A local history course offered as a semester elective to seniors has as its purpose the study of the local community as a microcosm of the United States. The basic principle is to reinforce what the student has already learned in previous history courses. The course proceeds through a chronological sequence of units about various periods of the…

As part of Project Adventure, a specific unit within a 12-week Colonial History course taught at a Massachusetts high school was designed to: involve students with each other, their community, and local history; add a significant social and experiential dimension to the course; use a unique system of student evaluation and grading; and be…

The objectives, activities and evaluation design or a model program for teaching local economics and culture within a student centered curriculum are described. (Author/KM)

This report recounts that many impressive projects in Massachusetts Learn and Serve America school-based sites have been observed. The term "project" is used in the report to refer to community service learning (CSL) as it is incorporated into classroom instruction. In general, the report notes, the projects ranged from simple to…

This theme issue of "Service-Learning Network" explores some challenges and rewards of integrating service learning into school and community culture. The lead article, "Integrating Community Service Learning with School Culture" (Sheldon Berman), surveys the integration of community service learning in the culture of school…

This guide was developed to share successful Community Service Learning (CSL) instructional practices. It presents units that can be replicated and adapted for varying grade levels and curricular goals. The guide notes that as students use newly acquired academic knowledge and skills to address real issues in their communities, they often gain…

This lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file for the Arnold Arboretum (Massachusetts) and other source material about the Arboretum and Frederick Law Olmstead. The lesson focuses on the first arboretum in the United States, which was part of Olmstead's plan for Boston's park system, known as the "Emerald…

This study was addressed to the question, "Can change be brought about in teachers' attitudes and their students' attitudes toward racial difference and economic deprivation after the teachers have been exposed to in-service training programs?" Twenty teachers representing grades kindergarten through high school participated. Two…

This article describes a project that integrated technology into a classroom unit as part of a project (Project MEET) sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Education. The project goals were linked to the Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework that focuses on the differences between work and play, and was based on the use of…

The overall objectives and teaching techniques for the supplementary primary grade social studies units are described in SO 001 457. The specific objectives of this unit for grade two are: 1) to discover differences and similarities found in people through understanding of their basic needs, desires, and problems; 2) to become aware of the…

The supplementary primary grade social studies units have been developed in order to guide the child in the decision-making areas of citizenship, values, and human relations, and to develop within him a better understanding of his immediate environment and that of the world in which he lives, and to help him to adapt to a changing society and its…