More than 50 starter ideas for social studies projects and units for the primary and intermediate grades are presented. These help develop children's skills in social studies, reading, handwriting, and language arts, and stir their interest in local history and government. Activities can be used for new projects or to enrich ongoing ones. (PP)

This package of patriotic learning activities refers to historic tales about colonial days, Black history, and the contributions of the states to America's wealth and history. Poems, skits, riddles about states and presidents, and a play featuring mock presidential interviews are included. A Save-the-Statue-of-Liberty project is noted. (PP)

Seven authors contributed to a bulletin about using community studies to teach about the interrelationship of the local community with larger economic and social systems. "Young People and Community" (R. Beery and Mark C. Schug) addresses the need for the social studies curriculum to consider the local community, an area which is rarely covered…

This report, which focuses on improving education in rural Nebraska, grew out of a 2-week teachers' institute held in Walthill, Nebraska, in June 1993. "Introduction: The Vision of Community-Based Schools and the Future of Rural Places" (Toni Haas, Paul Nachtigal) examines current civic and social trends in rural communities and the role…