This article presents two lessons. The first one is "Carved in Stone: The Preamble to the Constitution" by Steven S. Lapham. In 1937, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) commissioned artist Lenore Thomas to create some sculptures for the planned community of Greenbelt, Maryland. Part of her work consisted of bas-relief friezes on the…

Many history professors have been reluctant to authorize students to use Wikipedia in their classwork because they do not fully trust the open source encyclopedia. But as increasing numbers of scholars and teachers work with Wikipedia, its influence becomes undeniable. In this article, the author describes how Wikipedia works and how she made…

This primary source kit offers history teachers the opportunity to use primary sources from the Maryland Historical Society to activate student interest in United States history and to encourage participation in National History Day. This source kit features original documents, images, maps, oral histories, broadsides, and a variety of other…

This primary source kit supports the study of history in the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Each primary source selected for the kit, whether it be a photograph, a broadside, a map, or a private letter, reflects a meaningful part of Maryland and U.S. history. The kit provides educators with an opportunity to use primary documents from…

Unfortunately, many students, are failing to learn history. Fifty-seven percent of high school students scored "below basic understanding" on their knowledge of United States history. Interestingly, less than half of the students were familiar with Patrick Henry, the War of 1812, the Marshall Plan, or the Great Society. Perhaps the time…

This primary source kit supports the study of history in the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Each primary source selected for the kit, whether it be a photograph, a broadside, a map, or a private letter, reflects a meaningful part of the state of Maryland and U.S. history. The kit provides educators with an opportunity to use primary…

By the beginning of the 20th century, most of the hills near the Hunting Creek water gap in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains had been stripped of their trees and bore only scars of erosion caused by successive groups of settlers. Starting in the 1930s, people began to reclaim the land. The story of how the area regained its forest is the story of…

Argues that historic sites permit students literally to make a connection to earlier people that cannot be duplicated in a classroom. Describes how visits to Curtin Village (Pennsylvania), a Juniata River canal (Pennsylvania), the Gettysburg battlefield (Pennsylvania), and the Antietam battlefield (Maryland) are incorporated into a study of U. S.…

This teacher's guide complements the primary source kits that support the study of history in the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Each primary source selected for the kits, whether it be a photograph, a broadside, a map, or a private letter, reflects a meaningful part of Maryland and U.S. history. The kit may be used to: introduce new…

Suggests using local history, primary source material, and comparative history to alleviate the boredom most students experience when studying the Reconstruction period of U.S. history. Provides an example of comparative history usage through a discussion of ante-bellum Maryland and the history of Liberia. (KO)