the following concepts pertaining to Native American Nations: settlements, tools, sustenance, pottery, and contact with…

Presents a retrospective look at the curriculum reform known as the New Social Studies. Defines New Social Studies as a content organization reflecting a discipline or a teaching-learning methodology emphasizing induction, inquiry, and problem solving. Suggests that more parent involvement and student cooperation are necessary before more…

Discusses the factors that must be considered by the issue-centered advocates in order to successfully oppose the attack on social studies by those advocating U.S. history and geography at the center of the curriculum. Suggests that social studies professionals should organize and that a national clearinghouse for issue-centered materials be…

Because of the pressure to increase test scores in reading and mathematics, content areas such as social studies are being eliminated from many elementary schools' curricula. It is critical that teachers find ways to integrate social studies into reading and mathematics. Social studies and mathematics may not immediately come to mind when…

Discusses the use of fine arts as sources to enrich the study of history. Suggests that such works will serve as barometers of change, examples of cross-cultural influences, and political messages. Includes suggestions of works and artists from different historic periods. (DK)

Recommends that education should be general and integrated, rather than fragmented into many discrete subject matters. Suggests 10 questions around which an integrated social studies curriculum can be built. Questions include "How can poetry and physics interact?""How can vision be added to our fund of facts?", and "What is the relationship…

Discusses "Project 2061," a reform initiative for science literacy. Explains that reform is needed in science education because developments in science and technology continually transform daily life. Suggests that taking an interdisciplinary approach to science will make the subject understandable to more people. Argues that curriculum…

Describes the development of a fifth-grade social studies program, Man: A Course of Study, or MACOS. Discusses how the program strengths and shortcomings, those of the educational reform movement of the 1960s, influence today's educational reform. Suggests that the role of scholars, the participation of teachers, and the use of media are valuable…