"The Federalist Papers," a collection of 85 essays on the principles of republican government written to support the ratification of the Constitution of 1787, has been praised as an outstanding work by individuals ranging from such founding fathers as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington to contemporary scholars in history and…

A collection of resources for high school history and government teachers and their students, this volume treats core ideas on constitutional government in the United States. James Madison's ideas as found in "The Federalist Papers" are examined in conjunction with their counterpoints in essays of the Anti-Federalists. This volume…

This second of three units to the 12th-grade first-semester "Comparing Political Experiences" course provides 20 student activities that examine political resources such as wealth, skills, status, information, and ideas. The activities and readings are divided into six sections which stress the alternative patterns of political resources…

Identifies and discusses four keys to improved constitutional rights instruction: (1) systematic emphasis on core ideas and issues; (2) analysis and appraisal of core ideas and issues in primary documents; (3) analysis and appraisal of core ideas and issues in judicial cases; and (4) active learning by inquiring students with the help of…

Describes the content, structure, and instructional characteristics of video programs and print materials prepared by the author with the Agency for Instructional Technology for teaching geography within the context of U.S. history in high school courses. Each of 10 video programs focuses on a major period of U.S. history. Discusses the…

The voyage of Columbus in 1492 is a turning point in world history. After 1492, people and civilizations of long-separated regions began to develop connections that have led to the incipient global community of the 1990s. It is their global significance that justifies a prominent place in today's curriculum for the four voyages of Columbus to the…

In February 1990, the President of the United States and the 50 state governors proclaimed a set of six national goals to prompt profound improvements in schools and student achievement by the year 2000. These six goals reflect widely held concerns that most people have not been receiving the kind of education they need to meet the challenges of…

This publication provides a brief introduction to core ideas of constitutional government in the United State as presented in "The Federalist" by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. The first of "The Federalists" papers was written by Hamilton, who joined with Jay and Madison in this series of essays to refute the…

Background, rationale, and promising practices for teaching about science-related social issues in the science and social studies classroom are presented. Material is divided into five sections, each introduced with a topical question. The first section considers the challenges associated with the pervasive influences of science and technology in…

Heritage education is an approach to teaching, rather than an academic discipline or subject area. It draws on history, geography, literature, the arts, architecture, and the social and natural sciences to study the evidence of the past remaining in the natural and built environment, the material culture, written documents, and in community…

This digest briefly summarizes the contents of the "Civics Framework for the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress" in terms of the Framework's development and components including civic knowledge, civic skills, and civic dispositions. The framework may be used to inform and guide curriculum development projects in civics and…

Education for citizenship in a constitutional democracy has been a long-standing goal of schools in the United States. To achieve this goal, students must learn their civil rights and responsibilities in a free society. This ERIC Digest discusses: (1) the importance of teaching about the responsibilities of citizenship; (2) deficiencies in…

This paper focuses on the current trends and issues in social studies education based on the literature that passes through the ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education (Indiana). Four trends pertaining to teaching content in history, geography, civics, and science in society have emerged from a review of the literature.…

These curriculum materials about various aspects of the United States Constitution are designed as supplements to high school courses in history, civics, and government. They include 60 original lessons for students, accompanied by lesson plans for teachers, and are divided into five chapters. Chapter I, "Documents of Freedom" includes…

This Digest describes the development of the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress for civics, and the results from that examination of civic knowledge and intellectual skills of students in grades four, eight, and twelve. The assessment format utilized multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. Results were reported by the…