Fear has shaped events throughout U.S. history, as those who have possessed fear have weaponized this emotion to justify violence and oppression while others have used fear as an impetus for radical resistance. Fear, however, has been an under-researched emotion in history education. Using critical discourse analysis methods, in this article I aim…

This paper reports results from a six-state study of 62 USA social studies classrooms. We examined the extent to which intellectually challenging authentic pedagogy was present in study classrooms, the characteristics of classroom practice at different levels of authentic pedagogy, and how those characteristics may promote or inhibit high levels…

John Dewey said that "democracy needs to be reborn in each generation and education is its midwife." While there has been criticism of the Bush administration's post-9/11 agenda, there is little recognition of the role that his education policy played to rebirth democracy for a nation in crisis. This paper analyzes the ways that 9/11 has…

Jamestown is at the heart of any teaching and learning of colonial American history. Stories of John Smith and Pocahontas are learned by elementary and secondary students across the United States. In Virginia, Jamestown is first taught in third grade and revisited five more times from historical, political, economic, and geographic perspectives.…

This study examined the 4th-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessments (history, geography, and civics) and 3rd- and 4th-grade social studies standards from nine randomly selected states and organized the content around three global concepts (conflict, movement, discovery) and six specific concepts (war, rebellion,…

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum will be officially dedicated this September on the 10th anniversary of the attacks of 2001. It provides educational resources that explore the ongoing impact of the September 11th attacks and the ways that volunteerism and art aid in healing, recovery, and rebuilding. The 9/11 Memorial Museum, to be…

In this paper we share findings of a textbook analysis in which we explored the treatment of segregated education in eight, widely-used secondary United States history and government textbooks. We positioned our findings within the historiography related to the African American school experience which challenges the notion that the lack of…

This study seeks to understand the ways nine states represent African Americans within their standards for U.S. History. Previous research on the effects of high-stakes assessment on social studies educators suggests teachers align their instruction with information found in state standards. Therefore, an understanding of the way African Americans…

A three-part handbook for Virginia K-12 social studies teachers presents methods for introducing students to documents and symbols which reflect the principles and ideals of the American democratic system. Although a portion of the material focuses on resources specific to the state of Virginia, information on national documents and symbols can be…

This resource packet provides information and activities for teaching abut the historical significance of Yorktown, Virginia in the American Revolution. Teachers' materials include brief background essays on: (1) "Summary of the American Revolution in Virginia"; (2) "Life in the Army"; (3) "Life in Revolutionary…

This resource guide focuses on teaching about the battle of Petersburg during the Civil War. The curriculum supplement has 46 activities, divided into elementary (grades 4-5), intermediate (grades 6-8), and secondary (grades 9-12). Activities can be adapted within various grade levels. The levels contain background information, pre-visit…

Describes the content, format, and use of a teacher-made slide tape presentation which is written and produced from the perspective of a child living on a plantation in the southeastern United States in the middle 1800s. Follow-up activities are presented. (JDH)

This teacher's packet provides background materials for teachers to incorporate the study of Jamestown, Virginia, into their classroom. The packet includes the following background essays: (1) "A Short History of Jamestown"; (2) "The Fort"; (3) "Life in an Indian Village"; (4) "Recommended Reading and…

This bibliography provides an introduction to the archaeology, ethnology, and history of Indians in the Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland areas. Some publications are available from the Museum of Natural History bookstore while others may be found in larger libraries or obtained through inter-library loan. Sections of the bibliography…

This bibliography can be used to study the history of Virginia. The subject categories covered are the following: (1) "General"; (2) "Native Americans"; (3) "Colonial"; (4) "Revolution"; (5) "Early National"; (6) "Civil War"; (7) "More Famous Personalities"; and (8)…