As students learn to interpret maps, more information may be included. The skills involved in reading maps do not develop automatically, they must be taught. Using Computers Students may access information through bulletin boards, data bases, links with networks, educational programs, and CD ROM disks. The teacher and students may plan to communicate with other students nearby and far away. All students, even grade 1 children, may benefit from having many opportunities to use computers to access, organize, and present information.
Every elementary teacher can use current and local events to develop social studies understandings.
Natural events such as a volcano, an earthquake, tornado, or flood, and planned events such as the Olympic Games, elections, and wars are of interest to elementary students. Resource-based learning is an integral part of this curriculum. As such, the news media is a resource that is readily available and may be used on a regular basis. Understanding the world from different points of view is an approach that is encouraged in this curriculum. The news media often provide examples of different people reporting or interpreting an event from different perspectives.