Social Studies Research and Practice: Volume 7 Issue 3

What Does Peace Mean? Kindergarteners Share Ideas

Cynthia Szymanski Sunal, Lynn A. Kelley, Dennis W. Sunal

Kindergarteners’ (n=41) concept of peace, a foundational social studies concept, was investigated via pre- and post-assessments that first, asked them to physically demonstrate…

Celebrating Another Decade of Primary Grade Notable Social Studies Trade Books

Michelle Bauml, Sherry L. Field

Notable Social Studies Trade Book (NSSTB) lists include books selected annually by the Book Review Committee of the National Council for the Social Studies in conjunction with the…

Monuments All Over the World: Using Historical Monuments to Teach Cultural Geography

Stewart Waters, William B. Russell III

Cultural geography is a unique, diverse, contested, and at times, confusing branch of study in the geography curriculum. Much like many other sub-branches of the social sciences…

Practicing Creative Thinking Skills by Making Creative Products Related to Economic Issues

Audrey C. Rule, Zaid A. Alkouri, Shelly J. Criswell, Judith L. Evans, Angela N. Hileman, Harun Parpucu, Bin Ruan, Beth Dykstra Van Meeteren, Jill Uhlenberg, Olga S. Vasileva, Ksenia S. Zhbanova

Students need to learn and practice creative thinking skills to ensure success in solving everyday, national, and global problems that include those affecting economic issues. The…

Higher Order Thinking in Social Studies: An Analysis of Primary Source Document Use

Nancy C. Patterson, Ashley G. Lucas, Michael Kithinji

There is a tacit understanding among social studies teachers and educators that incorporating primary source documents in planning and teaching is desirable for many reasons, most…

Visualizing Social Studies Literacy: Teaching Content and Skills to English Language Learners

Bárbara C. Cruz, Stephen J. Thornton

Because of its conceptually dense character, social studies can be difficult to learn. Educators often struggle to find ways to teach higher-order thinking and make academic…

Pedagogy of the Oppressed: The Publication Process of Paulo Freire’s Seminal Work

James D. Kirylo

Because Pedagogy of the Oppressed has received worldwide acclaim, influenced many, and has uniquely defined Paulo Freire, it is noteworthy to highlight the book’s evolution from…

Digital Discovery: A Model for Integrating Digital Interactives During Social Studies Lessons

Joshua D. DeSantis

The Internet offers a wide array of resources for social studies teachers. Digital interactives, in particular, offer promise. They combine images, sounds, videos, and animation…

Enhancing Student Learning and Engagement Using Student Response Systems

Catherine M. Kaiser, Mary Ann Wisniewski

Many students live in a constantly changing, fast-paced, technological world that includes instant access to music, videos, images, information, and friends. The hours they spend…

‘It Doesn’t Say’: Exploring Students’ Understandings of Asyndetic Constructions in History Textbooks

Jason C. Fitzgerald

Despite the benefits of historical thinking pedagogy, many teachers continue to require students to read textbooks. Contained within textbook narratives are particular types of…

Moon Over Manifest Written by Clare Vanderpool

Ashley G. Lucas, Heather Hagan

Moon Over Manifest is a Newbery Award winning novel that focuses on the adventures of Abilene Tucker in Manifest, Kansas in 1936. The book travels back and forth between 1918-1919…

NCSS Notable Trade Book Lesson Plan The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins

Lynne Farrell Stover

Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games is a post-apocalyptic tale that takes place in a barely recognizable North America. Told in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a citizen…

How I Learned Geography Written and Illustrated by Uri Shulevitz

Janie Hubbard

How I Learned Geography is an autobiographical story based on the author’s childhood memories of fleeing Poland during World War II. First, students demonstrate their prior…