In this article we identify opportunities for students to use timelines and textbooks to meet standards. Through the use of timelines, textbooks, and selected activities, upper elementary and middle school students are able to (1) be engaged in content area reading and writings; (2) understand large themes in social studies including time,…

Suggestions for a study unit on the Constitution, the times in which it was written, the Constitutional Convention, and how it affects children's lives today are offered. Resources are listed. (MT)

Discusses the rationale for establishing criteria for evaluating oral history interviews. Presents seven evaluation categories relating to oral history tapes and three categories relating to typescripts. (CK)

This article identifies six problems that teachers routinely encounter in teaching about the U.S. Constitution and suggests practical ways to overcome them. Among the problems covered are the heavy concept load and difficult reading level. (Author/BSR)

Suggestions for a study unit for intermediate grades on the Viking discovery of North America are offered. Class activities and resources are listed. (MT)

Provides guidelines for selecting primary source documents in high school history classes. Recommends that teachers: (1) clearly establish the purpose for reading, (2) provide background information on the document, (3) modify or shorten documents sparingly, and (4) include questions to focus student reading. (Author/JDH)

Provides a brief chronology of events which took place in the development of the statewide eighth grade assessment of history/social science in California. Describes the content of the tests and lists the names of the individuals who served on the various development committees. (JDH)

This module contains representative examples of native Puerto Rican men and women who have gained distinction in Puerto Rico. Following a pre- and postassessment test and list of learning alternatives are narratives presenting a brief biography of 27 Puerto Ricans. (MJM)

Describes the usefulness of including historical fiction on reading lists in high school history courses. Lists criteria for selection and instructional use of historical fiction, and provides a list of historical fiction appropriate for use in studying certain topics in United States history. (KH)

This teacher guide contains 14 sample lesson plans based on issues faced throughout American history and still being headlined in today's newspaper. The lesson plans include exploration and National Pride, Jefferson and Hamilton, Checks and Balances, Supply and Demand, Presidential Impeachment, Voting Rights, Historical Analogies, Predictions and…

This article offers ideas for using the local community to support instruction in history. Suggestions range from using a variety of local library resources to field trips and oral histories. (JDH)

Reviews the major ideas of humanistic psychology that have relevance for education. Provides practical suggestions for implementing these ideas in the high school history classroom. (JDH)

Provides ideas for sharpening the focus of teacher-moderated discussions in history classes. Asserts that students must be presented with a question that elicits solution of a problem ("Why did Lincoln wait so long before issuing the Emancipation Proclamation?") rather than factual recall ("What is the Emancipation Proclamation?"). Includes model…

Provides a review of the use of history textbooks in United States schools. Focuses special attention on studies which sought to determine the treatment of specific groups or themes in secondary history textbooks by applying content analysis techniques. Concludes that only a limited number of studies quantified the data upon which the analysis was…

Identifies current criticism of history instruction, provides a rationale for including history in the curriculum, details the benefits of history instruction, and briefly addresses three questions: What type of history will be studied? How will it be organized? and How will it be taught? (JDH)