Connecting wider economic, technological, or cultural trends to the everyday life of students can be a challenge. Food can serve as a course-long theme that helps students comprehend the essential connection between personal actions and national or international trends and develop skills of critical analysis. The author describes four activities…

Credited with creating a sense of community within a junior high is this project bringing together sixth, seventh, eighth graders for a schoolwide study of the 1940s. Teams composed of staff and students from all grades were assigned subtopics that were explored and shared through a variety of activities. (MJL)

This guide enables teachers to select current children's books incorporating one or more of the 10 thematic strands of social studies (culture; time, continuity, and change; people, places and environments; individual development and identity; individuals, groups, and institutions; power, authority, and governance; production, distribution, and…

This guide uses a thematic approach to show the integration of subjects (reading, mathematics, language arts, science/fine arts) and skills to create a context for learning. The contents of this guide are presented in a holistic format. There are six major topics in the guide, each with subtopics: (1) "Getting Your Feet Wet--An Introduction to…

In this teaching activity, students track and present information about specific regions in the world on a bi-weekly basis. Emphasis is placed on the five themes of geography to develop a working knowledge of assigned regions. Students use Microsoft Publisher and PowerPoint to create presentations. The activity packet contains several documents…

This planning guide can serve as the basis for innovative Law Day observances all over the United States. The guide offers suggestions for programs for schools and people in the community, as well as creative ways to reach the media. It also presents resources and ideas for conveying how the United States Constitution restrains unlawful arrests,…

Contends that future citizens will be required to understand and interact with people, cultures, and ideas throughout the world. Argues that this goal can be achieved only through an integrated approach to the social studies curriculum. Reviews the Texas social studies curriculum guide and points out how it exemplifies this approach. (CFR)

Maintains that literature-based social studies instruction can be used to teach civic responsibility even at the primary level. Includes three sample lessons teaching personal responsibility, environmental responsibility, and a citizen's responsibility to the community. Each lesson uses a children's book as the main text. (MJP)

Even with appropriate curriculum materials, teachers need to employ reflective springboards that cause learners to link Holocaust information and personal stories to the students' in-school and out-of-school realities and to issues in community life. The guide provides five activities that are intended to be used in any sequence and for any class.…

Various learning activities in language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science are presented, using the theme of favorite foods. Sample activities include thinking of similes and metaphors related to food, calculating calories eaten in a day, and listing foods associated with specific countries. (JDD)

Three significant changes have impacted the teaching of social studies to young adolescents in the past decade: (1) development of the curriculum standards for social studies by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS); (2) growth in the number of middle schools, which are premised on the integration of content; and (3) expansive use of…

This resource manual integrates literature and social studies with an emphasis on character development. Using children's literature as a catalyst for investigating representative cultures, the manual's curriculum writers crafted multicultural, integrated, thematic lessons for the K-6 classroom that can be used throughout the year. Included are…

Of all the reform recommendations being made by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, making mathematical connections is among the more difficult to achieve, yet is so helpful in motivating students in the early grades. Mathematical connections can relate mathematical topics to students' daily lives and to other mathematical topics but…

This volume presents a framework for developing courses of study in geography at grade levels 7-12. Several sample courses illustrate how the framework may be used. Five fundamental themes in geographic education provide the basis for the framework. The suggested learning opportunities are designed to incorporate various levels of thinking. These…

This integrated teacher resource book presents the instruction of grades 3-6 social studies and history concepts within the context of quality multicultural children's books and picture books. This juxtaposition allows teachers to use children's literature to supplement core textbooks, arouse curiosity, add depth to discussion, and provide…