Examines whether students who participate as public opinion poll interviewers derive any secondary benefits, specifically an alteration in attitude toward the local community. Finds that the polling experience produced no detectable changes in students' assessments of the community. Questions some forms of experiential learning. (CMK)

This guide is intended to assist teachers in organizing and preparing a field trip to Bodie State Historic Park (California). Although it is intended to assist in the trip to Bodie, it also provides information for organizing group tours or family outings to other areas. Activities include before, during, and after visit exercises focusing on the…

Choropleth maps and scattergrams (scatter diagrams) provide a way for teachers to use available statistics from census tracts to map area differences among neighborhoods. This document describes and illustrates a method of constructing and comparing choropleth maps for selected Iowa communities. The use and construction of scatter diagrams as a…

This guide, a revision of the 1985 manual, Archeology Is More than a Dig, is designed to help teachers use archaeology in the classroom and can be used with several disciplines to integrate learning in the elementary classroom. Designed for fifth-grade students, the lessons can be adapted to fit the appropriate skill level of students. Divided…

Critical thinking, responsible citizenship, cultural literacy, social relevancy; these concerns of educators in the social studies can be addressed through teaching and learning about the built environment. The tangible structures that humans have created (bridges, houses, factories, farms, monuments) constitute the built environment. Objects in…

This book is designed to help teachers construct learning centers focusing on the community and community helpers. By using dramatic creative play and simulations, students become more aware of occupations and potential career choices. The career center provides a thematic approach to career education and a foundation for individual and group…

This is a collection of raw data and brief descriptions of the neighborhoods which compose the inner city of Providence. It was compiled so that staff, teachers, and the community leaders could think together about the implications of these data for the schools, education, and for the social studies project. Demographic data on the seven…

This booklet presents a guide for primary students studying a community. Students are to become aware of the many aspects of their community which make it unique. A variety of educational experiences are included with ideas for group lessons, group projects, individual projects, learning centers, and worksheets. All activities are open-ended so…

Describes the community of Monteverde, a small town located in the Tilaran Mountains of Costa Rica, that was founded by a group of Quaker families. Indicates the importance of community as a means to an achievement of shared purposes and the many smaller communities that all contribute to the sustainable development of Monteverde. (CMK)

Social studies educators can use this long form of the Curriculum Materials Analysis System to analyze curriculum ideas and materials in breadth and depth. The form was revised using feedback from educators in workshops and conferences. Eight major sections deal with product characteristics; rationale and objectives; content; theory and…

This shortened version of the Curriculum Materials Analysis System (CMAS) was designed to serve as a helpful tool for social studies educators involved in the selection of materials for classroom use. It can be used by participants in short workshops of a few hours to a day in length and by the busy administrator or teacher who does not have time…

Presented in five chapters, book 1 of the Rough Rock fourth grade Navajo social studies program text is written in Navajo and English. The first chapter is on the community of Rough Rock (Arizona) illustrated by photographs of the community and people. Chapter II discusses the four elements (air, water, earth, and fire) the community needs to…

This is the second in a series of four reading books written in Spanish and designed for use in elementary bilingual education programs. The stories are divided into two main sections, Estudios Sociales (Social Studies), and La Comunidad (The Community). The stories in the first section have to do with activities in the home, particularly chores…

The team assigned to develop a unit of study on Urbanization chose to examine a small town in Canada as a means of creating better understanding of urban growth, problems, and solutions. The general purpose was to develop in students an increased awareness of their own community by giving them an opportunity to observe, experience and participate…