Historical narratives of Black women often focus solely on racial discrimination without acknowledging the structural and systemic gender-based discrimination they faced. Crenshaw's concept of intersectionality draws upon decades of Black feminist scholarship delineating how Black women experience systemic oppression on account of both their race…

Given the current marginalization of the social studies within elementary classrooms it is vital that elementary educators seek integrative techniques that promote the social studies. This article explores one such example of integration taught by the authors within an elementary classroom. The three-day lesson taught to fifth-grade students aimed…

Teachers often respond to the perils of teaching about religion by simply avoiding the subject. An investigation of secondary lesson plans on three prominent Martin Luther King, Jr. websites reveals little attention to the ideology of the civil rights movement, especially those touching on religious ideas. Ignoring King's religious views risks…

Delving into the life and legacy of Henry VIII is both complex and captivating. People seem compelled to learn more abut his critical contributions and controversial conduct that range from the significant to the scandalous. Reflecting on the history of the world would be incomplete without investigating the events and escapades associated with…

Set during the Cold War and space race, this historical role-play focuses on Wernher von Braun's involvement in and culpability for the use of slave laborers to produce V-2 rockets for Nazi Germany. Students will grapple with two central questions. Should von Braun have been allowed to emigrate to the United States given his affiliation with the…

When teachers in elementary and middle school classrooms portray history as an immutable sequence of certain facts, dates, and events, young learners tend to view the past, and by extension the future, as something fixed and inevitable. Learning about the past through investigating biographies can help counter this tendency by teaching students to…

Describes how to use biographies of successful women politicians to provide career role models for elementary school girls. The biographies of Margaret Chase Smith, Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan, and Juanita Kreps are recommended as resources for career education. (AM)

Examines the use of biographies in teaching elementary students about contemporary women. Discusses sources of appropriate works and provides teaching suggestions for use with elementary school children. (GEA)

Details and assesses the life and education career of Susanna Rowson, particularly her involvement with geography education in the early United States. Discusses her childhood, career in the arts and on the stage, novel writing, educational career, geography textbooks, and relations with other early U.S. geographers. (DSK)

Argues that a view of First Ladies as "activist political partners" is the rule rather than exception, despite their omission from most textbooks. Suggests that biographies of First Ladies offer a fascinating way to study presidential politics and to illuminate the role of women in U.S. history. Discusses several First Ladies. (DSK)

Suggestions to help social studies teachers use historical fiction and biography to teach critical reading to intermediate grade students are made. For example, teachers should help students to check various sources for the author's qualifications, purpose, and bias and assist students in analyzing language and writing style. (RM)

Eleanor Roosevelt taught history, current events, literature, and drama at the K-12 Todhunter School. Her views concerning social studies are discussed. She believed that the primary purpose of education in a democracy was the development of informed, productive citizens in an atmosphere in which individuals could reach their full potential. (RM)

The use of literature in a U.S. history class can revitalize the curriculum. The applicability of biographies, historical fiction, and contemporary fiction to history classes is discussed. A brief annotated list of appropriate sources, chronologically arranged for reluctant, average, and advanced readers, is included. (AM)

In this article, the author provides a rationale for the use of children's literature to study Mexico and to learn a framework by which to consider people around the world and the universals of culture, including principles for using books in the unit. An appendix contains a description of children's fiction and biography, nonfiction, reference…

Recommends using time bonding (finding a role model and researching the process and story behind that individual's accomplishments) as a means to interest students in history. Outlines the instructions covering the objectives of the writing assignments. Students researched a variety of biographies including Jackie Robinson and Lyndon Johnson. (MJP)