This article addresses how far educational institutions have come in designing authentic and meaningful curricula for teaching the Holocaust at the secondary level. Examined in this article are the historical development of Holocaust education in the United States, with a focus on the state of Illinois as a case study, what contributes to the…

This article explores examples of student-initiated inquiries (in Grades 1 and 5) and the opportunities and challenges with engaging in them. To explore these student-initiated inquiries, we use the "C3 Framework" Inquiry Arc (National Council for the Social Studies, 2013) and Harvey and Daniels's (2009) Small-Group Inquiry Model to…

In the aftermath of such tragedies as September 11 and natural disasters like the tsunami in Southeast Asia and during contentious election years, social studies becomes more prominent in the curriculum. As such, teachers, not just parents or churches or the government, have the responsibility to help students make sense of the information to…

Criteria are described for selecting specific issues, events, and documents to be covered in history courses. Teachers should base content selection on basic concepts within the discipline, social needs and values of the class, pedagogical considerations, and the principle of economy in meeting multiple needs. (Author/AV)

A model which describes the major decisions a teacher makes during instructional planning is discussed. The theory presented is derived from human learning research that addresses itself to individual differences. (RM)

A schema is presented for analyzing curriculum plans and materials related to values and moral education. The plan reviews six aspects of the materials: antecedent conditions, rationale and objectives, descriptive characteristics, pupil activities, teaching strategies, and diagnosis and evaluation needs, procedures, and data. (Author/AV)

The Educational Testing Service reports that little is being done by school districts to implement the new social studies for high schools. Discussed are some specific courses and programs being offered students in the new social studies. These examples in curriculum change are intended to serve as models. (Author/RM)

Identifies major value bases which have been used to teach values in the classroom and outlines a values education program which stresses teaching about values without indoctrination. Based upon the hierarchy of human needs developed by psychologist Abraham Maslow, the program is based upon universal values, basic human needs, and recognition of…

Discusses how to develop a chapter based unit, a very brief planning scheme that enables a social studies teacher to organize instruction drawing upon content from a single textbook chapter. This involves identifying a focus generalization, describing major concepts and subconcepts, preparing performance objectives, and developing key questions.…

An outline of a unit used to teach the political science concept of model-building to both average and above-average high school students is provided. (DE)

Explains how to debrief students after participation in simulation and/or other educational games. Debriefing should increase students' ability to experience, identify, analyze, and generalize. (Author/DB)

Discusses ways of recognizing gifted and talented students and describes an instructional model for use by teachers as they develop curriculum for gifted students. Social studies learning activities, derived from the model, involve students in radio journalism, problem solving, collecting and analyzing data, role playing, surveying community…

Constructing a matrix model not only offers the teacher a theoretical and practical method for organizing his own knowledge about a topic, but provides a vehicle for the student to cope with contemporary knowledge explosion in a realistic and sophisticated manner. (Author)

Provides background information on the problem-based learning (PBL) model used in medical education that was adapted for high school economics. Describes the high school economics curriculum and outline the stages of the PBL model using examples from a unit called "The High School Food Court." Discusses the design considerations. (CMK)

Basic characteristics of the more influential curriculum development models in social studies are discussed. For a curriculum development model to be effective, it must provide for extensive teacher involvement. The most successful school practices are those that are school-based and collaborative. (RM)