Types of elementary social studies curricula can be categorized according to the amount of subject integration included in each approach. Individual subjects such as history, geography, or economics may be presented as separate and distinct, or these descriptives may be integrated fully within the presentation of social studies materials. Faculty…

Provides an annotated bibliography of 10 ERIC documents and journal articles that focus on the interdisciplinary approach to elementary school social studies curriculum development and instruction. Specifically includes information on integrating language arts, art education, and global education in social studies. (CFR)

With the aim of revitalizing conservation education, a conceptual framework for natural resource education was constructed, and a procedure established for integrating this curriculum with existing courses of study in the elementary school. A basic theme was chosen, expressed as "man + natural resources = survival + development." Twelve…

Presents an alternative scope and sequence for the social studies. Offers an integrated social science and humanities approach, placing history and geography at the center of the curriculum. Scrapping the prevailing pattern of repeated history surveys, the proposed alternative emphasizes a different historical period at each grade level to give…

Comparing separate subject approach with an integrated approach to social studies instruction, it was found that neither approach taught process skills or changed student attitude; that integrated classes used more evaluative questions and were less teacher dominated; and that educational quality is related more to teacher quality than to…

Describes the Ten Unified Program (Ten UP) a "school within a school" in which 4 teachers and 80 grade-10 students collaborate on integrated learning projects. The program integrates global education with students' personal concerns and questions in order to make learning more engaging and worthwhile for students. (LZ)

Asserts that students need opportunities to solve problems by making concept connections from many disciplines. Integrating mathematics and social studies can help. Includes 20 class activities and a chart recommending which grade levels are most appropriate for each activity. (CFR)

In response to recent statistics indicating a 20 percent decline in the ability of the average 17-year-old to analyze, interpret, and express views about written prose, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) recommends a number of changes in the elementary school social studies curriculum to provide more opportunities for students…

Argues that social studies is an academic discipline in its own right. Only through an interdisciplinary social science approach can students understand societies and social problems in their true complexity. Suggests creation of a true secondary social studies will require reform in secondary school curriculum and social studies teacher…

Discusses curriculum development and renewal for social studies. Recommends the use of fundamental themes such as democracy and social responsibility as the curriculum focus. Identifies five pitfalls in the development process and provides solutions for each. (CFR)

Asserts that children's literature which explores geographic themes such as place and movement can foster real life applications of mathematics and social studies. Presents a review of 14 books grouped thematically to illustrate possibilities for integrating mathematics throughout the social studies curriculum. (CFR)

Presents recommended resources for implementing activities in social mathematics, an instructional approach created by combining numerical information with social studies concepts. Describes ways to generate historical timelines, create family histories, and collect and interpret numerical data. (CFR)

Schools must refuse to contribute to this age of "information overload" and, through an interdisciplinary approach, assist students to become receptive to humane feelings and to understand the complexities of a culture. To these ends, educators must "re-program" the entire educational system by relinquishing their attachment to their own…

Contends that decisions about scope and sequence are most appropriately made by local curriculum committees and teachers. Provides guidance for this work by identifying four goals for the K-12 social studies curriculum, along with seven major themes, including social history, cultural heritage, and development of a global perspective. Key…

This digest discusses how educators can integrate arts into gifted education and provides examples of activities that integrate the arts with language arts, social studies, and mathematic and science curricula. Examples include: (1) let students draw, sketch, or paint when reading a story; (2) stimulate analytical thinking and imaginative…