Good history teaching should not be the responsibility of a single department working in isolation. The history subject community as a whole should work together to ensure that history teaching is of as high a quality as possible. This does not mean that every department, and every teacher, should do exactly the same things. It means, rather, that…

Senior high school American history teaching units developed around significant themes or areas reflecting the nation's exploration, settlement, and growth can be rewarding and meaningful teaching-learning experiences. One such unit, planned around the theme of settlement of the American Great Plains, can serve to illustrate the value of this…

Describes how Canadian retail history can be used to study Canadian history. Claims such activities can help students learn the economic development of Canada. (RKM)

Outlines a project in which the Paterson Silk Strike of 1913 is used to teach about gathering information from primary sources. Includes suggestions for using this project as a model for analyzing historical events in any location. Emphasizes importance of having students draw conclusions from primary sources. (BSR)

Available evidence suggests that the curriculum theories of social studies professors are seldom the same as teachers' curriculum practices. Three 10th-grade U.S. history classrooms were studied to explore curriculum consonance: the relationships among the intended curriculum, what ensues in the classroom, and what students learn. Includes 36…

Introducing this issue of lesson plans, the author states that teaching about the U.S. Constitution is a great challenge because students with varied reading levels and intellectual maturity must develop an understanding and appreciation of the complex philosophical and legal principles that underlie the whole of U.S. society. Recommends use of…

Presents a lesson designed to teach students about the period of Salutary Neglect (100 years before the French and Indian Wars) and its effects on later historical events. Provides an advance organizer which puts students in a situation of salutary neglect and includes student and teacher resources on the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, and the…

Discusses problems inherent in planning the curriculum focus and goals of a world history course. Examines major options, including recent studies prepared by the College Board. Offers 17 specific goals for a world history course, from the definition of historical evidence to the role of science and technology throughout history. Concludes that…

This article presents a document from the National Archives dealing with the 1864 case known as ex parte Milligan, in which a civilian was sentenced to die by a military court. The article includes background, teaching suggestions, and samples of handouts. (JDH)

Uses the "Keegstra affair," a case in which an Alberta high school teacher allegedly taught racist historical theories to students, as a springboard for a critical thinking exercise. Proposes that we can determine how well high school students can critically think by seeing if they can determine what is mistaken about the views and…

Defining a web as a diagrammatic representation of any logical train of thought, this article describes how to use the web as a tool for teaching and evaluating essays. Provides several web diagrams. (JDH)

This article describes the modern-day equivalent prices of items Captain John Smith required for colonists traveling from England to Virginia in 1624. Includes information on wages and cost of living in 1624 and today in the United States. Concludes that the colonists paid a high price for traveling to the New World. (JDH)

Briefly traces the origins of the major world religions, noting the similarities among them. Maintains that the study of religious underpinnings, learning why one believes or doesn't believe, is a moral imperative which should be included in history instruction. (JDH)

Covers the Victory Garden campaign of the early 1940s begun by the Office of War Information and the Office of Civil Defense. Provides a facsimile of a poster designed to publicize the program in addition to seven teaching activities. (JDH)

Reviews the objectives of the 21-member intergovernmental Council of Europe and its sub-group, the Council for Cultural Cooperation. Explains the prevailing practices and desired outcomes of European history as it is taught in the member countries. (JDH)