Social Studies Research and Practice: Volume 5 Issue 2

The Marginalization of Elementary Social Studies in Teacher Education

Cheryl Mason Bolick, Reid Adams, Lara Willox

This article examines the literature related to the marginalization of social studies through the lens of elementary social studies teacher education. This study presents the case…

Hmong Adolescent Conceptions of Citizenship

Annette M. M. Simmons

The purpose of this qualitative, interpretive, study is to help us better understand how a small group of Hmong immigrant adolescents conceptualize their political and civic…

Complicating Students’ Historical Thinking through Primary Source Reinvention

J. H. Bickford

To best challenge students’ thinking, researchers and educators must locate or create innovative ways to spark enthusiasm and facilitate criticality. This paper investigates how…

He’s Too Young to Learn About That Stuff: Anti-Racist Pedagogy and Early Childhood Social Studies

Terry Husband

Few early childhood teachers engage in critical and anti-racist forms of pedagogical practice, primarily on the basis of developmental and political concerns. With the exception…

Using “When the Levees Broke/Teaching the Levees” to Teach Middle School Students About Empathy and Social Justice

Karen Thomas-Brown

This action research study reports on an important unit of study having evidence of success. The paper discusses how students in a social studies classroom setting may be…

Notable Trade Books

Judy D. Butler

Notable Trade Book Lesson Plan Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella Written by Paul Fleischman and Illustrated by J. Paschkis

Danilo M. Baylen

draws from a variety of folk traditions, including images and texts, to put together a version of a Cinderella story. The writing blends various elements from Cinderella stories…

Notable Trade Book Lesson Plan Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation Written By Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrated by Brian Pinkney

Deborah Morowski

This Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation lesson introduces students to the story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The lesson includes an introductory…

Notable Trade Book Lesson Plan The Colors of Us Written by Karen Katz and Illustrated by Henry Holt

Sharon Ross

This lesson should be used with students in grades pre-K-2 as they develop an understanding of cultural diversity. This lesson involves students making comparisons between their…

Nurturing Young Social Studies Learners’ Notions of Democracy

Lois McFadyen Christensen

When educators, families, and children come together in the classroom to share their diverse cultures, potential exists for learning concepts about democracy, citizenship, and…

Experiencing History: Integrating Cultural Artifacts into a Study of the Dust Bowl

Jeanne Swafford, Carol P. McNulty

History involves the study of people and the times and places in which they lived. Traditional instruction often is dominated by an emphasis on decontextualized facts, dates, and…