An inquiry approach to studying the 1940s Mendez racial segregation case can counter a narrative that centers the triumph of heroes and instead prompt students to explore larger issues related to colorism, racism, and language segregation.

Despite some drawbacks, such as overuse in classrooms, lack of student engagement, and historical inaccuracies, research has suggested that Hollywood movies can be an effective tool in the teaching and learning of social studies. This article describes a strategy for using film in the upper elementary classroom. The authors outline their strategy and delineate how the strategy incorporates each dimension of the NCSS C3 Framework.

Pauli Murray was an activist, legal scholar, author, and she was also queer. Her impact on the civil rights and women’s rights movements cannot be overstated. The authors present the reader with the potential for elementary teachers to disrupt and “unmute” curricular silencing by shifting focus to Pauli Murray’s story and work in the civil rights movement.  In this C3 inquiry, students explore ways Pauli “pushed for the promise” of America, revealing a more diverse citizenry within the social studies curriculum.

“The Fresh Market: Connecting Content, Children, Families, and the Community,” outlines the “fresh market project” and lays out an argument for a cross-curricular approach to teach social studies in a preschool classroom. The authors outline a process in which teachers met weekly to think of ways to embed content in science, technology, reading, engineering, art, math, and social studies in an effective and engaging manner. Their narrative highlights the power of interdisciplinary work with young children, with an emphasis on social studies as the connecting thread.

In this article, the authors discuss the possibilities and benefits of inquiry-based learning at NPS parks, historic sites, and their companion websites. They also stress that you can extend the guidance and resources that may be provided by any historic monument or park close to your school, whether it’s a part of the NPS system or not. Next, they provide steps to help you locate a monument or site that you want to study in your classroom, as well as a selection of NPS parks and monuments that they feel provide excellent, inquiry-based K-6 social studies curricula, including virtual tours…

In this article, the author describes how an “I do, we do, you do” scaffolded approach for explicit instruction can be utilized to teach map skills to students in kindergarten through grade 2. She argues that classroom teachers who are familiar with explicit instruction may frequently use the model for reading and math instruction while overlooking its potential for teaching geography skills. Benefits of using explicit instruction to teach map skills include setting students up for success with ample opportunities to practice and supporting growth in spatial thinking.

The authors argue that with the continued marginalization of social stud- ies in the elementary classroom, integration has become a popular and effective method for the inclusion of social studies content in the daily curriculum. Using controversial issues, they highlight a model for this integration with a focus on children’s literature.

In “Teaching beyond Curricular Certainty: Telling Bayard Rustin’s Story to Kindergarteners” and the associated pullout “Documents for Telling Bayard Rustin’s Story to Kindergarteners,” Corey R. Sell, Dorothy Shapland, Caroline Klein-Callea, and Melanie Ernst look beyond focusing primarily on Martin Luther King Jr. and other celebrated Black Americans. 

The Smithsonian Learning Lab puts the treasures of the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex within reach of teachers, parents, and students. Philippa Rappoport offers this article as a way to help students think about the past and their own recent experiences during a pandemic using the Learning Lab.