This curriculum unit introduces students in grades K-8 to an important Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead (November 2). The unit provides an overview of the celebration and is divided into two lessons: (1) "Classroom Altar" (with seven typical art and food preparation activities); and (2) "Day of the Dead Procession" (with…

This document examines the current difficult situation in Peru in light of its historical past. It gives students the opportunity to relate to the problems that the majority of Peruvians are facing and to see how Peru's people are working together for solutions. The text deals with contemporary issues such as the greenhouse effect, the loss of the…

The East Asian Curriculum Project (EACP) of Columbia University is a national project whose goal is to support education on Asia at the secondary and elementary levels. The project has developed a variety of curriculum resources and collaborated with state and local educators in designing units about Asia for teachers. Each packet contains brief…

A Canadian elementary level social studies curriculum combines the study of home, school, and community with the broader study of the nation and world through a multi-spiral approach. Described are the following units: the primary grade level (orientation, self, home, neighborhood, and school), grade 1 (families), grade 2 (communities), grade 3…

This social studies unit for elementary school students concentrates on comparing the different cultures of the neighboring countries of Israel and Jordan. The unit describes the educational objectives and explains that a variety of strategies are used to reach those objectives. It lists materials needed and procedures for evaluation, provides…

The story of the conquest of Mexico, Mezo-America, and South America is widely known, and most of the known traditions are referred to as historical events and in the past tense. "El Dia de los Muertos," however, is a perfect example of the blending of two cultures or transculturation. To ignore what California's large Hispanic…

The paper describes the Ozark Elementary Curriculum Project undertaken to provide the region's teachers with resources to create a positive image of the Ozarks and its cultural heritage. Using a multicultural approach, the curriculum presents regional culture as a valid alternative to any standardized national culture, and attempts to demonstrate…

Part of an adult education curriculum development project, the document describes the islands of Micronesia, emphasizing governmental structure and how it operates. The document was developed with Micronesians for Micronesians and is in two main sections. Section I tells stories about the interests and needs of each of the districts in Micronesia,…

The following major adjustments called for by the British Columbia Social Studies Assessment of 1977 are reflected in this elementary-junior high school guide: a broader interpretation of social studies; a greater specificity in what is to be taught; a greater emphasis on the study of Canada; a closer match between content and student needs; and a…

The East Asian Curriculum Project (EACP) of Columbia University is a national project whose goal is to support education on Asia at the secondary and elementary levels. The project has developed a variety of curriculum resources and collaborated with state and local educators in designing units about Asia for teachers. Each packet contains brief…

Intended to improve instruction in Asian studies in grades 1-12, this report of a project (University of California, Berkeley) contains extensive lists of general guidelines for incorporating Asian studies into the social studies curriculum; guidelines for preparing units of instruction on Asian topics; example units for elementary and high…

Five Learning Activity Packets (LAPS) of Canadian-American materials were written in an attempt to upgrade and broaden the content and widen the international understanding of the elementary students of Maine by means of an individualized learning approach. This report describes the development of the project and the procedures followed in…

In this volume are surveyed some problems which arise in Latin American countries in the belief that even though solutions to them may differ somewhat from one country to another the conditions in which they arise are sufficiently similar to make comparisons possible and useful. After describing the uneven provision of schools for different…

An examination of the issues surrounding the concept of change is fundamental to curriculum improvement for elementary and middle schools. New beliefs surround an integrative rather than a separate subject isolation approach to curriculum. This report examines past, current, and future curriculum practice and considerations, focusing on a new…

A revision of the 1979 publication, this document presents the educational objectives and course descriptions of the social studies program for grades K-8 of the Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, Maryland. The document begins by outlining the social studies themes and units for each grade level, by describing the program and its…