This lesson, one of four stand-alone lessons that examine Australia as an aspect of world history, is designed to teach students about hunter-gatherer societies in the context of Tasmanian Aboriginal culture. Tasmania represents a particularly useful site for the study of hunter-gatherer societies because it is geographically isolated, even from…

This manual provides accurate, up-to-date information about contemporary life in Japan and provides opportunities for students to develop cross-cultural awareness. The content of the lessons includes concepts traditionally taught in elementary school social studies programs. Lessons provide multiple opportunities for students to develop a variety…

This manual provides suggestions and materials for teaching about Japan. Designed as a supplement to typical textbook treatments, the lessons provide a range of readings, visuals, and activities to enrich and deepen student learning about Japan. Organized around topics dealing with history, geography, government, economics, and culture, the…

This lesson on India was developed based on an Internet Indian diary. The lesson describes visits and experiences in Delhi, Khajuraho, Varanasi, Bombay, Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Madras, Jaipur, and Agra. It also provides a series of "virtual field trips" ("Love and Marriage"; "Sacred Places"; and "Solving a Community…

In this four-part lesson, students examine the concept of geographic region by exploring the history of the United States Great Plains. In Part I, students gather information about the location and environment of the Great Plains in order to produce a map outlining the region in formal terms. In Part II, students examine how the region has been…

This lesson plans project provides information and classroom-ready lesson plans about Nigeria. These lesson plans can stand alone or be used in conjunction with one another. They have been correlated to coincide with the standards set forth in Geography for Life. Following background information "Why Study Nigeria?" (A. Shields), lesson…

This curriculum guide provides activities to help students understand Latin America. A foundation for analyzing the interdependence of world nations develops critical thinking, and problem solving skills. Activities emphasize research, reading, writing, and speaking skills. Detailed lesson plans and accompanying reproducible student handouts are…

Lists a selection of books about the Pacific Rim area for social studies teachers who wish to add to their knowledge of the area. Includes selections on Japan, China, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Describes and gives a brief critique of each book. (DK)

Discusses "Mascots and Meanings," a research activity that helps give students a concrete concept of some of the elements of a region or place. Provides a list of professional and college sports mascots. Identifies strategies that call upon students to identify the reasons for the choice of the particular mascots. (SG)

Tomb art provides an invaluable window into China's history and culture. The understanding that spirits of dead ancestors can exert power and influence over the lives of their descendants has been a central tenet of the Chinese belief system, propelling the culture into practices ensuring the provision of comfort and status to the deceased in…

This lesson focuses on student use of magazine pictures of a region in Australia to understand the region and discover more about it. The students begin by mental mapping of the area to discover what they already know, then proceed to explore the pictures for verification or for new ideas which they had not considered previously. This is an…

This teacher's guide contains six lessons, including eight folktales, for using folktales from Japan and China in the elementary classroom. Specific objectives, materials, background notes, discussion questions, follow-up activities and a bibliography also are included. Each lesson takes approximately 1-3 class periods but are flexible for use.…

This mini-unit focuses on the lives and accomplishments of John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood and their contacts with the Maya. This project deals specifically with how Stephens' published accounts and Catherwood's drawings became the basis from which all further Mayan research developed. These two explorers were the first to describe…

This report explores two bilingual educational approaches currently in use in Mexico and the United States. The study pursues a limited comparison between two modalities of bilingual instruction, as observed and reported in the consulted literature. The U.S. model featured is known as the two-way bilingual model, an additive approach to…

This study guide seeks to provide resources to bring the voices and experiences of Panamanian students into classrooms. This guide includes: (1) "History of a Canal" (in English and Spanish) (Pablo Neruda); (2) "Poems by Cubena"; (3) "Maps of Panama and The Canal Zone"; (4) "Historical Overview: Panama…