This unit introduces students to the diversity of rice culture and rice-based farming systems in Asia and the Pacific. Students examine issues related to the needs of the future global population. Six rice-producing countries are under study: Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, and Thailand. The lessons include: (1) "Rice in…

This skills-text is one of four books in the series "Readings in American History." The materials allow opportunities to improve reading and comprehension skills in a subject matter context by using certain primary sources related to the topic. Book 4 covers the period from World War I through the Reagan years. Each lesson includes short readings…

This unit is guided by the question "How is history constructed?" In this unit, middle to secondary school students explore a variety of accounts of the clash of cultures that occurred between the Spanish and the Aztecs. Students examine a variety of primary sources and analyze the various perspectives presented. The six activities…

This mini-unit was designed to help high school students make sense of the complex issues raised by the disintegration of the Soviet Union, while letting them form their own conclusions about the direction of U.S. foreign policy. In the course of a five-day lesson plan, students have an opportunity to put recent events into perspective, deepen…

In a random study of five middle school social studies textbooks available for adoption in the state of Indiana in 1984, great variation in the treatment of Egypt was noted. Coverage of contemporary history was incomplete in all cases. All texts dealt with Egypt's ancient history, but what was reported was questionable. Only one text addressed in…

United Nations (UN) peacekeepers, symbolic neutral military units whose presence has made a difference in areas as diverse as Afghanistan, Central America, and Namibia, are in a unique position to affect the course of international peace. With recent UN successes negotiating resolutions in Afghanistan and the Iran-Iraq war, and with radically…

This kit, designed for use in elementary and secondary school classrooms and community groups, presents information and interdisciplinary learning activities that focus on two 1987 Canadian summit meetings. One summit, the Commonwealth of Nations meeting in Vancouver, involved countries with a legacy as British colonial nations; and the other, La…

Forty years ago, George F. Kennan advanced the doctrine of containment against Soviet encroachment throughout the world. The Soviet Union has evolved from a Eurasian land power into a global superpower. In an effort to create an international environment congenial to domestic reforms, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has sought greater tranquility…

Reflecting a set of convictions and assumptions about the need for and the process of change in the international education of American children and adolescents, a broad, cooperative study was undertaken concerning the following questions: (1) What is international education? That is, how can international education be most fruitfully defined or…

This American Studies elective course for 10th 11th, and 12th grade students emphasizes American foreign policy in this century. Specific examples of past policy serve as a basis for analyzing factors involved in policy making. It is hoped that a knowledge of the United States' role in the international arena will lead to a more complete…

This is the fourth of seven resource units for a twelfth grade course on value conflicts and policy decisions. The topic for this unit is Africa south of the Sahara. The objectives are listed as to generalizations, skills, and values. The double-page format relates objectives to pertinent content, teaching procedures, and instructional materials.…

This draft outline presents and organizes for teachers one of the fundamental concepts in war/peace studies: identity. Identity is viewed as the relationship between a person's self-role and other socio-political roles learned and valued by him in the course of his psychological development. A rationale section points up the relationship of the…

The accelerated pace of society suggests that social education be clearly formulated from a conceptual golobal framework, recognizing the oneness of earth and man's sharing of a common fate, and that the curriculum be designed from a point of view toward improving international understanding. Effective approaches in international relations…

This curriculum resource guide allows students to interpret key historical events and trends from the perspectives of a variety of cultural, linguistic, and ethnic groups. The 20 learning activities represent suggested approaches for teaching Units 11 and 12 of the New York State Grades 7 and 8 syllabus. Each unit is comprehensive, divided into…

Presents a simulation in which students assume the role of committee members of an aid-giving organization which has limited funds to distribute to a number of requests from Tigray, Ethiopia. Students use background papers and program proposals to make decisions, and are encouraged to identify criteria used for supporting a project. (LS)