In 2014, Virginia's Montgomery County school division adopted a place-based social studies curriculum titled "My Place in Time and Space" for fifth grade students. The curriculum promotes an awareness of the impact of place on local knowledge and disciplinary understandings in southwest Virginia, while also connecting local history to…

As elementary social science methods instructors, the authors observed a need in their student population for instructional methods that would engage students in the content, process, and values of geography instruction. Their initial purpose was to create an instructional model that pre-service teachers could adapt and use in their future…

Presents activities, techniques, and processes developed by classroom teachers to evaluate student learning. The authors included those evaluative techniques which assisted student growth along informational, cognitive, social and affective dimensions. (Author/DB)

The fascination with buried treasures and lost civilizations transcends all ages and serves as an effective magnet for drawing students toward the study of archaeology. Connecting students to the past gives them a better understanding of their own present and future. In this article, the author describes how the scientific method of investigation…

Describes a social studies teaching methods course which emphasizes laboratory work in local public elementary schools. Lists five activities preservice teachers are expected to fulfill in the course. (KC)

Describes the activities associated with lesson plan development in an elementary social studies methods class. Recommends developing lessons about "international day" as designated by the United Nations. Includes a listing of International Days and Weeks. (CFR)

The use of digital photography in the social studies classroom offers students an application of technology that can help them develop the skills necessary to access, analyze, and evaluate all forms of information and communication. Students learn to recognize how images represent diverse perspectives, connect disparate pieces of information, and…

Suggests mnemonic tricks to help elementary students learn social studies vocabulary. Argues that traditional vocabulary teaching methods using list, definition, and oral and written use provides only a momentary link with the vocabulary. Lists 20 words with definitions and strategies for remembering both words and definitions. (DK)

In this introduction, the author sets the tone for a series of articles which are intended to stimulate elementary teachers and school personnel to recognize the value of community resources and to undertake steps to make full utilization of such resources. (Author/JR)

An examination of the ways moral education was taught in elementary public schools during the first three decades of the century suggests that moral education should be (1) indirect--not taught as a isolated subject; (2) comprehensive--include all aspects of school life; and (3) broadly conceived--moral education is multifaceted. (RM)

A basic skills model is presented which stresses the skills of writing, reading, study, and research for elementary school pupils. The model focuses on lesson background, the purpose of the reading, independent reading, follow-up discussion, developing related skills, and extending and applying ideas. A lesson about the 1910 British expedition to…

Discusses the role of social technology in the elementary social studies curriculum. Describes three strategies designed to enhance the social and emotional well-being of students. Explains the Magic Circle, dilemma discussions, and role playing. Suggests that such social technology methods of teaching will teach students to behave responsibly…

Social studies activities for an elementary school camping trip are described. (DE)

Explains how elementary school social studies classroom teachers can use baseball cards as vehicles to teach children various skills and concepts from a variety of subject fields. Card-related activities include analyzing statistical data on the back of cards, finding cities where teams are located on maps and globes, and measuring distances…

Describes an experiment which compared the effectiveness of explicit instruction in problem-solving methods to an indirect, guided-discovery approach upon stimulus-bound and stimulus-free thinkers in the third and fourth grades. Findings suggest that logical problem solving is best taught using explicit instructions for both types of thinkers. (AM)