The number of middle school students with learning disabilities (LD) taught social studies in general education classes continues to rise. Providing general education teachers with additional ways to support students with LD as they navigate social studies reading materials could help planning and teaching for all students. In middle school, when…

Although vocabulary development is an important part of the social studies curriculum, vocabulary activities are often inadequate, leaving students with cursory knowledge of terms. Worse still is the fact that many of the most critical words demarcating the field are not included in those activities. Therefore, a transformation from viewing…

Content-area instruction for English-language learners (ELLs) represents a growing area of instructional need in U.S. high schools. In this article, the authors focus on diverse approaches to developing an effective instructional environment for teaching secondary-level social studies curriculum to ELLs. The authors participated in a…

Argues that student comprehension difficulties are often diagnosed as reading problems, even though the problem extends to other learning skills. Considers the issue of comprehension in the context of reading, and examines aspects of the issue that extend to teacher communications. Suggest ways to help students understand social studies material.…

States that cognitive mapping is an instructional strategy that encourages active participation, helps young children see relationships, promotes the organization of information, and allows the teacher flexibility. Outlines a five-step process using cognitive mapping in lesson development. (BSR)

Critiques current models of problem solving for children, maintaining that there is a chasm between the experiences of real-life problem solving and the idealized frameworks that are presented to children. Suggests the use of children's literature as a means to teaching problem solving. Includes suggested readings, and a list of questions for…

Discusses the benefits of individualizing inquiry for students. Describes using this method in the social studies classroom in step by step guidelines. Offers an illustration of its successful application. Notes factors to be considered before teachers commit to this instructional method. (KO)

Describes an informal discussion between a museum docent and a group of students visiting the museum. Compares the instructional strategies used in museum education and the regular school classroom. Concludes that students would gladly take responsibility for their own learning if textbooks and curriculum guides did not constrain them. (CFR)

Argues that social studies teachers need to involve their students in building their own pyramids of knowledge from basic facts into broad general principles. Discusses a class at Moorhead State University (Minnesota) that uses the inquiry method to help student teachers learn to construct lessons that follow the…

Classroom-tested strategies for implementing mainstreaming in the secondary social studies classroom are described. These included textbook and lecture strategies; discussion, role-play, and debate strategies; and map, globe, and art projects. (RM)

Illustrates the use of the writing wheel, a prewriting technique for writing from thesis statements that requires students to create a picture of a wheel. Shows how the wheel can be used in writing paragraphs and how it can be combined with summary writing to produce an integrated term paper. (DB)

Asserts that teaching concept formation and generalization development are central to any social studies program. Presents a classroom activity designed to teach geographic concepts to middle school students. Includes four figures and instructional procedures to be used in the activity. (CFR)

Maintains that educators can use Vietnamese history and culture to teach about human-environment interaction, adaptation, and modification. Describes Vietnamese water puppetry and recommends its use in U.S. classrooms. Includes five photographs, a description of water puppetry, and instructional suggestions. (CFR)

Reports on a study of 16 elementary students' personal narratives on their historical memories about the Gulf War. Maintains that much can be learned about students' historical understanding when they tell about an event in story form. Suggests further research into the reasons student narratives were thin and abbreviated. (CFR)

Demonstrates the need for teaching strategies that incorporate the concepts of power and freedom into existing courses. Identifies classroom environments that enable students to make choices as beneficial and describes some strategies for promoting a more democratic classroom. (AEM)