Southern United States folk music is rich in not only sound, but in voices of the past. Folk songs were created by working class individuals who described aspects of their life in connection with societal issues and events. Folk songs, now digitally archived, can serve as primary historical sources that can be used to enhance the secondary social…

Taken from a larger qualitative study, this article argues that rather than an encompassing uniform definition, rigor, as understood and enacted by social studies teachers, exists on a complicated spectrum. Teacher placement on this spectrum was influenced by teacher life experience, teacher interpretation of student need, pedagogy employed, how…

Despite 9/11, the seemingly endless Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons capabilities, and the Arab Spring and its aftermath, the social studies curricula of high schools throughout the nation generally put little emphasis on the Middle East and Islam as the foundation for understanding vital issues that…

Teachers in the secondary social studies classroom do not regularly take the time to practice structured reflection on their teaching methods. In our current standards-driven environment, social studies classrooms are often not seen as places of higher learning. To combat these stereotypes, the author presents a method for accomplishing reflection…

In an age of increasing global and multicultural forces, the social studies is usually the subject charged with promoting a deeper level of understanding in regards to cultural diversity. To achieve this mission, many social studies teachers have turned to the use of world fairs. However, these activities often end up promoting surface level…

Folktales can be a useful resource in social studies lessons that teach cultural themes by using children's literature. However, with their origins in past oral traditions, folktales may present misleading information about current cultural practices and may perpetuate stereotypes. The author examines this problem by using the example of Danish…

Youths in the United States are less geographically and culturally literate than are youths in many other industrialized countries. In an time in which the world is becoming increasingly interconnected, it is pertinent that American youths study geography, evaluate stereotypes, and understand how individuals are perceived by others. The authors…

As historians and publishers scrambled to revise American history textbooks in the wake of the 1960s, textbooks increasingly strove to include the experiences of African Americans and avoid dangerous racial stereotypes. After the Civil Rights movement and decades before scathing criticism of textbooks for their inability to address racism in…

American society is deeply rooted in the belief that differences of all types--religious, cultural, physical, political--should be promoted in ways that serve not to divide or erode but to unify and strengthen. The premise for that American ideal is the promise and potential of difference. Although difference is often embraced, it can also be…

Describes a research study to determine if blindfolded subjects could tell the race (white or black) of members of a basketball team on the basis of each team member's body odor. Subjects, who were both black and white, were unable to guess team members' racial identity with any degree of accuracy. (AV)

In an effort to alter the attitudes of ninth-grade students in a social studies class, a unit on aging was developed and evaluated. Information is presented on various aspects of the unit, including lesson plans, audiovisual aids, pre- and posttest scores of experimental and control groups, and attitude changes as a result of participating in the…

Analyzes students' perceptions of the developing world and cultural differences before and after they view photographs of India. Provides ideas for eliminating students' stereotypes and ethnocentric biases about developing countries through cooperative brainstorming activities that instill high-order thinking in students and by having students…

Describes the geographic and economic aspects of Appalachia. Asserts that Appalachia is an appropriate topic within multicultural education. Provides suggestions for entry points into the study of Appalachia and guidelines for avoiding stereotyping. Includes a bibliographic resource guide. (CMK)

Believes that students should learn about cultural similarities as opposed to differences to help them understand the connections among the cultures of the world. Provides practical suggestions for meaningful learning experiences focusing on cultural similarities using children's literature, proverbs, a venn diagram, and real-life examples. (CMK)

Often, the word activism conjures up the image of what the media and others call "radicals," such as inflamed Mexican American college students, for example, who are passionate and emotional, demanding an immediate end to racism on their college campus. Some castigate activist participants as immature and unsophisticated, whereas others…