Technological innovations and inventions are changing society and world culture so fast that it's often difficult to keep up. This article provides many web sites that will provide classroom teachers or even full social studies departments with information and lesson plans to integrate the importance of inventions and technology into their…

March is Women's History Month. While the approach to the study of the role of women in U.S. history has changed dramatically since the author was a classroom teacher, there is still a need to do more to fully integrate women into history throughout the curriculum and throughout the school year. Finding good sites to help classroom teachers and…

The author truly believes that the marginalization of social studies is not only harming the profession, it is jeopardizing the democracy. But if social studies is in jeopardy, consider the colleagues in the arts and music. Art and music programs have been reduced or eliminated in thousands of schools throughout the nation. Marginalizing art and…

Decades of research into which instructional strategies are successful in K-12 history and social studies conclude that having students write is extremely important. Effective writing assignments--whether a 3- to 5-paragraph essay, a longer term-paper-style assignment, or even a fictional short story based on a historical period or event--require…

While not focusing directly on art, music, or literature, classroom teachers, students, and supervisors can find many virtual tours of museum offices, and agencies that do have art content. The use of virtual tours can be extremely effective--whether used as an entire classroom experience (such as the teacher guiding students through a tour using…

On an earlier column titled "What I learned at the NCSS Annual Meeting," the author wrote about the Internet-oriented materials and resources featured at the 2006 NCSS convention in Washington, D.C. Having received many e-mails from readers telling him that they appreciated having the opportunity to see which companies, not-for-profit,…

Historical thinking and historical analysis have become significant themes within the ranks of social studies educators. In this article, the author talks about the importance of teaching historical analysis and historical thinking using the Internet. He presents websites that both explain the two concepts and also provide lesson plans,…

Students are quite interested in stories about young people throughout history. Students want to know what it was like to be a kid during the U.S. Civil War, during the Great Depression, or during the tumultuous Vietnam War period. They want to know what going to school was like, what young people did for entertainment and recreation, and what…

This digest discusses "Lessons From History," the report of the National Center for History in the Schools at the University of California, Los Angeles. The report provides a rationale for the study of history throughout the K-12 curriculum and specifies core ideas, themes, and topics that undergird both content and performance standards…

Presents an annotated bibliography of educational resources from the ERIC database related to history for Canadian educators. The materials include digests, monographs, journal articles, and academic papers. The citations include all relevant bibliographic information and a short abstract, as well as information on locating and ordering the…

Presents an annotated bibliography of 12 articles and documents found in the ERIC database that focus on computer uses in history instruction at the college level. (CFR)

Contends that U.S. educational change is characterized by several factors including rapid demographic shifts, new research into the nature of teaching and learning, and dissatisfaction with students' achievement on national tests. Includes an annotated bibliography of 16 ERIC articles and documents on the topic. (CFR)

Discusses changing views taken by contemporary history texts and courses of African-Americans, and other minorities. Warns that the subject of slavery can be an uncomfortable one to teach but needs to be addressed. Provides reviews of World Wide Web sites that provide a good overview of African-American history. (DSK)

Provides an annotated list of useful ERIC articles regarding Canadian history. Although several items are from the old, "History and Social Science Teacher" or "Canadian Social Studies," many other sources are listed. Includes information on ordering and accessing the articles. (MJP)

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…