Despite some drawbacks, such as overuse in classrooms, lack of student engagement, and historical inaccuracies, research has suggested that Hollywood movies can be an effective tool in the teaching and learning of social studies. This article describes a strategy for using film in the upper elementary classroom. The authors outline their strategy and delineate how the strategy incorporates each dimension of the NCSS C3 Framework.

In this article, the authors suggest that prop boxes can make more time in the school day for social studies learning and play. The authors share suggestions for designing and implementing prop boxes with young children. Several examples of social studies prop boxes for kindergarten and first grade are investigated.  

Quality children’s literature, specifically picture books, can be extremely helpful to teach social studies concepts to students of all ages, including secondary, by sharing important messages through simplistic, imagery-filled text. Learning names and dates is not enough. We must be prepared to help children ask questions, and discover their answers through creative thinking, reasoning, judging, and understanding. Presenter Jessica Torre ESC Region 12, Waco, TX

Teaching controversial issues is both pressing and difficult in today’s world. Many teachers fear that these issues will spark classroom conflict, backlash, or harm to students. This two-part webinar is for novice and experienced teachers, teacher educators, and school leaders who want to develop the practice of teaching controversial issues. Dr. Judy Pace of the University of San Francisco, Dr. Eric Soto-Shed of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Dr. Elizabeth Washington of the University of Florida will lead these interactive sessions and facilitate discussion among participants…

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) fit perfectly in education. We're now less than 10 years away from the goals' "completion date." It's time to empower our students to be the changemakers they were born to be. Come learn about how SDGs intersect naturally in the social studies classroom. Presenter Tara Linney Author, Award Winning Educator and Founder, TL Specialists, LLC

Using a modified ethnographic approach, this presentation takes social studies inquiry to another level of engagement by creating opportunities for students to connect the past directly to their lives. This next level of student engagement is created by introducing the participant to the methods for using anthropological concepts within a unit of study that explores connections in culture and social changes as they occurred in the past and how these same concepts are being affected in the present. The presentation is based on the Inquiry Design Model framework by creating a subset of…

We can disrupt inequity in the classroom by generating a more expansive understanding of what and who counts as worthy.

Cooperative learning stimulates student engagement and spurs deep thinking and classroom discussion.