Human dignity is a complex, though essential, concept for students to master. Inserting human dignity into existing curricula provides students with more opportunities to consider the problems of vulnerable classmates and the status of human dignity and rights in the United States and around the world. Using parts of the US modern Civil Rights…

In this study, we reflected on the process of designing and implementing a civics curriculum model focused on increasing upper-grade secondary students' involvement in local civic activity. We prioritized examining the challenges and possibilities of institutionalizing partnerships between teachers, students, community leaders, and local…

High quality teaching involves deep content knowledge, understanding students and their learning processes, and complex skills of teaching and assessment. Students who experience high quality teaching tend to achieve higher annual growth rates. This study used a descriptive, qualitative research model to explore excellence in social studies…

This article describes the design of a social studies unit about the Johnstown Flood of 1889 with a particular emphasis on how specific unit resources engaged middle school students in learning about the geographical and historical context of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. We also report on how the resources supported the teaching and learning of the…

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…

Many school districts across North America have turned to a framework for curriculum design and instruction called "Understanding by Design." Included in the framework is a call for teachers to create "essential questions" that provocatively ask students to consider and learn the "big ideas and core processes within the…

Too often, social studies educators are asked to focus their design and enactment of learning experiences on the mastery of content knowledge, often at the expense of other aims and goals. In response to this problem, the authors of this article explore the reclamation of dispositions in social studies curriculum planning and teaching. First, he…

During the 1967-68 year, the history department revised its undergraduate curriculum for majors and other students. Offerings begin with a global course followed by regional classwork and ending with topical and seminar study. Expectations of these changes are discussed. (DB)

Children's literature is an important vehicle through which to expose students to environmental issues. Because children are curious about their surroundings, the environment supplies a perfect avenue for their learning to read, write, and make sense of their world (Kupetz and Twiest 2000). Children tend to respond better to children's books than…

Briefly recounts social studies curriculum change efforts from 1955 through the late 1970s. Addresses three key questions: why has the traditional social studies curriculum endured despite serious reform challenges, what aspects of social studies are least/most amenable to change, and which change strategies offer most/least promise of being…

Maintains that the national reform efforts, termed "the new social studies," failed to involve parents and teachers in curriculum revisions, violated norms of local schools, and lacked significant dissemination efforts. Provides two vignettes of significant local social studies change and offers three "lessons" which we've…

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…