International children's picture books provide windows and mirrors for children and allow them to consider issues of fairness, justice, equity, diversity, and the common good as they build their nascent citizenship skills. One powerful pedagogy that supports the use of rich curriculum and thoughtful discussions is critical literacy, a subset of…

Prop boxes are a collection of materials for sociodramatic play in which children act out authentic roles and scenes of the real world. Teachers collect materials around a topic or theme that connects to students' interests and addresses academic standards across multiple subjects. In this article, the authors suggest that prop boxes can make more…

Today's young students, when they grow to be adults, will have to make decisions the consequences of which will impact their lives and the lives of others. As consumers, they will need to understand that they can't have everything they want. They will have to make spending, savings, and investing decisions that benefit their own families over the…

Suggests applications of the National Geography Standards to integrated elementary social-studies instruction. Explains why geographic education is essential, why standards are necessary, the six essential elements of the standards, and applications of each of these elements for social studies lessons. (DSK)

Addresses the use of the Internet for telecollaboration, or communicating and working with others in different locations, in the elementary social studies classroom. Focuses on a set of activity structures to help teachers design curriculum-based, telecollaborative activities. Provides examples of telecollaborative activities. (CMK)

Presents an activity in which students construct models to explain glacial action. Describes the models, which recreate specific glacial processes, and discusses 11 glacial actions. Students examine the economic implications of glaciation and use maps to identify the locations and effects of glaciers. (CMK)

Recommends using the National Council for Social Studies' ten thematic strands when teaching children about the "world of work." Provides focus questions and learning activities related to the "world of work" for each strand. (CMK)

Discusses how technology-enhanced service-learning can help teachers address national standards. Describes a three-step process (preparing students for service- learning, reflecting on the experience, and taking action through communication) to strengthen service-learning. Uses the Internet to enhance environmental community projects. Includes a…

Focuses on using an integrated approach to furthering both literacy and social studies goals. Provides an annotated bibliography of children's literature that helps students become informed citizens. Includes suggested activities and discussion questions with each entry and links these activities to goals listed in the national standards. (DSK)

Describes a project for fifth-grade in which students learn about their personal heritage and create a family history book. Identifies three relevant National Council for the Social Studies thematic strands and lists related activities. (CMK)

Discusses national teacher certification in question-answer format, addressing issues such as why teachers become nationally certified; preparing the material for certification; the requirements for certification; assistance with fees; the rewards for embarking on certification; and recognition for becoming certified. (CMK)

Discusses the importance of quilts. Reviews ten children's books about quilts providing a summary of each book and curriculum connections. Explains that the reviews include numbers that correspond to social studies themes based on the themes described in "Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for the Social Studies." (CMK)

Asserts that social educators promote the civic competence of young people by conveying the knowledge, skills, and dispositions for taking productive social action. Maintains that quality trade books introduce children to people of diverse backgrounds who model difficult aspects of civic competence. (CFR)

Describes the National Board for Professional Teacher Standards (NBPTS), addressing the types of certification available to teachers and the NBPTS propositions. Discusses the procedures for NBPTS certification and the types of certification areas for elementary social studies teachers. (CMK)

Focuses on a 1998 University of Nevada project in which forty elementary and middle school teachers learned about the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) "Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People" and the NCSS thematic strands. Highlights strategies that emerged from the project that integrates children's literature…