Michael Berson, NCSS member, Editor of the Instructional Technology column in SOCIAL EDUCATION, and Professor at the University of South Florida writes, "As we start the semester, the responsibilities of educators in addressing hatred and discrimination are receiving national attention. I'd like to offer a few resources that provide background on how to confront antisemitism: U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, 'Confronting Antisemitism,' https://www.ushmm.org/confront-antisemitism Educators play a powerful role in society and the USHMM program Oath and Opposition: Education under the Third…

These five articles (and a video) are all free on the Internet. Two are published by from NCSS. They may be useful material for study and conversation in grades 7-12 this school year, 2017-18. Please also refer to the "NCSS Response to the Tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia," where related resources are also listed, at www.socialstudies.org/news/ncss-response-tragedy-charlottesville-virgin…. ** ***************************** ** Holding a civic dialog in a classroom: Candra Flanagan and Anna Hindley, "Let's Talk! Teaching about Race in the Classroom," Social Education (January/February 2017…

In the quietly powerful Raising Bertie, three black boys in North Carolina’s rural Bertie County come of age right before our eyes. Filmed over six years, they deal with the same issues that every boy approaching the leap to manhood faces—and others triggered by their specific and often precarious conditions. As the quote from James Baldwin’s Notes of a Native Son that opens the film puts it, “I am what time, circumstance, history, have made of me, certainly, but I am also so much more than that. So are we all.” Raising Bertie has its national broadcast premiere on the PBS documentary series…

This July, the presidents of the United States and of France are in Paris, together honoring the Americans who served in “The Great War,” which today we call World War I. A Bastille Day parade features the branches of the U.S. Military. “Every American can play a role and honor these World War I heroes. We invite you to visit ww1cc.org/Memorial for information on how to get involved with the efforts of the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission,” said Chris Isleib, Director of Public Affairs.   Here are some related resources from NCSS. Read this free article, which includes classroom…

These first-edition books were written by members of NCSS. Please send notification of your recent new book to tssp@ncss.org, and we'll share it here, in the order received. Congratulations to these authors! ** *********************** ** Toni Fuss Kirkwood-Tucker. The Global Education Movement: Narratives of Distinguished Global Scholars. Information Age Publishing, 2018. Paperback $39.09; Hardcover $73.09; eBook price varies. The pages of this book paint a portrait of thirteen scholars and their lifelong professional accomplishments in and contributions to teaching, service, and research in…

In 1926, America celebrated the 150th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence. To mark the occasion, citizens of Poland – more than 5.5 million of them – signed a unique birthday card, "The Polish Declarations of Admiration and Friendship." Now, all 111 volumes containing more than 30,000 pages – many beautifully illustrated or accompanied by photographs – are digitized and accessible on the Library of Congress website. The Class of 1926 digitization project, initiated by the Polish Library in Washington, D.C., in cooperation with the Library of Congress and with support from the…

Film maker Obaidah Zytoon captures the fate of Syria through the intimate lens of a circle of friends. Beginning with peaceful Arab Spring protests in 2011, take a four-year, ground-level look at how the country spiraled into bloody civil war. A Point of View (POV) documentary production. Read about it at http://www.pbs.org/pov/thewarshow. (Repeats on July 5)

Help students to understand the role and influence of the Supreme Court with these resources from NCSS and our colleagues. How to Read a U.S. Supreme Court Opinion, Social Education January/February 2013.  This detailed guide will help students understand how to decipher and analyze any U.S. Supreme Court opinion. Identifying and Teaching against Misconceptions: Six Common Mistakes about the Supreme Court, Social Education October 2006.  Most Americans misunderstand the function of the Supreme Court. Correcting students’ misconceptions promotes engaged…

On July 25, 1898, during the Spanish–American War, the U.S. invaded Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans gained U.S. citizenship in 1917. 101 years later, the debate over Puerto Rico's political status continues.  Learn and teach about Puerto Rico's history and the Spanish-American War with articles and teaching activities from NCSS peer-reviewed publications Social Education and Social Studies and the Young Learner. Also explore a sampling of resource collections from some of our colleagues. Examine the history of Hispanic heritage in North America in this special section: "The Hispanic Heritage of…

Immigration from Central America and the President's family separation policies are front and center in today's headlines, but the historical roots of migration to the United States are too often unknown or unexplored.Teaching for Change developed a series of four lessons with the country of El Salvador as a case study to provide important historical context for contemporary immigration issues.  The lessons were developed for use in conjunction with the website When We Were Young There Was a War. Students learn about and discuss: What factors were responsible for the waves of migration from…