Basic reading comprehension and summary tend to be the focus in social studies and history classrooms, if reading and writing are included at all. But such a focus inhibits a conception of history as an interpretive discipline grounded in evidence that is analyzed, not simply accepted. Understanding the past is impossible without such historical…

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. This unit consists of lessons focused on selected topics in medieval history that define and describe the roles of women. The lessons examine the roles of women in the Early Middle Ages with particular emphasis on…

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. The events of 1945 are regarded widely as a turning point in 20th century history, a point when the United States unequivocally took its place as a world power, at a time when Americans had a strong but…

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. By studying primary sources of a crucial turning point in history, students become aware that choices had to be made by real human beings, that those decisions were the result of specific factors, and that they set…

Described is a teacher-developed book about the Civil War for use in an 11th grade interdisciplinary U.S. history/English literature course. The text contains a brief historical summary of letters written by a Union soldier, a guide for studying the letters, and suggestions for further reading. (RM)

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. The purpose of this unit is to study the development and significance of the universities of the Middle Ages and their ties to the university system of the 20th century. The university structure of higher education…

To appreciate historical fiction, students need to understand the factual context and recognize how popular culture reflects the values, mores, and events of the time period. Since a newspaper records significant events and attitudes representative of a period, students create their own newspapers, utilizing primary source materials from several…

During the post-World War II era, the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union became strained. Both countries feared that one would target the other with atomic warheads placed on missiles. Fear of a nuclear holocaust occupied the thinking of many people as they went about their daily activities. As a member of the Executive…

The Booker T. Washington National Monument preserves and protects the birth site and childhood home of Booker T. Washington while interpreting his life experiences and significance in U.S. history as the most powerful African American between 1895 and 1915. The programs and activities included in this guide about the Booker T. Washington and W. E.…

The material in this unit is designed to introduce students to the origin and role of ideas in history, especially their role in the lives of ordinary people, in the rapidly industrializing United States of the 19th century. These lessons concern Americans in the great age of industrialization, from 1850 to 1900. Unit objectives include: (1)…

This unit is a collection of lessons for teaching about cultural clashes. Based on primary sources, the unit contains teacher background materials and three lesson plans with student resources. These lessons deal with the United States between World War I and World War II. The United States emerged from World War I with seismic faults in its…

This unit focuses on the school integration case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (Kansas), and its immediate aftermath. The Supreme Court's 1954 decision was a catalyst for civil rights activism along a broad front over the ensuing decades. The decision and its implementation have stood as a model for similar social and political action…

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. This unit explores Greece's most glorious century, the high point of Athenian culture. Rarely has so much genius been concentrated in one small region over such a short period of time. Students discover in studying…