This theme issue of "The Goldfinch" focuses on weather in Iowa and weather lore. The bulletin contains historical articles, fiction, activities, and maps. The table of contents lists: (1) "Wild Rosie's Map"; (2) "History Mystery"; (3) "Iowa's Weather History"; (4) "Weather Wonders"; (6)…

The "Goldfinch" is a magazine that introduces children to different aspects of Iowa history. Each issue contains articles that provide in-depth knowledge of a topic about Iowa. The focus of this issue is orphan trains in Iowa it introduces readers to some of the people heroes of modern history who rode the trains west between 1854 and…

The parage of foreign policy usually skipped rural Iowa, but on September 23, 1959, the eyes of the nation focused on Coon Rapids. Invited guests, curious onlookers, anxious reporters and photographers surrounded Roswell and Elizabeth Garst's white, wooden farmhouse. More than 700 National Guardsmen lined the highway between Des Moines and Garst's…

This theme issue explores the changes in Iowa's environment. When Native Americans lived in Iowa hundreds of years ago, the land was rich in tall grasslands, fertile soil, wildlife, wetlands, and unpolluted waters. When European-American pioneers settled Iowa in 1833, they changed the environment in order to survive. The first article in this…

This issue of the "Goldfinch" focuses on the Iowa state fair. The magazine begins with a map of the fair as it looks today. The article explains that the first Iowa state fair was held in 1854. After traveling from town to town for several years, the fair settled in the capital city of Des Moines in 1878. Eight years later, in 1886, the…

Prepared for middle school students, this magazine issue covers presidential campaigns, the election process, and Herbert Hoover, an Iowan native. The articles include: (1) "Meet Clara Bell, 1848"; (2) "On the Campaign Trail"; (3) "Caucus Spotlight" (K. B. Brosseau); (4) "Kids Ask the Candidates"; (5)…

Prepared by teachers, school librarians, and subject authorities, this bibliography serves as a source of materials for teaching the history, tradition, and literature of the state of Iowa in the elementary and secondary grades. The listing is divided into two sections. The first section contains citations to print and non-print sources, excluding…

This is a condensed version of a report of a survey of secondary history courses and teachers in Iowa. The survey was undertaken as an initial step toward understanding and improving Iowa history instruction. Data was gathered from the Department of Public Instruction. Questionnaires were sent to every superintendent and to every high school…

This issue of the children's quarterly magazine, "The Goldfinch," focuses on newspapers in Iowa's history. Articles address Iowa's pioneer press, a tiny newspaper published by a pair of Iowa brothers, and handwritten newspapers. Activities, fictional accounts, and nonfictional articles address the importance of newspapers in Iowa's past…

The life and experiences of Herbert Hoover are examined in this lesson from the period when he was growing up in Iowa to when he was the administrator of aid to starving and suffering children in Europe during World War I. The lesson about Hoover as a Quaker schoolboy and as administrator of the Belgian Relief Commission is based on the National…

This issue of "The Goldfinch" focuses on Iowa history. The booklet is divided into two sections. Section 1, "Features," contains the following: (1) "Looking for History"; (2) "Talking History"; (3) "Climbing the Family Tree"; (4) "Tribal Storytelling"; (5) "News About You"; (6)…

Designed for use with intermediate students, this unit presents eight 45-minute lessons in which students learn about Iowa's history, economic factors, governmental functions, geography, and people. Although the unit is intended primarily for fifth grade students residing in Iowa, it can be used as a model for those interested in developing…

Prepared by teachers, school librarians, and subject authorities, this bibliography supplementing an earlier publication includes materials for the teaching of Iowa history, tradition, and literature in elementary and secondary schools. Divided into two sections, the first lists materials on Iowa history according to Dewey classification. Entries…

In 1988 the State Historical Society of Iowa appointed a Blue Ribbon task force composed of 45 Iowans to study the teaching of Iowa history at all levels of the educational system and to make recommendations. The task force formed committees to study in detail four specific areas of concern: (1) comparable studies of other states; (2) curriculum;…

The document describes a thesis project which focused on the development of a teacher resource guide as an aid in high school instruction of Iowa history. The objective was to increase students' awareness of Iowa through an examination of the state's current and past development. The project is presented in five chapters. Chapter I states the…