Presents a collection of elementary level activities to teach students about Thomas Jefferson. The activities have students walk around in Jefferson's shoes, learning about his home and family life, reading habits, journal writing, letter writing, political writing, architectural experience, political activities, and accomplishments. (SM)

Asserts that picture books with historical settings can extend children's understanding of life in the past and greatly enrich the elementary social studies program. Discusses criteria for selecting appropriate fiction picture books. Presents a bibliographical essay of recommended books and includes the list. (CFR)

Notes that history is always based on someone's vision of truth, expressed through a process of distillation, selection, inclusion, exclusion, reorganization, and prioritizing. Argues that the shorthand, watered-down, or warped history of mainstream textbooks regarding cultural diversity should be supplemented with original documents, fiction, and…

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…

Explains that after a vast majority of students expressed disinterest in their social studies classes, a group of teachers attempted to generate student interest by teaching an inclusive history. Focuses on the planning and preparation, teaching methods, and classroom environment. Lists three teaching components that correlate with student…

This booklet presents a description of Making Connections, a multicultural core curriculum program, and a list of recommended literature for interdisciplinary units. The first section discusses materials, using the Making Connections program, integrating relevant content areas, the stages of the research process, assessment, and making connections…

This ERIC Digest discusses the National History Standards and their implementation in elementary education. The National Standards, along with recent research on history learning, have influenced curriculum guides, textbook revisions, and new instructional materials in various formats. This digest summarizes research on children's ability to learn…

This compendium of information and ideas is intended as a resource for teachers introducing the study of Oregon history to elementary school children. Brief discussions of 42 topics are followed by suggestions for classroom activities using this information. The topics include the various state symbols, Indian legends, the origin of the state…

A multi-disciplinary approach to the teaching of a unit on World War II is described. With the textbook serving as a resource, research books, films, literature books, and resource persons are used to help bring life to history. The unit emphasizes the following: (1) the four language processes of listening, reading, speaking, and writing; (2)…

Designed to accompany an audiovisual filmstrip series devoted to presenting a visual history of life in America, this guide contains an elementary school (grades 2-6) unit which traces the history of dress in America over the last century. Using authentic visuals including posters, paintings, advertising, documentary photography, movies, cartoons,…

The booklet contains illustrations of 40 medieval Armenian costumes based upon statues and paintings of the 7th through the 14th centuries. Part of a series of seven instructional materials dealing with the history and culture of Armenian Americans, the booklet also provides a discussion of Armenian history and detailed descriptions of each…

This curriculum unit for elementary students, developed by the Montelores Studies Center, Cortez, Colorado, and funded by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title III, presents a history of the Spanish Americans and Mexican Americans and suggests student activities. The history section outlines the historical development of the…

Discusses the French educational reforms between 1969 and 1985, examining their effects on the teaching of history and geography, which are mandatory throughout pre-university education. Writing for elementary school teachers, Marbeau considers the construction of knowledge in children aged 6 to 11, in history, geography, and the social sciences.…

This U.S. history curriculum guide, based upon historical essays written by Richard B. Bernstein, is part of the 'Crossroads' curriculum project. The elementary school component of the 'Crossroads' curriculum introduces students to the important things about the world they live in, the nation that they are a part of, the connection between the…

At the learning stations outlined in this article, children are taught to recognize biography as a literary form. The center is also intended to make history "come alive" for children and to reinforce their ability to distinguish between fact and fiction. (Author/SJL)