Differences of opinion are inherent in controversial issues, because controversy arises when reasonable people disagree about the best way to reach a solution to a problem. However, social studies teachers tend to shy away from disagreements because they want to avoid upsetting students or parents by bringing up controversial topics in the…

While simulations and role-play have been staples in the civic classroom, little is known about how they work as best practices. This study explores the ways simulations and role-play may influence students' civic identities. Drawing from sociocultural theories, the article seeks to understand how students' practice-linked identities may be shaped…

Case studies which can be used in secondary social studies classes to teach students about the rights of persons with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities are presented. Examples of questions which can be used to stimulate discussion of the case studies are also included. (RM)

The "ISSS Annual Conference Proceedings" is a peer-reviewed professional publication published once a year following the annual conference. The following papers are included in the 2013 proceedings: (1) Teaching About Asia in a Social Science Education Program (Cyndi Mottola Poole and Joshua L. Kenna); (2) Teaching Students about…

Discusses how to incorporate conflict resolution into history focusing on the Conflict Resolution in History project. Provides a case study depicting how to use conflict resolution by presenting a lesson plan exploring the 1846 War between the United States and Mexico. (CMK)

This paper describes a project which was set up to provide secondary students with an opportunity to examine, analyze, and reflect on the role of children and youth in the first half-century of the American republic and draw meaningful comparisons with their own experience in contemporary American society. Thirty-five students, enrolled in a…

In this activity, one in a set of teacher-developed materials for elementary geography, students investigate the selection of recreational sites in urban areas. Given characteristics of four areas of a fictitious city called Urbo, students are asked to recommend sites for public recreational facilities. The personal and social values of the…

Student activity pages, teacher background information, and lesson ideas for teaching about law in social studies classrooms are presented in this supplementary packet. Section I provides suggestions for using community resource persons and lists Alabama resources for teaching about law. Activities in Section II focus on the need for laws and…

The curriculum evaluation reviews content and teaching methods of various materials in civic and legal education. Twenty-one objectives of the Law in a Free Society project are identified and the adequacy of the materials reviewed to attain these objectives is discussed. Objectives include recognition of the following: (1) complexities of legal…

Examines the Arab-Israeli issue using a humanistic approach. Uses case studies of a 16-year-old Palestinian boy and a 17-year-old Israeli boy in a role-playing activity intended to help secondary students better understand concepts underlying the long-standing controversy in the Middle East. (LS)

Primary sources such as diaries and census data from early nineteenth-century Sturbridge Village, Massachusetts are the basis for this set of resource packets. These supplementary packets, adaptable to various grade levels, help students explore questions about the pace of work in a rural society, the role of individuals in a farm family,…

This 7-day unit, intended for use with secondary students, contains a statement of rationale and objectives, lesson plans, class assignments, teacher and student bibliographies, and suggestions for instructional materials on conflict resolution between individuals, groups, and nations. Among the six objectives listed for the unit are: 1) explain…

Student activity pages, teacher background information, and lesson ideas for teaching about the law in social studies classrooms are provided in this supplementary packet. An introductory section provides a rationale for the unit, a guide to bringing law-related resource persons into the classroom, a teacher checklist for helping resource persons…

This guide includes 18 units, special teaching instructions, a brief history of legal assistance, a multimedia resource guide, and a list of democratic principles which are stressed repeatedly in the units. The units employ the case approach to illustrate legal issues for class problem solving. Facts, issues and laws are chosen on the basis of…

The IADIS CELDA 2012 Conference intention was to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There had been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a…