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Social Studies in Action: A Teaching Practices Library, K-12

Professional Development > Social Studies in Action: A Teaching Practices Library, K-12 > 31. Issues in Social Studies: Dealing With Controversial Issues

Social Studies & History

K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Issues in Social Studies: Dealing With Controversial Issues

This program examines how social studies teachers in any grade level can encourage open and informed discussions with their students while dealing with controversial issues. Topics range from stereotypes and gender–based discrimination to the conflict in the Middle East. Through clearly identifying issues, listening to multiple perspectives, and formulating personal positions, teachers can explore a variety of strategies that can be used to teach challenging issues such as these in their own classrooms.

What role does social studies play in helping students deal with controversial issues?

How provocative should social studies topics be?

Some educators believe that certain issues are best addressed privately — at home, for example — and that social studies should focus on objective facts. Others argue that public controversy is characteristic of a healthy democracy and that working with others to address multiple perspectives is a skill that students need to develop in a classroom context.

All social studies teachers must inevitably deal with controversial issues, ranging from basic ideas of fairness and equality in a democracy, to immigration, to the distribution of world resources. Controversial issues require students to conduct thorough research, master concepts on both sides of an issue, and develop a perspective of their own.

The most difficult issues often have a profound impact on students, and class discussions about these issues can leave teachers feeling like referees. However, in a democracy it is critical for students to learn how to listen to opposing viewpoints, and the teacher’s role must be to create an open forum that allows opposing viewpoints to be fully expressed. The challenge for all teachers is finding the fine line between engaging students’ interest and maintaining a sense of objectivity that lets students master the material and develop their own perspectives.

Overview
How can teachers help students understand the ideas and values behind historical controversies, competing ideologies, and changing laws? In the video, “Dealing With Controversial Issues,” teachers and students explore issues in social studies by:

  • conducting research using several resources,
  • discussing the facts linked to the controversy,
  • determining points of view,
  • supporting a point of view with evidence gathered from research,
  • listening to opposing points of view and engaging in a debate, and
  • proposing solutions.

NCSS Themes in This Lesson

Each video lesson in the library is keyed to standards and performance expectations. Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies defines what students should know and be able to do in social studies at each educational level.

Teaching controversial issues relates specifically to the following NCSS themes:

  • Culture
  • Time, Continuity, and Change
  • People, Places, and Environments
  • Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
  • Power, Authority, and Governance
  • Global Connections
  • Civic Ideals and Practices

Exploring the Issues

Notes


As you reflect on these questions, write down your responses or discuss them as a group.

Identifying and Clarifying an Issue

“Students are developing their knowledge base, but too often social studies is taught as a series of facts. But knowledge is more than that; it’s understanding the ideas and values that form an ideology.”
— Susan Adler, Director of Teacher Education, University of Missouri, Kansas City

Wrestling with the Issue

  • Why is it important for students to develop a knowledge base about an issue? How do you assess students’ knowledge?
  • How do you help students build their understanding of a controversial issue?
  • How do you ensure that students distinguish between fact and opinion in their research?

Understanding Various Perspectives

“These issues will help students develop the skills needed to consider multiple viewpoints, consult multiple sources, articulate ideas, and support opinions with facts. These are the skills that will make them effective citizens.”
— Wendy Ewbank, Seventh- and Eighth-Grade History Teacher, Edmonds, Washington

Wrestling with the Issue

  • Why is it important that students use multiple sources, including primary sources, when studying controversial issues?
  • How does role-playing help students understand multiple viewpoints — especially ones they oppose?
  • How do you ensure that students consider different points of view?

Supporting One’s View

“We want students to approach an issue in a fair-minded way. Critical thinkers consider opposite viewpoints and ask themselves, ‘Is that view more coherent than mine? Is it more precise?’ and they’ll change their perspective if necessary.”
— Michael Yell, Seventh-Grade History Teacher, Hudson, Wisconsin

Wrestling with the Issue

  • How can a teacher ensure that students explore multiple viewpoints?
  • How do you encourage students to revise their viewpoints in light of new knowledge?
  • When should you express your opinion on an issue? What are the risks and rewards of revealing a bias?

Applying What You've Learned

As you reflect on these classroom activities from the video, think about how you might adapt and extend them to your own teaching.

  • Fifth-grade teacher Libby Sinclair personalizes the concept of stereotyping by having students recall examples of stereotyping that they have encountered. Later, Ms. Sinclair asks the students to find examples of stereotypes in literature they have studied on the Negro Leagues. The lesson ends with students writing letters to encourage a publisher to include more information about the Negro Leagues in baseball history books.
  • Gary Fisher’s eighth-grade students are studying the historic Amistad case, in which slaves took over a slave ship. The case resulted in a controversial trial that centered on the issue of property. Mr. Fisher provides background information about the case, then students read history books, watch a video, and review trial transcripts in preparation for a mock trial.
  • Cynthia Vaughn introduces her first-grade students to the controversial issues that can surface in a community and shows students how to take action. Working in small groups, students use a model town to identify their concerns and discuss solutions with the each group’s designated “mayor.”

Notes


As you reflect on these questions, write down your responses or discuss them as a group.

Consider your own classroom as you answer the following questions.

  • What skills can students learn from dealing with controversial issues in social studies?
  • What guidelines do you use for class discussions of controversial issues?
  • How do you deal with different skill levels in discussions?
  • What issues in your curriculum lend themselves to teaching and researching different perspectives?
  • When teaching about a controversial issue, what is your goal for students?

Links to the Lessons
“Dealing with Controversial Issues” features the following teachers and lessons from the Social Studies in Action library:

Libby Sinclair: Understanding Stereotypes
Gary Fisher: The Amistad Case
Justin Zimmerman: The Middle East Conflict
Wendy Ewbank: Landmark Supreme Court Cases
Cynthia Vaughn: Leaders, Community, and Citizens
Steve Page: Economic Dilemmas and Solutions
Brian Poon: The Individual in Society
Mavis Weir: Migration from Latin America

Resources

Print Resources


For Teachers

Evans, R. W. and D. W. Saxe, eds. On Teaching Social Issues. National Council for the Social Studies Bulletin 93, Washington, D.C.: National Council for the Social Studies, 1996.

“Teaching Controversial Issues.” Social Education, 60(1). Washington D.C.: National Council for the Social Studies, January 1996.

Parker, W. C., ed. Education for Democracy, Contexts, Curricula, Assessments. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing, 2002.

Soder, R., J. I. Goodlad, and T. J. McMannon, eds. Developing Democratic Character in the Young. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc., 2001.

Web Sites


For Teachers

National Council for the Social Studies
This site identifies the NCSS standards-based themes and ways of implementing them in the classroom.

Multimedia Supreme Court Cases
Northwestern University’s Oyez Project provides a multi-media database on U.S. Supreme Court cases and judicial issues.

Forum for National Issues
This non-partisan network of educational and community organizations promotes the debate of current issues.

Educational Site on Law, Democracy, and Human Rights
Streetlaw.org provides strategies for teaching controversial issues.

Series Directory

Social Studies in Action: A Teaching Practices Library, K-12

Credits

Produced by WGBH Educational Foundation. 2003.
  • Closed Captioning
  • ISBN: 1-57680-635-9

Sections

Supplementary: Dealing With Controversial Issues

Dealing With Controversial Issues

Programs

Program 1 Introduction to the Video Library

This program presents the purpose of the Social Studies in Action video library. It introduces all the components of the library, explains the goals of NCSS, and presents examples of classroom lessons throughout the library. This program also addresses a variety of ways in which the library can be used for enhancing the curriculum, teacher reflection, and best practices for teaching.

Program 2 A Standards Overview, K-5

This program includes K–5 classroom examples from across the country that define and illustrate the 10 NCSS thematic strands and present a variety of ways that they can be integrated into the K–5 curriculum. The primary grades begin to lay the foundation and groundwork for big ideas and concepts in social studies, such as a sense of place, time, community, and justice.

Program 3 Historical Change

David Kitts is a first–grade teacher on the Santo Domingo Indian Reservation in New Mexico. In his bilingual classroom, Native American students are studying the history of farming through a lesson that compares farming in eighteenth–century New England to current–day practices in the Midwest. The lesson uses literature and the study of various farming tools and products to illuminate the changes that have taken place in the industry over time and in different parts of the country. The lesson includes group activity and discussion.

Program 4 China Through Mapping

Mimi Norton teaches second grade at Solano Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona. In this lesson, students learn about China's position on the globe and the location of important landmarks within the country. As a class, students create a giant map of China on the floor. Working in teams, students complete mapping tasks at classroom stations, focusing on the five themes of geography. As a culminating activity, students solve an interactive detective mystery created by Ms. Norton and work in small groups to solve problems based on their mastery of the map of China.

Program 5 Leaders, Community, and Citizens

Cynthia Vaughn teaches first grade at the Rooftop Alternative School in San Francisco, California. The objective of Ms. Vaughn's lesson is to help her students differentiate between the titles and roles of elected officials at city, state, and country levels. After a class discussion outlining the various roles of these elected officials, students work in pairs to complete a chart, matching specific names with job titles and buildings, and then discuss their work with the whole class. Then, the students build their own fictitious community and explore and present the issues facing the town.

Program 6 Making Bread Together

Meylin Gonzalez is a kindergarten teacher in Tampa, Florida. Ms. Gonzalez uses this lesson to introduce her students to several economic concepts, including production and cooperation. Using a children's book as a guide, Ms. Gonzalez reviews with her students how people work cooperatively on an assembly line to make a product. The students then experience the concepts of production and distribution through an activity in which they create an assembly line in the classroom and prepare hand–made bread.

Program 7 Caring for the Community

Debbie Lerner teaches grades 1–3 at Red Bridge Elementary School in Kansas City, Missouri. Red Bridge incorporates a personalized learning curriculum in which students stay in the same classroom for all three grade levels. Ms. Lerner's lesson focuses on the concept of community and explores how her students can help make a difference in each other's lives. Students review the concept of resources and interview their superintendent to understand how decisions are made that affect the school budget. Students then work in groups to brainstorm and create flyers to help prepare for their school's upcoming remodeling.

Program 8 Celebrations of Light

Eileen Mesmer teaches a combined kindergarten and first–grade class in Salem, Massachusetts, a diverse community outside Boston. Ms. Mesmer asks her students to explore the many ways the holidays are celebrated and to find commonalities among the various celebrations. Ms. Mesmer reads to the students from "The Winter Solstice," using it to help students understand the greater theme of community. Through math, writing, and drawing stations located throughout the classroom, students interact with the content in a variety of ways and through diverse learning styles.

Program 9 Explorers in North America

Rob Cuddi, a fifth–grade teacher at Winthrop Middle School in Winthrop, Massachusetts, has been teaching for almost 30 years and has recently taken an active role in restructuring the social studies curriculum to accommodate both state and national standards. Mr. Cuddi's lesson introduces the theme of exploration in North America, posing three essential questions: How have people in history affected our lives today?; How do the human and physical systems of the Earth interact?; and What role do economies play in the foundation of our history?

Program 10 California Missions

Osvaldo Rubio is a bilingual fourth–grade social studies teacher at Sherman Oaks Community Charter School in San Jose, California. Mr. Rubio's geography lesson focuses on the location and movement of California missions. In groups, students create artistic, oral, written, and other more sophisticated audio–visual presentations. Some students use the Internet to download images, while others use a digital camera and editing software to create their own presentations in the form of an I–Movie.

Program 11 State Government and the Role of the Citizen

Diane Kerr is a fourth–grade teacher at Butcher Greene Elementary School in the ethnically diverse community of Grandview, Missouri, a few miles outside Kansas City. Ms. Kerr presents a lesson on the state of Missouri and its three branches of government. Students work in groups and create posters that represent the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. The students also voice their concerns about what can be done to improve their lives. As a class, they then work to understand the process of how a bill becomes a law.

Program 12 Using Primary Sources

Kathleen Waffle teaches fifth grade at John Muir Elementary School in San Bruno, California, a working–class suburb of San Francisco. In a unit on Colonial America, students examine an eighteenth–century business through a case study of a successful silversmith who lived in Colonial Williamsburg. In small groups, students use primary source documents (advertisements) and artifacts to identify the business strategies used by the silversmith. They then translate a historic contract between a master and an apprentice and examine how colonial apprenticeships compare with present–day job pursuits.

Program 13 Making a Difference Through Giving

Darlene Jones–Inge is a fourth–grade teacher at O'Hearn Elementary School located in Boston's inner city. Ms. Jones–Inge, a teacher for 10 years, presents a complex lesson that focuses on the theme of giving. Ms. Jones–Inge has students work in teams to determine a meaningful service project addressing the needs within their school, community, country, or world. Through thoughtful voting and collaborative decision making, students must determine the goal and scale of their project.

Program 14 Understanding Stereotypes

Libby Sinclair is a fourth– and fifth–grade teacher at Alternative Elementary School #2 in Seattle, Washington. In her lesson, Ms. Sinclair asks her students to define the term "stereotype" from a variety of perspectives. At the beginning of the lesson, Ms. Sinclair has students brainstorm individually and in groups to understand how stereotypes have affected their lives and their learning. After recognizing that the contribution of Negro baseball leagues has been omitted from the history of baseball, students thoughtfully plan and execute a letter campaign to contact text publishers.

Program 15 A Standards Overview, 6-8

Lessons from grade 6–8 classrooms illustrate how the NCSS standards and themes can be integrated into the middle school curriculum. Middle school teachers explore a number of expectations and outcomes in their lessons and build on the fundamentals established in the elementary grades. Themes of civics, political science, and history begin to take on more meaning as the content in these lessons connects to students' lives.

Program 16 Explorations in Archeology and History

Gwen Larsen teaches sixth–grade social studies at Harbor School in Boston, Massachusetts. In her introductory lesson, Ms. Larsen guides students through an exploration of their family histories, leading to their place in the larger human family and the development of civilizations. Ms. Larsen's students work in groups to differentiate between fossils and artifacts. The lesson concludes with student presentations of their own family heirlooms.

Program 17 Exploring Geography Through African History

Lisa Farrow is a seventh–grade world cultures teacher at Shiloh Middle School in a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland. Ms. Farrow's lesson provides her students with an understanding of African history and geography. After creating a personal timeline, the students create a historical timeline of Africa, focusing on the Bantu migrations, the rise of Islam, the West African trading empires, the Turkish empire, the slave trade, and European colonialism. Students take an active role in group work as they create maps and captions that define each period. Ms. Farrow concentrates on the importance of the trading empires and their connection to Africa's history as a whole.

Program 18 The Amistad Case

Gary Fisher is a teacher at Timilty Middle School in the urban community of Roxbury, Massachusetts, part of the greater Boston area. In his eighth–grade U.S. history class, Mr. Fisher examines the history of African American slavery through a dramatic mock trial based on the Amistad case in 1839. Serving as the defense, prosecution, judges, and other historical characters in the trial, students develop their cases and present them in a formal court setting created in their classroom. In his class, Mr. Fisher collaborates with the Spanish teacher who provides special support for second–language learners.

Program 19 Population and Resource Distribution

Becky Forristal teaches seventh–grade economics at Rockwood Valley Middle School, 20 miles outside St. Louis, Missouri. Her lesson focuses on a population simulation that explores world economics, demonstrating the inequalities in land, food, energy, and wealth distribution in the world today. Using a global map on the classroom floor, students are able to visualize how resources are distributed in both wealthy and under–developed nations of the world.

Program 20 Landmark Supreme Court Cases

Wendy Ewbank teaches seventh and eighth grade at Madrona School in Bellevue, Washington. In a civics lesson on landmark Supreme Court cases, the students focus on the tension between the rights of the individual and the good of society. In the lesson, students work in groups, presenting various cases to the class in the form of a press conference. Key issues include the right to privacy, equal protection, and the First Amendment. On day two, students hold a town meeting to discuss whether the burning of the American flag is protected under the right to freedom of speech. Ms. Ewbank provides clear rubrics, which help students understand the expectations and goals for the lesson.

Program 21 The Middle East Conflict

Justin Zimmerman is a sixth-grade teacher at Magnolia School in Joppa, Maryland, about 30 miles north of Baltimore. Mr. Zimmerman explores the claims to land in the Middle East from three major religions — Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. After learning about the geography of the area, the students begin to explore the region's political unrest and discuss the controversy over control of the land of Israel. Through this lesson, the students begin to make connections that relate their own lives to the political and religious struggle.

Program 22 A Standards Overview, 9-12

This program shows a variety of complex topics from high school lessons, illustrating how the NCSS standards and themes can be integrated into teaching in grades 9–12. Teachers will be able to see how the curriculum can be expanded to address complex issues and content in meaningful ways and become much more sophisticated in exploring all areas of social studies.

Program 23 Public Opinion and the Vietnam War

Liz Morrison is a ninth–grade American history teacher at Parkway South High School in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. In a lesson on the Vietnam War, Ms. Morrison explores how public opinion was shaped by key events. Students create a timeline and work in groups to discover how public opinion changed from approval to disapproval. The students view television footage from this period and listen to popular music that reflects both sides of public opinion. Ms. Morrison helps her students make connections from the Vietnam War to their world today.

Program 24 Migration From Latin America

Mavis Weir teaches 10th–grade history at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, California. In this lesson, students explore the various reasons people emigrate from their homeland. The class is broken up into six separate groups, each representing a different Latin American country with its own set of resources. Using both primary and secondary sources, students examine the economic, political, and environmental circumstances that cause people to emigrate. Each group presents their findings through a variety of creative presentations that include theatrical skits, artwork, and music.

Program 25 Competing Ideologies

Wendell Brooks is a teacher at the diverse Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California. Mr. Brooks' ninth–grade history class focuses on a variety of political ideologies present during the period of World War I. His class includes lively discussion on capitalism, communism, totalitarianism, and Nazism, as portrayed by leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini. In his lesson, Mr. Brooks incorporates a Socratic discussion into his lesson, as well as group activities and presentations.

Program 26 Economic Dilemmas and Solutions

Steven Page is a 12th–grade economics teacher at Vivian Gaither Senior High School in Tampa, Florida. In this lesson, students review and interpret the government's role in the economy. Working in groups, students examine economic dilemmas, including the implications of human cloning, year–round schooling, and drug legalization. Students then reach consensus on a "proper" economic decision and present their findings in the form of a skit, followed by a group discussion.

Program 27 Gender-Based Distinctions

Tim Rockey teaches 12th–grade American government and politics at Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Mr. Rockey reviews the concept of civil rights, with a focus on women's rights. Students evaluate the "reasonableness" standard as set by the court and come to understand where the court has drawn the line for gender–based decisions. They explore the following questions: Can public taverns cater only to men? Can females be excluded from contact sports? And can a state military college exclude women? After examining Supreme Court cases, students render a judgment as to the validity of the standard of equal rights.

Program 28 The Individual in Society

Brian Poon is a teacher at Brookline High School in metropolitan Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. Poon's 12th–grade philosophy lesson focuses on the role of the individual in society. Based on readings by various philosophers, including Reinhold Niebuhr, Thomas Hobbes, Mao Zedong, Martha Nussbaum, and Plato, students apply the philosophers' viewpoints to solve the dilemmas of a fictitious nation called "Fenway." They then participate in a dynamic class discussion about how to integrate the best philosophical ideas to address Fenway's problems.

Program 29 Issues in Social Studies: Groups, Projects, and Presentations

This program examines how social studies teachers in any grade level can use groups, projects, and presentations to help students become actively involved in their learning. Topics range from structuring groups to creating scoring guides and rubrics. Through examples of cooperative learning, decision making, and problem solving, teachers can examine how to use groups, projects, and presentations to promote powerful learning.

Program 30 Issues in Social Studies: Unity and Diversity

This program examines how social studies teachers in any grade level can embrace both unity and diversity in their classrooms. Topics range from exploring democratic values to building awareness of student diversity. Through examples of students connecting with one another and embracing the different cultures within their community, teachers can reflect on how to best address issues of unity and diversity in their classroom.

Program 31 Issues in Social Studies: Dealing With Controversial Issues

This program examines how social studies teachers in any grade level can encourage open and informed discussions with their students while dealing with controversial issues. Topics range from stereotypes and gender–based discrimination to the conflict in the Middle East. Through clearly identifying issues, listening to multiple perspectives, and formulating personal positions, teachers can explore a variety of strategies that can be used to teach challenging issues such as these in their own classrooms.

Program 32 Issues in Social Studies: Creating Effective Citizens

This program explores how social studies teachers in any grade level can help their students develop the democratic values that will make them effective and responsible citizens. Teachers are shown helping students see their community in a broader sense and inspiring them to think about ways they can make a difference. The classroom lessons emphasize how civic processes work, how to discuss issues from multiple perspectives, and how teachers can inspire their students to take social action.

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