This book is based on the belief that children's literature and history should be linked in elementary classrooms. The resource book has three major sections. The first section provides a brief overview of eight historical understandings that can be developed using children's literature. These understandings, adapted from a list of "history's…

This resource represents a virtual library of still and moving images, documents, maps, sound clips and text which make up the history of Western Civilization from prehistoric times to the early 1990s. The interdisciplinary range of materials included is compatible with standard textbooks in middle and high school social science, social studies,…

An ecological approach involved making conscious decisions which result in actions that responsibly contribute to the long-term stewardship of natural resources. This activity and resource guide was designed for use by both educators and resource managers to supplement existing courses and programs concerning ecological matters. These…

This practicum aimed to improve global awareness among middle school students. One specific goal was to increase the students' concept of the world and their global perspective. A second goal was to increase the students' geographic knowledge, enabling them to locate sites of current world events and affairs on a map or globe. Students were taught…

This workbook for use with third, fourth, or fifth grade elementary school students focuses on the people and cultures of four mainland countries of Southeast Asia: Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. The book offers an introduction for teachers and 14 lessons. Lesson 1 helps students recall what they may already know about Southeast Asia and…

This document consists of the four issues of a newsletter published during 1994. Issues contain current events articles in Spanish and classroom language learning activities based on those articles. The articles are brief, most reproduced from other publications. Topics include celebrity news, the arts, Spanish culture and geography, sports, and…

Information collected as part of the International Assessment of Educational Progress II (IAEP II) about learning in Alberta (Canada) is provided, including information on the educational and cultural factors associated with student achievement and information on student attitudes, backgrounds, and experiences. Results for all participating…

This document adapts the U.S. national standards for social studies for use in schools serving American Indian students. Compatible with the national standards, this supplement is broken into material for early grades, middle grades, and high school and is organized around the same 10 thematic strands: culture; time, continuity, and change;…

Drawing on contemporary research literature, recently developed curriculum guides, and blue-ribbon reports, this digest reviews 10 contemporary trends in K-12 social studies in the United States. Trends are as follows: (1) History, history, and more history; (2) More geography, too; (3) Using literature to teach social studies; (4) Focus on the…

This report examines the current demographics of American families and households and how today's families differ from those of the past. Of special interest to educators are those tables providing data concerning children under age 18, i.e., school age children. Specific data from the years 1950, 1970, and 1990 include: (1) the numbers of U.S.…

This document presents lesson plans for instruction concerning the history and geography of the continent of Africa. Topics include: (1) "The Challenge of Teaching African History and Culture" (Robert Hamilton); (2) "A Physical Overview of Africa" (Robert Hamilton and Kim Lilly); (3) "A Cultural Overview of Africa"…

How the theme of human movement--migration, and particularly immigration--can be integrated into junior high U.S. history and world history/geography courses is discussed. To avoid turning the study of migration into an unwitting process of reinforcing ethnocentrism, two steps need to be taken. First, the movement of people throughout the world…

To test whether elementary social studies texts have changed in response to the back-to-basics movement, a content analysis was made of selected basal texts series published between 1969-1972 and reissued between 1979-1982. Quantitative data, anecdotal data, and educational criticism were used to compare eight matched text series for knowledge…

A 4-week unit introduces intermediate grade students to Hawaii. Nine lessons of varying lengths cover the map of Hawaii and its climate, history, islands, economy and resources, sugar cane, pineapple, life and customs, and language. Each lesson contains 1 or more question-and-answer worksheets and, in many cases, a reading and a list of enrichment…

Various individuals have expressed the opinion that South African school children are insufficiently trained in environmental education. This study is an attempt to assess the situation in secondary schools under the control of the Transvaal Education Department. Special attention is paid to the teaching of biology and geography as vehicles for…