Based on a qualitative study of civic discourse in four distinct school settings, this article describes how students’ civic identities —the sense of who one is as an American citizen—are rooted in their experiences in particular schools and communities. Students’ developing civic...

This article highlights the use of family and community history in elementary social studies classrooms. Family history stories from early twentieth century Appalachia are shared. The value of historical inquiry is explored, and techniques for initiating an oral history project are discussed as...

Fifth graders will enjoy this WebQuest that challenges their understanding of the role that advertising plays in influencing youth. WebQuest makes use of the multiple types of resources through the internet including historical advertisements in print and video clips of today’s world. The...

This article describes the evolution of a study of the U.S. Constitution in a social studies methods class and its effects on teacher candidates and experienced colleagues in K-8 classrooms. It provides details on how a fifth grade teacher’s curriculum was subsequently shaped by using the...

The Historical Scene Investigation (HSI) project builds upon the work of a number of scholars to facilitate the application and acquisition of historical thinking skills in the K-12 classroom. Through a structured yet flexible approach, HSI exercises attempt to provide scaffolding for the...

Early childhood social studies students deserve to learn in a powerful, in-depth fashion about their interests with teachers who facilitate cognitive and affective growth. Humanistic teachers offer democratic learning experiences characterized by exploration and inquiry within a challenging and...

Citizens today are inundated with quantitative information in an information-rich world. However, students rarely get the opportunity to use mathematics to explore social issues— a concept known as Social Mathematics. Social Mathematics should be an important part of students’ K-12...

This research study evaluated K-12 American history textbooks for gender balance. Elementary, middle school, and high school texts were assessed for the number of male and female historical figures in text content and illustrations. Significantly more males than females were found at all levels...

A gap in the literature on digital history was explored through the use of a survey of 104 high school social studies teachers, administered in a large urban/suburban school district in the southeastern United States. The survey examined the extent to which social studies teachers were using...

Drawing from three areas of research, the authors propose a model for twenty-first century international teacher education. Through literacy, technology, and global citizenship education, future teachers can learn the interrelatedness of promoting human acceptance across national/political...