bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing an Online Personal Finance Video Game
Authors: Niederjohn Scott
Published: February 2022

This paper describes a pre- and post-test design, with control group, used to evaluate the educational effectiveness of Gen I Revolution (LEI The Game), a 15-missionvideo game developed by the Council for Economic Education (CEE) in 2009. This video game is based upon the CEE’s print curriculum: Learning, Earning and Investing. Using a random sample of 555 high school students enrolled in economics or personal finance courses throughout the United States, the study finds generally positive and statistically significant effects on a 35-question test of student learning regarding personal finance and economics. It also finds positive results on both a comfort survey and an attitude survey about personal finance given before and after exposure to Gen I Revolution. On each of these measures, gains made by students that were exposed to the game exceeded those in the control group.
Survey on the Status of Social Studies: Development and Analysis
Authors: Fitchett Paul G. , Vanfossen Phillip J.
Published: February 2022

In this paper, we outline the rationale for developing the Survey of the Status of Social Studies (S4). The instrument contains items for analyzing the organizational structure, instructional decision-making, professional attitudes, and demographics of social studies teachers. Nationally-inclusive data generated from this survey analysis were used to examine the technical and theoretical validity of the instrument. Incorporating factor analysis, findings suggest constructs embedded within S4 related to social studies pedagogy, content emphases, and technology-use that reflect extant theory. As such, the S4 and accompanying nationwide data set offer social educators a valuable resource for fostering professional development and policy.
Pre-service Teachers’ Beliefs about Economics Knowledge and Teaching
Authors: Choi Jungsoon
Published: February 2022

This study aimed to explore pre-service teachers’ epistemological beliefs about economics, and their reported future teaching styles for economics using survey and interviewing methodologies. This study revealed that the pre-service teachers considered economics to be practical as well as academic. The academic aspect of economics was mutually related to traditional routine ways of teaching. The practical aspect of economics was connected to constructive ways of teaching. Pre-service teachers displayed different thoughts about the effectiveness of teaching for students; routine ways of teaching are effective for low learning ability students, while constructive ways of teaching are effective for high learning ability students. After reporting results, I make suggestions for improving teacher training in economics.
Visual Arts and Social Studies: Powerful Partners in Promoting Critical Thinking Skills
Authors: Vitulli Paige , Santoli Susan Pitts
Published: February 2022

Drawing from research on art integration, we discuss why visual arts and social studies can be powerful partners in promoting critical thinking skills. Because this is an increasingly visual society, visual literacy is becoming progressively more important. Through the visual arts, students have the opportunity to analyze and evaluate information, which are critical academic and citizenship skills. The integration of these two content areas and skills facilitates effective use of the limited time teachers have with students. In order to demonstrate the integration of art and social studies, we provide a lesson plan on Western Expansion.
Past Looking: Using Arts as Historical Evidence in Teaching History
Authors: Suh Yonghee
Published: February 2022

This is a comparative case study of how three high school history teachers in the U.S.A. use art in their practice. The following research question was investigated: How do secondary history teachers incorporate the arts—paintings, music, poems, novels, and films—in their teaching of history and why? Data were collected from three sources: interviews, observations, and classroom materials. Grounded theory was utilized to analyze the data. Findings suggest these teachers use the arts as historical evidence roughly for three purposes: First, to teach the spirit of an age; second, to teach the history of ordinary people invisible in official historical records; and third, to teach, both with and without art, the process of writing history. Two of the three teachers, however, failed to teach historical thinking skills through art.
Hidden Teens, Hidden Lives: True Stories of Teens in the Holocaust
Authors: Morowski Deborah L. , McCormick Theresa M.
Published: February 2022

This lesson uses Hidden Teens, Hidden Lives: True Stories of the Holocaust, to help students explore life for children and teenagers during the Holocaust. Students utilize primary sources consisting of diary entries and World War II documents to examine life under the Nuremberg Laws for individuals of the Jewish faith. Students then examine Jim Crow laws in the South during the same era to compare and contrast various aspects of life for children and teens living under oppression.
Using Mentor Texts for Writing Instruction in a High School Economics Class
Authors: Pytash Kristine E. , Edmondson Elizabeth
Published: February 2022

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 students enrolled in an economics course engaged in evaluating, critiquing, and studying a mentor text to learn how to craft a policy paper. A mentor text is a high-quality model text students can read and study to learn more about how to write in the field of economics. Results found students self-reported learning: the content of economics how to structure their paper, the discourse of economics. They further gained an understanding of why economists write.
Using Norman Rockwell Paintings as a Window to the Black Experience
Authors: Samuels Amy J. , Samuels Gregory L.
Published: February 2022

This article explores engaging student learning concerning the Black Experience during the Civil Rights Era through the analysis of Norman Rockwell paintings. Focusing on pedagogy and content, the article highlights an instructional framework to encourage an inclusive view of American History while appealing to a variety of learners. After emphasizing the importance of providing a balanced, representative view of American history that weaves the experiences of marginalized groups throughout the historical fabric, we highlight the highlight the instructional benefits of facilitating arts-based learning in the classroom. While a variety of artists’ work could be selected to portray historical events of this time period, we address the symbolic reasoning behind the selection of Rockwell, as well as the realistic depictions in his paintings that directly relate to historical events. The article concludes with a sample lesson that provides two options for instructional delivery: (1) a technology-focused WebQuest and (2) a visual analysis. The strategies integrate issues of equity and diversity and encourage students to act as critical agents by examining issues of social justice. In addition, both strategies foster reading skills, cultural literacy, and critical thinking.
Re-envisioning Social Studies with the Community School Model of Elsie Ripley Clapp
Authors: Montgomery Sarah E.
Published: February 2022

Given the current marginalization of social studies education in schools, this paper explores the social studies centered community-school model of Elsie Ripley Clapp, who was a significant educator, scholar, and leader within progressive education. A former graduate assistant of John Dewey, Clapp put progressive pedagogical ideology into practice in the 1920s and 1930s through her curriculum development and administrative leadership in rural schools such as: the Ballard School in Kentucky and the Arthurdale Schools in West Virginia. She developed a social studies focused, experiential curriculum rooted in her vision of schools as democratic spaces. First, biographical information about Clapp’s life, educational experiences, and commitment to social justice is provided. Second, Clapp’s community school model at the Ballard School is explored. The model, which united people across social class and centered on local history, geography, and economics, provides implications for how we might re-envision our current approaches to social studies education.
Critical Moment but not Critical Literacy: Perspectives on Teaching about President Obama
Authors: May Laura A. , Stenhouse Vera , Holbrook Teri
Published: February 2022

This manuscript describes the findings of an examination of 21 pre-service teachers and one literacy course instructor within the context of a program focused on urban teacher preparation. Using inductive thematic analysis of multiple data sources, the research team identified three themes. First, general agreement existed amongst the pre-service teachers that Barack Obama’s 2008 election was a critical, important moment in U.S. history with consistent rationales for why they should include information about President Obama’s life and work as part of the curriculum, especially for African American students. This theme comprised three trends: the importance of teaching civics, the historical importance of the first African American president, and the importance of President Obama as a role model. Second, pre-service teachers enacted and responded to barriers to teaching critical literacy about the Obama presidency. This second theme also comprised three trends: a reluctance to detract from President Obama’s positive image, an unease in teaching politics, and the references to developmental issues related to the ages of the kindergarten children they taught. Third, inconsistencies occurred amongst pre-service teachers’ understandings of critical literacy.
NCSS Notable Trade Book Lesson Plan Queen of the Falls Written by Chris Van Allsburg
Authors: Gradwell Jill M. , Acanfora Liza M. , Lindsay Erika , Vaughn Kimberly
Published: February 2022

This extended lesson plan uses the book Queen of the Falls to investigate the life of Annie Edson Taylor, the first person to successfully fall over Niagara Falls in a barrel Niagara Falls. Through the various activities, students will explore resources such as photographs, first-hand accounts, newspaper articles, songs, and poems from the era, to learn what life was like for women in 1901, and to discuss the events surrounding Taylor’s decision to venture over Niagara Falls. Several questions will be posed to the students including “How was Annie Edson Taylor a woman of her time?” “To what extent was Annie Edson Taylor a hero?” “Was Annie Edson Taylor’s trip over the Falls worth the attempt for fame and fortune?” The lesson concludes with the following question: “Was Annie Edson Taylor a woman of her time or by her design?”
NCSS Notable Trade Book Lesson Plan Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad Written by Henry Cole
Authors: Stover Lynne Farrell
Published: February 2022

Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad is a remarkable picture book that opens with a young farm girl discovering an unknown person hiding in her family’s barn. What should she do? It’s not legal or safe to assist a runaway slave in the South during the Civil War. Whatever she does, her action (or inaction) will have consequences that may affect the life of another person in a positive or negative manner. This lesson focuses on the costs and benefits of the choices made by the farm girl. Young readers will use the wonderful illustrations to follow the tale’s linear storyline. Older students will be fascinated by the combination of embedded visual clues and unstated communication that defines the Civil War and Underground Railroad. The author’s endnote reveals the inspiration for the book and invites readers to write their own story.
“Schools Need to Wake Up!” Student Participants’ Calls for Human Rights Education
Authors: Gradwell Jill M. , Rodeheaver Misty , Dahlgren Robert L.
Published: February 2022

From labor conditions to public health and environmental justice, globalization has created an increasingly complex web of issues surrounding human rights. Research in social studies education points to adolescents’ intrinsic curiosity when engaged in these multiple issues, as well as their idealistic thirst for involving themselves in social progress campaigns. Many students desire involvement and believe in the importance of human rights education within the formal educational setting, especially within social studies curriculum. We report the findings from a qualitative study conducted during a two-week intensive summer institute on human rights and genocide studies in western New York in the summer of 2011. In our study, we found while student participants felt empowered by the institute and their desire to take action was heightened during the experience, they questioned the disconnect between the genocide and human rights education in the Institute and the human rights education they experienced in their social studies classrooms. In comparing the two, they wished there were more authentic learning experiences and a higher level of academic rigor in their social studies classes. Although the New York State curricula, at the time of the study, included human rights education related topics, the interviewed student participants did not recognize its presence and felt human rights education is not a prevalent part of the enacted public school curriculum.
NCSS Notable Trade Book Lesson Plan One Green Apple Written by Eve Bunting
Authors: Hartman Sarah
Published: February 2022

One Green Apple, by Eve Bunting, challenges students to compare and contrast their feelings about fitting in and peer pressure, against those of Farah’s, the book’s main character. This lesson involves students in working in small groups to reflect on a time when they didn’t fit in or were the new person in a situation. Students also work to activate their prior knowledge of cultural similarities and differences that aid in forming friendships. Internet research is used to investigate similarities and differences between a student’s own and other ethnic cultures. Students are encouraged to consider how educating oneself about another’s culture aids in understanding the actions and feelings of others and minimizing bullying. This lesson also serves as a segue into teaching students words from other languages associated with cultures and ethnicities from other countries.
Notable Trade Book The First Drawing Written and Illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Mordicai Gerstein
Authors: Eichelkraut Minnie , Sunal Cynthia Szymanski
Published: February 2022

As author and illustrator, Caldecott Medalist Mordicai Gerstein takes readers on a journey to the age of the woolly mammoth in The First Drawing. In this lesson, students explore the book, tracing the footsteps of a young boy who lived so many years ago and realize they are not so different from him. Children today face many of the same communication challenges, as does the main character, and have a need to express personal ideas and beliefs. Students identify their own interests and compare them to those of their classmates. With a partner, children explore communicating through imagery to express an idea or personal interest. Students explore and describe cultural similarities and difference between present day and the characters of the story. To finish the lesson, students work in groups to create a wall mural of Cave Art illustrating key aspects of what they consider important in our culture today.
Portrayals of the U.S. in Translated International Children's Literature: A Cosmopolitan Perspective
Authors: Kimmel Sue C. , Forest Danielle E. , Suh Yonghee , Garrison Kasey L.
Published: February 2022

This study reports on an inductive, qualitative content analysis exploring depictions of the United States and U.S. citizens in translated, international literature for children. The sample included 18 titles recognized with the Batchelder Award or Honor, a recognition given to U.S. publishers who translate and publish outstanding children’s literature with international origins. The study was situated within the framework of cosmopolitanism, a theoretical perspective acknowledging the importance of local values, culture, and traditions while embracing the global and the unfamiliar. Findings revealed depictions of the United States on the local level as a destination, refuge, and glamorized place of diversity. On the global level, the United States was portrayed as a world power with regard to its military, economics, media, and culture. These findings promote perspective taking and critical literacy as they offer a window for U.S. students into how people from other nations perceive their country.
Developing Preservice and Inservice Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Economics
Authors: Ayers Cheryl A.
Published: February 2022

High school student achievement in economics has been predominantly characterized by low test scores, while secondary social studies preservice teachers have less formal training in economics than most other social studies disciplines. In this self-study, the instructional affordances and constraints of an experimental economics methods course are analyzed in terms of developing secondary social studies preservice and inservice teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in economics from both the instructor and pre and inservice teachers’ perspectives. Two course assignments appeared to most notably develop PCK in economics, the Analysis of Economic Events and the Active-Learning, Interdisciplinary Economic Lesson. Findings suggest interrelationships exist among common content knowledge, specialized content knowledge, and horizon content knowledge for teaching economics. Implications and instructional suggestions for social studies teacher education and professional development are discussed.
Divergent Views of Race: Examining Whiteness in the U.S. History Classroom
Authors: Martell Christopher C.
Published: February 2022

In this study, a teacher-researcher examined his students’ conceptions of Whiteness within U.S. history courses at an ethnically and economically diverse urban high school. Using critical race theory as the lens, this mixed method study found most students could explain the role of race in history. Students of color were more likely to express racism is common in the current day, while White students were more likely to express racism as uncommon. Whites were more likely to express racism as on a dramatic decline or the result of a few individuals. This study highlights the positive impact a race-conscious social studies classroom can have on all students. It also shows the many barriers teachers face in helping White students understand their roles in a system privileging them because of their skin color.
You Cannot Say That in American Schools: Attacks on the First Amendment
Authors: Moore James R.
Published: February 2022

The first amendment, a crucial component of American constitutional law, is under attack from various groups advocating for censorship in universities and public schools. The censors assert that restrictive speech codes preventing anyone from engaging in any expression deemed hateful, offensive, defamatory, insulting, or critical of sacred religious or political beliefs and values are necessary in a multicultural society. These speech codes restrict critical comments about race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical characteristics, and other traits in the name of tolerance, sensitivity, and respect. Many hate speech codes are a violation of the first amendment and have been struck down by federal and state courts. They persist in jurisdictions where they have been ruled unconstitutional; most universities and public schools have speech codes. This assault on the first amendment might be a concern to all citizens, especially university professors and social studies educators responsible for teaching students about the democratic ideals enshrined in our constitution. Teachers should resist unconstitutional speech codes and teach their students that the purpose of the first amendment is to protect radical, offensive, critical, and controversial speech.
John Dewey’s Vision(s) for Interdisciplinary Social Studies
Authors: Fallace Thomas D.
Published: February 2022

For over a century, social studies educators have drawn upon the works of philosopher John Dewey to justify an interdisciplinary vision for the field. This manuscript explores the intellectual context that engendered Dewey’s pedagogical vision, outlines how and why Dewey organized his interdisciplinary curriculum at the University of Chicago Laboratory School, and traces how Dewey expanded his pedagogy in the 1920s and 1930s to include the interdisciplinary study of social and political issues in the classroom. The author argues that Dewey’s interdisciplinary pedagogy is best appreciated through a developmental and contingent framework.
Using “When the Levees Broke/Teaching the Levees” to Teach Middle School Students About Empathy and Social Justice
Authors: Thomas-Brown Karen
Published: February 2022

This action research study reports on an important unit of study having evidence of success. The paper discusses how students in a social studies classroom setting may be encouraged to develop and display empathy for individuals who are impacted by hurricane disasters. It uses aspects of the documentary “When the Levees Broke” in collaboration with the “Teaching the Levees Module” and several technology based classroom resources. The findings indicate that as students contextualized the impact of Hurricane Katrina and similar natural disasters on human populations they begin to develop and display empathy. The students who were involved in this investigation also were able to apply principles of social justice which facilitated reflective thinking as they used hindsight to analyze and discuss the context of this natural disaster
Nurturing Young Social Studies Learners’ Notions of Democracy
Authors: Christensen Lois McFadyen
Published: February 2022

When educators, families, and children come together in the classroom to share their diverse cultures, potential exists for learning concepts about democracy, citizenship, and social justice through an immersion experience of interacting together. By involving families and encouraging interaction among them, social studies teachers can organize opportunities to develop democratic learning environments. Such an environment can have a bearing on how children and their families experience a sense of community. Teachers who plan intentional interactions among families of diverse cultures where parents can learn from each other may modify parental child-rearing practices. The three basic parenting styles that can be associated with a young child’s social development are authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive types. It is through these parental exchanges that alternative parenting styles can be observed and possibly adopted. Early childhood social studies educators can support children and caretakers to envision a just and compassionate democracy.
Promoting Educational Reform through Teaching about Hurricane Katrina
Authors: Crocco Margaret S. , Lan Ching-Fu , Chae Hui Soo , Natriello Gary
Published: February 2022

This paper deals with two types of educational reform related to teaching and learning the traditional school subject of social studies. First, we consider the importance of teaching about controversial issues by examining the impact of Hurricane Katrina, the record-setting, natural disaster, which struck the Gulf Coast of the United States in late August 2005. Using this episode as their foundation, the authors demonstrate how the common practice of avoiding controversy within the social studies arena can be addressed. Since Katrina represents a topic for which no warrant exists within state standards for teaching the subject, it can be considered a true “teachable moment”. Second, we analyze a case study involving the use of technology to spark discussion relative to the issues of race and class tied to Katrina, primarily for the two-year period after the hurricane struck. While the use of digital technology has been slow to gain popularity in the field of social studies, the authors use the case study to demonstrate how it can be utilized to generate democratic dialogue and civic engagement.
A Gender Analysis of NCSS Notable Trade Books for the Intermediate Grades
Authors: Chick Kay A. , Corle Stacey
Published: February 2022

This study provides a gender analysis of National Council for the Social Studies Notable Trade book selections suitable for the intermediate grades from the years 2006-2008. The study examines the number of male versus female characters and the presence, or absence of, gender stereotypes relative to character personalities, occupations, and behaviors. Results indicate a significant difference in the number of male and female characters, with many more male characters represented. Males frequently performed stereotypical jobs or roles with none of the books depicting males in lower status jobs than females. Some female main characters were portrayed in stereotypical jobs or roles while others were able to cross traditional gender lines and demonstrate strong personalities. Of the 17 predetermined behaviors exhibited by characters throughout these books, six of them showed significant differences between males and females. Males were more likely to engage in physical activity, participate in sports, fight in battles or demonstrate aggressive behaviors, pursue worthy causes such as heroism, and earn a living. Females were more likely to perform domestic chores.
Artful Rights: Using Images to Teach the First Amendment
Authors: LeCompte Karon N. , Bauml Michelle
Published: February 2022

We present an instructional strategy in which children utilize critical thinking skills to interpret images related to social studies concepts. To illustrate, we focus on teaching First Amendment freedoms; however, we encourage teachers to apply the strategy with other social studies concepts. Using visual media such as paintings and photographs to teach abstract social studies concepts can be especially helpful for teachers working with English language learners and young children. Suggested resources for locating images for classroom use are provided.
Steel Town By Jonah Winter
Authors: Gradwell Jill M. , Amidon Jonathan , LaJudice Danielle , Westlake-Douds Mary
Published: February 2022

This lesson uses Steel Town to explore the making of steel and life in a steel mill town during the Great Depression. Moving through four centers, students explore resources such as photographs, first-hand accounts, recipes, and songs from the era to learn what life was like at a steel mill, in a steelworker’s home and neighborhood, and throughout the town. Based on their analyses of the resources provided, students compare the benefits and drawbacks of technology to answer the ultimate question regarding steel production: “Is it worth it?” This lesson was created for use in a second or third grade classroom but can be adjusted for older students with the extensions provided.
Thinking Historically about the Depression Era
Authors: Callahan Cory
Published: February 2022

In this space I complement an article published earlier in Social Studies Research and Practice 8(1), 2012 by providing a wise practice lesson and its ancillary materials. As sophisticated technologies continue to immerse modern students in potent visual data, teachers should help students develop equally potent visual literacy skills. Students who are more visually literate are better prepared to evaluate the visual messages surrounding them and act, not in rote-response visual stimuli, but rather according to their well-informed conscience. The lesson shared here demonstrates the educative potential of employing visual documents, historical photographs, in an inquiry-based approach to social studies instruction. Together, the coupled articles present a pragmatic example of academic research informing classroom practice in meaningful ways to promote students’ civic competence.
Social Justice 12: Negotiating Issues in and for a Democratic Society
Authors: Broom Catherine
Published: February 2022

I present the findings of a study with course developers, principals, teachers, and community members in British Columbia (BC), Canada, regarding their views of the course Social Justice 12. Introduced in 2008, the senior, elective course involves students in exploring a number of contemporary issues in society and aims to develop citizens who actively work to address social injustices. The course includes some potentially controversial content, such as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) materials, which has been actively opposed by some community members. This negative reaction has had some damaging effects on teachers who teach the course. After describing the course and the study’s research methodology, the findings are presented. These findings include a review of the relations between course implementation and school contexts and a discussion of the complexity of issues-based instruction in relation to varied ideological positionings between teachers, principals, and community members. I conclude with recommendations that aim to strengthen education in and for a democracy.
Marching with Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women’s Suffrage
Authors: Troncale Jennifer M. , Strain Jennifer
Published: February 2022

This multi-day lesson involves grade 2-grade 4 students in exploring the life and achievements of Susan B. Anthony. It provides opportunities for students to investigate events associated with the Women’s Rights Movement as well as issues related to women’s right to vote, work, and to receive an education. This three-day learning cycle lesson will provide students with a better understanding of women’s suffrage as well as the time period and contributions of women leaders. Day 1 begins with a simulation of gender bias and follows with a Quickwrite and read aloud. On the second day, students will participate in station activities. On the third day, students will use a Bio Cube to describe the activities of a current woman reformer and how those acts have impacted U.S. history.
Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth
Authors: Maloley Karen
Published: February 2022

Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth is set in ancient Korea. This is a tale about a girl who painstakingly learns to sew a bojagi, or wrapping cloth, in order to be reunited with her mother who has been assigned as a seamstress for the king. Students first read or listen to the story, identifying cultural elements such as food, shelter, language, religion, arts, or beliefs. Students then identify similarities and differences between Korean culture and their own using a Venn Diagram. Students ultimately demonstrate their understanding of the Korean terms used in the story through an instructional strategy called a Mingle Party. The activities in this lesson will support and build upon students’ understanding of cultural differences as well as cultural universals.
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave
Authors: Montgomery Sarah E. , Hanzelka Lauren
Published: February 2022

After reading Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, students will discuss the life of Dave and the issues he faced growing up as a slave and an artist. Students will practice using descriptive language to create their own interpretation of the illustrations of Dave’s experiences. Discussion of Dave’s powerful poetry and his active citizenship during a time of struggle allows students to dig deeper into the life of this inspiring individual. To conclude the lesson, students are encouraged to design and create an arts-based service-learning project based on the question, “How can we use our artistic talents to take action and help our community?”
Selective Appropriation and Historical Documentary Making in a Special Education Classroom
Authors: Fehn Bruce , Schul James E.
Published: February 2022

We describe a special education teacher and a history teacher who, together, gave specific learning disabled (SLD) and emotionally disabled (ED) students the opportunity to make historical documentaries in a self-contained special education classroom. Students were diverse in race, gender and disability. Findings indicated documentary making yielded positive outcomes for students as well as for the teachers. By selectively appropriating desktop documentary making technology, teachers engaged students in a technology-based project. Documentary making also opened opportunities for teachers’ close interaction with students, while still managing a potentially disruptive classroom. Students, who struggled with reading and writing, completed an engaging, lengthy, complex history project and exercised historical thinking skills. This study has implications for using documentary making technologies for engaging and refining students’ historical thinking skills.
Ethical Reasoning of High School Seniors Exploring Issues of Free Speech
Authors: Kohlmeier Jada , Saye John W.
Published: February 2022

Because ethical decisions about what is fair or just are at the heart of most controversial issues in the public sphere, understanding how high school seniors reason ethically about conflicting democratic values is important. Teachers and teacher educators would be assisted in leading discussions if they know the ethical frameworks most often used by students and how the facilitator might encourage consideration of alternative ethical viewpoints. By creating a professional community of practice between four U.S. government teachers, a university researcher, and a political science professor, we asked high school seniors to discuss their position relative to the Supreme Court decision in Texas v. Johnson (1989), which upheld flag burning as an expression of free speech. We were curious to know what ethical frameworks students used in wrestling with the value conflict in freedom of expression. We found all students used Lawrence Kohlberg’s (1976) ethic of justice framework almost exclusively and reasoned primarily in stages four and five on Kohlberg’s hierarchy.
Preparing Secondary History Teachers: Implementing Authentic Instructional Strategies during Pre-service Experiences
Authors: Ragland Rachel G.
Published: February 2022

An investigation of how secondary history teacher education candidates implemented research-based instructional practices for instruction is described as a model of pre-service teacher preparation for social studies teachers. Cohorts of candidates participated in a five-year project while enrolled in a discipline-specific capstone senior methods course and subsequent student teaching experiences. Candidates were surveyed and interviewed concerning their use of, and feelings about, twelve instructional strategies developed with a focus on authentic history pedagogy. Surveys were administered three times: before the secondary social studies methods course, after the methods course, and after student teaching. A variation on the Concerns-Based Adoption Model was used to measure the levels of use and stages of concern of the candidates. Artifacts of practice, including lesson plans from a model unit plan and actual student teaching, also were analyzed to document use of the strategies. Results indicate an increasingly high level of implementation of and comfort with the strategies, as well as the developmental nature of the process. Implications and recommendations for pre-service activities in history teacher education are presented.
Context: The Foundation of Close Reading of Primary Source Texts
Authors: Neumann Dave , Gilbertson Nicole , Hutton Lisa
Published: February 2022

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) invite students to engage in close reading of primary source texts from American history, but an overly rigid definition of close reading that excludes providing background knowledge threatens to undermine these efforts. This approach flies in the face of decades of research on successful reading comprehension strategies. It also rejects the extensive literature on discipline-based learning in history, which has routinely affirmed the importance of context for understanding primary source texts. Primary sources are typically drawn from a world different from that of the students in time or place, or both. Teachers should provide historical context to their students by giving them information about the time, location, and purpose for the creation of the source. They should also situate the source in a specific location—whether local, national, or international—and examine the source in relation to other events of the time. Context is not the enemy of close reading of primary sources; context is the very thing that makes close reading possible and meaningful.
Integrating Arts: Cultural Anthropology and Expressive Culture in the Social Studies Curriculum
Authors: Burstein Joyce
Published: February 2022

Social studies is the combined study of several disciplines including cultural anthropology where expressive culture is defined and described. Expressive culture is the processes, emotions, and ideas bound within the social production of aesthetic forms and performances in everyday life. It is a way to embody culture and to express culture through sensory experiences such as dance, music, literature, visual media, and theater. By integrating the arts into social studies, students are introduced to cultural ideals, traditions, and norms inherent in their own lives. This article describes the use of cultural anthropology as a vehicle to teach social studies concepts with visual and performing arts. Two examples of coequal social studies and arts units are examined in second and sixth grades.
How Elementary Teachers Imagine Social Studies in an Age of Teacher Assessments
Authors: Marshall Patricia L. , Jacot Ashley L. , Gamble Angelita F.
Published: February 2022

Teacher assessments are becoming increasingly popular in public school improvement plans. These assessments may inadvertently diminish the amount of time and attention teachers perceive they can devote to a traditionally non-tested subject such as social studies. Would teachers’ orientations toward social studies change in a manner that would elevate its status if an assessment resulted in the teachers recognizing they have more direct say over the manner in which they allocate their instructional time? In this paper, we explore this and other questions to investigate how elementary teachers imagine social studies in an age of teacher assessments.
The Jigsaw Revisited: Common Core Social Studies and English Language Arts Integration
Authors: Roberts Scott L. , VanDeusen-MacLeod Betsy
Published: February 2022

In order to comply with the new Common Core standards, it is imperative teachers, particularly those at the elementary levels, incorporate English/Language Arts (ELA) in their social studies classes. These reading, writing, speaking, and listening foci, through the use of informational texts, necessitate strategies to help students meet these standards. They also help students learn social studies content and gain historical understanding. Teachers can meet these standards through an adapted Jigsaw strategy using primary source materials. We review a modified Jigsaw strategy; we call a “Source-Focused Jigsaw.” An aspect of this type of Jigsaw is its allowance of students to focus on the similarities and differences between multiple documents, which is a specific emphasis of the Common Core Standards. This strategy allows young learners to think like a historian and to understand various sources often contain different information. They also learn multiple sources may be necessary to for decision-making. The authors provide lesson examples of its use with social studies informational texts and ELA.
Notable Trade Book Lesson While You Are Sleeping Written by Durga Bernhard
Authors: Kelley Lynn , Brown Tammy
Published: February 2022

Durga Bernhard’s While You are Sleeping takes students on a cultural journey through nine different countries: United States of America, Nigeria, Japan, Mexico, India, Thailand, Haiti, England, and Brazil all at the same moment in time. The book was written especially for young children. The colorful illustrations and simple text make it easy to comprehend. In this lesson, students will gain an understanding of time zones and learn to navigate between them. Students will research other cultures, and compare and contrast their own schedule to that of a student in another time zone and culture.
Notable Trade Book Lesson The Recess Queen Written by Alexis O’Neill
Authors: Pendergrass Amanda Daniel
Published: February 2022

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. Activities and other resources are shared in this lesson plan.
Portrayals of Immigrants in Trade Books (1880-1930s & 1980-2010s)
Authors: Bousalis Rina
Published: February 2022

Immigrants are a part of America’s founding and history. Until this study, it was unclear how immigrants have been historically portrayed in youth American trade books. Utilizing a discourse analysis approach, this study offered a critical and comparative examination of the portrayal of first-generation immigrants, the authors’ perspectives, and the historical evolution of American trade books written during two peak United States immigration eras (1880-1930s and 1980-2010s). After examining 98 books written over 100 years, findings indicated in both peak immigration eras, immigrants faced similar problems; first-generation immigrants were insensitively criticized and viewed as subpar individuals by Americans. As a whole, books were mostly tales of assimilation and mistreatment in the United States. Since youths’ ideas of people and cultural groups are formed by what they learn from not only social interaction but also the media, it is important for books to provide meaningful representations of immigrants.
Minimum vs. Essential?: The Translation and Trajectory of Policy into Practice
Authors: van Hover Stephanie , Hicks David , Washington Elizabeth , Lisanti Melissa
Published: February 2022

This study examined and traced the relationship between, and the influence of, the official standards documents of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the related day-to-day lesson planning and implementation of a pair of co-teachers. Using a case study methodology alongside a conventional content analysis we traced the processes of how these policy texts (the Standards of Learning [SOLs] for World History) were connected to and activated within the daily routines of these teachers who taught struggling students in a high-stakes testing context. The findings illustrated how the policy texts and discursive practices emerging from the State’s SOLs constituted a level of pedagogical governance that saw these teachers organize instruction clearly designed to support student recall on the end of year multiple choice test. Our work recognized the power of policy texts as they interact with teachers. The significance of unpacking policy documents in order to examine issues of power, symmetry and potential areas of negotiation in the planning and implementation of instruction for teacher educators is discussed.
Review, Reflect, and React: A Culturally Responsive Model for Pre-service Secondary Social Studies Teachers
Authors: Fitchett Paul G. , Starker Tehia V. , Good Amy J.
Published: February 2022

The purpose of this qualitative study was to design and implement a model of cultural-responsiveness within a social studies teacher education program. Specifically, we sought to understand how pre-service grades 6-12 social studies practitioners construct culturally responsive teaching (CRT) in their lesson planning. In addition, we examined the professional barriers that prevented teacher-candidates from actualizing culturally responsive pedagogy. Incorporating a conceptual model of Review, Reflect, and React, 20 teacher candidates in a social studies methods course engaged CRT theory and practice. Thematic analysis of lesson plans and clinical reflections indicated successful proponents of CRT critically analyzed their curriculum, explored the diverse needs of their students, and engaged learners in culturally appropriate social studies pedagogy. Findings also showed that unsuccessful CRT was characterized by a lack of content knowledge, resistance from the cooperating teacher, and a reliance on the textbook materials.
Inquiry Teaching with Primary Source Documents: An Iterative Approach
Authors: Woyshner Christine
Published: February 2022

Research on inquiry teaching in the social studies has concluded that it can refer to any number of approaches and is not taught consistently. The scholarship reveals that inquiry teaching, when used in the classroom, tends to overemphasize one activity — interpreting primary source documents — at the expense of engaging students in the entire process of inquiry. This article argues for engaging students by adopting an iterative approach to historical inquiry and draws on one available model to demonstrate its application. The author concludes that the widespread availability of digital primary sources has expedited teachers’ efforts to locate materials for classroom use, but that a more comprehensive approach to inquiry that includes wonder and reflection must be used in the classroom.
Student-Centered Teaching Methods in the History Classroom: Ideas, Issues, and Insights for New Teachers
Authors: Maloy Robert W. , LaRoche Irene
Published: February 2022

Using student-centered teaching methods presents a great challenge to many new middle and high school history teachers. Having experienced mostly teacher-centered instructional approaches (such as lectures and teacher-led discussions) in secondary school and college classes, they begin student teaching with few models for how to teach using less traditional forms of instruction. This paper discusses “Ideas, Issues, and Insights,” a strategy for prospective history teachers, as they explore the use of student-centered teaching methods with middle and high school students. It analyzes written reflection papers where history teacher candidates identify their ideas for three student-centered instructional methods — small group work, primary source analysis, and historical role-plays and simulations — as well as issues that arise when these student-centered methods are implemented in the classroom. As history teacher candidates respond to their ideas and issues, they generate insights about how they can best use student-centered teaching methods in their future classrooms. The first-person perspectives of history teacher candidates are highlighted to show how college students in one university-based teacher preparation program think about their student teaching experiences and their choice of instructional methods to use with students.