Anticipation Guides (AGs) help learners to activate prior knowledge before an instructional unit. As a pre-learning strategy, AGs motivate learners to explore learning materials by challenging, activating, or corroborating their prior knowledge and predictions about a subject. While AGs have mostly been used in reading instruction, in this study,…

One way for teachers to use engaging and relevant social studies curriculum is by delving into local history to help students understand the influence that community activists have had on national policies and events. In this article, we provide teachers an approach to incorporate topics of racial inequity in their classrooms by showcasing a…

There is ample discussion in academic and policy circles, as well as amongst the general public, about the ways in which classroom instructors can provide more engaging learning experiences for students. This research examines the ways in which students engage participating in classroom simulations as it pertains to the assigned learning outcomes…

How can teachers utilize video games in the classroom, harnessing a technology that is gaining "market share" in the lives of our students? This article will provide classroom teachers with a research-based rationale for using video games along with a viable, classroom-tested lesson to teach social studies content using a widely…

Middle school teachers' use of digital curricula incorporating dynamic technology has been found to support student learning of complex algebraic concepts. This article reports on pilot research involving collaboration among faculty from a public university's college of education, educational researchers from a nonprofit research organization, and…

The best science teachers are not only experts in teaching and knowledgeable about science content, but they are also great at teaching science. They have specialized teaching knowledge, including knowledge of effective pedagogical practices in science, student difficulties with understanding content, and curricular purposes. As a result,…

This part of the "Street Wise" series incorporates essential bicycle safety skills into a one week bike unit, designed for 3rd through 6th graders. These skills require much repetition and practice but can help children develop safe traffic behaviors that save lives, such as stopping, scanning, signaling, street crossing, and avoiding…

This political and economic study unit is designed to provide students with an understanding of how the stock market works; an examination of the corporate form of business organization; principles of investment; analysis of market action and patterns; types of securities; sources of financial information; and the rationale of investment choices.…

This course of study was written as a part of a total effort to revise curriculum to fit the quinmester (5, 9-week periods) administrative organization of Dade County Schools. The major intent of this publication is to provide a broad framework of goals and objectives, content, teaching strategies, class activities, and materials all related to…

A study unit for social studies or language arts credit in secondary grades is developed for a problem centered in-depth analysis of contemporary America. An interdisciplinary approach focusing on an analysis of art, literature, music, and philosophy is suggested to help the student assess personal values and beliefs concerning contemporary…

This teacher's guide is designed to encourage home economics teachers to plan and implement units of study that will facilitate student competency development in home economics content areas as well as in basic skills. It is intended to assist teachers in the effective use of "Home Economics Curriculum Competency Based Modules in Reading,…

The quinmester course intended for pupils speaking English as a second language aims to teach students to ask and answer questions and discuss, orally and in written form, basic concepts in social studies such as transportation, map reading, family, friends, school, home, neighborhood, and community in an attempt to help them function effectively…

Two graduate teaching assistants (TAs)--one taught language arts methods and the other taught social studies methods--who were office mates at a large university in Florida formulated a plan to create one end-of-course project that would both satisfy requirements and combine the social studies and language arts. That way, students could see that…

This unit is designed to give students insight into the British contribution to civilization with study emphasis on those nations that have had political, economic and cultural ties to Great Britain. Geographic and historic factors are outlined as background for study of the development of cultures of the British Isles, India, Kenya, Australia,…

Interdisciplinary social studies units on land use and social action for eighth and ninth grade students are provided. Although specifically written for students living in Pinellas County, Florida, the units can be adapted easily for teaching about land use in general and/or land use in one's own community. The overall objective is to help…