A major educational need, as assessed by a committee of teachers, students, and community members, is to recognize acceptance of human dignity as the ultimate value in decision making. This concept provides a basis for the elementary and secondary social studies program. Although the concept of human dignity was promoted with the signing of the…

Methods and resource materials are suggested for teaching elementary level students about the concept of interdependence in terms of the Bicentennial. The rationale lies with a belief in human interrelatedness and the universality of human rights for which the signers of the Declaration of Independence struggled. Students are encouraged to explore…

This educational guide is organized to help elementary grade students make the most of their study of and visit to Wilson's Creek National Battlefield (Republic, Missouri), the site of an August 1861 struggle between Union and Confederate forces for control of Missouri. The packet is divided into the following sections: (1) Educational Group…

Advocates teaching history through children's fictional and nonfictional literature in elementary social studies. Offers seven criteria for selecting books for elementary history units. Provides activities for teaching about American Indians, communities, and U.S. history based on award-winning children's books. (CH)

Reviews 10 children's books for history instruction in elementary social studies. Topics range from the history of chimney sweeps, to Vietnam War stories, to writers' autobiographies. Lists bibliographical resources for locating other books that teach history through literature. Suggests student autobiographical and research projects. (CH)

Describes a project undertaken by a fourth grade class (Columbus, Indiana) to develop a computer game about Indiana history. Advocates using computing across the curriculum in a manner similar to the writing across the curriculum project. Provides a step by step guide to the development of the game. (KO)

Offers a list of books for teachers and children about Christopher Columbus and the consequences of 1492. Suggests that teachers need to relearn the Columbus story to avoid the myths and biased texts of the past. Includes the American Indian perspective of the discoveries, original materials, and biological and cultural consequences. (DK)

Several activities to help teachers focus students' attention on learning at the end of the year include quiz games, mystery boxes, map games, videotapes, gift making, author birthday parties, yard sales, ice cream science, and summer safety activities. Younger students can create murals, play editing games, and enjoy special ceremonies. (SM)

Presents "C.U.B.E.: Creating Understanding of the Built Environment," a unit focusing on a community's built environment. Discusses the interdisciplinary goals of the unit. Provides four samples of activities from within the unit. (CFR)

Presents activities and resources for teaching about the former Soviet Union in the elementary grades. Describes 13 activities dealing with the historical beginnings of the Soviet Union through 1992. Includes a list of resource organizations and an annotated bibliography of children's books on the topic. (CFR)

Advocates enhancing understanding of the present through teaching about the past. Presents units of study that are concept based and interdisciplinary, focusing on life in colonial New England. Includes role play and simulation activities that highlight historical periods and provide children direct experiences. Recreates classroom life in…

Asserts that teaching about Native Americans is clouded by stereotypes, emphasis on New England tribes, and relegated to a few weeks in November prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. Describes a kindergarten class in which children's literature and student activities were used to teach about three Native American cultures. (CFR)

Maintains that holidays provide opportunities for teaching about history and cultural diversity. Presents a bibliographic essay of recommended resources for elementary teachers on this topic. Materials include reading resources, activity books, and audiovisual materials. (CFR)

Studied the Heritage Project, a federally sponsored program to develop and implement social studies curricula based on local history and cultural traditions in three rural areas. Results offer insight into educational change initiatives and problems with top-down program implementation. (SLD)

Describes a joint history-technology project undertaken with ten- and eleven-year-old students in an English primary school with a view to developing the cross-curricular theme of Economic and Industrial Understanding (EIU). Outlines the classroom course and discusses the principles of EIU in relation to the British National Curriculum. (DSK)