socialstudies.org: Resources

Social Studies Films and Resources from California Newsreel

Richard Palmer — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:34:12 GMT

California Newsreel (www.newsreel.org) has launched a new collection of
films exploring Globalization. These acclaimed documentaries roam the
world investigating the impact of the current economic model has had on
labor, the environment and health. They question the effectiveness of
this model, bring us face to face with the winners and losers, and ask
whether there are alternatives that can achieve broad-based and
sustainable development for all.
http://www.newsreel.org/nav/topics.asp?cat=49

These documentaries would provide a complimentary visual component to
current social studies curriculum and help to inspire discussion and
critical analysis of global issues.

Also check out our amazing African American Perspectives collection
(http://www.newsreel.org/nav/topics.asp?cat=2) and our films on
Diversity Training and Multiculturalism (http://www.newsreel.org/nav/topics.asp?cat=3).

Air & Waste Management Association High School Essay Contest

Richard Palmer — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:40:45 GMT

The Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA)’s High School Essay Contest, “Greenhouse Gas Management Actions: What Can Students Do?” is asking high school students to weigh in on the issue of global climate change and greenhouse gas management. Any student in grades 9-12 is eligible to enter. The author of the winning paper will receive a $400 prize and an invitation to an awards ceremony during A&WMA’s 101st Annual Conference and Exhibition in Portland, OR.

For more information about all of A&WMA’s Earth Week activities and for essay contest details and deadlines, visit www.awma.org/go/earthweek08 or contact Sandi Spratt at sspratt@awma.org.

A Woman's World: Women in Politics

Richard Palmer — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:41:55 GMT

A Woman's World: Women in Politics, produced by Women in Politics Productions, LLC, is a 30-minute, bipartisan documentary about the entry and involvement of women in politics. The video opens and closes with a future scene of a woman president. It includes interviews with women politicians from all over the country at the local, state and federal levels. In addition, the video provides opinions of young women and men regarding women in politics and the importance of voting. Cost: $49.95 plus $4.95 S&H. To order a video or DVD, contact Women in Politics Productions, LLC, P.O. Box 172 Kelton, PA 19346, tel. (610) 345-9279, womeninpolitics@comcast.net.

Moments and Images of the Past

Richard Palmer — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:36:39 GMT

The Salem, Oregon Statesman Journal has recently started posting moments and images of the past online at www.statesmanjournal.com/past. Moments of the Past features excerpts from old newspaper articles, old public domain books and articles, diaries, documents, personal memories and whatever else that can give people a sense of the people, times, places, things, events of the past.

Scholars Online Brought to you by the Choices Program

Richard Palmer — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:49:31 GMT

Scholars Online (http://www.choices.edu/scholarsonline) brings university scholars into secondary level classrooms. Videos of scholars who have contributed to the development of curriculum units or participated in Choices professional development programs are provided in an interview format. Designed to be used with Choices printed curricula (http://www.choices.edu/resources), these short, informative videos can be used in conjunction with student readings or with lessons that accompany each unit.

We currently have videos to supplement six of our written curriculum units, including our new edition of The US Role in the Changing World (http://www.choices.edu/usrole). Videos clips for this unit help students reflect on global changes, assess national priorities, and decide for themselves the role the United States should play in the world today. This is a great way to engage students in a range of issues being discussed by presidential candidates. Participating scholars for this unit included Joseph Cirincione from the Center for American Progress, Fernando Cardoso—former president of Brazil, Ricardo Lagos—Former President of Chile, Justine Rosenthal from The National Interest and many others.

Castro's Legacy and the Future of Cuba

Richard Palmer — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:07:38 GMT

On February 19, 2008, Fidel Castro announced to Cuba and to the world that he would not be a candidate for Cuba’s presidency (this position will be elected by the Cuban National Assembly on February 24). Head of Cuba since 1959, Castro was one of the longest serving leaders of the modern era. His time in office, along with the revolution that he helped lead, are the subject of great controversy both within Cuba and around the world.

Castro’s Legacy and the Future of Cuba http://www.choices.edu/resources/current.php is a one-day lesson that introduces students to the worldwide debate now taking place. The lesson includes links to internet resources from around the world. This lesson is available at no cost from the Choices Program’s Teaching with the News program.

A new unit on the future of Cuba from the Cuban perspective will be available from the Choices Program this spring. Information is available at http://www.choices.edu/cuba.

TEACHER CURRICULUM PLANS from the 2006 NEH Institutes

Richard Palmer — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:02:21 GMT

“Cultures and Religions of the Himalayan Region” held at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts

28 are available free online: http://college.holycross.edu/orgs/himalayan_cultures/

SAMPLE TOPICS:

Laurie Schmidt, A Study of Hindu and Buddhist Sculpture
John Baron and Sarah Swift, Asian Influences on Western Civilization
Amy Jane Priest, Himalayan Geography: Human Environment Interaction
Son-Mey Chiu, Buddhism Through Art
Tricia Lea, Karma
Susan Dyment, Autobiography: From the Two-Tongued Sea to the Pure Lhasa Air
Matthew Glenn, Music of the Himalayan Region
Megan Normandin, Peter Matthiessen’s The Snow Leopard: An Interdisciplinary Unit

Todd Lewis and Leonard van der Kuijp, co-Directors

GREAT AMERICAN DREAMING

Richard Palmer — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:37:05 GMT

Help your students bring immigration history and politics to life.
Immigration issues dominate the news just now, and they present a great opportunity for a curriculum or service project. Your students can bring back powerful interviews if they venture into their communities to talk to the immigrants they know about their experiences.

WKCD learned this, when we coached and then published such work by New York City students in our photo essay book, Forty-Cent Tip: Stories of New York City Immigrant Workers (Next Generation Press, 2006).

Now we are offering you a look at our coaching guidelines˜and a chance to be published online˜in the hope that you will try the project, too.

WKCD offers the following resources to help with your project:

A manual for teachers and students.
A complimentary copy of the WKCD book Forty-Cent Tip˜or a classroom set, at cost, as long as supplies last.

To get the details, download the manual, and order a complimentary copy of the book, please go to: http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/2008/01_great_american/index.html

If you already have immigrant stories collected by your students that you'd like to see and perhaps publish online, please send them to info@whatkidscando.org.

GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY ANNOUNCES SUMMER SEMINARS FOR TEACHERS

Richard Palmer — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:29:17 GMT

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is seeking applicants for thirty-two, one-week teacher enrichment seminars across the U.S. and England for teachers. Public, parochial, independent school teachers and National Park Service employees are eligible to apply. Each seminar is limited to thirty participants. Historians from universities including Stanford, Columbia, Yale, and the University of Virginia will lead seminars on topics ranging from the Colonial Era, the U.S. Constitution, and the Underground Railroad to the Great Depression, the Cold War, and the Civil Rights Movement. Applications must be postmarked or submitted electronically by February 15, 2008. For information on how to apply, visit www.gilderlehrman.org.

Two new online resources from What Kids Can Do, Inc.

Richard Palmer — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:10:05 GMT

What Kids Can Do (WKCD), an international leader in bringing youth voices to bear on issues facing communities, schools, and society, has just launched two new online resources for educators.

Youth on the Campaign Trail: Election 2008
http://www.wkcd.org/youth_on_the_trail/index.html
It’s the buzz: Youth are participating in this year’s presidential
elections in record numbers. Is a new political bug spreading among
American youth? Has the political debut of websites like YouTube,
Facebook, and MySpace made politics more exciting to young people?

Over the next ten months, WKCD will scour the news for stories about
youth on the campaign trail. We’ll keep you linked to the most
robust national organizations for youth and politics and to the
hottest interactive and media websites tracking the 2008 campaign.
We'll bring you a special youth political beat, through a
partnership with Y-Press, an award-winning youth-led news bureau in
Indianapolis.

Global Youth Voices: Across Four Continents
http://www.wkcd.org/specialcollections/globalyouthvoices/index.html
In 2005, WKCD began to work with youth outside the U.S. on a range
of projects, most involving photography and narrative. We began in
Tanzania, in East Africa. By the end of 2008, we will have worked
with youth along the Burma-Bangladesh border; in Beijing and London;
in Bangalore, New Delhi, and Noida, India; and across the Czech
Republic, Hungary, and Romania.

Here we present a directory of what has come, to date, from WKCD’s
global youth voices: websites, multimedia dictionaries, audio slide
shows, and feature stories.

A Woman’s World: Women in Politics

Richard Palmer — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:05:35 GMT

A Woman’s World: Women in Politics, produced by Women in Politics Productions, LLC, is a 30-minute, bipartisan documentary about the entry and involvement of women in politics. The video opens and closes with a future scene of a woman president. It includes interviews with women politicians from all over the country at the local, state and federal levels. In addition, the video provides opinions of young women and men regarding women in politics and the importance of voting. Cost: $49.95 plus $4.95 S&H. To order a video or DVD, contact Women in Politics Productions, LLC, P.O. Box 172 Kelton, PA 19346, tel. (610) 345-9279, womeninpolitics@comcast.net.

U.S. Policy on Iran Interactive Lesson Plans

Richard Palmer — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:36:43 GMT

The U.S. and Iran: Confronting Policy Alternatives is an interactive lesson plan that engages students in consideration of policy alternatives concerning U.S. policy on Iran. Four Policy Options help students think about divergent policy alternatives, each driven by different underlying values, each with merits and trade-offs. The Options provided have been developed by the Choices Program with input from the research staff at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University. A two-period lesson plan and links to online resources are provided. The lesson is focused on role-play and deliberation exploring the four Policy Options. A complete unit on Iran, Iran Through the Looking Glass: History, Reform, and Revolution, is also available.

Engaging in Document Analysis: The Center for Gifted Education Social Studies Curriculum

Richard Palmer — Fri, 04 May 2007 11:39:20 GMT

The social studies units developed by the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary cover a wide range of topics while maintaining consistent models for understanding issues, documents, and artifacts. All of the units emphasize development of understanding of abstract, interdisciplinary concepts, including systems, cause and effect, and change over time. The units also place heavy emphasis on higher order reasoning, historical analysis using primary sources, and in-depth study of social studies content related to various strands of state and national standards. An emphasis on the development of student skills in the areas of discussion, writing, and research is embedded in the units.

The workshop will engage participants in activities around the teaching models employed in the units, including a concept development model, the Paul model of reasoning, and primary source analysis. The ways in which these teaching models are employed within different units across the range of grade levels will also be explored. In addition, participants will have opportunities for small group discussions of the specific content of the different units.

Dates: June 25-27, 2007
Location: The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia
Cost: $295 per person
URL: www.cfge.wm.edu/summerinstitute.php
Contact: cfge@wm.edu

The Object of History: Behind the Scenes with the Curators of the National Museum of American History

Richard Palmer — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 12:56:51 GMT

The Center for History and New Media at George Mason University and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History are pleased to announce the launch of The Object of History http://objectofhistory.org. The website features six artifacts from the Museum’s collections, related high school curriculum materials, and opportunities for students to participate in live online forums with Smithsonian curators.

Schedule of Featured Objects:
March 2007 — Greensboro Woolworth's Lunch Counter (Civil Rights)
April 2007 — Cesar Chavez’s Family’s Short-Handled Hoe (Immigration and Farm Worker Organizing)
September 2007 — Desk on which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence (Founding and the New Nation)
October 2007 — Mary Todd Lincoln’s Dress (Slavery and Civil War)
November 2007 — Gold Nugget that launched the Gold Rush (Westward Expansion)
February 2008 — 1898 Standard Voting Machine (Progressive Reform)

Each featured Object Lesson includes the following resources:

Materials for Students:

guide to doing history with objects
two minute introductory movie
Quicktime virtual reality version of the object to examine
curator interview clips
large collection of associated primary sources to explore
brief and extended thematic tours
links to related web resources
opportunities to create virtual exhibits
opportunity to submit questions for curators and historians to answer during live audiocasts

Additional Materials for Teachers http://objectofhistory.org/teachers/:

introductory material on how to use this site in the classroom
three activities designed to teach about the featured objects
notes on where the curriculum materials fit into the standards of learning
links to related web resources

Four Live Audiocasts with each object http://objectofhistory.org/forum/:

Submit questions http://objectofhistory.org/forum/questions/ about the featured object for curators and historians to answer during the audiocasts streamed live on the web.

Comments or Questions? Contact us: teachers@objectofhistory.org

CONFLICT IN IRAQ

Richard Palmer — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 16:19:32 GMT

New Resources from the Choices Program

The war in Iraq is sparking much debate today. One thing most can agree on: there are no easy answers. What the United States does in Iraq will affect Iraq, the Middle East, and the United States for years to come.

Teaching about Iraq requires special sensitivity from teachers. It is likely there are students with family members or friends serving in the military. In addition, sharp political points of view about Iraq could short-circuit thoughtful consideration of the issues. Sorting through all of these issues is a classroom challenge for teachers. Yet teachers who address these challenges do their students a great service.

Conflict in Iraq: Searching for Solutions is a new curriculum unit developed by the Choices Program at Brown University to help students consider the history of Iraq and the present conflict, and to participate in informed discussion about policy alternatives concerning the U.S. role in Iraq today.

Conflict in Iraq: Confronting Policy Alternatives is an online lesson plan focused on the policy options at the center of Conflict in Iraq: Searching for Solutions. The material is available from “Teaching with the News”on the Choices web site http://www.choices.edu.

Free CD-Rom of Teaching Materials Related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Richard Palmer — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 14:03:53 GMT

The Minot State University History Department announces the availability of a CD-Rom of teacher-produced resources and lesson plans created by participants in its 2005 NEH-sponsored summer institute for teachers on the Contexts and Legacies of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

These materials have been produced for use with students from grades 4-12. Formats include lesson plans, WebQuests, and DBQs. Themes include: Exploration and Environment, Jefferson and Nation-Building, American West, and Native Cultures and Legacies.

To view the materials on-line or to request a free CD-Rom of the materials, go to the department’s website: http://history.misu.nodak.edu

Bethany Andreasen
Department of History
Minot State University
Minot, North Dakota

Are We Winning the Global War on Terror?

Richard Palmer — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 12:42:49 GMT

In October 2003, seven months after the United States invaded Iraq, Donald Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defense, wrote a memo to four of his subordinates. In his memo he asked his colleagues to consider a number of questions he had about the “Global War on Terror.”

In this online lesson students will:
Read and evaluate a policy memo on the “Global War on Terror” from Donald Rumsfeld.
Consider whether and how the United States can determine the success or failure of the struggle against terrorism.

This lesson includes:
Lesson Plan: Are We Winning the Global War on Terror?
Rumsfeld Memo: Global War on Terrorism, October 16, 2003
Questions for Students
Ballot Activity

Find this free resource in the TEACHING WITH THE NEWS section of the Choices Program web site http://www.choices.edu

Terrorism: How should we respond?

Richard Palmer — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 12:31:45 GMT

“Terrorism: How should we respond?” is a free online teaching resource from the CHOICES Program (http://www.choices.edu) at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies. Find the resource in the TEACHING WITH THE NEWS section of the Choices Program web site.

The 5th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon is upon us. As our country continues to deliberate on how to best confront the challenges and dangers of terrorism, the Choices Program has made available free resources to address the topic. “Terrorism: How Should We Respond?” invites students to explore four divergent policy options on the question of how the United States should respond to terrorism, each driven by different underlying values, each with merits and tradeoffs. A new ballot activity allows students to voice their own perspectives. The policy options presented in this online lesson plan are excerpted from Responding to Terrorism: Challenges to Democracy http://www.choices.edu/curriculum_unit.cfm?id=26, published by the Choices Program at Brown University.

American Indians in Children's Literature

Richard Palmer — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 13:24:34 GMT

“American Indians in Children’s Literature” is a blog resource developed and maintained by Debbie Reese, an Assistant Professor in American Indian Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is using blogging technology to reach parents, teachers, and librarians who may not have access to print publications where articles on this topic are published.

Reese’s blog/resource includes links to recommended books about American Indians, on-line articles on this topic, websites and blogs maintained by Native authors in addition to Reese’s blog posts on topics such as the origin of “Happy Hunting Ground” or discussion of the term “papoose.” http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com

Using the News to Teach Religion

Richard Palmer — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 13:19:26 GMT

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/teach/

This video and Web site resource created by the PBS series Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly for high school and college teachers of social studies, history, religion, etc. demonstrates an approach to teaching religion that incorporates reading and discussing the daily news. Shot at Colgate University in 2003-2004, the video features classroom footage illustrating how two teachers conduct a course on religion using the news, specifically THE NEW YORK TIMES, as a text. The video also includes interviews with the teachers themselves, augmented by the course description, syllabus, and exam questions. A free DVD is also available.

International school partnerships for the 2006-07 academic year

Richard Palmer — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 13:13:46 GMT

Project Harmony (www.projectharmony.org) provides opportunities for educators and students to participate in cross cultural dialogue and cultivate international relationships by connecting with their peers in the nation of Armenia.

The Armenia School Connectivity Program (ASCP) is a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and is implemented by Project Harmony. The program provides opportunities for students, educators, and community members to access and share information, to engage in online collaborative projects ranging in subject from the environment and cultural traditions, to democracy, civil society and the arts. ASCP increases school-community interaction, U.S.-Armenian partnerships at the school and community levels, and civic engagement on the local, national, and international levels.

For more information, please visit www.projectharmony.org or email elizabeth@projectharmony.org.

America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty - Free Lesson Plan Resource

Richard Palmer — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 20:10:55 GMT

America’s Heritage is a free lesson plan resource on America’s factual, philosophical heritage for K-12 teachers of social studies, US government, US history, economics, geography, music, & related subjects.

Developed by and for teachers through collaboration of education/service organizations, it is free to use for educational purposes, paid for by grants.

Lessons correlate with NCSS standards and are grouped into elementary, middle, and high school. An elementary edition in Spanish/ESL is available.

The resource can be downloaded online or ordered in CD/binder formats.

Request your free resource at ahef@americanheritage.org! (Indicate name, school, address, phone, email, grade(s), #, format (CD/binder).

For more information visit www.americanheritage.org.

Crossword Puzzles on American History Topics

Richard Palmer — Tue, 09 May 2006 13:55:54 GMT

Crossword puzzles suitable for students in grades 5 and aboves. Topics included are the explorers, the colonies, westward expansion, the Civil War, industrialism, World War I, World War II, US Presidents, US Government, Inventors and Inventions. Each puzzle comes with an answer key and permission to copy enough for your students. For a free sample and information on how to purchase the entire set, please visit http://home.comcast.net/~donnajmelton/.

U.S. Immigration Policy: What should we do? [Teaching with the News]

Richard Palmer — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 15:54:42 GMT

"U.S. Immigration Policy: What should we do?" is a free online teaching resource from the CHOICES Program (http://www.choices.edu) at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies. Find the resource in the TEACHING WITH THE NEWS section of the Choices Program web site.

While leaders in Washington are debating changes in current immigration law, demonstrations for and against the proposed legislation are taking place around the country. Proposed legislation focuses primarily on issues related to border control, law enforcement, and policy toward undocumented workers. This has raised additional questions about human rights, the economy, the environment, and security. "U.S. Immigration Policy: What should we do?" enables students to consider these issues within the context of long-term goals for immigration policy. The material is drawn from "U.S. Immigration Policy in an Unsettled World" published by the Choices Program at Brown University.

The Challenge of Nuclear Weapons

Richard Palmer — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 15:18:50 GMT

New from the Choices Program http://www.choices.edu "The Challenge of Nuclear Weapons" is a new supplemental curriculum unit from the Choices for the 21st Century Education Program at Brown University. This unit gives students the tools they need to wrestle with the questions that surround the future of nuclear weapons. http://www.choices.edu/curriculum_unit.cfm?id=49

Part I introduces students to the history of nuclear weapons and the concept of deterrence.

Part II examines some of the arguments for and against nuclear weapons and then looks at three challenges: (1) the leftover arsenals of the Cold War, (2) proliferation, and (3) the threat of nuclear terrorism.

At the core of the unit is a framework of choices for U.S. foreign policy concerning nuclear weapons.

Links to additional online resources are available from the Choices web site. An online lesson focused on the Options at the center of this unit is available from the Choices Program's "Teaching with the News" web site. http://www.choices.edu/curriculum_twtn.cfm

U.S. Immigration Policy: What should we do? [Teaching with the News]

Richard Palmer — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 14:47:02 GMT

Track Current Events

Richard Palmer — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 12:03:08 GMT

TRACKER enables teachers and students to organize current online resources, such as online newspaper articles. The Internet is a great resource for displaying multiple articles on a current event, but is often overwhelming due to the huge amount of sites available today on the Internet. TRACKER organizes your selected articles by utilizing an interface that allows users to navigate from article to article with the click of a button.

The TRACKER interface also includes an online newspaper that aids summarization and discussion of a current event. As the editor of your TRACKER, you create a summary of a current event that will be displayed on the "Front Page" of your TRACKER newspaper. The users may write a response to the current event by participating in a discussion board and "writing a letter to the editor". Both the discussion board and "letter to the editor" are features that are available only to those taking that specific TRACKER.

You can create a TRACKER without knowing how to create a web site. All you need to do is find online articles for a current event, write down the address, and fill out a form. It's as simple as that! trackcurrentevents.org

Teaching Ethics

Richard Palmer — Tue, 14 Mar 2006 20:00:24 GMT

The basic postings on www.ethicsineducation.com are two ETHICS WORKBOOKS for students in grades 7 through 12. These workbooks present ways to embed ethics education into standard world and American history programs. The workbooks, and the accompanying teacher’s guides, may be printed and duplicated by individual teachers for use with their classes. Supplementary active student involvement strategies developed by teachers to implement ideas in the Ethics Workbooks are also posted and are free to schools.

The Ethics Workbook I: World History was written for younger students in typical secondary world history classes in grades 7 – 10 as a first introduction to ethical issues. It treats a wide array of topics and simplifies the thinking of the most common ethicists and philosophers across the span of civilization. The Ethics Workbook II: American History was written for older students in typical secondary American history classes in grades 11 – 12. It examines the major conflicts and turning points in American History.

Visit www.knowchildlabor.org

Richard Palmer — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 19:59:29 GMT

The International Center on Child Labor and Education (ICCLE) has launched a new web-site www.knowchildlabor.org

The purpose of this web site is to promote the sharing of resources and interaction among youth and teachers working on global child labor issues across the country and the world.

The site features: Inter-linkages between child labor, education and poverty, Child labor myths, Child Labor Resource List, including curriculum and lessons plans, True Stories of child laborers turned advocates, Poetry and Art by US youth, Youth Action Plans to build community knowledge of child labor issues, Directory of youth clubs - big and small, established and new - working on global child labor issues across the country, Youth Action Toolkit on how to start a club, including a Club Registration Form and Activities Log, Quiz, interactive Youth Forum, and more...

Initiate any discussion about child labor in the Youth Forum. Tell us about what you are doing by using the Activities Log. Test your knowledge of global child labor issues by taking the quiz.

Tell your friends about this web site! Tell us what you think via the Contact Us page.

Thank you. Beth Lindley

Workshop "Service Learning with a Human Rights Focus"

Richard Palmer — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 14:06:55 GMT

HREA will be organizing a workshop on service learning during the Northeast Regional Conference on the Social Studies. This workshop demonstrates how a human rights-based approach can deepen students' critical engagement with the social justice component of service learning. Participants receive a copy of the new publication Human Rights Education and Service Learning Guide developed by Amnesty International-USA and Human Rights Education Associates (HREA). Participants take part in an activity from the new manual and engage in an overarching conversation of the value added from applying the human rights framework to service learning.

Facilitators: Liz Sullivan and Felisa Tibbittts (HREA).

This workshop is held during the Northeast Regional Conference on the Social Studies, March 13-16, 2006.

Participants: middle school and high school teachers, and college/university professors

Tuition, fee, lodging: Registration for Northeast Regional Conference on the Social Studies is required in order to participate in this workshop. Registration forms have to be submitted to the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies.

Registration form (in PDF format): http://www.masscouncil.org/NERC_PreRegistration.pdf

Pre-registration deadline: February 15, 2006

For further information:

HREA PO Box 382396 Cambridge, MA 02238 USA Tel: +1 978 341-0200 Fax: +1 978 341-0201 E-mail: nerc-workshop-2006@hrea.org Web: http://www.hrea.org

Women's Biography Sites

Richard Palmer — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 14:04:31 GMT

http://home.earthlink.net/~sharynh/WBS.htm

Within these pages, the reader can find information about women (and men) who have been or are presently mathematicians, computer scientists, artists, authors, inventors, and historical figures by connecting to the Internet address cited. The reader can choose from nine categories: Arts & Entertainment; Diversity, General; HerStory; International; Of Interest; Politics; Science, Math, & Technology; and Sports. There are thousands of biographies available on the more than 290 web sites listed.

Black History & Classical Music

Richard Palmer — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 13:04:23 GMT

Black composers and musicians have enriched classical music for centuries. AfriClassical profiles over 50 Black composers and performers from Africa, Europe and the Americas. A Black History Quiz, audio samples and CD covers can also be found at www.AfriClassical.com

Young Politicians of America

Richard Palmer — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 11:59:55 GMT

This website is amazing! It offers students a wonderful forum to discuss the issues, it fosters a sense of civic duty and gives schools across the country an opportunity to establish chapters of the YPA (Young Politicians of America). Their web address is www.ypa.org.

Richard Palmer — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 12:07:34 GMT

Ramadan Mubarak

Richard Palmer — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 12:03:36 GMT

Curriculum unit for the primary level social studies classroom. Stories, poems, black line masters and lesson plans. 35 pp.

Mr. Mummert's Social Studies Sites

Richard Palmer — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 18:39:54 GMT

A collection of sites intended to facilitate the integration of technology in the social studies classroom. Activities are specifically geared to a manipulative and interdisciplinary approach to the social studies. Activities and lessons are categorized by subject, time period, learning strategy, technology, and professional development.

Class Notes Online

Richard Palmer — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 18:41:45 GMT

ClassNotesOnline is a way for teachers to communicate with students and parents by creating a FREE website. ClassNotesOnline allows teachers to keep students up to date and parents informed on the daily work, assignments, homework, and grades in all of their classes.

GenerationsEd - U.S. history, library skills, and more

Richard Palmer — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 18:45:55 GMT

GenerationsEd (GenEd) is a creative resource that uses the theme of family history to bring U.S. history to life while developing library research skills, communications skills, and much more. GenEd can provide short term projects or be adapted to follow your history units through-out the school year. GenerationsEd is included with the boardgame Generations. The game uses deductive reasoning (like Clue - Parker Bros) as players search for their make believe ancestors, U.S. birthplaces, careers, and lifestyles. GenerationsEd's applications free students from "playing" the game while leveraging stories related to ancestors' lives. It can also be adapted for state history and provides means for introducing native American and international cultures as well.

Richard Palmer — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 12:13:20 GMT

Ecological Footprints: Thinking Critically about History

Tim Daly — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 03:36:35 GMT

Under a grant from the EPA, Redefining Progress has designed training programs for social studies and history teachers to incorporate the scientific and social aspects of humanity's use of renewable resources into classroom teaching, using the Ecological Footprint (EF). The EF is a scientifically reviewed framework for problem solving and critical thinking that challenges teachers to analyze history from a new perspective and helps students understand cumulative environmental impacts. The EF quiz can be found at www.myfootprint.org. The workshop materials can be found at www.rprogress.org/education.

North Korea and Nuclear Weapons: Teaching with the News

NCSS Webmaster — Tue, 10 May 2005 18:09:50 GMT

"North Korea and Nuclear Weapons" is a free online teaching resources from the CHOICES Program (http://www.choices.edu) at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies. Find the resource in the TEACHING WITH THE NEWS section of the Choices Program web site. Online resources include teaching materials, lesson plans, and vetted links to news sources. Resources are updated regularly. All resources--printed and online--are designed to engage secondary level students in deliberation on contested international issues.

The Genocide Education Project

NCSS Webmaster — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 15:08:09 GMT

The Genocide Education Project proudly announces its formal establishment as a non-profit educational organization.

The mission of The Genocide Education Project is to assist educators in teaching about human rights and genocide, particularly the Armenian Genocide, by developing and distributing instructional materials, providing access to teaching resources and organizing educational workshops.

In addition to reaching out to public school districts about the importance of genocide and human rights education, organizing workshops for teachers, distributing resources and lesson plans to be used in the classroom, The Genocide Education Project maintains a website at http://www.TeachGenocide.org. This cyber-resource library was published specifically for teachers, providing resources for classroom use about the Armenian Genocide and other gross human rights violations.

The Genocide Education Project has published a comprehensive binder for educators that includes step-by-step lessons to use in the classroom as well as information about other curriculum, videos, books, and discussion topics. The binder, "Human Rights and Genocide: A Case Study of the First Genocide of the 20th Century" is sponsored by the San Francisco Unified School District and was developed in close cooperation with San Francisco high school history teachers.

The Genocide Education Project began seven years ago as the Genocide Curriculum Project, one of the many public education initiatives of the Bay Area Armenian National Committee. When members recognized that the Armenian Genocide was generally not being taught in public schools, despite a 15-yr old California law mandating instruction of the Armenian Genocide, an effort was conceived to reach out to school districts, reminding them of the need for instruction on this crucial part of modern history. With the publication of the "Human Rights and Genocide" lesson plans and TeachGenocide.org website, volunteers began the process of establishing a new organization whose mission is to help institutionalize public education about the Armenian Genocide and the problem of genocide and human rights violations. Volunteers from Southern California, New York, Washington DC and Chicago joined the effort to reach school districts all over the country, and the process of establishing a new organization and receiving non-profit status began in 2004. Tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) status is now pending and expected to be complete within the coming year. For more information about the efforts of The Genocide Education Project please visit their website at http://www.GenocideEducation.org.

Educators for Social Responsibility's Online Teacher Center

NCSS Webmaster — Fri, 15 Apr 2005 16:54:35 GMT

Educators for Social Responsibility announces its new Online Teacher Center at http://www.esrnational.org/otc/. Quickly find lessons and resources for K-12 on international security, conflict resolution, peacemaking, violence prevention, and social responsibility -- all free of charge and ready to be downloaded after simple registration. The OTC features a link library as well. ESR welcomes your ideas and comments.

CitizenJoe.org: a clear window on government

NCSS Webmaster — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 16:11:32 GMT

http://CitizenJoe.org is a nonprofit site - created by a team of liberals, moderates, and conservatives - that offers a clear, unbiased window onto the policies and votes being debated in DC. With fact-based issue guides and up-to-date information on major bills being voted on in Congress, CitizenJoe aims to encourage open policy dialogue and greater civic engagement.

While CitizenJoe's first aim is to make it easy for busy Americans to get the information they need to take a stand on the issues, it's also an excellent resource for young people learning about the connection between policy and government and for the teachers working with those students.

In brief, CitizenJoe.org offers: weekly updates on the major bills being voted on in Congress, guides to key policy issues with facts and a balanced pro & con, and facts on over fifty policy areas with recommended links for readers who want to find out more.

Although the organizers of the site acknowledge that it's not possible to be 100% unbiased and balanced, they shoot to get as close as we can by creating and keeping a team that balances liberals with conservatives so they can be their own checks and balances.

Center on Congress Web Site

NCSS Webmaster — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 13:15:49 GMT

The Center on Congress at Indiana University Web site provides students, teachers, and citizens with a wealth of resources for learning about the U.S. Congress including interactive activities, videos, articles and commentary, Q&A, and links to other great resources for learning about Congress.

The site includes rich resources of several types: interactive e-learning modules; Lee Hamilton's "Comments on Congress"; audio files from the "Congressional Moment" radio series; short humorous "Facts of Congress" videos highlighting key historical facts about Congress; downloadable TIME for Kids mini magazines; streaming video of the "Close Up" television programs; background papers and reference materials, lesson plans for grades 4-12; and much more!

The Web site focuses on several major themes related to Congress and representative democracy: the role of Congress, how Congress works, the legislative process, the impact of Congress, members of Congress and what they do, public criticisms of Congress, the importance of citizen participation, and how to learn about and contact Congress. The Web site and all resources from the Center are provided free of charge.

Please visit the Web site at http://congress.indiana.edu

Many Peoples, Many Histories: Exploring Native American Cultures of the United States

NCSS Webmaster — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 14:12:21 GMT

This is an interdisciplinary project designed for middle-school students. It is driven by the national standards of several disciplines, including social studies, geography, and English language arts. The project provides students with the opportunity to master historical content, to learn how to conduct research, and to build upon their language and critical thinking skills as they assist a historical society in planning, organizing, advertising, and presenting an exhibit. Students become "authorities" on Native American history and culture as they engage in the activities throughout the project. The project is free to educators. Visit http://techknowassociates.com/projects/native.htm for more information. Or visit http://techknowassociates.com/projects/index.htm for a complete list of free projects that integrate technology into the curriculum.

Presidential Freedom Scholarships available now! (Deadline July 1, 2005)

NCSS Webmaster — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 16:34:46 GMT

The Presidential Freedom Scholarships program recognizes high school juniors and seniors for their outstanding leadership and commitment to their communities by offering a $1,000 scholarship for college. The program, administered by Learn and Serve America at the Corporation for National and Community Service, provides $500, which must be matched with $500 from a community organization or business and secured by the high school.

Students who complete at least 100 hours of community service, either through a school-based service-learning program or independently are eligible to receive the scholarship. Each high school in the nation may select up to two students who have met and exceeded these requirements. This year the Corporation for National and Community Service is offering up to 7,800 scholarships. Certification forms completely submitted by April 1, 2005, are eligible for early notification. All other certification forms must be submitted by the final postmark deadline of July 1, 2005. For more information please visit: http://www.cns.gov/scholarships.

Teaching U.S. History with Traditional Folk Music

NCSS Webmaster — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 16:31:56 GMT

Visit http://www.balladofamerica.com for songs, lyrics and background information that will enhance American History lessons from elementary school through college.

The 18-track CD "Ballad of America Volume 1" is available at the site. It tells the story of the United States of America through a wealth of traditional folk songs. The journey begins in the latter part of the eighteenth century when the United States of America became an independent nation. It follows the paths of the pioneers, sailors, lumberjacks, immigrants, '49ers, farmers, slaves, soldiers, cowboys, and railroaders who moved the country across the continent and into the twentieth century.

Teaching with the News

NCSS Webmaster — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 18:27:41 GMT

TEACHING WITH THE NEWS (http://www.choices.edu/curriculum_twtn.cfm) is a free online teaching resource from the CHOICES Program (http://www.choices.edu) at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies. Teaching with the News provides up-to-date resources on international topics such as Iraq after war, North Korea and nuclear weapons, responding to terrorism, global environment, defining genocide, Tsunami relief in the context of foreign aid, and America's role in the world. Online resources include teaching materials, lesson plans, and vetted links to news sources. Resources are updated regularly. All resources are designed to engage secondary level students in deliberation on contested international issues.

Clusty.com Government Tab

NCSS Webmaster — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 18:26:52 GMT

The new website http://gov.clusty.com focuses exclusively on government and politics. The site lets you search government content, news, special reports and articles from policy think tanks, helping you and your students stay connected with policy decisions and perspectives on current events. Gov Tab has been created to be a one-stop resource for accessing information related to government and politics, combining Gov+ search with a number of specialized search collections, making it a fairly complex resource that includes:

FirstGov, the official web portal of the United States government, searches the ".gov" and ".mil" domains.
Think Tanks, the Brookings Institution, the Cato Institute, Heritage, Milken, and RAND.
U.S. Political News, combining government news from the Associated Press, CNN, Reuters, and DefenseLink.
Federal Budget
Weapons of Mass Destruction Report? (Duelfer Report)
The Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, popularly known as "the 9/11 Commission."

A unique feature: With a simple zip code entry, students can find their senators and representative, as well as contact information, a photograph, a link to a complete biography and voting records.