The 2016 presidential election was the first since the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act in which full voting protections were not in place for historically marginalized voters. This shift was largely due to a 5-4 decision in "Shelby v. Holder" (2013) in which the Supreme Court ruled that states with a history of voter discrimination…

A project-based approach to studying the civil rights movement can stimulate student engagement and their sense of connection to this historic period. The authors taught this project-based learning (PBL) unit on the American civil rights movement multiple times in the past 10 years to classes of middle school, high school general education,…

While democratic nations like the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany have elected women to the preeminent position in their governments, there has never been a woman president in the United States. The upcoming presidential election provides an excellent opportunity to have students consider why the United States has yet to elect a woman…

Presents a high school unit about the U.S. Industrial Revolution featuring the Boott Cotton Mills of Lowell, Massachusetts. Includes student objectives, step-by-step instructional procedures, and discussion questions. Provides two maps, five illustrations, one photograph, and three student readings. (ACM)

Describes an international student exchange program for the elementary and secondary school level. Discusses research projects conducted at United Nations Depository Libraries in preparation for Model United Nations programs. Contends that students remember the program as a highlight of their school experience. (CFR)

Describes a high school geography class that emphasized hands-on and experiential learning. The students designed travel brochures, planned overseas trips on a budget, and even produced commercials. One of the more popular activities involved different groups creating poster board maps of specific regions and then combining them for a global map.…

Contends that student motivation is a major issue for all teachers but is of particular concern for middle school social studies teachers. Reports on an interview with 18 middle school teachers and 60 middle school students on the effectiveness of strategies designed to increase motivation. (CFR)

Maintains that one challenge in teaching social sciences is finding ways to help students design, implement, and analyze their own social science research project. Describes a seventh-grade anthropology course in which students conducted research projects on gender issues. Includes an observations chart and two figures. (CFR)