NCSS has selected a collection of classroom activities, teaching ideas, and articles from Social Education, Middle Level Learning, and Social Studies and the Young Learner. Browse the collection, or search by historical period and grade level using the search function below.
(Collections on other disciplines are under development.)
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In War, Is Law Silent? Security and Freedom After September 11
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 3:06pm--Ed O’Brien
From airport security to wiretapping to racial profiling, in times of crisis, how do we balance the desire for personal freedom with the need for national security?
Printer-friendly version"Workin' on the Railroad": African American Labor History
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 3:12pm--Rebecca C. Maher
North Carolina eighth grade students work on a project involving history, music, art, and interviews with elderly citizens. Includes handouts with primary sources and the story of Train Schedules, Standardization, and "The Day of Two Noons."
This URL downloads all 16 pages of Middle Level Learning as a pdf of about 0.8 MB:
* http://members.ncss.org/mll/21/mll21.pdf
Radio Days in the Classroom
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Tue, 08/18/2009 - 9:57am--Dan Schuchat
A radio drama project helps students learn about the 1920s and 30s as well as the important role that technology plays in our lives. Handouts include "Early Radio in the U.S." and "Bandwidth Problems ca. 1912: The Need for Federal Regulation."
This URL downloads all 16 pages of Middle Level Learning as a pdf of about 1.0 MB:
* http://members.ncss.org/mll/23/MLL23.pdf
Letter about the School Lunch Program (Teaching with Documents)
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 2:41pm--Missy McNatt
The featured document on federal aid for school lunches and the accompanying essay on the School Lunch Act provide students with a unique chance to study the role of government.
The Chicago 8 Trial, 40 Years Later: A Case Study in Teaching [em]U.S. v. Dellinger[/em], 1969 (Looking at the Law )
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 2:50pmJeanne Polk Barr
A class reenactment of the Chicago 8 trial offers students a close look at the rights and restrictions of free speech and dissent in America.
Remnants from the Past: Using Scrapbooks to Make U.S. History Personal and Meaningful
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 2:57pmJohn J. DeRose
Students learn how local history has coincided with national events and trends when they create scrapbooks to document the history of their high school.
The Dutch are Missing in the American Curriculum
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 3:02pm--Anne Claunch
The Dutch contribution to America’s economic system and cultural fabric was highly significant, yet history textbooks barely mention their early seventeenth-century influence on America.
Letter to the Senate Banking Committee about Wall Street Reform Legislation during the New Deal (Teaching with Documents)
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 4:43pm--Christine Blackerby
The featured document on federal aid for school lunches and the accompanying essay on the School Lunch Act provide students with a unique chance to study the role of government.
The Other September 11: Teaching about the 1973 Overthrow of Chilean President Salvador Allende
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 4:46pm--Katy Benedetto, Alexandra Lamb, and Robert Cohen
With the help of primary sources, teachers can give students the opportunity to reflect on the complexity and contradictions of U.S foreign policy by introducing them to Chile’s September 11.
Bridge to the Future: Franklin Roosevelt’s Speech at the Dedication of the Triborough Bridge (Teaching with Documents)
Submitted by Jennifer Bauduy on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 4:53pm--David L. Rosenbaum
The featured document from FDR’s speech inaugurating the Triborough Bridge provides an entry point for the study of New Deal programs and discussion of the government’s role in planning, funding, and creating infrastructure.
