Discusses two resources for helping students understand the Old West in U.S. history. Presents information from a primary source concerning Wild Bill Hickok and a more recent interpretative essay about myths of the Old West. Includes suggestions for classroom activities and topics for student discussion. (CFR)

Describes the founding and evolution of "The Social Studies," by Albert E. McKinley in 1909. Identifies the struggle between historians and social studies educators for the "soul" of the magazine during the 1930s. Concludes that the magazine has served both history education and social studies education well. (CFR)

Suggests the use of key historical antisocial acts to teach social studies concepts as a means of arousing the interest of adolescents. Recommends overcoming initial sensationalism by shifting emphasis to more appropriate interests. Includes discussion of the Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy assassinations and the Rosenberg spy case. Suggests…

Presents classroom activities using banknotes to teach history and social studies. Suggests that students' interest in money can be utilized to teach about geography, national heroes, symbolism, and the image a nation wishes to present to its citizens and the rest of the world. Lists sources for obtaining banknotes and directories to help identify…

Discusses using historiography on the Reconstruction Era as a method for generating classroom lessons in both inductive reasoning and critical thinking. Urges teaching of historical process as well as content. Suggests emphasizing limitations of available historical data and perspective. Recommends presenting students with historical data allowing…

Describes a method for integrating writing into history classes. Suggests keeping writing assignments short and simple, rather than assigning a long paper that will be a burden to the instructor during grading. Discusses journal writing, pretest writing exercises, and microthemes written on a single index card. (DK)

Discusses the educational benefits of using visual materials as historical sources. Outlines steps for analyzing historical photographs. Applies these steps to two sample lessons about sugar-cane syrup making in Florida and dealing with migrant workers in Florida during the Depression. (RW)

Describes two books of curriculum materials published by the National Council on Economic Education regarding the Central and East European transition economies: (1) "Economies in Transition: Command to Market" (1997); and (2) "From Plan to Market: Teaching Ideas for Social Studies, Economics, and Business Classes" (1997). (DSK)

Proving history's relevance to students is a daunting task that social studies educators face everyday as they create lesson plans that they hope will spark their students' interest in learning about the past. Few educators would argue that demonstrating the relevance of the objectives toward which they are teaching is an unnecessary duty. Perhaps…

History is alive! That is one of the important messages that teacher Barbara Knighton communicates to her students as she develops engaging stories about changes in farming, government, clothing, or transportation, using timelines as her basis. In this article, the authors describe how Knighton constructs social studies units for her first and…

Discusses the use of a "crankie," a simple story device made from a cardboard box, in studying women's history in the high school classroom. Presents an example of a crankie story which focuses on Rosa Parks and the Montgomery (Alabama) bus boycott. Describes an evaluation process and assesses the activity's instructional value. (GEA)

A Scottish educator observes that "most of Europe" is taught in U. S. high schools as a "living museum," neglecting contemporary life and developments. Provides an outline of content, emphasizing human geography, which is suggested for the study of contemporary Scotland by U. S. high school students. (JDH)

The author examines the preconditions and justifications for the Revolutionary War, and concludes that the problems between England and the colonies could and should have been resolved through constitutional processes rather than through war. (JB)

Briefly presents research studies on efficacy of this method; discusses the teacher's role in inquiry; and provides guidelines for evaluation. A sample lesson plan on the Civil War concludes the article. (JB)