AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE BY A GROUP OF HISTORIANS TO DEVISE AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE INTRODUCTORY COLLEGE SURVEY COURSE IN AMERICAN HISTORY THAT WOULD GIVE THE STUDENT A MORE REALISTIC IDEA OF HOW HISTORY IS WRITTEN, AND RESCUE HIM FROM HIS PRESENT ESSENTIALLY PASSIVE ROLE OF ABSORBER OR COMMENTATOR AND FREE HIM TO "DO" HISTORY. THE PROJECT TOOK…

Old Sturbridge in central Massachusetts, a recreated New England Village of the period 1790-1840, is a museum of the past which includes a learning center with reproductions of artifacts used in the period, with demonstration areas, and a teacher center where resource materials for class use are available. (MF)

Presents Web sites useful for teaching about the Salem (Massachusetts) witchcraft trials. Includes Web sites that offer primary source material, collections of Web sites, teaching material, and sites that are interactive, including features, such as QuickTime movies. (CMK)

This lesson is based on the John F. Kennedy National Historic Site (Massachusetts), the birthplace of President John F. Kennedy. The lesson can be used as a biographical study, an introduction to the Kennedy presidency and the turbulent sixties, or as part of a unit on post-World War II U.S. history. Primary and secondary sources are included for…

Describes the film, "Glory," that focuses on the experience of the Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Infantry. Discusses topics and issues, such as racial relations viewed within the film. Asserts that this film helps students question the role of film makers when depicting history on the screen. (CMK)

This lesson describes and discusses the Battle of Bunker Hill (Massachusetts), which took place during the Revolutionary War. The lesson plan contains eight sections: (1) "About this Lesson"; (2) "Getting Started: Inquiry Question"; (3) "Setting the Stage: Historical Context"; (4) "Locating the Site: Maps"…

Contends that, although the topic of sports and leisure seems suited for study primarily at the national level, local communities can be rich sources of information. Describes the role of sports history within the overall work of the Needham (Massachusetts) Historical Society. (CFR)

Contends that what a society does publicly to entertain itself reveals shared values. Maintains that public entertainment in Worcester (Massachusetts) prior to the War of 1812 was limited largely to Sundays, court days, and the Fourth of July. Describes changes in entertainment and social values after the War of 1812. (CFR)

This article describes a project that integrated technology into a classroom unit as part of a project (Project MEET) sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Education. The project goals were linked to the Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework that focuses on the differences between work and play, and was based on the use of…

There are English, math, science, and other core subjects, and there are young minds. Schools of education are supposed to prepare and furnish the guides who bring the former into the latter, but the bankrupt ideology they impart to educators obstructs that transfer. Sandra Stotsky says that if we give the job of training teachers to the…

Describes one teacher's evolving beliefs about teaching cultural diversity: she has moved from a traditional textbook-oriented formula for teaching U.S. history to one that uses a greater breadth of materials and resources. Student writing reflects critical thinking about and understanding of the points of view of many diverse interest groups. (JB)

A local history course offered as a semester elective to seniors has as its purpose the study of the local community as a microcosm of the United States. The basic principle is to reinforce what the student has already learned in previous history courses. The course proceeds through a chronological sequence of units about various periods of the…

Presents a lesson plan using material from a primary source-based curriculum kit titled "The World of Barilla Taylor." The kit uses personal letters, maps, hospital and work records, and other primary sources to document the life of a young woman working in the textile mills in 19th-century Massachusetts. (MJP)