"America's Story for America's Children" is a graded series of readers intended to prepare for the regular study of history and to supplement it. Care has been taken to give prominence to the elements of life and personality and picturesqueness, so as to develop centres of interest which more advanced and systematic study will bring into…

Secondary students interpret a primary source document from the National Archives--the Tonkin Gulf Resolution--and are involved in activities which will help them understand the Tonkin Gulf incident in the context of the Vietnam War. Background information is provided. (RM)

Describes a lesson for use in U.S. or world history courses to help secondary students understand how common human concerns and problems have been reflected in codes of law that have been created over time. Students read about and compare the Code of Hammurabi, Mosaic Law, and Roman Law. (AM)

This course for middle and high school teachers uses video, online text, classroom activities, and Web-based activities to explore American history from the Pre-Columbian era through Reconstruction. The video programs are divided into three segments: (1) "Historical Perspectives," an overview of the historical era; (2) "Faces of America," in which…

An annotated bibliography of literary works appropriate for elementary students and instructional materials for use with the literature are contained in this teacher sourcebook. Materials can be divided into two categories, historical fiction and works by Vermont authors, and may be used for a thematic approach to literature or for a study of…

In 1875, a man fishing in the isolated Trout River of California discovered several large gold nuggets. This lesson plan asks fourth-grade students to develop a plan to avoid another 1849 gold rush. The plan is to design a new town while considering transportation, housing, food and goods for the miners, and the preservation of the area's…

A teaching unit is presented for fourth-grade students to learn about Indiana history during the period of 1850-1865. Designed for three to five class periods, the materials include an Oliver P. Morton biography packet, a timeline activity, crossword puzzles, sentence completion worksheet, and an essay test. (DB)

This scope and sequence guide to Social Studies, grades 1 through 5, for the Duval County Public Schools (Jacksonville, Florida) deals with three categories: (1) a scope and sequence listing states, for each grade, a central theme with primary and secondary ideas; (2) performance objectives are based on the primary and secondary ideas; and (3) a…

Fifteen major concepts form the basis of the New York State schools K-12 social studies program. They are: (1) change, (2) choice, (3) citizenship, (4) culture, (5) diversity, (6) empathy, (7) environment, (8) human rights, (9) identity, (10) interdependence, (11) justice, (12) political system, (13) power, (14) scarcity, and (15) technology. The…

This teaching manual, designed to accompany a Wisconsin State television series, focuses on that State's rural black families and their lives in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The manual begins with notes on its organization and use, as well as major objectives for students who study the material presented. Four units follow. Unit 1 explores…

This guide contains resources gathered by the Department of the Army to celebrate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. Within the document, there are brief historical facts about: (1) the Constitutional Convention; (2) the early years of the Constitutional government; and (3) the U.S. Army of the 1780s and 1790s. There are also condensed…

By completing these activities, secondary students will learn about the concepts of specialization, comparative advantage, and interdependence as they pertain to their own lives, the lives of Arkansans, the lives of Americans, and the lives of people in other nations. Some examples of the activities follow. Students take inventory of foreign made…

Advocates a topical approach to teaching United States history as more practical and effective than a chronological approach. Briefly explores the topics of reform, expansion, revolution, and the presidency; and shows how they could be used to teach about nineteenth century U.S. history. (Author/AEM)

Offers a review of various authors' interpretations of historical mindedness and perspective. Lists ten educational outcomes achieved through the development of historical mindedness and concludes that its development provides a frame of reference in which a more balanced and comprehensive view of life is cultivated. (JDH)

Proposes several guidelines for using documents in U.S. history classes. Emphasizes that any document used must enhance the instruction of a specific unit or lesson objective. Offers a model for using primary source documents in the classroom. (RKM)