This handbook was developed as an aid to secondary school Oklahoma educators interested in improving social studies education and helping students become responsible, participating citizens. It can easily be used by educators in other states. The handbook begins with a discussion of different kinds of teaching methods and briefly examines reasons…

Considers the impact of empirical social science methodology and data analysis techniques on the process of historical analysis and its product, generalizations about the past. Uses political preference and voting information as a vehicle to illustrate the differences in historical conclusions reached by Lee Benson and J. Morgan Kousser. (JDH)

This booklet clearly spells out what students should know and be able to do in United States History. Examples are given to help students understand what is required to meet the standards. Students should review this guide with their teachers and share it with their parents and family. This two-semester course builds upon concepts developed in…

Designed for use by teachers, library media teachers, public librarians, and parents, this bibliographic resource contains references to selected books and videos available in many school and public libraries. Many of the bibliography's materials offer stories of real people who struggled to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and who…

The Federal Reserve was created in 1913 in response to recurring banking panics in the United States. Its mission has since expanded into fostering a healthy economy. The Federal Reserve consists of three parts: (1) the Board of Governors; (2) Reserve Banks; and (3) the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The Board of Governors is the federal…

Early European and Euro-American artists documented the land, people, flora, and fauna of western North America. These artists gave Europeans and eastern Americans their first glimpse of the west. Because artists were important to the early explorers and topographers of the west, this document advocates study of western art and artists as an…

This publication contains classroom-tested teaching ideas. For grades K-4, "'Blessed Ted-fred': Famous Fathers Write to Their Children" uses American Memory for primary source letters written by Theodore Roosevelt and Alexander Graham Bell to their children. For grades 5-8, "Found Poetry and the American Life Histories…

This publication is designed to assist secondary level curriculum planners, teachers, and teacher educators in developing a social studies curriculum that includes geographic skills for students' development. The first section lists general student objectives in geography that are considered essential. The following six sections contain more in…

The Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress holds 10,000 collections containing more than 50 million items. These collections document all aspects of American history and culture and include papers of presidents; cabinet members; members of Congress; members of the Supreme Court; and other prominent Americans whose lives reflect the…

Uses of the Freedom of Information Act are explained by describing previous court cases. The scope of information, including classified information, is detailed and procedural steps for filing requests are outlined. A recent Supreme Court case which may make access to classified information more difficult is discussed. (EM)

Two scenes are presented from a longer one-act (nine scene) play about the history of deaf Americans. The scenes relate the misbeliefs and suspicions among early Americans about the deaf and the founding of the first American school for the deaf by Thomas Gallaudet. (CB)

Traces the development of an interdisciplinary course in eleventh-grade history and literature. Highlights historical and literary content of the course and provides insight into the team teaching relationship and students' learning as the course developed. (JDH)

Textbooks treat Afro-American history with a general unevenness, with little attention to Afro-American thoughts and activities. A theme that runs consistently throughout American history is the exclusion of Afro-Americans from the concept of American "people." There should be a two-pronged approach to examining this theme in the classroom. (AM)

Describes how fifth-grade teachers and a school library media specialist in Malvern, Pennsylvania collaborated in a student reenactment of the Ellis Island experience. Includes a bibliography of immigration resources and sample background information, identification, entrance papers, and experience of a simulated immigrant. (PEN)

Outlines a course covering the history of film and televisual representations of the Vietnam War. Shows how to relate films to the social interests they serve, and describes how to relate form to function. Provides a list of recommended films, television shows, and readings for each of the course's 10 units. (MM)