The book is organized into three sections–the first orients the reader to the mission of social studies education to the increasingly diverse children we teach, the second concentrates on the curriculum, and the third deals with instruction, how we plan and teach this curriculum.  Three central themes continue to pervade the book–democratic citizenship, diversity, and the social sciences–to ultimately encourage teachers to excite their students about closing the gap between social realities and democratic ideals.  An exceptionally strong chapter on multicultural issues (Chapter 2) helps future teachers truly understand the changing demographics of the American classroom.

Abridged NCSS standards and their classroom applications are automatically packaged with every copy of the book.