This ERIC/ChESS column presents a variety of resources to help educators find new ways to reduce prejudice. Included are three ERIC documents which cover (1) how to reduce prejudice in the social studies classroom, (2) research on prejudice reduction, and (3) preventing institutional racism and sexism. (JDH)

Relates three incidents which illustrate the "tendency to dullness" in elementary social studies. Notes two challenges to elementary social studies: (1) the tension between the needs of the individual and the claims of society; and (2) the debate between cultural transmission and transformation. Recommends studying teachers whose practices…

Describes anthropologist Edward T. Hall's perspectives on time, synchrony, and communication and uses these ideas to formulate improvements in social studies instruction. Maintains that the use of games and other group activities described increases the teacher's ability to provide for the variety of learning styles found among social studies…

States that the fragmentation of social studies education deserves serious consideration. Argues that instead of worrying about whether a given curricular proposal is fashionable, teachers should decide if a program really belongs in a substantial social studies education. Calls for teachers to evaluate what learners really need. (GEA)

This special issue contains: (1) an eight-page bibliography of print resources designed to aid social studies teachers with their professional growth and practice; (2) the results of a state-wide curriculum survey; (3) a 10-page list of resource organizations and people; (4) a collection of forms for textbook evaluation; and (5) California Council…

Reviews "newscasts from the past," a six-part series of videotapes designed to make medieval history come alive for high school students. Includes ordering information and the results of a survey (n = 363) designed to assess student reactions to the format and content. (JDH)

This article briefly reviews literature on critical thinking and applies this conceptualization to five widely used elementary social studies textbook series (Holt, Laidlaw, McGraw-Hill, Silver Burdett, and Scott Foresman). Concludes that comparisons between actual textbook instruction and suggestions found in the literature were quite unfavorable…

Using diary excerpts from a teacher's trip to Japan in the summer of 1985, this article provides four lesson plans for involving elementary through high school students in the study of cultural values, critical thinking skills, leadership, and international understanding. (JDH)

Describes the experience of junior high and high school students as they participate in the "Living History Program" at Fort Stanwix in Rome, New York. Students live as Revolutionary War soldiers for 24 hours after six months of intensive preparation and study. (JDH)

A lesson taught by Secretary of Education, William J. Bennett is colorfully described, interpreted, and thematized in an attempt to portray the significance and educational meaning of the lesson. (Author/MT)

This is a general compilation of textbooks, activity books, trade books, and reference materials suitable for teaching about China. A portion of the listings are briefly annotated and some include information about grade level. (JDH)

Provides examples of computer-based classroom activities which support the skills, content, and democratic values goals of social studies. It also outlines an approach to teaching inquiry, information handling, and group interaction skills; explains the role of databases in supporting content objectives; and gives examples of values issues that…

Offers a listing of 80 books considered to be important for a professional library in social studies. The categories included are: (1) foundations of social studies education; (2) social studies curriculum; (3) social studies instruction; (4) change processes in social studies; and (5) sources on sources. (JDH)

Merrill Hartshorn, for three decades the driving force behind the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), died in 1985. This tribute, written by a former NCSS president and longtime friend of Hartshorn, describes Hartshorn as "the torchbearer of a social studies tradition." (RM)

Describes the origin of the Druze people, a group of approximately 300,000 people living mainly in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. The secret Druze religion, often mistaken for Moslems, is characterized in the contemporary customs displayed by the Druzes of Israel. (JDH)