Thus, this study examines two beginning teachers' perceptions of a high-stakes test in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Data analysis revealed that the teachers' perceptions towards the test had changed during their first year of teaching. This issue is important because how first-year history teachers perceive and respond to the high stakes tests…

Describes relations between the early colonists in Virginia and the Powhatan Indians. Argues that, in any exploration of intercultural relationships, one must recognize the impact and importance of native initiative. Suggests that the ethnohistorical perspective requires sensitivity to the cultural integrity of natives' decisions and the effects…

This unit explores Virginia society between 1640 and 1680. By examining copies of original documents, students study the causes of Bacon's Rebellion in 1676. Although the rebellion was a failure, understanding the reasons for the conflict gives insight into colonial Virginia. Students learn that Virginia was initially a predominantly male society…

The backwoods county seat of Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina, was the site of a pivotal battle on March 15, 1781, in the Revolutionary War's decisive southern campaign. The engagement set the stage for the region's liberation from enemy occupation and impelled British general Lord Charles Cornwallis to take the ill-fated road that led him to…

Over the past two decades, interest in Holocaust education has grown substantially as individual states, starting in the 1980s, began to mandate and/or recommend Holocaust studies as part of the social studies curriculum. As a result, these mandates and/or interest in the Holocaust have spawned any number of curriculum products, some of which seek…

Presents a secondary school lesson plan about Jennie Dean and the founding of the Manassas (VA) Industrial School in the late 1880s. Provides historical background for the lesson, step-by-step instructional procedures, four primary source photographs, and three student handouts. (CFR)

Public history encompasses many fields of study--historic preservation, archival management, museum work, editing, archaeology, genealogy, public administration of historic resources--and is one of the fastest growing areas of departmental curriculum development on college and university campuses. Programs in public history are designed to produce…

This document from the Virginia Department of Education reports on a project to enable public schools to meet requirements of two laws. The first law required public schools to emphasize instruction on the documents of Virginia and United States history and government. The second requested that all public schools be urged to display copies of the…

Presents an interview with historian Cary Carson of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and author William Styron on the role of history in society. Outlines the once-proposed Disney history theme park near Mannassas, Virginia. Discusses historical interpretation, museums, historical sites, and popular history. (CFR)

Presents a lesson plan based on the military decisions made at the Battle of Manassas, or Bull Run, in the Civil War. Provides historical background and outlines the military strategies of both the North and South. Includes role-playing description handouts and possible choices for students involved in the role-playing. (CFR)

Presents a biographical sketch and teaching activities on the life of Thomas Jefferson. Asserts that the world's political geography changed dramatically during his lifetime and presents a classroom lesson on this topic. Includes a chronology of Jefferson's life and six quotations exemplifying his political and social views. (CFR)

These two issues of "Virginia Resolves" provide articles of interest to the social studies reader and provides ideas for social studies instruction and curriculum. The fall issue features seven articles: (1) "Death and the Young Child" (Rosanne J. Marek); (2) "Simulations: Bibliography for the Middle and Elementary…

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. By studying a crucial turning point in history students become aware that choices had to be made by real human beings, that those decisions were the result of specific factors, and that they set in motion a series…

Recounts the experience of researching community history in Ivanhoe, Virginia, between 1987 and 1990. The Ivanhoe History Project involved community members in collecting photographs, memorabilia, and oral histories of their town. Subsequent published volumes won the W. D. Weatherford Award and inspired a quilt exhibit and a theatrical production.…

What do Matthew Brady, Carrie Chapman Catt, Ansel Adams, Orson Welles, and J. Howard Miller have to do with the 100 milestone documents? A few hints: Matthew Brady created the first photographic documentation of a war. Carrie Chapman Catt was the president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in 1920. Orson Welles produced plays for…