With concerns over student motivation, it helps to look inward at how teachers' instructional methods and professional practices impact students. Keeping this context in mind, teachers should also recognize that they are teaching and learning in a new era--one where "read-the-chapter-and-answer-the-questionsin-the-back" pedagogies are no…

This lesson prompts students to explore the ways that individuals, groups, communities, and nations define who belongs and who does not. The outlined activities examine what it means to belong by introducing the idea of a "universe of obligation," the term sociologist Helen Fein coined to describe the circle of individuals and groups…

The October 2013 special issue of "Social Education" dealt with almost all AP social studies subjects, but omitted AP European History. This is one of the most fascinating AP subjects for students and teachers alike. In this article, the author shares his experiences since hewas given the responsibility of building his school's Advanced…

Most world history books feature the successes of the Roman Empire during the first and second centuries. During the third and fourth centuries, they turn to the events leading up to the empire's collapse. Explanations of the Roman Empire's decline and fall often cite external military threats, governmental failure and instability,…

2015 marks the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. For Americans, this iconic document is a formative element of our own legal and political heritage. This "Lessons on the Law" column offers an overview of the "Great Charter," why it is significant, and what students and teachers should know about it. The article also highlights…

Getting students involved in the process of inquiry takes much more than pointing out a problem, offering sources, and setting them on their way. Fortunately, there are a number of teaching strategies that can be instrumental in engaging students in the process of inquiry. As a teacher of world history in the seventh grade, House of Avalon, at…

The topics of Columbus's voyages of exploration, the first encounters between Amerindians and Europeans, and the ensuing collision of their respective worlds provide ample opportunities for creative and stimulating pedagogical approaches that go beyond the stale memorization of dates, places, and names. This essay and accompanying classroom…

Digital history refers to "the study of the past using a variety of electronically reproduced primary source texts, images, and artifacts as well as the constructed narratives, accounts, or presentations that result from digital historical inquiry." Access to digitized primary sources can promote active instruction in historical thinking. A…

Few had heard of Irena Sendlerowa in 1999. Now, after more than 290 presentations of the student play "Life in a Jar," as well as a website with high traffic, and worldwide media attention, Irena is known to the world. Irena Sendler (as she became known), a social worker, believed in standing up for others. Her father, who was a doctor,…

William L. Shirer, author of Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, discusses a wide variety of subjects, including the personalities of Roosevelt and Hitler, why the Germans succumbed to Nazism, McCarthyism in the United States, and the heroic resistance of the Russians to German invasion. (CS)

Both Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. This 50th anniversary issue contains articles analyzing the two men, and the different political, social, moral, and artistic directions taken by the United States and Germany in the 1930's. American youth have much to learn from what occurred. (CS)

Two annotated bibliographies of books are compiled, one devoted to Roosevelt and the New Deal, the other concerned with Hitler, the Weimar Republic, and the rise of Nazism. Annotations indicate scope of the work and occasionally point out bias or point of view. (CS)

Presents contemporary view of Germany since reunification and the end of the Cold War. Includes 13 photographs portraying scenes from daily life in Germany. (CFR)

Nine short stories and excerpts are presented relating to 18th-Century French History. The purpose of the readings are to: 1) increase student sensitivity to conditions in 18th-Century France; 2) add to their appreciation of the variety of human experiences; and 3) strengthen student insight into the nature of human beings. (Author/JR)

Describes the second map printed in Europe which appeared in 1475. Provides background information that teachers to help students grasp the fundamental aspects of the map. Explores the map as a whole, its details and parts, and the significance of the map for studying the world view of Europeans preceding Columbus's discoveries. (DK)