Julia Kearney and Lori Bingham (pseudonyms), two middle school social studies teachers in a large urban school, have a problem. They want to have their students asking and exploring important questions about American history, and they want them to have the vocabulary knowledge needed to do so. While Julia and Lori recognize the rich linguistic…

Although many adults perceive young "digital natives" as savvy about our new media landscape, youth are regularly fooled by inaccurate stories and online scams. Furthermore, beyond the threat of outright false information, young people encounter confusing half-truths, misleading arguments, and disguised efforts to collect their personal…

Describes the Chata Project, a British research project that challenged the prevalent assumption that children will construct sound causal explanations from factual information imparted during history instruction. Their research suggests that explicit instruction is required for children to understand the causal relationships among events,…

The familial understanding and locale relationship understanding of young children was investigated. Findings support the theory that social studies and other learning need to be more concrete for young children. (AM)

Suggests five basic questions that social studies classroom teachers can use to help students understand the concept of change. Questions are, "Is something different?"; "What is changing?"; "What caused the change?"; "How much do we pay for this change?"; and "Is the change worth what it costs?" Activities based on these questions are suggested.…

Discusses Hilda Taba's ideas and influence on the social studies curriculum and her work on a project to develop instructional guides for social studies teachers. Explores the importance of developing multiple objectives and organizing subject matter into key concepts, organizing ideas, and specific facts. Recommends emphasis on thinking, people,…

Traces the increasing concern among Americans over the energy situation and the state of the economy. Stresses the responsibility of the schools in educating students in matters of energy and the influence of energy on economic growth. A conceptual structure for an energy curriculum in social studies is presented. (DB)

Describes preparation and implementation of a data analysis and card-sorting activity to help junior high and high school students use categories on a continuum to determine the power, status, and roles of men and women in India. (CK)