On a hot July day in 1854, 24-year-old schoolteacher Elizabeth Jennings, accompanied by a friend, attempted to board a horse-drawn trolley to attend Sunday church services in Lower Manhattan. The Irish conductor refused, telling Jennings, who was African American, to await a horsecar for "her people." When Jennings resisted, the…

The nationwide commemoration in 2020 of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment is an opportunity to explore not only women's long struggle to achieve this landmark moment, but also to engage in an exploration of women's civic engagement during the woman suffrage movement. The terms "woman suffrage" and "suffragist" often…

A project-based approach to studying the civil rights movement can stimulate student engagement and their sense of connection to this historic period. The authors taught this project-based learning (PBL) unit on the American civil rights movement multiple times in the past 10 years to classes of middle school, high school general education,…

Students often feel powerless. They feel like passive observers as the tapestry of the world is woven around them. Social studies teachers need to show students examples of individuals who have acted as agents of social change. By focusing on a historical figure's agency, students can see the ripple effects that people's actions can have over…

In 1957, a civil rights organization called Fellowship of Reconciliation created a comic book to teach America's youth about the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Entitled "Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story," the comic book was enormously successful. John Lewis, a young civil rights activist at the time, recalled that the book was…

Many contemporary students are unfamiliar with the cultural history of television programming in the United States. References to iconic series that represented significant milestones in minority representations and discussions of racial issues--such as "I Spy," "Julia," "All in the Family," or even "The Cosby…

Symbols have always had an important role in shaping our identity as a nation. The American flag, the Statue of Liberty, the White House, and the bald eagle all help to convey American values such as liberty, freedom, democracy, and independence. But how do elementary students understand these symbols and the values behind them? In this article,…

One of a series of pamphlets about effects of the American Revolution in Georgia, this document reviews Georgia's economy during the years 1775-1789. It can be used as supplementary reading or a two-week unit for junior or senior high school students. A brief teacher's guide is included. The main part of the pamphlet relates the political and…

Provides a strategy to enhance student understanding of the ambience of a decade by having them research the relationship between events of the 1970s; society's attitudes; and the country's mood in general. Student groups prepare and present research papers, which are used as discussion topics. (LS)

This minicourse can be used in secondary U.S. history courses to teach about the social, economic, industrial, and technological changes that can be triggered by a single technological innovation. The lesson contains sequenced activities that alternatively stress right and left brain modes of learning. (RM)

This teaching guide for grades 9-12 contains resource materials and activity suggestions that are designed to improve students' knowledge of post-war Eastern Europe and enable them to appreciate current events. The activities are appropriate for use in high school social studies classrooms, as well as for economics, world history, and U.S. history…

This curriculum guide for seventh grade teachers outlines resource units for American studies. Although intended for use by teachers in Louisiana, the guide can be used or adapted by educators in any state. Teachers will find it necessary to develop the resource units structured by the curriculum guide into teaching units and lesson plans. The…

Suggests the variety of Christmas songs (sacred, secular, traditional, and nontraditional) recorded since 1940 offers enormous potential for use in social studies classrooms. Argues these songs provide insights into cultural history and social change. Suggests several classroom activities discussing and classifying Christmas songs. Includes a…

Designed for secondary students, the 20 lessons in this volume promote education for, with, and about older adults and prepare students to participate in the changing world. Lessons 1-3 explore attitudes about aging through word association, confront the aging process, and examine values regarding time. Lessons 4-6 study aging in different times…

Violent protest by blacks, youth, and labor is the focus of the third unit of the 11th grade FICSS series (Focus on Inner City Social Studies -- see SO 008 271). The unit examines how violent protest has affected social change in the United States in politics, institutions, and behavior. Specifically the unit includes civil rights case studies;…