Alexa Quinn, James Madison University

Place-based service-learning projects connect young people with the past in ways that can range from producing mini movies of a historic site to planting a tree geo-tagged with a Civil War soldier’s life story.

As educators, we should examine limitations on teaching relevant controversial topics and use our academic freedoms to challenge those limits.

In this article, the author describes how an “I do, we do, you do” scaffolded approach for explicit instruction can be utilized to teach map skills to students in kindergarten through grade 2. She argues that classroom teachers who are familiar with explicit instruction may frequently use the model for reading and math instruction while overlooking its potential for teaching geography skills. Benefits of using explicit instruction to teach map skills include setting students up for success with ample opportunities to practice and supporting growth in spatial thinking.

Local walking field trips enable young people to learn financial literacy concepts and practices that reflect their own community’s history, economics, and conceptions of wealth.