Sadly, much too often, social studies courses are regarded as relatively unimportant subject matter, whether in elementary school, middle school, or high school. This perception leads to diminished attention paid to social studies as a serious subject
area, yet in the overall development of the intellect of students, no other subject matter content holds as much promise.
1More
Mercatus - 0 views
-
The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is the world's premier university source for market-oriented ideas-bridging the gap between academic ideas and real-world problems. A university-based research center, the Mercatus Center advances knowledge about how markets work to improve people's lives by training graduate students, conducting research, and applying economics to offer solutions to society's most pressing problems. Our mission is to generate knowledge and understanding of the institutions that affect the freedom to prosper, and to find sustainable solutions that overcome the barriers preventing individuals from living free, prosperous, and peaceful lives. Founded in 1980, the Mercatus Center is located on George Mason University's Arlington campus.
2More
shared by Lindsay Andreas on 13 Nov 09
- Cached
History and Technology Club » About - 2 views
dtsdapache.hershey.k12.pa.us/...about
artifacts Historical technology documents living history simulation
![](/images/link.gif)
-
I think I got this a while ago from the Diigo History Teacher's website but I really like the idea of it, so i"m posting it on our Diigo page too. Basically, this teacher created a history/technology club. The students build technology that is from historical periods and also work on artifacts. It's like bringing Ancient Rome to your classroom or colonial Williamsburg. I think people can use it for ideas/inspiration. You wouldn't have to have an after-school club, you could pick a project that works well within a particular unit.
-
Some of the projects are really intense but I kind of want to make the walnut ink.
4More
YouTube - Prisencolinensinainciusol - 4 views
-
So I got this link from a friend of mine and I had no idea what he was sending me. It didn't make any sense until he told me that the artist is an Italian singer who sang this song in an American accent and so the song is basically what English sounds like to people who don't speak it. And then I had a light bulb moment-- what a FANTASTIC way to illustrate cross cultural differences. Show this video and ask the students to comment on it and then tell them that this is what songs sound like to people who don't speak the same language as us. That's just ONE possibility...there are so many more!
- ...1 more comment...
-
I have NO idea what this guy is saying. Seriously. So over my head. What is prisencolinensinainciusol? I can't figure it out!!! I feel dumb. ;-)
-
I have no idea either! Which I guess is what it sounds like to Italian people when they listen to like Britney Spears or something like that. I think it would be a cool thing to use to teach about cross cultural communications or something like that.
-
8More
shared by Laura Wood on 01 Sep 09
- No Cached
www.globalpeacestudies.org - Global Peace Studies - 0 views
www.globalpeacestudies.org/home
peace education peace education global conflict violence non-violence war civil disobedience civil rights activities curriculum resources
![](/images/link.gif)
-
A Global Peace Studies Online Curriculum created by AU alum and adjunct Daryn Cambridge. Contains links to documents, lesson plan ideas, activities and resources. A great beginner's guide to peace education
-
A Global Peace Studies Online Curriculum created by AU alum and adjunct Daryn Cambridge. Contains links to documents, lesson plan ideas, activities and resources. A great beginner's guide to peace education AND offers links to news articles and a Peace Educators discussion site!
Superb Creative Outdoor Ideas - 1 views
1More
Worldology - 1 views
-
Worldology.com was conceived with the objective of making history and geopolitics (the relationship and dynamic between geography and politics) more easily digestible and understandable. As one who has long been interested in this topic, I have been intrigued by the possibility of more imaginative ways to bring this field of understanding to life. This led to the idea of graphical and interactive maps to enable myself and others to more acutely visualize the evolution of nations and cultures. As the creator of Worldology.com, I have found that maps have been very useful in simplifying and deepening my understanding of historical events, along with long-standing and on-going dynamics between various nations. However, most published content about important events throughout history are not accompanied by an event-specific map. With this in mind, I envisioned an application that provided an event-specific map for key developments throughout history, along with an expanded geographical view, in order to comprehend the region-wide context. For interactivity, mouseovers were imbedded so the visitor could access more detailed information of key events, along with added graphics for further illumination. Then, you can toggle back and forth between time frames, to gain a feel of the evolution of the geopolitical landscape over time. For example, in the Europe History Interactive Map, you can click back and forth through major time periods, gaining an overview of how tribes, kingdoms, empires and nation-states fluctuated throughout time. During the Middle Ages for instance, you can simultaneously see how the Frankish Empire (Western/Central Europe), Byzantine Empire (Greece) and Rus Principalities (Russia) evolved concurrently with one another. Then, you can mouseover the information buttons to learn more. You can even switch to the "Show Borders" view in order to see modern European borders overlayed upon long-ago political entities. I hope to eventually cover the entire
1More
shared by Nate Merrill on 27 Apr 14
- Cached
The Civil Rights Movement in American Literature . - 0 views
www.pbs.org/...index1.html
c20th civil rights history US History usa modern resources rights civil Non Fiction literature
![](/images/link.gif)
3More
shared by Stephanie Beer on 20 Sep 10
- Cached
Lesson Plans - Migration: Why People Move - 1 views
www.nationalgeographic.com/...tgmigration.html
geography demography history Lesson Plan middle school immigration migration
![](/images/link.gif)
6More
shared by Margit Nahra on 16 Sep 10
- No Cached
Reader Idea | Studying The Constitution With The Times - NYTimes.com - 1 views
learning.blogs.nytimes.com/...he-constitution-with-the-times
new york times constitution first amendment newspaper current events social studies
![](/images/link.gif)
Adrea Lawrence liked it
-
-
-
- ...1 more annotation...
-
-
These links link to the texts of the referenced source documents (e.g., the Bill of Rights), as well as to an index of articles from the New York Times that relate to those documents or the rights protected therein. These would be helpful links if students were having trouble locating relevant articles.
-
-
This lesson plan from the New York Times web site utilizes the newspaper to teach high school students about First Amendment rights and the daily impact of those rights on their lives.
-
This lesson plan from the New York Times web site has students locate, summarize and reflect on articles in the newspaper related to First Amendment rights as well as articles illustrating the lack of such rights in other countries.
2More
shared by Kenneth O'Regan on 03 Oct 10
- No Cached
Professional Development Workshops / American Art - 0 views
americanart.si.edu/...pdw.cfm
american art america primarysources documents socialstudies painting education gallery renwick workshops development
![](/images/link.gif)
-
"Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities Teaching History Through Art Date: Saturday, October 16, 2010 Time: 10:00a.m.-1:00p.m. Cost: $10 (more information) Learn how to use artworks as primary sources to teach American history and critical thinking. This workshop brings together the highlights of the collection used in American Art's history tours, including Young America, Lure of the West, and A House Divided. Come and get activity ideas to use in preparation for a tour or as stand-alone classroom lessons. This workshop will be offered again on February 12, 2011 and is available, by request, for groups of fifteen or more teachers. E-mail AmericanArtEducation@si.edu for more information."
-
1More
Online debate community for logical, passionate people - CreateDebate - 0 views
1More
Renaissance Learning-Advanced Technology for Data-Driven Schools - 0 views
-
Lists of best sellers, publisher book-sale data, and online booksellers can tell you which books are purchased most often, but they do not know, like we do, which books students actually open and read, cover to cover. It is never a bad idea to know what kids are reading in order to connect in the classroom.
Mercantilism Simulation - CECHS Big Ideas - 0 views
sites.google.com/...mercantilism-simulation
simulation mercantilism education history geography SocialStudies economics
![](/images/link.gif)
5More
Discovery Education Classroom Resources - 0 views
11More
Ideas about becoming a social studies teacher - 0 views
-
-
"I think we include social studies in the curriculum for the wrong reasons. It doesn't help us avoid the mistakes of the past, and if voting turnout is an indicator of good citizenship, it doesn't have much to do with that either. Social studies is probably best understood as an organized way of helping students develop understandings and appreciations that have long-term staying power, and that will influence them in positive ways to do the right thing when doing the right thing is hard to do."
-
First, you must understand the content of the social studies at a level appropriate to that which you intend to teach. To understand content means more than mere memorization of facts. To understand content for a teacher means that you can explain it in more than one way to others, whether the content concerns facts, generalizations, principles, themes, and so on.
- ...3 more annotations...
-
Second, you must be able to translate the content you so understand to make it learnable, interesting, and challenging for students at the age and grade level you are teaching. It requires rearranging what you know. This applies to social studies more than any other content area simply because social studies as a discipline lacks any widely agreed-upon structure.
-
Third, you must consider pedagogy. This means that you not only understand the content in more than one way, can translate it into a form understandable, learnable, challenging, and interesting to your students, but that you also have the skills to actually teach the content. Pedagogy without subject matter content isn't worth very much. Simply "knowing about" teaching methods won't do.
-
There is probably no more important skill required in teaching social studies than the ability to explain events, ideas, principles, and social interrelationships. In some ways, good social studies teaching rests on the ability to tell stories well. For social studies, this story telling ability is grounded in the depth and awareness of the connective possibilities of the content. Helping students make new connections, to find challenge and meaning in social studies content is what excellent social studies teachers do every day.
27More
shared by jbdrury on 09 Oct 09
- Cached
Integrating Film and Television into Social Studies Instruction. ERIC Digest. - 0 views
www.ericdigests.org/...film.htm
film social studies history teaching film in the classroom movies film and social studies
![](/images/link.gif)
-
Visual media also address different learning modalities, making material more accessible to visual and aural learners
-
- ...23 more annotations...
-
It reinforces the passive viewing and unquestioning acceptance of received material that accompanies growing up in a video environment.
-
an excellent starting point is John E. O'Connor's IMAGE AS ARTIFACT: THE HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF FILM AND TELEVISION
-
-
Teachers should be familiar with editing techniques, camera angles, the uses of sound, and other aspects of the presentation.
-
Beyond the cultural and social aspects of the film, what influences were at work in shaping the document?
-
Thirty years ago this meant teaching students to read the newspaper critically, to identify bias there, and to distinguish between factual reporting and editorializing. Critical viewing skills must be added to this effort.
-
-
While film can serve as an engaging introduction to a subject, students should be aware of the constant shading and biases, why these occur, and what they accomplish.
-
-
An examination of filming and editing, circumstances surrounding production and distribution, and the producer's intentions are essential for studying such material.
-
-
"Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies" at http://h-net2.msu.edu/~filmhis/.
-
This is sort of a basic review of how and why we as teachers might use film in the classroom. This is my first post on this issue; I am searching for some more in-depth sites that might have models for lesson plans. Many sites have lesson plans based around a specific film; a site that provides lesson plan templates that are applicable across a wide variety of films would be more applicable/useful. However, the comments made here by Paris provide a good base from which to start thinking about the idea.
11More
shared by Laura Wood on 14 Oct 09
- Cached
What Kids Can Do - 4 views
www.whatkidscando.org/...index.html
student centered student action democracy government education projects research civics citizenship
![](/images/link.gif)
-
stay informed
-
From the website: "Based in Providence, R.I., What Kids Can Do (WKCD) is a national nonprofit founded in January 2001 by an educator and journalist . . . they felt an urgent need to promote perceptions of young people as valued resources, not problems, and to advocate for learning that engages students as knowledge creators and not simply test takers. Just as urgent, they believed, was the need to bring youth voices to policy debates about school, society, and world affairs. Using the Internet, print, and broadcast media, WKCD presses before the broadest audience possible a dual message: the power of what young people can accomplish when given the opportunities and supports they need and what they can contribute when we take their voices and ideas seriously. The youth who concern WKCD most are those marginalized by poverty, race, and language. On this website, WKCD presents young people's lives, learning, and work, and their partnerships with adults both in and out of school. Our community of readers stretches from youth organizers in some of this country's toughest urban areas to policy makers at the national level. We believe that a good story well told crosses geographies, generations, class and race, and position. Our publishing arm, Next Generation Press, honors the power of youth as social documenters, knowledge creators, and advisors to educators, peers, and parents. WKCD is a grant maker, too, collaborating with youth on multimedia, curricula, and research that expand current views of what constitutes challenging learning and achievement. Starting in 2006, WKCD began working with youth worldwide. WKCD has become an international leader in bringing the promise of young people to the attention of the adults whose encouragement can make all the difference."
-
-
Youth in Policy: Civics2
-
Here they have collected various articles about how youth around the country and around the globe have been actively involved in policy making and shaping. This may be great to get teachers and students started thinking about project ideas or to inspire students (and teachers!) that students really can make a difference.
-
-
Want to bring public attentionto your work? WKCD invitessubmissions from youth andeducators worldwide.
-
ARG! My diigo isn't working at all. Very frustrating. I have to highlight stuff four times and then add the comments in on this page. Technology is not my friend this week.
-
So if you do a rad civics project with your students, students can then write an article about what they did and send it in to WKCD. They will then put it up on this cite and your students will have something to be uber proud of. This is another reason to make sure you photo document rad projects.
-
- ...1 more annotation...
-
-
Similarly, one of the links on this page is to news articles from around the country where kids are making a difference. A teacher might assign students to check out some of the ways that students are getting things done and getting noticed in order to inspire kids, get their creative juices flowing, etc.
-
-
Articles on what kids in the US have done politically, with pictures! Collected by a journalist and an educator.
-
This is the organization run by the author of "Fires in the High School Bathroom." As the only permanent staff are journalists and web designers (and the staff is tiny!). I believe they just collect and make available student stories (as well as apparently offering grants!) rather than actually participating or spearheading any projects themselves. They do publish works every so often - I believe collections of the things students have done.
1More
The National Portrait Gallery/Education/Teacher Programs - 1 views
-
The National Portrait Gallery is one of the Smithsonian Museums in the DC area. The great thing about NPG is that it has resources available online for teachers. There are a variety of school programs and teacher programs but the best offerings are the online exhibitions. It is like having the gallery right there in your classroom. Some of those exhibits include George Washington: A national Treasure, Presidents in Waiting, and A Brush with History. The online exhibits are usable in the classroom directly from a computer or lap top. For example, the George Washington online exhibit begins with a famous portrait accompanied by an audio explanation of the portrait and the symbolic and historical items found within the portrait. Using the portrait as a starting point provides students with a visual association of that person and the historical events surrounding that person. There is also a link to biographical information about Washington and his role in our country's history. The Teacher's Guide associated with the George Washington exhibit includes lesson plans, activities and other teaching ideas; all printable and useable in class. NPG also offers two publications both of which are available on line. "The Patriot Papers," designed for students, features various historical events in an interesting and engaging fashion. For example, there is a "Special Edition on Slavery" featuring information on slavery and the key players involved. One of the articles in this publication is "A Chat with Harried: 1869" and also includes her portrait. The second publication, NPG in your Classroom, provides information to teachers on how to integrate NPG into classroom lessons. There are many more valuable tools on this site such as a "Reading Portraiture Guide for Educators." Check out the site….it is awesome!!!
1More
shared by Debbie Moore on 23 Oct 09
- Cached
Socratic Seminars - 5 views
www.greece.k12.ny.us/...overview.htm
socratic learning socraticseminar teaching Education discussion
![](/images/link.gif)
-
This link is a part of a school district website in the state of New York. I found it while searching for information on Socratic seminars. It is really great because it provides all the information one needs to learn about teaching the dialogue method. Informational filters include an overview, elements of a Socratic seminar, frequently asked questions by teachers and students, dialogue and behavior guidelines for using this dialogue method and suggestions for the types of readings or materials that work best with this method. If you like the idea of using the Socratic method in your classroom, you will want to visit this site.