This paper is the synthesis of Elizabeth Henke's four years of work from 2009-2013: three years at the high school and one year at the University for Peace. She summarizes, "A Montessori high school education should reveal to the adolescent a pathway to peace that is built on positive human relations and should provide opportunities for…

Service-learning projects help students make connections to their community and help them to think about civic participation. The projects can range from very simple short-term philanthropy to very complex direct involvement by the students across multiple years. Students learn both social problem-solving skills and academic knowledge through…

A museum program in Montreal encourages elementary and secondary school students to examine their surroundings and neighborhoods. Units focus on stained glass windows, houses, history of Montreal, the neighborhood, and architectural heritage. (KC)

This article outlines a conceptual framework for a high school or college level unit on local history and demonstrates use of the framework through a case study of Whitehall, Georgia. Information is presented on planning the unit, selecting a community, teaching methods, collecting data, and identifying likely sources of information on community…

Discusses a local history project sponsored by The Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk, Maine. States that studying a local community focuses students' attention on how people and historical events have shaped their own lives. Describes how the program helped a fourth grade class explore and understand the past and present, as well as prospects for…

Briefly outlines three major themes of American urban history pertaining to the study of all communities, and describes a program using extensive comparative community field studies which reinforces these themes. Emphasizes readings, discussion, field trips, and a month of field work. (Author/CK)

Describes a local history project in which high school students located valuable historic photographs on the local community and reproduced them on 35mm slides. An historic photo archive consisting of the slides accompanied by documentary materials was created. Procedures for creating and suggestions for using a photo archive are included. (KC)

Briefly discusses projects in local history from elementary to graduate level. Suggests that projects can serve as a springboard for broader study and a building block for an appreciation of United States History and western civilization. (Author/KC)

Presents a methodology for providing the historical narrative or context statement which must accompany a town's nomination for inclusion on The National Register of Historic Places. States that the same 14-point outline can function as a starting point for any written community history. (GEA)

Addresses three commonly cited justifications for historical study in considering the value of local history. Speaks to the idea that ignorance of the past condemns persons to the same mistakes, that history offers moral guidance, and that history should be studied for its own essence. Discusses the intrinsic and practical values of history. (KO)

A description of Project Preserve, a Colorado high school living history course which provides students with tools to find their roots and understand themselves and their futures, presents a history of the project; details the formation of goals, objectives, and philosophy; and notes the advantages to both students and community. (SB)

Advocates teaching history through children's fictional and nonfictional literature in elementary social studies. Offers seven criteria for selecting books for elementary history units. Provides activities for teaching about American Indians, communities, and U.S. history based on award-winning children's books. (CH)

Discusses a study of the local environment done in a first-year Integrated Humanities course. Focuses on the use of field trip explorations of the local community that were student-directed. Includes explanations of pre-site, on-site, and post-site activities. Emphasis was on cooperative group learning and purposeful oral and written…

Describes a year-and-a-half-long history project that involved elementary students in exploring their community's past. Students took field trips, interviewed community persons, taped oral histories, painted murals, and produced a dramatic musical based on their community's history. (RM)

Essays in this special issue of the "Journal of Family History" focus on the teaching of family history by using artifacts. The articles were written by the staff at Old Sturbridge Village (OSV). The first article discusses how family history is taught at OSV. Students study a real family using demographic information and artifacts such as…