Background/Context: Across the nation, people living in the United States are embroiled in conflict over the meaning of its past. Many of the most fervent conflicts relate to acts of historical violence: war, enslavement, conquest, and colonization among them. Elementary school students commonly study the early colonization of the land now known…

In this article, Harper B. Keenan investigates the treatment of violence in elementary history education through a case study of a fourth-grade unit on the colonial history of California featuring "the mission project," a long-standing tradition in California's elementary schools that has students construct a miniature model of a Spanish…

This three-article dissertation specifically examines one challenging element of teaching history to young children: the representation of historical violence and adversity, using fourth grade curriculum and instruction surrounding the topic of Spanish colonization of California as a case study. This era, known as the Spanish mission period in…

A comprehensive study has yet to be carried out depending on the historical environment particular to the Elementary Schools in Northern Cyprus. The aim of this study is hence to determine whether the coverage of historical environment subjects in elementary school social sciences textbooks is absorbed or not by the 4th and 5th Grades in the…

This article describes a lesson plan that encouraged the usage of digital tools to enhance inquiry as a key tool in teaching elementary social studies. The lesson revolved around a field trip to the home of Civil War Governor Oliver P. Morton (Centerville, Indiana). The active, investigative, and questioning nature of inquiry in social studies…

Teachers can engage students in historical thinking by intentionally structuring close reading tasks. This article provides a practical and theoretical examination of the learning and teaching during a 30-minute social studies class in which students studied colonization by reading a primary source text from the Jamestown Colony. Students used…

Presents a board game in which students pretend to be American Indians, settlers, or traders. Explains that students learn about people and life in Canada in the nineteenth century. Suggests that players will learn vocabulary, a sense of value, and bartering methods. Includes designs for the gameboard, commodity cards, and score cards. (DK)

Describes a variety of fourth-grade student projects on Pennsylvania history which could be used in a schoolwide Tercentenary Fair. Individuals or small groups of students become experts on particular subjects (historical figures, state products, or important historical events) and serve as resource people at their booths during the fair. (AM)

Describes a local history project undertaken by fourth graders at Trumansburg Elementary School in Trumansburg, New York. Students studied the architecture of the village by visiting historical structures, sketching buildings, constructing three-dimensional models, and visiting a living history village. (MDM)

Oak Hill School served elementary students in the 10th district of Washington County, Tennessee, from 1886 to 1952. After extensive restoration and a move to Historic Jonesborough, the one-room school now functions as a living history museum. Fourth-grade students spend a day following the 1892 curriculum for grade 4. A teacher's resource and…

A Maryland teacher used Alaska's Iditarod sled-dog race to spark learning and bring adventure into a fourth grade history and geography course. Students followed the Iditarod, conducted reading races on related material, studied race strategies, and considered necessary mathematics. They learned about Alaska while experiencing cooperation and…

Presents lessons for fourth-grade students in which they create outlines, a measured space that matches with the dimensions of a thing or place from the past. Uses kinesthetics for topics, such as: setting sail for Jamestown (Virginian) in 1606, building a log cabin in 1816, and homesteading in 1830. (CMK)

Reports on an ethnographic study in which the teacher of a combined third and fourth grade class reads historical literature from the U.S. Revolutionary period to students daily for nine weeks. Finds that study of historical content through literature is appropriate at these grade levels. Reports student enthusiasm for this activity. (SLM)

Describes a project undertaken by a fourth grade class (Columbus, Indiana) to develop a computer game about Indiana history. Advocates using computing across the curriculum in a manner similar to the writing across the curriculum project. Provides a step by step guide to the development of the game. (KO)

Presents Gold Rush Day, an annual eight-week project emphasizing an interdisciplinary approach for fourth graders. Describes the preparation and implementation of the project. Includes a description of interdisciplinary learning achievements. (CFR)