Social Education articles from October 2008

Social Education archives from October 2008

Editor's notebook.(Editorial)
October 1, 2008... As the historic election of 2008 draws closer, this issue of Social Education offers features and teaching tips that will interest and assist teachers as their classes follow the final stages of the campaigns. It also offers a set of historical...

Don't forget the States.(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... As a confirmed believer in the federal system of the United States, I was a bit frustrated at two of the articles in the September [2008] Social Education. In the article, "Ensuring Access to the Ballot Box: Voting Rights in the United States",...

The updated verdict of the keys.
October 1, 2008... In January, I wrote in Social Education that according to the Keys to the White House, "the winds of political change are blowing through America in 2008" in a way that favors the Democrats in the November presidential election. Despite the...

Using the Internet to teach about political cartoons and their influence on U.S. elections.(Surfing the Net)
October 1, 2008... One of the most interesting and rewarding aspects of working on this column is receiving recommendations about topics for future columns and suggested websites that could be useful for classroom social studies teachers and supervisors. About a...

Supreme Court review.(Looking at the Law)
October 1, 2008... A year ago, the sheer number of 5-4 decisions garnered the most attention with regard to the 2006-07 Supreme Court term. Twenty-four of that term's 72 cases were decided by this narrowest of margins. By contrast, the 2007-08 term was...

The digital vaults.(Teaching with Documents)
October 1, 2008... In the fall of 2004, the National Archives opened a new permanent exhibition at its historic building in Washington, D.C. Located in a large gallery behind the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, the Public Vaults exhibition gives visitors the...

Fighting for the past: lessons from the David Irving trial.(David Irving v. Penguin Books)
October 1, 2008... Courtroom 36 in the Royal Courts of Justice was packed on the morning of April 11, 2000. Outside, a heavy rain pelted downtown London. At 10:30 a.m., Judge Paul Gray--wearing black silk robes and a horsehair wig--began to read excerpts from his...

The electoral college.
October 1, 2008... The United States has a system of voting for a president that is unique among western democracies. Rather than vote directly for a president or entrust the presidential election to a parliament, Americans instead vote for statewide slates of...

Turning students on and out to vote: helpful websites as Election Day draws near.
October 1, 2008... As Election Day comes closer, teachers will have no trouble finding election-related information on the sites of any of the major national news programs. Our readers may also be interested in some other sites with material that is specialized,...

Not by votes alone ... the vital imperative of restoring the civic mission of schools.(Point of View)
October 1, 2008... With celebrities imploring young people to "Rock the Vote," and with youth poised to vote in record numbers this fall, it would be easy to assume that we are entering a golden age of youth civic engagement. Youth turnout rose in almost every...

Teaching about aboriginal Canada through picture books.(Special Section on Canada)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] All children need to see themselves reflected in the books they read. Through reading, they make connections and relate to characters, places, and events. As Susan Shipton states, "Like food and shelter, every child...

A comparative view of diversity in the United States and Canada.(Special Section on Canada)
October 1, 2008... As immigration continues to rise, Canada and the United States are faced with the challenge of maintaining national cohesion while creating inclusive societies that allow people of all groups to fully participate in the social, economic and...

Teaching social studies through storytelling: the enduring spirit of the Arctic.(Special Section on Canada)
October 1, 2008... The region in the Canadian Arctic now known as Nunavut ("our land" in the language of the Inuit) is a vast territory with a small population. Lying north and west of Hudson Bay, and previously part of Canada's Northwest Territories, it consists...

Challenging history: essential questions in the social studies classroom.
October 1, 2008... Something was missing in Mike Paredes's classroom. A history teacher at an urban high school in Southern California, Mike had a good handle on content and a strong relationship with his students. But he worried that his students were not...

Kyle Ward. History in the Making: An Absorbing Look at How American History Has Changed in the Telling over the Last 200 Years.(Book review)
October 1, 2008... Kyle Ward. History in the Making: An Absorbing Look at How American History Has Changed in the Telling over the Last 200 Years. New York: New Press, 2006. 374 pp. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] During my first year teaching high school social...