Social Education May/June 2018

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2018 

The National Council for the Social Studies and the Children’s Book Council are delighted to present this year’s list of exceptional books appropriate for use in the social studies classroom.

Editor's Notebook 
Michael Simpson

Sources and Strategies
Analyzing Literary Maps to Bridge Geography, History, and English Language Arts 
Kathleen McGuigan
Studying literary maps like the Texas map featured in this article can launch an engaging discussion about literature as well as on the perspectives of the mapmakers. US History, Geography

Lessons on the Law
Bringing the World’s Constitutions to the Classroom 
Jessie Baugher, Zachary Elkins, Tom Ginsburg
Having students compare and analyze international constitutions teaches them about different countries and also gives them new insights into governance and their own founding document. Secondary/High School Law Related Education, Civics/Government

Teaching the C3 Framework
Questions, Tasks, Sources: Focusing on the Essence of Inquiry 
Kathy Swan, John Lee, S.G. Grant
A focused inquiry approach, like the one on Pearl Harbor in this article, enables teachers to weave inquiry into the fabric of their courses as part of their daily instruction. Secondary/High School US History

Marriage between Slaves: Analyzing Legal Documents from Spain and the United States 
Luis Martínez-Fernández
When studying the early colonization of the Caribbean, students will gain a deeper, more nuanced, understanding of the institution of slavery by examining Spanish colonial documents and comparing them with documents from the antebellum U.S. South. Secondary/High School US History, World History

George Washington and Slavery: Going Beyond Picture Books to Teach about Our Flawed Founders 
Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, James Joshua Coleman, Lindsay R. Cicchino
Some key strategies can help provide students with a balanced picture of the founding fathers while honoring the lives, stories, and experiences of victims of slavery. US History

The Bomb and Beyond: Teaching Nuclear Issues through Popular Culture Texts 
Hiroshi Kitamura, Jeremy Stoddard
The three approaches to teaching about the legacies of nuclear development outlined in this article can advance students’ critical literacy skills as they analyze artifacts of popular culture. Secondary/High School US History, World History

The Carter G. Woodson Awards, 2018 

This year’s Carter G. Woodson award winners include books about the Birmingham Children’s March, Japanese internment (Fred Korematsu), and recognizing the history of people of African descent.

Elementary Education
And the Children Shall Lead: Using the 2018 Notable Books to Nurture Young Citizen-Activists 
Andrea S. Libresco
Elementary teachers can help nurture the next generation of citizen-activists with two books that explore examples of young people engaging in civic action. PreK-Elementary US History, Civics/Government

NCSS Position Statements
Affirming Support for Alternatives to the USCIS Naturalization Test as a Measure of the Civic Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions of Students 

Toward Responsibility: Social Studies Education that Respects and Affirms Indigenous Peoples and Nations 

NCSS Notebook
2017 NCSS House of Delegates Resolutions