A middle school teacher describes how his class actually practiced democracy by writing a classroom constitution. Students made rules by which they were governed within the classroom. (RM)

This study determined if students have a better understanding of the components of interdependence when they use instructional materials which emphasize a systems approach, when they work cooperatively in a group, and when the classroom environment fosters both of the above variables. For the purpose of this study, a working definition of…

Designed for teachers, this simulation of a criminal trial addresses the workings of the trial system by using the children's story, "The Three Little Pigs." The Big Bad Wolf is put on trial for destroying the pigs' houses. By having students assume roles and use the non-scripted character profiles, the simulation allows information to…

Examines the kinds of inquiry fourth-grade children accomplished in a cross-curricular unit involving various kinds of texts. Identifies the circumstances that accompany the best examples of student thought, talk, and questions. Describes procedures used as well as the talk that accompanied each type of text (biography, historical fiction, and…

Provides an overview of about 100 quality historical fiction books for each decade of the 20th century. Describes "Doing the Decades" as a program where students, guided by social studies and English language arts teachers, work in learning teams to explore the "ins and outs" of the 1920s, 1950s, or other periods. (SC)

This action research project developed and implemented a program to improve student knowledge of social sciences and application in the real world. The targeted population consisted of fourth grade students in a K-5 accelerated elementary school in a midwestern state. The problem was documented through the results of standardized tests which were…

With advances being made in the area of technology and increased emphasis being placed on use of technology in the classroom, teachers and administrators are questioning the effectiveness of technology driven teaching aids. The present issue revolves around whether students' academic performance can be enhanced by using and incorporating…

Relates several art activities that can be used as learning experiences to enhance the goals of the social studies and the arts. Stresses that art and architecture can be used to enrich the social studies program as they serve as evidence of the subject being discussed. Directions for two activities are included. (LS)

Teachers have allowed the social studies and science areas of instruction to become isolated from vibrant language arts skills, resulting in deficiencies in reading and writing skills within the different content areas. An 8- to 10-week biography unit was developed for a fourth-grade social studies course in an attempt to give students a stronger…

This guide to a unit on a simulation game about the stock market contains an instructional text and two separate simulations. Through directed lessons and reproducible worksheets, the unit teaches students about business ownership, stock exchanges, benchmarks, commissions, why prices change, the logistics of buying and selling stocks, and how to…

Maintains that there is nothing more relevant in the lives of middle school students than being caught up in the competitive spirit of a game. Describes the use of a football-type classroom game as a methodology for helping students plan for a unit test. Includes game objectives and step-by-step instructional procedures. (CFR)

Explains the goals and assumptions of the Political Education Project of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. Gives an example of the stories developed by the project teams as a means by which students are introduced to political realities in interesting ways. Reports two studies supporting the approach. (KO)

Two field experiments were conducted to compare the effects of a cooperative learning group method to a whole-class method on acquisition of selected social-environmental studies problem-solving skills by 342 fourth graders. Both methods outperformed the control, but the cooperative strategy was less effective than was the whole-class method. (TJH)

Contends that learning skills taught in science classes are of equal value for social studies. Discusses a two-step formula for establishing principles, hypotheses, and theories and then validating them. Presents and discusses eight skills used in science instruction that are applicable to social studies. (CFR)

The Flow of Planning Process Model was used to investigate one science and two social studies middle school teachers' preplanning, interactive planning, and postplanning for six students with learning disabilities who were mainstreamed into their general education classes. Results suggest that content coverage, classroom/student management, and…