In this article, one of the authors talks about a local history project that she gave to second grade students. The students were given the responsibility of using primary and secondary sources to research significant historical figures in the history of DeKalb County, Illinois. DeKalb has been described as "an urban community in a rural…

Designed to help Illinois teachers bring local history into the secondary social studies classroom, this manual contains reproductions of 38 county records from the years 1818 to 1880. Each document, which is reproduced in an original and typewritten form, is accompanied by a teacher's guide containing an outline of the historical context of the…

Presents a complete lesson plan examining the 1908 race riot in Springfield, Illinois. Background material covers the African American community in Springfield, as well as the incident. Handouts include a map showing the black neighborhoods in Springfield and a questionnaire concerning moral decision making. (MJP)

Intended as an example of the kind of material that a student doing research on the Progressive Era might find at a local historical society or in the files of a hometown or city newspaper, this article details the philanthropic efforts of women living in the Chicago area in the early 1900s. (JDH)

Encapsulates a complete lesson plan suitable for secondary, U.S. history, social studies, or African American history courses. Begins with a concise overview of the development of a residential and business community among the African Americans in post-Civil War Cairo, Illinois. Includes teaching suggestions, learning activities, and handouts.…

This document consists of six lesson plans and primary source materials on the history of black people in the Illinois cities of Bloomington and Normal. The plans were developed for the Bloomington-Normal Black History Project which concentrates on recovering and recording the history of blacks in those two cities. These pilot editions are…

History instructors working in a community college face two major challenges. First, to make history interesting and relevant to the students, many of whom have to take history courses as a requirement. And second, to fulfill one of the missions of a community college which is to forge a connection between the school and the people in the local…

A case study of school development in Jackson County, Illinois, from 1870 to 1976 is presented in this monograph. Settlement in southern Illinois and establishment of Jackson County are discussed briefly. The study of the educational history of the county is divided into three chronological sections. The educational heritage section, 1818-1854,…