Parents, educators, and students have criticized the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects for expecting students to regurgitate evidence from assigned texts rather than think for themselves. This article argues that this popular critique is accurate and that…

This article presents an open letter to President Barack Obama written by the author to express his concerns about the increasing emphasis on mathematics and science education along with the continued emphasis on reading/language arts while a fourth major curriculum area--social studies--is being marginalized by lack of funding and reduced…

This article presents the authors' critique of lessons proposed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21). The authors initiate a discussion about content that they hope will play out in schoolhouses and statehouses across the country. They take on a different task: they present a handful of lesson ideas from P21 that could enhance studies…

In this article, the author discusses a five-month interdisciplinary bird study that she designed for her seventh-grade students that combines life science, technology, writing, art, mathematics, social studies and literature. The driving force behind this yearly unit is the BirdSleuth eBird program (formerly the Cornell University Classroom…

"Children's Choices," a project of a joint committee supported by the International Reading Association (IRA) and the Children's Book Council, is published annually in "The Reading Teacher." Books recommended by children are grouped by levels: Beginning Reader (ages 5-7); Young Readers (ages 8-10); and Advanced Readers (ages…

Explores the relationship between language arts and social studies in terms of subject integration and the established school curriculum. States that this integration helps students achieve a variety of goals and skills. Hypothetical situations taken from Alberta provincial curriculum guides are used to explore the merits and disadvantages of…

It is a misguided and wasteful effort to try to separate out the teaching of language arts from the teaching of social studies and to wage war over which subject is most deserving of children's time. Instead, there is real power to be gained from teaching from a combined language arts-social studies perspective that shares similar goals and values…

A person can communicate more accurately by possessing a rich vocabulary, be it in listening, speaking, reading, or writing. Then too, students need a well developed vocabulary which is integrated across the entire curriculum. This paper focuses on the plethora of vocabulary terms in diverse curriculum areas, including social studies, science,…

This essay relates the way educator Dorothy Howard intuitively used intercultural education techniques to motivate students. Howard encouraged students to relate home experiences and family traditions when fulfilling writing assignments. She also used the rhymes, rhythms, and metaphors of playground games to study poetry, grammar, composition, and…

Rationale is presented for an approach to computer literacy in which computer-related objectives are integrated into the curricula in language arts, math, science, and social studies. A set of objectives for developing instructional sequences using computers is given. Four references are listed. (Author/MER)

Describes a castle-building exercise in which students first learn about castles and then, using a map of the school, show on paper how they would convert the school into a castle. (TB)

Overviews attempts to integrate language arts and social studies and reviews research on language processes. Discusses types of writing designed to produce active and responsible learners. Describes writing exercises designed to enable students to inventory knowledge; to initiate, consolidate, and personalize learning; and to clarify thinking. (RH)

This lesson plan, focusing on an elementary school day in Germany, is intended for use at the elementary level (grades 2-5) and requires two 30-minute class periods for implementation. The lesson plan states objectives, addresses applicable National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) standards, lists materials required, presents a rationale,…

A recent study suggests that the broad idealistic educational objectives voiced by states and districts are a far cry from what is really being taught in classrooms. The question that now must be faced is what we want schools to teach. (JM)

Discusses three language concepts which require urgent attention of social studies teachers. Students need practice in processing the ideas of the social sciences. More attention needs to be directed to teaching the vocabulary of the social studies. Building a background of basic knowledge in social studies is essential. (RM)