From maps, graphs, and tables to photographs and political cartoons, social studies is replete with potentially rich visual images for students to analyze. Yet, elementary students often struggle to understand the information within such graphics. Many do not demonstrate data literacy, the "ability to comprehend, analyze, and interpret data…

The C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards emphasizes the literacy skills demanded by social studies. Students who walk through the classroom doors may not have a great deal of experience with informational text written on social studies topics, and this experience is critical for building vocabulary, evaluating sources, strengthening…

At this moment in history when so many of teachers feel constantly pressed for time and deluged with information, they need to rethink why they address, or do not address, current events in K-8 classrooms. Children are persistently interacting with images on screens of all sizes and shapes. Teachers need to consider how they can best use their…

Currency is a powerful cultural artifact; the imagery portrayed on bills and coins depict a nation's values and ideals. The process of selecting an American woman to appear on a U.S. Treasury bill began when a nine-year-old girl wrote to President Obama about her concern that no women were depicted on U.S. paper bills. The Treasury announcement to…

Young children are naturally inquisitive, and teachers often invite them to question, challenge, and create to expand their ever growing knowledge base. This article describes an inspiration one kindergarten teacher had when she overheard two children in her class discussing their recent experiences at an airport. The students were sharing some of…

With the advent of Common Core standards that focus on speaking and listening, discussion should be a tool in every elementary teacher's tool belt. As they discuss a topic, elementary students learn not just the content, but also the skills and social norms they need to become contributing members of our society. Discussion helps students to…

Increasingly, young people are interacting with information from a range of complex online sources (e.g., images, videos, websites, etc.) that inform them about content that is typically part of social studies. This makes helping students learn to become skilled careful and critical readers of all texts (from textbooks, trade books, magazines, and…

This article describes the ways in which the author guided her third- and fourth-grade students in the use of historical fiction and primary and secondary sources (letters, historical newspapers, census data, photos) to think and write critically about provocative historical events. In creating their own newspaper, students learned to summarize…