Holly Hiscox was concerned that many of her A-level students -- asked to evaluate three different historical interpretations for their non-examined assessment task -- still tended to hold unhelpful misconceptions about the nature of interpretations. In this article she explains how she created an introductory scheme of work to help them understand…

Where textbooks introduce readers to history via specific terminology and short passages, trade books present historical eras through relatable characters and engaging prose. For most topics, trade books are numerous enough for teachers to select multiple titles written at distinct reading levels to differentiate for diverse learners.…

This article explores what it means for history students to be "wrong" in the classroom, and the important role that error plays in teaching and learning. Student errors are nothing new to instructors. Nor do they often take much notice of them. Many instructors have been scholar-teachers long enough that they accept the inevitability of…

In searching for a way of teaching American history as something that truly belongs to women, and men, to the powerful as well as to those who lack power in a formal sense, as something that is not the story of white people with an interesting person of color charitably thrown in for good measure, Boisseau writes that while many influential…

Ji-li Jiang's extraordinary memoir "Red Scarf Girl" transports readers to a tumultuous time in Chinese history--the first two years of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Caught between conflicting forces--joining the Revolution's call for rebellion, protecting her family, and fitting in with her peers--Jiang describes how her…

Military activities have played a part in shaping the nature of contemporary Canada. The main books dealing with recent Canadian military history that might be of interest to high school students are discussed. (RM)

Describes how to use authentic documents and artifacts to make history and literature come to life, describing a fourth grade study of the Pilgrims that involves using an excerpt from a 1622 journal, "Mourt's Relation," published 2 years after the Mayflower sailed. Students translate the excerpt into modern English, then illustrate a…

This book includes a listing of literature for students that discusses explorers and exploration. The volume divides the last one thousand years into ten periods, each characterized by either geographical location or time frame. The progression is not smoothly chronological. Each chapter contains a brief narrative of the period as well as an…

The goal of this handbook is to introduce a way of teaching history that will stimulate student interest and facilitate learning. Trade books, which include both fiction and nonfiction, provide a way to supplement the use of the textbook and allow the teacher to design a program that provides both structure and the freedom to meet the child's…

Contends that historical geography helps teachers understand the link between history and geography. Presents an annotated bibliography of recommended geography books for teachers. Asserts that the most essential volume is an atlas of U.S. history. (CFR)

Information to help secondary history teachers select appropriate readings on three of the most important issues of the sixties--civil rights, the Vietnam War, and women's liberation--is provided. Significant books on these topics are discussed. (RM)

Contends that quality children's literature becomes an increasingly important part of teaching. Presents a list of 24 recommended books, divided into primary, intermediate, advanced, and teacher reference categories. (CFR)

Asserts that all students should know that African Americans make up an integral part of U.S. history. Reviews two books, "In My Father's House: Africa in the Philosophy of Culture," by Kwame Anthony Appiah and "Lure and Loathing: Essays on Race, Identity, and the Ambivalence of Assimilation," by Gerald Early (ed.). (CFR)

Maintains that U. S. history has produced a vast literature of books and journals covering political, social, and economic history. Presents a bibliographic listing of what the author considers the most authoritative and accessible thematic treatments of U.S. History and scholarship. (CFR)

Contends that, in acquainting history students with the concept of how people viewed their world, the idea of periodization becomes suspect. Asserts that the film, "The Return of Martin Guerre," is a significant learning resource for students of the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. (CFR)