If we want young people to build knowledge about democracy, then we must help students develop a rich understanding of elections.

This lesson plan offers students the opportunity to compare how American and Vietnamese textbooks portray specific events of the Vietnam War.

—Gary FertigIn the process of creating homestead dioramas and writing letters from the perspective of pioneers, students learn how geography and natural resources affect the economics and social relations of a community.269

The challenges that existed when Social Education's last issue on academic freedom was published still remain, and the need to support access to information in our schools is as great as ever.

Merry M. MerryfieldElementary teachers can make choices that either lead to the development of globally-minded citizens or to the formation of young adults who know little about the world and have no interest in people different from themselves. 275Looking at the Law

While some teachers are tailoring content, instruction, and assessments to state exams in this era of high-stakes testing, ambitious teachers continue to create opportunities for powerful teaching and learning.

Social Education StaffWill this year’s congressional elections force a change in control of the House or Senate? This informational feature reviews influential midterm elections in the past and identifies 24 key House races and 8 competitive Senate races for classes to monitor.

Documentary films are widely used in the social studies classroom. This column spotlights three films and explains why their explicit viewpoints can enhance classroom discussion and student learning.