Describes a project in which the Rock Hill School District (Rock Hill, South Carolina) collaborated with a state museum and historic site, Historic Brattonsville (McConnells, South Carolina), to teach third-grade students about South Carolina history. Explains that the students spent a day in a schoolhouse to learn about the life of children in…

Discusses the elementary school's social studies curriculum with references to: "James Madison Elementary School: A Curriculum for Elementary School," (William Bennett); Matthew Downey and Linda Levstik's review of research on the teaching and learning of history; and "Social Studies for Early Childhood and Elementary School…

Suggests that the telling of vivid stories can help engage elementary students' emotions and increase the chances of fostering an interest in Texas history. Suggests that incorporating elements of the process approach to writing can merge with social studies objectives in creating a curriculum for wisdom. (RS)

Offers conclusions of research examining the U.S. history knowledge of 263 elementary education majors. Reports poor performance for the students. Suggests that the students have a greater understanding of more recent historical events than of earlier U.S. history. Argues that knowledge of history is essential in understanding the world and…

Describes the process of developing performance-based tests for elementary history and social sciences in California. Explores development of open-ended questions, examples of questions and student answers, and scoring. Discusses prompts such as categorizing, chronology, cause and effect, controversy, multiple perspectives, interpreting symbols,…

Questions whether current social studies curriculum units and learning activities contribute to the goals of citizenship education. Contends that student attitudes about citizenship are seldom affected by typical social studies instruction. Asserts that teachers must understand and accept larger educational goals and develop classroom activities…

Asserts that children learn best and remember more when they are involved in active learning. Includes two lesson plans in which elementary students create a learning environment. Maintains that students developed a long-term interest in the topics and enjoyed the projects. (CFR)

Examines aspects of 10-year-old children's conceptions of understanding. Analyzes to what extent they (1) recognize understanding as a cohesive whole, (2) know when a descriptive understanding versus a causal understanding is expected, and (3) can distinguish between the types of causal understanding in science and history. Includes references and…

Addresses human rights education (HRE) for young learners stressing the centrality of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Illustrates the use of HRE within history, geography, world cultures, and literature. Believes that HRE begins by creating a human rights community in the classroom. (CMK)

The objective of this historical analysis is to determine the origins of the American elementary history/social studies curriculum and to determine how nationalism affected the curriculum as it progressed in the early twentieth century. The Committee of Eight (Co8), established by the American Historical Association in 1905, created the first…

This document argues that the Statue of Liberty has a lot to offer teachers who need to teach citizenship to elementary students. Among the symbols within the statue that have relevance to citizenship are: (1) the tablet; (2) the chains; (3) the step from the chains; () the torch; (5) the crown; (6) the face; and (7) the new infrastructure. The…

Materials for teaching a unit about the Underground Railroad (the system set up to assist fleeing, runaway slaves heading north) in Indiana are presented. Specifically, the Western Route that passed through Daviess County in Indiana is examined. The materials provide background on the Underground Railroad and the Western Route, plans for teaching…

Part of an international series of amply illustrated, colorful, small size books for children ages 5 to 10, this volume is designed to enhance learning and serve as an educational resource. The text describes aspects of the lives and customs of the people of ancient Egypt. The topics covered include the family, food, clothing, homes, agriculture,…

This issue of the "Goldfinch" is devoted to Iowa folklife. The first article explores what "folklife" is and provides several examples. The second article is about artwork and poetry done by Mesquakie Indian children from the Sac and Fox Settlement School near Tama, Iowa. Dome-shaped structures, called "wickiups," in…

This student booklet, one in a series of seven instructional materials dealing with the history and culture of Armenian Americans, provides elementary school children with a description of Armenia today. Following a brief discussion of Armenia's recent history, students examine numerous captioned photographs that describe places, people, and…