This essential overview gives teachers all the content knowledge they need to teach social studies. A great supplement for students who need to prepare for teacher certification content exams, this concise yet comprehensive reference book provides all of the necessary elementary school content information on history, geography, economics, and government. It is a must-have for all pre-service and in-service elementary and middle school teachers who may not be experts in the field of social studies. The history chapter is arranged chronologically within regions of the world and covers early humans through the twenty-first century. The book ends with substantial resource lists for teachers and students, as well as a thorough index. Noteworthy features of the book include:

• Provides valuable resources for planning content lessons
• Updates the Internet resources for each content area for easily researched and accurate information
• Gives teachers at-a-glance social studies information in the user-friendly and complete index
• ""Educational Resources"" for each content area, located at the end of each chapter, provide pedagogical grounding for the content covered in the chapter.
• ""Student Resources"" at the end of each content chapter offer suggestions for further research.

Penelope Fritzer is a former public school teacher who is an Associate Professor at Florida Atlantic University. She earned a B. A. in History at Connecticut College, a B.A. in Education and an M.A. in English at Florida Atlantic University, and the Ph.D. in English at the University of Miami. She is the author of numerous articles on education and many books, including "Math Content forElementary and Middle School Teachers "and "Science Content for Elementary and Middle School Teachers," both from Allyn & Bacon. Ernest Andrew Brewer is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Florida Atlantic University. He earned a B.A. and an M.E. in Elementary Education from the University of Florida, Gainesville, and an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Central Florida, Orlando. He has written many articles on social studies education in the elementary schools. He is a member of the American Bar Association and was a nominee for the national Sallie Mae Award for Outstanding First Year Teacher in 1995.