The major goal of social studies education is to provide students with the skills and knowledge essential for effective participation in society. As a supplement to more traditional social studies material, newspapers can help students make the connection between the classroom and real life. The social studies activities suggested in this guide…

This document suggests that the main purpose of the study of current affairs in the social studies program in Alberta, Canada, is to add relevance, interest, and immediacy. It defines current affairs as the study of news events presented by the media. Because the study of current affairs must be tied to the achievement of social studies…

This four-part report from the Harvard Social Studies Project describes a secondary school curriculum based on an analysis of public controversy and developed to train students to examine, through discussion and argument, the kinds of disputes that cause social conflict. The first part of the report is a discussion of the curriculum approach which…

A high percentage of students in a second-grade class with low socioeconomic characteristics demonstrated exceptionally low achievement in social studies. The problem was addressed by the implementation of an interdisciplinary program to increase basic skills in all areas of the curriculum. Activities designed to increase the target group's…

Reviews research on citizenship education related to instructional strategies, instructional resources, and curriculum priorities. Concludes that students who work on student publications such as the school newspaper develop more effective decision-making and other critical-thinking skills. Proposes several action steps to improve citizenship…

Four surveys are described which gauged student opinion concerning state, national, and international events as well as responses relevant to curriculum structure and subject matter knowledge. The surveys, conducted from 1975 through 1978, elicited responses from approximately 400 to approximately 850 New Hampshire public high school students. In…