In this article, the authors unveil the Trade Book Inquiry Design Model (IDM) blueprint. Anchored in a compelling question inspired by a trade book, the new blueprint is broken into two instructional blocks: "Reading and Comprehension" and "Living Social Studies." The inquiry template is designed to be instructionally efficient…

This research examines the interaction between international governmental organizations (IGOs) and national governments around the development of secondary social studies curriculum in post-genocide contexts, with a special focus on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) involvement with secondary social…

The inclusion of religion in public education remains contentious in many countries, including Canada. As multiple religions fill the public sphere, some religious education is necessary if Canadians are to understand each other. Social studies is seen as an appropriate subject to include such education given its foci on diversity and citizenship.…

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…

The September 2011 report, "Teaching the Movement: The State of Civil Rights Education in the United States 2011," was prompted by the news that American high school seniors knew little about the civil rights movement. Knowing that low expectations often contribute to poor student achievement, the report took a close look at the content…

In the age of standardized testing, science and social studies are not given the same priority as mathematics and reading in the curriculum of United States schools. High stakes testing is viewed as having heavily biased schools toward teaching tested subjects and away from less frequently tested subjects. This paper is premised on the notion that…

Preparing teachers to implement a new curriculum presents a significant but important challenge. While formal professional development programs can assist in this preparation, finding prescribed experiences that meet the needs of all teachers can be formidable and indeed may not always be the best option for promoting change in practice. Decisions…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress--commonly called "The Nation's Report Card"--tells a dismal story: Only 2% of high school seniors in 2010 could answer a simple question about the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark "Brown v. Board of Education" decision. And it's no surprise. Across the country, state educational…

Provides a model for developing global awareness activities in a secondary school. (Author/IRT)

Discusses a study undertaken to determine how 12 elementary school classroom teachers planned social studies curriculum. Topics discussed include planning processes, influences of planning on the curriculum, and implications of the study. Findings indicated that planning does not necessarily follow the objectives-first model taught in many…

A detailed explanation of a strategy for teaching any critical thinking skill is presented. The skill of distinguishing between statements of fact and opinion is used to illustrate the steps necessary to plan for teaching critical thinking. (RM)

Suggests that social studies students on the high school level can benefit from a study of local government because it is the level of government with which they are already most familiar. Suggests that teachers use a local government unit utilizing research projects, field trips, primary community resource material, and class presentations. (DB)

Evaluates past paradigms (conceptual frameworks) such as the belief in the unlimited resources of the earth for humanity's particular benefit and the paradigm of the infallibility of technology. Illustrates how we are generally moving toward the new paradigm that small and simple is not only beautiful, but also more efficient, reliable, practical,…

To improve the teaching of thinking skills, social studies teachers need to identify and select a few key skills on which to focus continuously throughout the K-12 social studies curricula. They also need to identify the attributes of these skills. A model skill description is included. (RM)