San Francisco is the location of the 97th NCSS Annual Conference, November 17-19, 2017. The conference will include sessions and tours focused on the rich and varied history of the Asian American experience along the West Coast.  Moreover, the city is "resource central" on this subject, as home of the Asian Art Museum, the Chinese Historical Society of America, and the Center for Asian Pacific Studies (USF). Plan to join us in San Francisco this fall. High School Lesson (article PDF) from Social EducationFree article: “Confucianism on the Comeback”…

Cynthia Williams Resor, Exploring Vacation and Etiquette Themes in Social Studies: Primary Source Inquiry for Middle and High School (New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017) 134 pages, hardcover $60; paperback and ebook $30. https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781475831986/Exploring-Vacation-and-Etiquette-… This book "introduces a thematic approach to social history that connects the past to the daily lives of students. Historical overviews of vacation and manners spanning from the ancient world to twentieth century United States provide detailed context for the teacher, emphasize issues related to…

Download this free book from the website of the author, Raymond G. Wilson, Emeritus Associate Professor of Physics, Illinois Wesleyan University. Visit https://sun.iwu.edu/~rwilson/PNDclass.htmlThe book, titled Nuclear War: Hiroshima, Nagasaki and a Workable Moral Strategy for Achieving and Preserving World Peace (AuthorHouse, 2014) is a PDF, 23 MB, 256 pages. It is also available at Amazon.com in print or as an ebook. Having taught about nuclear war and peace for 55 years, Professor Wilson supplies "the best material from his course, with two specific chapters for in-class guidance."…

iCivics is featured in a new book exploring how video games are pioneering social change around the world.POWER PLAY: How Video Games Can Save the World by Asi Burak and Laura Parker devotes a chapter to iCivics’ origin story to illustrate how video games can be a force for good in society. The chapter narrated how Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was inspired to turn educational video games into the nation’s largest civic engagement project, which is now used by over 5 million students every year. Justice O’Connor said of the book, “This fascinating book shows how much games have to teach not…

A state capitol that Thomas Jefferson designed to resemble a Roman temple, the home of Henry Ford’s first assembly line, the first indoor regional shopping mall, an airport with a swooping concrete roof that seems to float on air — these are among the buildings surveyed in this cross-country journey to 10 influential works of American architecture. Meet the daring architects who imagined them and learn the shocking, funny and even sad stories of how they came to be. They changed the way we live, work, worship, learn, shop and play. Geoffrey Baer hosts.The series continues in following weeks…

The Boston University African Studies Center (ASC) Outreach Program (http://www.bu.edu/africa/outreach/) promotes teaching Africa in U.S. schools.The Program encourages the incorporation of Africa and Africa-related studies in every classroom by developing interdisciplinary resources and professional development for teachers. ASC's Teaching Africa Library has a diverse collection of literature, recommended textbooks, award-winning African films, and material culture kits. ASC also provide resources for teachers, such as curriculum guides, lesson plans, and cultural artifacts. Many resources…

The exclusive U.S. broadcast premiere of the first feature documentary about author/activist Dr. Maya Angelou, "American Masters -- Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise," airs Tuesday, February 21 at 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings)--the day Malcolm X was assassinated back in 1965. He and Dr. Angelou's work together are discussed in the film, which features new interviews with Dr. Angelou (filmed just before her death in 2014), Oprah Winfrey, Common, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and others. Film outtake: MAYA ANGELOU ON TEACHING http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/maya-angelou-teaching/8079…

The National Constitution Center (NCC) can help you and your students explore current events in a nonpartisan way. Visit http://constitutioncenter.org• President Trump has announced his nominee to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court. The Interactive Constitution highlights the appointment process as outlined in Article II and explores Article III and the judicial branch of government. • On the NCC blog, http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/, there's additional information about the Supreme Court nominee, federal Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, as well as anpiece on what comes next in the confirmation…

As questions arise in the classroom about immigration policy (treatment of asylum seekers, fate of refugees fill both the news and "fake news" in every medium from print of cyber tweet), human rights educators can help their students explore these contentious issues using materials from the Advocates for Human Rights -- online for free. Visit www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/energyofanation  Suggested on NCSS Connected by Rosemary Blanchard Associate Professor of Education Emerita and Adjunct Instructor in Peace Studies Sacramento State Univ & Univ of NM, Albuquerque, NM

In the wake of recent tragic and fatal events between men of color and law enforcement, learn how black and Hispanic families counsel their kids to stay safe if they are stopped by the police. Visit http://www.pbs.org/wnet/the-talk/ "The Talk – Race in America is a two-hour documentary about the increasingly common conversation taking place in homes and communities across the country between parents of color and their children, especially sons, about how to behave if they are ever stopped by the police. In many homes, “the talk,” as it is called, usually contains phrases like this: If you…