The highlighted UNHCR teaching materials offer explanations of terminology, facts and figures, lesson plans, and videos for bringing the topic of refugees into the classroom.

With the number of global refugees at its highest level since World War II, creating a safe and inclusive school environment for displaced learners is more important than ever.

Teaching and learning about refugee crises around the world can help us solve these emergencies.

<p>Economics is a discipline of social studies that helps us understand how to make choices given limited resources—an inquiry vital to personal and societal success in today's world. Introducing economic thinking at the elementary level can provide students early with knowledge and skills that transcend the classroom, preparing each child to fulfill many different types of economic citizenship, including the ability to make sound personal decisions, to participate in collective action, [and] to struggle against economic inequality.</p><p>In this article, we share an…

As a fifth grade teacher, I get to teach many subjects such as math, language arts, and science, but my true love is social studies. Because Virginia has not established social studies standards specifically for the fifth grade, my school division developed a local course called, My Place in Time and Space.1 One compelling (conceptual, divergent) question in the course is How am I connected to other spaces and places? Two supporting questions (answerable with facts or opinions) are Where have I been? and Where do I want to go in the world? To help my students engage with these inquiries, I…

Introducing patriotic holidays such as Veterans Day with historical photographs and other primary sources in classrooms can not only spark children's interest, but also promote critical thinking and historical comprehension.1 Meaningful, hands-on historical lessons can also motivate children to take informed action about issues they care about. We begin this article with a brief history of Veterans Day, followed by a description of two lessons in which first grade teacher and co-author Lisa May used historical photographs to introduce students to Veterans Day. Next, we describe a student-…

Former President Barack Obama has touched hearts by sharing his inspiring book, Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters, with the children of the world. Together, with the breathtaking illustrations of Loren Long, Obama presents 13 historical figures that have each had a profound impact on America. In a very different book, Calling the Doves/ El Canto de las Palomas, award-winning Mexican American poet Juan Felipe Herrera beautifully illustrates his childhood as the son of Mexican migrant farmworkers. Herrera vividly describes his family’s journey through the mountains and valleys of…