This document contains eight newsletters prepared by the Minnesota Social History Project (MSHP), an experimental curriculum project in local social history. The newsletters offer classroom exercises, participant suggestions, and supportive essays designed for teachers working with the MSHP. The premise of the project is that "American history can be better taught and more actively learned by using the experiences of the people of a local community as a reflection of the national experience." Using the manuscript census as a basic document, teacher participants and their students collect original local historical data, interpret the data in light of traditional local sources, and compare local history with that of other areas. Section I describes the Individual Biography Card (IBC) and its uses in tabulating information, and presents an exercise using census figures relating to birthplace and immigration. The exercise in Section II involves students in the use of IBCs, attempting to develop a chronological life history for two families. Section III provides exercises based on methodological techniques used in the study of a city, emphasizing historical and geographical comparisons. Section IV studies the composition of the work force, while Section V provides an essay on working women. Section VI stresses the need for a systematic typology of rural communities based on multivariate analysis of characteristics. Three reports from teachers comprise Section VII. Section VIII presents an overview of the MSHP and suggestions for initiating and using one similar to it. (CK)