National Council for the Social Studies

Resources

Free Lewis & Clark Teaching Materials
Teacher-Produced Resources and Lesson Plans on "Contexts and Legacies of the Lewis and Clark Expedition"
Minot State University Department of History presents materials from an NEH-sponsored summer 2003 institute. Themes include:
Exploration and utilization
Jefferson and nation-building
American West, past and present
Native cultures, encounters, and legacies

Formats include:
DBQ
WebQuest
Re-enactment
Study of primary texts

For your free CD of teaching materials produced by institute participants, go to http://history.misu.nodak.edu/.

The History Lab
The History Lab (http://hlab.tielab.org) is a website where teachers can create lessons and activities around online primary sources. Designed by a former history teacher, The History Lab is currently used by the Library of Congress as a part of its educator institutes.

"The New Americans" Video Module
The New Americans is a seven-hour PBS/ITVS miniseries premiering March 29-31, 2004 that captures the search for the "American Dream" through the eyes of today's immigrants and refugees. The series follows families from Nigeria, India, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the Israeli-occupied West Bank as they leave their homelands and follows their first few years in America.

With diverse cultures intermingling in many U.S. communities, the need for greater understanding and bridge building becomes more urgent. It is important to look at who is coming to the United States, why they are leaving their homelands and how we can support and encourage their integration into civic life.

The New Americans Video Modules
For workplaces, schools and community organizations that would like to use short stories from The New Americans to increase understanding of recent immigrants, Active Voice and Kartemquin Films present three themed video modules:

Supporting Families: Helping Teachers and Other Professionals Meet the Needs of Immigrant Families
Finding Community: The Road Toward Immigrant Civic Participation
Building Bridges: Deepening Understanding Between Long-Term Residents and New Immigrants.

Each module includes a DVD or VHS cassette with two or three family stories - each about twenty minutes long - and a companion discussion guide designed to spur focused and productive dialogue. The guide offers a workshop curriculum, immigration statistics to provide national and local context, and resource lists.

Available at http://www.customflix.com/activevoice.

Legislative Times
Legislative Times is a unique and easy-to-use on-line tool for teachers and students that facilitates civic competence.

In only 15 short minutes per week, you and your students can become knowledgeable experts on the latest activities in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. In addition, easy-to-read information is provided on the upcoming presidential race as well as the platforms of the major political parties. Critical thinking and dialog will become common practice as your students draw their own conclusions on American government.

Connections can easily be made to the NCSS National Standards including:

Power, Authority, and Governance
Production, Distribution, and Consumption
Science, Technology, and Society
Global Connections
Civic Participation

Finally, the "Ask The Staff" feature allows students to seek additional information and clarification on American politics. Weekly quizzes are also provided for assessment.

Current membership subscribers include:

Professional educators
Middle school students
Graduate students
State legislators & staffers

If you are interested in a free 30-day trial send us an email today.

An annual subscription to the Legislative Times is only $24.00!

Teaching Canada
The Center for the Study of Canada, Plattsburgh State University of New York, is pleased to announce the latest issue of " Teaching Canada."
The premier curriculum development resource for K-12 teachers, Teaching Canada takes a close look at Canada-U.S. relations and includes essays from the Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. and the U.S. Ambassador to Canada.
Teaching Canada, an annual K-12 publication on Canada and Canada-U.S. relations, which includes practical resources for teaching Canada, is published by Plattsburgh State University of New York with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Education and Foreign Affairs Canada.
This is an excellent opportunity for teachers throughout the United States to bring Canadian content into their classrooms and highlight the importance of Canada-U.S. relations. With a new government in Canada and a dynamic international environment, now is an important time for students to understand America's relationship with one of its closest allies and its most important trading partner.
K-12 teachers can request free copies (please indicate the total number you would like) of Teaching Canada by contacting the Center for the Study of Canada:

Christopher J. Kirkey, Ph.D.
Director, Center for the Study of Canada
Plattsburgh State University of New York
133 Court St., Plattsburgh, NY 12901
Phone: 518.564.2086
Fax: 518.564.2112
E-mail: christopher.kirkey@plattsburgh.edu

For additional information or questions about Canada, educators can also contact:
Daniel Abele
Academic Relations Officer
Embassy of Canada, Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 682-7717
Fax: (202) 682-7791
E-mail: daniel.abele@dfait-maeci.gc.ca
Website: http://www.canadianembassy.org/study/

Youth Coalition for Mine Action
Global Care is a school-based humanitarian organization promoting youth leadership in global mine action service projects. Our Youth Coalition for Mine Action seeks to educate and raise funds to assist mine-affected villages worldwide. Please visit our website for more information and to find out how you can participate with your school: http://globalcareunlimited.org.

Problem-Based Government for High School
The nonprofit Buck Institute for Education develops standards-based curriculum units for high school government/civics courses. Available for free downloading from the Web, these units put students into realistic scenarios that engage them and create a "need to know" the content in order to investigate a problem and present a solution. Teacher training workshops at low cost are available for schools, districts, and states. Visit http://www.bie.org or phone 415-883-0122 for more information.

Global Social Change Reports
These reports, at http://gsociology.icaap.org/reports.html, show global social, political and demographic changes over the last several decades, in easy to read formats, along with links to data and other similar reports.

The reports can be useful for high school students to find out how the world is changing.

All reports are free to view, and based on data freely available on the web.

"Global Heroes" Writing Contest and Curriculum
Global Heroes Magazine has implemented an introductory journalism curriculum guide and writing contest that addresses the international knowledge gap in the United States while at the same time allows students to gain practical experience in journalism. The online magazine focuses on the inspirational lives of individuals from different countries and cultures, while the educational program and contest was designed for students to write their own positive stories of people from other countries for publication on the Global Heroes‚ web site. Participating schools receive a curriculum guide that will teach students about the entire writing process in five classroom sessions.
To give you an idea about the editorial mission of Global Heroes, visit http://www.globalheroesmagazine.com. A complete summary of the interactive writing program and contest can be found at http://www.globalheroesmagazine.com/education/IWC.pdf.

May Jul

National Council for the Social Studies
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Silver Spring, Maryland 20910