Recent social studies research has been lacking in qualitative examinations of life in secondary social studies classrooms. Although there have been a number of suggestions as to how instruction in high school classrooms should proceed, it is rare to find a detailed description of how students actually are taught in such classrooms. This study was…

Major topics presented for teaching an 11th grade U.S. history course are: the American people; government and politics; American economic life; American civilization in historical perspective; and the United States in world affairs. Major concepts, understandings, and generalizations are listed. For example, one of the concepts students should…

The purpose of this study was to discover if there were differences in student attitude and achievement toward and in the subject matter between students taught in an open space and in a closed space. Two classes in U.S. history taught in 11th grade were compared. The same instructor taught both classes using identical methods, procedures, and…

This report describes an instructional package designed to replace a set of unsatisfactory textbooks used to teach State history, government, and geography to 4th-, 7th-, 11th-, and 12th-grade students in Virginia. The format of the package, taking what is described as the "inquiry approach", revolves around a series of short television…

This occasional paper excerpts student reaction to the social studies simulation "Economic Systems," developed by Academic Games Associates. Introductory remarks by the series editor emphasize the importance of a debriefing session to allow the relationship of simulation and learning objectives to be assimilated. In this case study, the game is…

Examines how students use geographical maps in history and social studies textbooks for comprehension purposes. Reports training 32 eleventh graders to use maps as aids in their comprehension of information. Finds a positive impact upon comprehension and learning of the original training passage. (MG)

This resource file contains information for Utah high school teachers to help their students meet the state's instructional objectives in the elective psychology course. Each activity includes an instructional objective along with a title, topic, time segment, procedures, materials, evaluation, and adaptation. Sample objectives include explaining…

This resource file contains information for Utah high school teachers to help students meet the state's instructional objectives in the elective sociology course. Each activity includes an instructional objective along with a title, topic, time segment, procedures, materials, evaluation, and adaptation. Sample objectives include identifying…

This project report critiques library print materials used to support grades 10 and 11 social studies curriculum in British Columbia. The data collected are intended to provide a ready reference for school librarians when considering the particular print materials listed. Four criteria were used: readability, format and style, organization, and…

This teaching guide outlines a nine week course on rights and responsibilities for use with junior and senior high school students in Wisconsin. The course consists of ten units and is intended to help students learn about the law, American justice, the Bill of Rights, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to…

This curriculum unit is designed to meet the course objective of analyzing how social, economic, and political changes impact work and family dynamics by examining issues from Hungary, a country in transition. The unit can be used in family relations or sociology courses for grades 11-12 in high school or at the undergraduate college level. The…

Two Chicago high school teachers believe that the course they teach--a cooperative, interdisciplinary study of American culture focusing on history and literature--is an effective way to prepare students for citizenship in a pluralistic society. This article recounts their experience with student-negotiated curriculum in an eleventh-grade American…

Describes a learning activity that focuses on geographic profiles. Students are divided into five groups and are responsible for creating a profile of one geographic data set. The five data sets are based on thematic maps of the United States found in "Goode's World Atlas, 19th edition." (CMK)

The purpose of this study was to improve the comprehension and problem-solving skills of students with disabilities in social studies using a conceptually framed, computer-adapted history text. Participants were 11th and 12th grade students identified with learning disabilities in reading and writing from two intact, self-contained social studies…

This report summarizes the results of a study of the achievement of Illinois high school juniors in 1970 and 1981. The purposes were to provide a comparison of student performance over a period of time and to identify educational, social, and personal conditions that relate to performance on a test of Natural Science, Social Studies, English and…