Understanding history involves being able to construct knowledge about the past from historical traces left behind. In this article, the author describes a five-step strategy using historical obituaries to recreate the social landscapes of the past and raise critical consciousness regarding power relations in different contexts. The strategy is…

This article examines coverage in social studies curriculum and U.S. history textbooks, specifically, of women in the American Civil Rights Movement (CRM) and considers how social studies teachers can broaden the narrative they teach to include more gender-related issues and the work of women activists. The author found that despite a rich body of…

This article describes the use of student feedback questionnaires by history teacher license candidates in a classroom-based approach called "Conferring with Students." During the past five years, at a large public university in Massachusetts, 125 teacher candidates wrote their own feedback surveys, received responses from more than…

Youth are an ever-present component of conversations about culture, interconnectedness, and its effects, especially characterized as readily consuming all that globalization has to offer them. However, opportunities to acknowledge and legitimize the civic experiences youth have and the contributions they make to society have been overlooked in our…

Research indicates that most American citizens know little about Islam and, specifically, the major differences between Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims and why this matters to the United States. Although the two major Islamic factions share many common core beliefs and practices, there are some significant religious and political differences…

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…

In a world that is, on the one hand, determined to sustain distinct national and group identities and, on the other hand, becoming increasingly globalized, interconnected and interdependent, social studies educators are regularly faced with the challenge of supporting diversity, creating a unified national community, and promoting global…

The study of the ways in which societies emerging from violent conflict and repressive regimes achieve peace and reconciliation through forms of transitional justice, such as truth commissions, tribunals, systems of reparations, and memorialization of the past, offers an opportunity for secondary social studies teachers to address issues of human…

Human history is often shaped by the outcomes of arguments, not only in the sense of disputes between people or governments, but in the sense of the more rational pursuit of trying to convince others to accept or do certain things by offering reasons that are presented as compelling for so doing. Yet history teachers have done little to help…

Describes a family history project as an effective student motivator. Outlines procedures for implementing this project in the classroom. Provides an appendix of suggested topics and questions. (BSR)

A democratic constitutional system is one in which the majority has a general right to determine public policy. At the same time, however, the rights of that majority are limited. Individual citizens enjoy "certain basic rights" by virtue of the fact that each individual person "is a human being." If schools are to prepare students to be…

Discusses teaching social studies using public issues to develop student understanding. Describes identification of issues, justification and clarification of positions, and the discussion process. Suggests that selection of issues should be based on the importance of the issues to society and their significance for teachers and students. (DK)

A high school philosophy curriculum would prepare students to cope with social issues and would develop their integrative skills, understanding, and critical judgment. Complaints about student immaturity, uncertified instructors, overcrowded social studies curricula, and the impractical nature of philosophy are refuted. (AV)

Discusses the various ways that oral history can be used in the classroom and describes several representative projects. Covers oral history projects documenting immigrant experiences, women's issues, and other subjects. Appendices include tips on interview preparation, progress reports, background research, evaluative criteria, and final…

In response to the major demographic changes taking place in the United States and the world, teachers can successfully teach about older people within the framework of the social studies curriculum. A government course, as an example, offers varied approaches in methods to apply social studies concepts to the study and assessment of issues…