From statues to picture books, the depictions of suffragists do not always do justice to the complexity of the issues and activists who fought for the 19th Amendment, which provided that "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." This…

The annual "National Council for the Social Studies" (NCSS) Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People list often contains picture books that profile citizen role models--people who worked to change society for the better. In 2018 the list includes beautiful, thoughtful biographies of people who chose "doing good" over…

Barbara Cruz describes how what began as a challenge (i.e., finding or justifying the time to spend on history instruction in an environment of high-stakes testing) turned into a rich learning experience for students using historical fiction. By designing experiences that were literacy centered but based in historical content, this group of…

A key working assumption of English teachers at the Essex Street Academy, a public high school on Manhattan's Lower East Side (and a partner school of New York University) is that literature can be taught most effectively when it is placed into historical context. Historical knowledge can help students who struggle with classic literature and find…

When young people read or hear stories in the classroom, their interest is easily peaked. However, sustaining that interest and attention through a related social studies lesson is more of a challenge. Instructional approaches that enrich the context of stories and forge students' connections with the characters extend learning in meaningful ways.…

Long before public libraries, online bookstores that ship directly to our homes, technologies that enable the downloading of publications directly to mobile devices, and social networks supporting virtual book clubs, eighteenth-century book readers relied heavily on literary societies, subscription libraries, and the advice of and selections made…

Using literature in the social studies classroom is a useful pedagogy that is particularly well-suited in human rights education. Literature can give voice to people who cannot speak for themselves and gives students an opportunity to consider perspectives that are often foreign to them. When used with delicacy and care, these literary…

The nation's classrooms have become more diverse, and children of Hispanic heritage represent a large and an important part of this multicultural mosaic. Events such as the commemoration of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon's historic voyage offer teachers the opportunity to reflect on important events of the past and connect them to students'…

This article looks at three examples of children's and young adult literature that offer entertaining, accessible, and at times provocative, explorations of the rule of law in very different settings. Lewis Carroll's classic, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," finds Alice confronting a host of procedural irregularities and abuses of power within…

In this article, the author describes Internet sites that can help both in-service and pre-service teachers effectively integrate literature and the arts into their social studies instruction. For teachers who already spend time finding and using Internet resources on this topic, some of the recommended sites may seem too basic. Even so, the…

The tragedy of 9/11 is perhaps the most significant event so far in the 21st century. Ten years later, the vast majority of elementary school students have no personal connection with the original events, yet all live in a world that has been and continues to be affected by 9/11. How can teachers introduce young students to the events of that…

In an effort to promote cultural literacy in children and young adults, the Racism and Social Justice Committee of the National Council for the Social Studies created the Carter G. Woodson Book Award. The purpose of the Woodson Award, given annually since 1974, is to promote the writing, publishing, and dissemination of sensitive and accurate…

In teaching about Latin America and the Caribbean, bringing a human dimension to the study of the region is essential. Texts on the region can be dull and lifeless or even biased and skewed. Introducing students to the region by exploring prose, poetry, and picture books helps to illustrate the rich diversity found throughout Latin America and the…

For many students, high school coursework consists of discrete subjects, each disconnected from the other, but together adding up to a high school diploma. Nonetheless, at the classroom level one can find many examples of integrated, interdisciplinary, or cross-subject teaching. Some pursue this approach because they consider that high school…