The concept of social change should be introduced as an important subject of study. Through various teaching methods, such as photographs that contrast old and new aspects in society, students can develop the ability to understand the implications of change for societies or parts of societies. (Author/IRT)

The article describes creative activities to use in history instruction to recognize women's accomplishments. The activities involve oral history, contests, and class discussions about stereotyping. (CB)

Discusses THE YOUNG HISTORIANS, a project of the Chula Vista (California) City School District which involves elementary students in oral and local history to learn basic social studies skills. Stating that the program is applicable to any area, the author examines the benefits of an oral history approach and provides a guide for conducting a…

Offers an introduction to children's history. The remaining articles are devoted to children's history. Provides general guidelines for teaching children about children's history and shows, in four photographs, American children from the 1800s with their tricycles, toy baby carriages, and dolls. (JDH)

A major purpose of the study of history is to give students a context beyond themselves and the times in which they live. This article describes how to use children's history to achieve this purpose, provides titles of numerous resources for teaching about children's history, and recommends a process of supplementing historical fiction to…

History instruction must serve, above all else, to develop critically important citizenship knowledge, skills, and values. This book aims to blend recent scholarship on teaching U.S. history for citizenship with ideas on how to achieve this mission in grades K-5. Chapters in the book are: (1) "Teaching History for Citizenship in the Elementary…

Suggestions for writing moral dilemmas for elementary school history students include presenting an analogy of the subject matter, having a central character, creating a clash of basic principles, and constructing a dilemma students can relate to in their own lives. A sample dilemma is provided. (KC)

Discusses the development of a child's view of history to show that certain childhood attitudes, though later hidden, remain with people and influence their approach to history. (GT)

Describes reading-comprehension technique called "Questioning the Author," which focuses on teaching students to concentrate on building understanding of the ideas in the text. Provides examples of this reading-comprehension technique in geography and history. (PKP)

Focuses on what students read in social studies classrooms. Illustrates the manner in which literature supports students, even young children, in grappling with the dilemmas and choices that people have faced throughout history. (MG)

Describes interactional drama as an instructional technique designed to make history more interesting and meaningful to children. Discusses several types of interactional scenarios. Provides two examples for teachers interested in implementing an interactional drama scene to the classroom. (RW)

This article outlines an eight-week program exploring archaeology in the elementary school classroom. "Relics" from the author's grandmother's attic and contemporary "prepared" garbage bags were studied for insight into the past and processes involved in archeological digs. Famous digs were studied, experts visited the class, and games simulated…

Addresses curriculum and course design by organizing some important considerations of elementary school history and social-science study into a three-step plan for implementation that discusses the selection and organization of topics, their classroom presentation, and the resources available to help align the elementary curriculum with the…

Describes how to use authentic documents and artifacts to make history and literature come to life, describing a fourth grade study of the Pilgrims that involves using an excerpt from a 1622 journal, "Mourt's Relation," published 2 years after the Mayflower sailed. Students translate the excerpt into modern English, then illustrate a…

This Thanksgiving theme unit has students learn about mathematics and history by studying the voyage of the Mayflower. Students can study how many children sailed on the Mayflower, how big the ship was, and how long the voyage was. They can also solve Mayflower word problems and create recipes of food the Pilgrims would have eaten. An instructor…