The program of civic education in Indianapolis elementary schools in the early part of the 20th century is described. Content and teaching methods of community civics are reviewed. Objectives of the program were to help children understand their roles as members of various social groups; to establish habits of order, cooperation, and service; to…

This teacher's guide to unit three of the first-semester "Comparing Political Experiences" course provides teaching instructions to meet the unit objectives. The guide outlines instructional objectives and procedures for each of the 16 activities described in the 12th-grade student materials. Each instructional procedure is designed to…

Unit two to the second-semester "Comparing Political Experiences" course focuses on a specific controversial political issue: court-ordered busing in Boston. A documentary approach represents the core of instruction in this 12th-grade unit. This approach avoids lengthy narratives of a theoretical approach and yet is more in-depth than…

A teacher's resource manual for a three to five week unit in a social studies course, which may also serve as a resource for a biology or an environment course, intends to provide secondary school students with an integrated approach to population growth and the environment in the context of other dimensions of human society, incorporating a…

This subunit on Western Europe is one of four resource units for an eleventh grade area studies course. One section of the subunit contains an introduction and the other the geography of Western Europe. The introduction contains objectives, an outline of content, teaching procedures, and instructional materials. The geography section focuses upon…

Given the general recognition that what we do is influenced as much or more by our value commitments as by our factual knowledge, it is ironic that social studies, the area of the curriculum supposedly focused on citizenship education, has paid so little attention to values. There are many reasons for this, but one of them, the author believes, is…

Discusses the questions of if, what, when, and how to teach about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Describes a pilot project in AIDS education conducted in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada), which used interactive video as the method of addressing those questions. Warns of several issues that need to be considered in such a program.…

This digest discusses the need for teaching about the Vietnam War, possible reasons for the negligible treatment the subject receives in social studies classes, and some instructional approaches to the material. Currently, students lack a systematic and detailed knowledge of this turning point in U.S. history. The impact of the Vietnam War on U.S.…

This student text and teacher's guide feature current events and policy issues that are in discussion today. The books offer background on important domestic and foreign policy issues and present arguments from both sides of key issues. The books are divided into three sections. Section 1, "The Federal Government," contains: (1) "The Clinton…

Utilizes New York state's development and attempted implementation of multicultural education as a case study providing a concise yet thorough examination of the principles, objectives, and controversies surrounding this issue. Delineates the people and organizations involved in grass roots organizing and media representation on both sides of the…

Describes a high school U.S. history course where the students are completely responsible for instruction on the period from 1950-96. Small groups each take a decade from this period and prepare week-long presentations. The presentations cover economics, politics, foreign affairs, technology, sociocultural aspects, and other issues. (MJP)

Discusses issues related to the underrepresentation of minority teachers in social studies education. Suggests that many minority college students choose occupations other than teaching. Recommends that secondary history teachers develop student involvement in history through historical research and controversial issues. (CFR)

Maintains that most high school social studies instruction emphasizes coverage and memorization of fragmented information. Presents a definition of in-depth study and describes its implementation in an issues-centered classroom. Provides suggestions and caveats for instituting issues-oriented instruction. (CFR)

Distinguishes weak forms of critical thinking (restricted to logical thinking) from strong forms of critical pedagogy (incorporating a moral component into critical thinking). Sees evidence of weak forms in the 1987 California History-Social Science Framework. Contends that social studies must be interdisciplinary, global in perspective,…

Administered questionnaires to 1,459 secondary social studies students in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands to examine age, gender, and country differences in adolescents' perceptions of classroom climate. Studied relationships between political attitudes and perceived classroom climate and between the use of…