This article explores the extent to which official social studies curriculum documents acknowledge difficult questions raised by the persistence of poverty in the United States. As it turns out, just as some parts of social studies curricula tell distorted stories about U.S. history, other parts tell misleading stories about the nation's present…

Far more than just recreation, baseball offers social, cultural, and political insights into history. For teachers, the goals of this article are threefold. First, this narrative is designed to provide the introductory content knowledge needed to develop a colorful lecture, structure a spirited discussion, or create a student project on the topic.…

Social studies content is more meaningful to students when they can empathize with the people they study. Such empathy can be fostered via content material that is presented in a relevant, emotional, intimate, and even entertaining manner. Folk music offers this type of creative and constructive approach. The elementary school classroom is the…

A college teacher discusses how in his U.S. history survey course he uses the buildings in Philadelphia to illuminate the principal forces of national history. For example, colonial buildings and street plans can help students understand the bourgeois character of early Philadelphia and of other American cities. (RM)

This calendar of lessons conforms to the New York State syllabus for grades 7-8, United States and New York History, which was officially implemented throughout the state in September 1987. It is a guide to the objectives of the state social studies program, not a prescription for day-to-day lesson plans. United States and New York State History…

Fifteen major concepts form the basis of the New York State schools K-12 social studies program. They are: (1) change, (2) choice, (3) citizenship, (4) culture, (5) diversity, (6) empathy, (7) environment, (8) human rights, (9) identity, (10) interdependence, (11) justice, (12) political system, (13) power, (14) scarcity, and (15) technology. The…

Guidelines to help elementary and secondary educators in Pennsylvania teach U.S. history and Pennsylvania state history are presented. Educators in other states can also use or adapt the guidelines. The first part of the guide contains educational objectives for Pennsylvania state history in the fourth grade and for U.S. history in the fifth…

Provides ideas for using community studies to acquaint students with American history and to help them develop an appreciation of the uniqueness of their own community and the importance of the role that a locality can play within the nation. Lists seven student learning activities and presents suggestions for researching local history. (KH)

Basic social studies concepts and corresponding generalizations serve as the overall framework holding together the changing content of the curriculum in this guide. The K-6 organization of skills and concepts reflects an integrated social studies curriculum representing all the social sciences. The K-6 scope and sequence integrates five major…

This revised Stark County (Ohio) curriculum guide provides a basic framework for a sequential grades K-12 social studies program. The guide contains the program's philosophy and goals, information about student evaluation, and position statements on social studies, citizenship education, and conceptual learning. The section on elementary education…

In many classrooms, the textbook becomes the main source used to determine objectives, procedures, opinions, questions, thoughts, and other items used in teaching U.S. history. This study was done to determine how the Reconstruction Era was presented in a selected group of junior high school U.S. history textbooks. The books were classified…

This guide provides descriptions of the social studies courses that are offered in Florida schools for students in grades six through eight. Specifically, the guide presents broad guidelines for course content and outcomes and is intended to assist educators in developing specific instructional plans for given subject areas. The guide is designed…

This report discusses the reactions of the U.S. focus group of the National Council for History Education to proposed standards for the U.S. history curriculum. General concerns of classroom teachers about the proposed standards include the lack of a developmental concept from kindergarten through grade 12, and too much influence of…

Presents research findings regarding the historical knowledge of fifth, eighth, and twelfth grade students and college level elementary education majors. Concludes that students learn the content of U.S. history as they progress through years of schooling. Reports student unfamiliarity with more recent historical events and difficulty in…

Since the end of the Vietnam War there has been a flood of new historical information vastly revising much of what anyone--left, right, or center--knew. Teachers must take this into account when teaching about Vietnam. All major competing perceptions of the Vietnam war should be analyzed objectively. (RM)