Political history lends itself to traditional patterns of teaching and learning in social studies such as students memorizing facts presented in lectures or textbooks. This article presents a recurring activity structure for teaching U.S. political history--Consensus Circle Presidential Rating (CCPR)--which requires students to read across…

Today's political environment continues to become more polarized as Americans find themselves taking sides on controversial issues. While this is certainly not new to the American democratic experience, the way we as a country are combating it is. With the nation engulfed in a political maelstrom, people are forgetting how to have a civilized…

The Israel-Hamas crisis that started in October of 2023 has led to an increase in hate acts targeted at Jewish and Arab students. In response, the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter reminding educational leaders of their responsibilities to address this behavior. This paper offers examples of the kind of conduct educational leaders are…

Human rights are commonly conceived as more relevant to foreign policy than day-to-day living. Drawing on Eleanor Roosevelt's conception of human rights as beginning close to home, this article illustrates how human rights principles might inform everyday processes of schooling and learning to live together. It considers rights to, in and…

This article describes the instructional methods of four high school government teachers during their coverage of the 2008 presidential election. By analyzing the ways in which these teachers attempted to generate interest in the election and further their students' conceptualization of politics, the author seeks to better understand political…

In this article, the author investigates the controversial curricular and instructional aspects of teaching about Islam in social studies courses. Specifically, the author discusses pedagogically sound approaches to teaching about "jihad" and "Shari'ah" law, two of the most important and controversial concepts in Islam that often generate intense…

Critics charge that social studies education often fails at the most rudimentary level because there is a tendency to "play it safe" by focusing on general abstractions while avoiding discussion of specific--and often times controversial--topics. In this article, the author argues that one way in which social studies teachers can overcome such…

Citizens engage in politics when they choose the structure, content, and processes of schooling. Politics is about who gets what, when, where, and how. The interaction of politics and schooling is a legitimate and needed aspect of social action. Because education is about developing enlightened and productive citizens, education and politics are…

Presents a critical examination of six high school geography textbooks to see how they varied in their treatment of world politics, and comments on the degree of nationalistic bias in each one. Suggestions for teachers are included to help them deal with political concepts and bias in textbooks. (Author/AM)

Discusses ways of eliminating cultural, geographical, historical, and ideological misconceptions about the Soviet Union in secondary social studies classes. The author outlines four topics of study about the U.S.S.R. which he has found of interest to his students. (AM)

Describes ways to teach about the role of geography on politics in high school social studies. Students study the influence of waterways and other topographical features on politics. The influence of geopolitical theory on American and Soviet foreign policies is examined. (AM)

Offers an instructional unit about city-states in Ancient Greece and provides an instructional design model that may be used in similar efforts. Appropriate for grades 6-12, this unit acquaints students with Greek city-states, their locations, main characteristics, social and political structures, origins, and evolution. (GEA)

Discusses the uses of political cartoons in the classroom, and presents a list of skills which must be acquired by students to allow them to master cartoon interpretation. Illustrates how to recognize the use of caricature and identify symbolism and includes a bibliography of political cartoon sources and uses. (GEA)

In teaching, the policies of the great powers must be considered if one is to understand developments affecting two-thirds of the world's population. Ways are listed to guide students to awareness of how policies of the developed world affect, and are affected by, conditions in the underdeveloped world. (Author)

Presents effective ways to combine classic political science readings with outside-the-classroom research assignments. Gives examples of projects that have worked well in preparing students for the United States government and politics advanced placement examination. (DB)