First graders engaged in an extended historical inquiry. Close readings of secondary and primary sources evoked rich class discussion. Scaffolding directed students' scrutiny of secondary sources for historical gaps; they ably detected source and intent within the primary sources. Students articulated newly constructed understandings through…

Serious history instruction in K-12 U.S. schools has been in decline for decades. History education in Massachusetts has, until now, fared somewhat better than in the nation at large. In 1993 the commonwealth enacted the Massachusetts Education Reform Act--a bipartisan plan to improve education--which mandated core standards and assessments in…

The purpose of this paper is to take a closer look at the states that have designed strong history standards and note what has made them exceptional so other states might do the same. They include Alabama, California, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, and South Carolina. The report draws on interviews with individuals from each state who sat on…

In this interpretative case study, the researcher examined the beliefs and practices of three social studies teachers related to their teaching of race in U.S. history at a racially and ethnically diverse urban high school. Using the theory of culturally relevant pedagogy as a lens, this study employed mixed methods, analyzing teacher interviews,…

In this study, the researcher examined student conceptions of "Whiteness" as it relates to past and present U.S. history. Using Critical Race Theory as the lens, this study employed mixed methods, analyzing teacher observations, classroom artifacts/student work, survey, and interview data from White students and students of color at an…

Metacom's War, also known as King Phillip's War, sets a pattern of national expansion through displacement of native people that echoes throughout American history. Helping students further understand this war through the examination of Mary Rowlandson's primary document provides educators and students with an opportunity to delve deeper into the…

This booklet takes children on a tour of one of the oldest and most historic State Houses in the nation, that of Massachusetts. The booklet explains that the State House is the workplace of the Governor, the Legislature, and constitutional officers. It offers a historical overview of the Massachusetts State House. The first one was built in 1712,…

This paper explores Samuel Adam's role as perhaps the most important propagandist of the American Revolution and his efforts to exploit Great Britain's mistakes and to engender in the American colonists a love of liberty and a fear that Great Britain, if not resisted, would replace that liberty with tyranny. Suggesting that the Revolutionary War…

With character education a continuing objective of social studies teaching, effective educators address that challenge by first understanding the principles of their discipline and the opportunities for examining character values. Next, strategy comes to the forefront as teachers directly focus on the men and women of history as a major ingredient…

Several theories are given that provide the history teacher with a vehicle to explain elements of Puritan society as revealed by belief in witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. (Author/JR)

Describes the practical and spiritual lives of Shaker women at the mid-nineteenth century height of the utopian community located at Harvard, Massachusetts. Also provides an extensive bibliography and general history of this religion. (JDH)

This collection of essays and short stories is designed to provide a glimpse of life in the factory for the women who worked in the cotton mills of Lowell, Massachusetts in the 1840s. The book, which contains two primary sources (i.e., materials written by contemporaries), and three secondary sources, begins with a brief introduction to the…

Describes a project, developed for elementary children, which compares childhood in 19th and 20th century New England. Study begins with patterns and characteristics of contemporary childhood, and proceeds to children taking roles as members of real families from the 1820s in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Use of the living museum, Old Sturbridge…

Presents information related to the attempts on discovering the true identity of Tituba. Focuses on theories presented about her identity and her role in the Salem (Massachusetts) witchcraft trials. Discusses the images of Tituba portrayed in literature and U.S. history. (CMK)

This lesson, which is based on a field trip to Lowell, Massachusetts, focuses on Lowell's preeminence as a textile weaving center beginning late in the 18th century. The lesson offers advice for managing the tour group, provides historical background on Lowell, the textile industry, and the United States and the world in general at the time, and…