Biography is a popular approach to history education in the younger grades, especially when teaching units of study during Women's History Month, which is March. A biography-centered approach, however, can be problematic when such lessons are not tied to any context, promoting the misconception that individuals create social change in isolation.…

Reviews several children's biographies of Columbus and challenges the image of Columbus portrayed in these books. Calls upon educators to be more critical when having elementary school students read about Columbus. (MG)

A study of Thomas William Marshall, who in 1847 was chosen by the Catholic Poor-School Committee to be their first inspector. (MB)

This book adopts a questioning approach to studying history in which students become biographers who read, discuss, research, and write books about their subjects, providing their own original interpretations of the facts. By digging into the past and reflecting on what they have learned, students get involved in the process and are eager to do it…

Presents descriptions of (1) the 1997 winner of the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children ("An Extraordinary Life: The Story of a Monarch Butterfly"); (2) the 5 Orbis Pictus Honor Books; and (3) 12 other outstanding nonfiction titles selected by the award committee, 6 dealing with history and biography and 6 dealing with the…

This article, the first of a two-part series, introduces the living history program. This yearly, weeklong program features living portrayals of famous people, which becomes a catalyst for teaching curricular standards, as well as providing the spark for inquiry. Here, the authors describe how the yearly living history program was implemented and…

Lists and annotates children's books that present Polish folklore and legends, biographies of famous Polish people, personal accounts of life in Poland, and stories about Polish Americans and people living in Poland. (ET)

Childrens' historical books by author Jean Fritz offer teachers a stepping stone to fun and interesting history units. Make-believe journeys, time lines, role playing, and storytelling activities based on the Fritz biographies help children learn many different skills. (DF)

Maintains that the role of technology and its civic implications can be explored through children's literature. Provides a bibliographical essay of 19 books that address how things work, how technology affects everyday life, and how society shapes its technological future. (CFR)

In the first part of this article, the authors introduced the living history program. This yearly, weeklong program features living portrayals of famous people, which becomes a catalyst for teaching curricular standards, as well as providing the spark for inquiry. Successful implementation of this program requires providing teachers with…

Discussion of the integration of library skills into the curriculum focuses on a program in which fifth grade students researched historical figures, learned about historical connections, created bibliographies, and wrote reports. Program implementation is described, and the positive results are reported. (four references) (NRP)

This document contains 20 bibliographies on specific aspects of the teaching of English which have been compiled and annotated by authorities in the field of English. Books, monographs, journal articles, and research reports are listed, and information about their availability from NCTE and ERIC is given. Titles and authors of the bibliographies…