Designed for elementary school teachers in Santa Cruz, California, this book outlines an experiential approach to community study. Because the term community can encompass a scope as narrow as the school or as wide as the region, these guidelines are adaptable to several elementary grade levels. The book is arranged in six sections. The first…

Real work settings in the community offer learning experiences that cannot be duplicated in the school. The classroom teacher must know the experience program possibilities available in the community, and guide students to discover these possibilities. (KP)

Teachers should draw from the resources of their economic, educational, governmental, and religious communities in teaching composition. (DD)

Designed for teachers who are unaware of desirable places to visit, of whom to contact, or of services and materials available to students, this pamphlet contains specific information on how to collect and construct a file of pertinent, available community resources. It will help the classroom teacher assemble and organize information about a…

Discusses the methodology and benefits of using a city as an instrument for examining American history and social dynamics. (JB)

Architecture can be a topic in high school community studies. A program in Boulder, Colorado, is described as a case study. Learning activities include walking tours, library and city archive research, and slide shows. Tips for teachers and an annotated bibliography are included. (Author/DB)

Presents six position statements for developing a multicultural arts curriculum. Suggests strategies for implementing curricula and resources for gathering community information. Provides examples of implementation, including a sample interview to use with artists and sample questions to ask students when analyzing works of art. (KM)

Topics and guidelines for stimulating interest in the study of local history at the elementary and secondary levels are described. The paper lists roles and responsibilities of teachers and students engaged in historical research, suggests projects for elementary and secondary teachers, and lists five basic reference books for teachers who are…

An ERIC digest considers several approaches to community study within the social studies curriculum. Material is divided into four sections. Following an introduction, "A rationale for community study" outlines skills and concepts that can be presented through community study and presents the rationale that community study can provide…

Procedures to help intermediate-grade social studies teachers implement a local history unit are provided. Although intended for teachers in Iowa, the guide can easily be used by educators in any state. The procedures are organized around three major generalizations: (1) buildings and artifacts are resources in explaining the history of a…

Trends, tips, and resources for teaching local and family history are identified in this state-of-the-art paper. Using the local community as a historical resource can make American history more relevant and meaningful to students and aids in the development of a wide range of skills, including library use skills, writing skills, and skills used…

If a program of community study has not been initiated for the school system, the individual teacher should take the initiative in presenting the idea to the administration and in locating and preparing for the use of community resources in the classroom. There are three principal aspects of the discovery and use of community resources (those…

This article focuses on open schools or schools without walls, those experiments within the public school system involving a reconceptualization of the role of the school in the educational process. A brief review of the free school movement (those experiments outside public schools) is also included. The stated goal of the open school is to help…