Political history lends itself to traditional patterns of teaching and learning in social studies such as students memorizing facts presented in lectures or textbooks. This article presents a recurring activity structure for teaching U.S. political history--Consensus Circle Presidential Rating (CCPR)--which requires students to read across…

Today's political environment continues to become more polarized as Americans find themselves taking sides on controversial issues. While this is certainly not new to the American democratic experience, the way we as a country are combating it is. With the nation engulfed in a political maelstrom, people are forgetting how to have a civilized…

The United States has a lengthy history of welcoming immigrants from throughout the world and ultimately naturalizing and conferring citizenship to them. Yet, a number of indigenous and people of color never consented to citizenship and many still do not wish to have it. This article explores the role of citizenship as a tool to not only…

This article reports on a study that asks how might an elections simulation influence students with strong polarizing political beliefs? The elections simulation asks students to take on roles as candidate teams, political party leaders, interest groups, and media outlets in a mock presidential election. Students not only learn about elections but…

This article describes the instructional methods of four high school government teachers during their coverage of the 2008 presidential election. By analyzing the ways in which these teachers attempted to generate interest in the election and further their students' conceptualization of politics, the author seeks to better understand political…

The author contends that too much political advertising is a form of public relations "spin" in which the truth is sacrificed and the political process damaged as a result. The goal of much of this advertising too frequently focuses on transmitting "disinformation" that, while perhaps not technically a lie, is intended not to inform the public but…

Critics charge that social studies education often fails at the most rudimentary level because there is a tendency to "play it safe" by focusing on general abstractions while avoiding discussion of specific--and often times controversial--topics. In this article, the author argues that one way in which social studies teachers can overcome such…

The U.S. Supreme Court is less visible to students than either Congress or the president. The Court's rulings on cases, however, are as influential on everyday life and on the political system as any bill passed by Congress or signed into law by the president. "Brown v. Board of Education," "Roe v. Wade," and "Bush v.…

Describes how to use biographies of successful women politicians to provide career role models for elementary school girls. The biographies of Margaret Chase Smith, Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan, and Juanita Kreps are recommended as resources for career education. (AM)

This essay suggests why environmental problems are becoming more political in nature, outlines a proposed course in environmental politics, and identifies relevant reading materials. (Author/DE)

Presents an instructional model for teaching primary students to understand current affairs through instruction on how to analyze political cartoons so they can identify the key concepts and relationships that are depicted. Discusses goals to be attained and the use of semantic mapping. Describes the instructional strategy, including a student…

The evidence used by historians to demonstrate how Jacksonian democracy has been misunderstood or misinterpreted is discussed. The inequalities of economic conditions and of opportunity which existed in the Jacksonian era are commented on. (Author/RM)

The relationship of democracy to the formal education of American students is examined. The author points out that schools, in teaching democracy, teach dogma without imparting much notion of practice. It is suggested that democracy cannot be taught in the classroom. What can be taught, however, is a manner of subordination. (SM)

This article examines what makes knowledge political in its derivation and uses, and what potential political functions it may serve. Emphasis is placed upon the idea that the consequences of political knowledge for a democracy are neither uniformly beneficent or malevolent; but depend upon how the knowledge is being used and by whom. (DE)