People who live in a democracy should be well informed of local, state, national, and international happenings. Students should become curious about news items and relate current happenings to the personal self. They must possess skills in word recognition and in diverse kinds of comprehension since reading is an important way to glean current…

This document suggests that the main purpose of the study of current affairs in the social studies program in Alberta, Canada, is to add relevance, interest, and immediacy. It defines current affairs as the study of news events presented by the media. Because the study of current affairs must be tied to the achievement of social studies…

Urges social studies teachers to help students understand and identify sociocentric, national bias in the news media. Illustrates how the media fosters "us versus them" thinking and how word choice often reflects bias. Outlines activities to help students recognize bias. Provides weak and strong examples of students' analyses of bias in news…

Outlines a sixth grade social studies project rewriting portions of outdated textbooks. Suggests steps by which students critically read, evaluate, and rewrite historical accounts of the Soviet Union to reflect recent changes. Explains how the project develops skills in evaluating information and making revisions. Emphasizes the active learning…

This course of study is a continuation of the sequential United States History program. It incorporates themes, merged with chronology as a method of structure, for the period from 1865 to the present: 1) Economic and Social Forces in American Studies; 2) Reform Movements; 3) The United States in a World Setting; 4) Causes of War; 5) Labor; and an…