Alexis O’Neill’s book, The Recess Queen , sparks conversations and activities that explore self-concept and identity. It teaches children how to get along with others and how to solve problems peacefully. This lesson is geared toward early childhood, but can be modified for older students....

Jake’s Best Thumb portrays a child who goes to Kindergarten still sucking his thumb. He is subsequently bullied for the habit. This lesson plan embraces building empathy among students in an effort to squelch bullying behaviors in the classroom. This lesson uses visual imagery, promoting...

This lesson plan allows one’s class to develop an appreciation for history through an examination of the symbolic art of quilting. The story F is for Friendship: A Quilt Alphabet by Helen L. Wilbur is utilized to create a classroom environment filled with appreciation for one another. Students...

Gene Barretta’s books Neo Leo: The ageless ideas of Leonardo da Vinci, Now & Ben: The modern inventions of Benjamin Franklin, and timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison changed our lives give us a glimpse into the famous inventors’ lives and introduce us to their incredible inventions. Neo Leo...

This study examined the impact of varying levels of authentic pedagogy on student learning in select 9th and 10th grade history classrooms. The sample included four junior high and four high school teachers. During the initial phase of the study, instructional artifacts (tasks) and classroom...

Common Core State Standards Initiative mandates increased readings of informational texts within English Language Arts starting in elementary school. Accurate, age-appropriate, and engaging content is at the center of effective social studies teaching. Textbooks and children’s...

Middle level teachers, at times, link historical content with relevant English literature in interdisciplinary units. Elementary teachers periodically employ history-themed literature during reading time. Interconnections between language arts and history are formed with developmentally...

Writing is an important tool for content acquisition and for teaching analytical skills in economics. Students must be able to read and write in the economics with an understanding of how knowledge is produced and disseminated in the field. This study sought to understand how 12 secondary...

Museum visits provide opportunities for students to learn content in engaging and interactive ways. In social studies, museums may be spaces where students can increase their historical and civic understanding through exposure to artifacts and narratives unavailable in classrooms. Yet, research...

Of all of the educational tools used in social studies education, by far the most critiqued is the standard basal textbook. If used properly, nevertheless, textbooks are not as problematic as critics claim and can be a useful tool in the teaching and learning of social studies and history. Based...