Describes teacher developed materials that will acquaint secondary students with the human aspects of war. The materials use fiction and the emotional impact of drama. Samples of dramatic scripts developed by the author for use in his school's Remembrance Day are included. (RM)

Describes interactional drama as an instructional technique designed to make history more interesting and meaningful to children. Discusses several types of interactional scenarios. Provides two examples for teachers interested in implementing an interactional drama scene to the classroom. (RW)

Presents a plan for using melodrama for teaching about the Progressive era. Argues that the melodrama can be a method for historical research. Explains procedures, guidelines on design, and evaluation methods. Includes a sample melodrama, outline handout, observation form, and review form. (SG)

Looks back on an unusual history through drama project. (Editor)

Reports on a role-playing activity concerning the U.S. Constitutional Convention. Explains how the program evolved through discussion, planning, organization, research, rehearsal, dress rehearsal, and performance. Identifies ensuring that people read and understand the Constitution's contents and origins as the major reason for the activity.…

An intensive five-day all-day humanities course on 18th century thought and culture for eighth graders that involved 11 different departments is described. The course helped students recognize that what they were taught in one class could reinforce and illuminate what they were learning in another course. (RM)

Discusses an elementary teacher's use of educational skits in history instruction. Describes the preparation of skit scripts. Observes that children who grow up passively watching television need encouragement to become actively involved in learning. Suggests that rehearsing the past may be the best way to prepare for the future. (SG)

Suggests that teachers can enliven their world history classroom through debates, plays, improvisations, readings, and drama. Describes how to use drama to enhance the study of the ordinary citizen of the Napoleonic era. (DB)

Describes creating for the National Archives Public Education Department a historical drama, "Second in the Realm," based on the story of the Magna Carta. Demonstrates the effectiveness of historical drama as a teaching tool. Explains the difficulties of writing such dramas and provides guidelines for overcoming these problems. (NL)

These curriculum units were developed in a National Endowment for the Humanities 1994 summer seminar "Mexico in Transition." The 23 lessons are written in Spanish. Lessons are entitled: (1) "La Migracion Mexicana Vista a Traves del Cuento 'Paso del Norte' de Juan Rulfo" (Jose Jorge Armendariz); (2) "Los Grupos Indigenas de…

A teachers' guide is presented that accompanies the video production of "The Other Boston Tea Party," a play used to teach about the U.S. Constitution and American legal and political systems. The play combines a comedy of manners with an historical approach to the issues surrounding the Federalist/Anti-Federalist debate over…

Provides a lesson plan on the Great Depression in which students examine the social, economic, and political events of the period through a study of radio broadcasting. Describes an activity in which students research the era and create a radio broadcast. Outlines activity guidelines, radio language, and evaluation methods. (RW)

Suggests promoting student critical thinking and motivation through the dramatization of U.S. history. Explains that the exercises make use of old newspaper articles, diaries, and letters, as well as physical artifact facsimiles. Discusses an activity in which students acted out the formation of the Iroquois nation, then wrote first person…

Suggests assigning students to construct moving panoramas as a means of learning about nineteenth-century U.S. history. Explains procedures for developing and presenting the panoramas. Identifies evaluation methods. Argues that the activity can stimulate student curiosity, provide a creative means for orchestrating facts, and make history become…

Strategies and techniques for teaching history and stimulating secondary school students' awareness of and interest in the past is the focus of this document. Using drama as a tool enhances learning and maintains interest and attention by designing and acting out appropriate settings, historical circumstances, dramatic action, and historical…