This curriculum unit introduces students in grades K-8 to an important Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead (November 2). The unit provides an overview of the celebration and is divided into two lessons: (1) "Classroom Altar" (with seven typical art and food preparation activities); and (2) "Day of the Dead Procession" (with…

These essays were written to assist teachers in the task of making Russian history intelligible to young U.S. students. In "An Approach to Russian History," Edward Keenan proposes that students need to gain a better understanding of how Russians perceive themselves and their history. In "Pre-Petrine Russia," Andrzej S. Kaminski…

SELECTED KEY IDEAS CONTAINED IN THIS BULLETIN ABOUT LATIN AMERICA ARE ORGANIZED AROUND SIX CATEGORIES AND ARE MEANT AS SUGGESTIONS FOR CURRICULUM BUILDING AND EMPHASIS IN A SOCIAL STUDIES CLASS. THE SIX CATEGORIES ARE--(1) THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, (2) HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDS, (3) CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY AND THE FAMILY, (4) CONTEMPORARY CULTURE, (5)…

Argues that a better job must be done in teaching European students about the United States and vice versa. Recommendations are for better preservice teacher education, international conferences of educators, more teacher and student exchange programs, beginning a European-U.S. Studies Day, and establishing a "documentation center" to assemble…

Identifies reasons why social studies educators should improve their teaching about South Korea. Included in the list is the increasing numbers of Koreans being educated in the United States, the summer Olympics in 1988, and the use of Korean culture as a case study demonstrating the effects of cultural transmission and society in transition. (JDH)

The Aboriginal Australians traditionally were a homogeneous people, living as hunter-gatherers and dispersed across Australia. Today there are 176,300 Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia--more than one percent of the country's population. Their history and current problems are examined. (RM)

This collection of lessons was developed as a result of a study/travel seminar undertaken during the summer of 1999. The goal of the project was to develop and disseminate exemplary lessons for teaching about the role of the Federal Republic of Germany in the European Union. These lessons are designed so that they may be used individually via…

This Digest guides the elementary teacher in choosing accurate and appropriate works of fiction for teaching about Japan. It suggests important content to watch for and includes a checklist of questions to be used when selecting a book. The questions deal with literary qualities, accuracy, authenticity, stereotyping, language, and morals. Contains…

This curriculum project about the history and culture of Hungary and Poland is intended for secondary school students. The project features a unit called "Heroes in Our Lives" and points out the sacrifices a few individuals have made for the betterment of all. Students identify heroes and learn about the impact these heroes have made on…

Developed to help young people prepare for 21st-century challenges, this book is part of a project to produce a series of instructional units about German for implementation in K-12 classrooms and to offer staff development activities that facilitate the implementation of these units. This volume's main focus is Germany and social studies, but it…

This lesson, one of four stand-alone lessons that examine Australia as an aspect of world history, points out that Australia's unique geographic characteristics and history serve as a useful case study of key global concepts. The lesson focuses on exploration and control of trade routes during the Age of Discovery. The lesson has two parts. In…