This teaching unit is composed of six parts: (1) content outline, (2) unit goals, (3) objectives, (4) activities, (5) evaluation plan, and (6) bibliography. The content of the unit centers on the lives of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Specifically it investigates what made these men exceptional heroes, and it differentiates between facts…

The three chapters in Unit 2 of a six-unit series on Indiana state history designed to be taught in Indiana secondary schools chronicle the need for rewriting the Constitution of 1816, the events of the Constitutional Convention of 1850-51, and the details of the new constitution. Chapter 1 explains the reasons that Hoosiers wanted a new…

This teacher's guide accompanies the Indiana Studies: Hoosier History, Government, and People series, units 1-6, designed to be taught in Indiana secondary schools. The guide summarizes the main points that the teacher should emphasize in each chapter of each unit, and suggests resource material to accompany the chapter. Suggested teaching…

This essay discusses useful techniques for the presentation of college courses on television, based on the author's year-long programming of television courses in American history. Suggestions include comments on program organization, effective use of visual aids, pacing the lecture, methods of on-camera relaxation, and working with the program…

In many classrooms, the textbook becomes the main source used to determine objectives, procedures, opinions, questions, thoughts, and other items used in teaching U.S. history. This study was done to determine how the Reconstruction Era was presented in a selected group of junior high school U.S. history textbooks. The books were classified…

A theme issue of the Iowa State Historical Department magazine focuses on elementary readings and activities about prehistoric Iowa. The issue contains a total of 16 articles. In "History Makers," a ten-year-old recounts his family's discovery of a mammoth bone on their farm. "Imagine a Camping Trip Long Ago" looks at how the…

Lists, describes, and offers ordering information about videotapes/films, journals, texts, and organizations that can serve as classroom or school resources for teaching about the American black experience. Includes resources keyed to black Catholic interests. (DMM)

When teachers raise the subject of human rights, they must do so in a realistic manner that takes into account the complexities involved. To teach this topic sentimentally or superficially is to mislead young citizens about the nature of world politics and foreign policy. (RM)

This primary source document can be used to teach secondary students about the rock 'n' roll era that emerged in the 1950's. The document is a letter written in 1958 by three teenagers to President Eisenhower concerning the induction of Elvis Presley into the U.S. Army. Class activities are also suggested. (RM)

The letters in this unit of study intended for secondary students are facsimile reproductions of the correspondence between Albert Einstein and President Roosevelt on the possibility of constructing an atomic bomb. Classroom activities are also suggested. (RM)

A secondary history teacher describes how he uses rock and roll music to help students study and interpret modern American history. Besides being a lot of fun to teach, a rock unit makes students realize that even contemporary music has a place in history. (RM)

Because the Daughters of the American Revolution's (DAR) Black exclusion rule prevented Black singer Marion Anderson from performing in the DAR auditorium in 1939, Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the organization. Primary source materials regarding this incident and learning activities for secondary level students are presented. (RM)

The Star of the Republic Museum (Washington, Texas), the Historical Museum of the Texas Republic, has created lesson plans to enhance student understanding of Texas state history. Regardless of the opportunity to visit the museum, the lessons can enrich the classroom experience by making objects from the museum accessible to students. The…

These learning activities can help students get the most out of a visit to the Tennessee World War II Memorial, a group of ten pylons located in Nashville (Tennessee). Each pylon contains informational text about the events of World War II. The ten pylons are listed as: (1) "Pylon E-1--Terror: America Enters the War against Fascism, June…

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which brought an official end to the Mexican American War (1846-1848) was signed on February 2, 1848. Nicholas Trist, chief clerk of the U.S. Statement Department at the time, negotiated the peace treaty in defiance of 1845-1849 President James K. Polk. Trist believed that Mexico must surrender fully, including…