Elementary children can be introduced to the historical processes of evaluating and interpreting materials within the existing curriculum. Activities for teachers and students are suggested. (AM)

Discusses back-to-basics emphasis on writing skills and describes thematic approach of a five-week session for high school seniors with little writing experience. Student pre- and posttest essays are appended. (KC)

Explores the implications of using essay writing for teaching students the basic concepts constituting historical-mindedness and suggests six guidelines for use in secondary school and college classrooms. (Author/CK)

Contends that teaching students to read is the same as teaching historical interpretation. Provides a framework for teaching historical interpretation through a case study of books concerning Thomas Jefferson and his alleged illegitimate children. Identifies motives governing academic writing. Provides an analytical framework for historical…

An excellent method for teaching elementary and secondary history is to have students study historical decisions and decision-making processes and become involved in making some historical decisions as well. This approach is described. (RM)

This special theme issue of the OAH Magazine of History contains articles that present a variety of perspectives on the Columbian Quincentenary--the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyages of discovery. The articles include: "Exploring the Columbian Quincentenary through Historiography" (John Hebert); "Science, Religion,…

Oral history, a method of collecting historical information through preplanned tape recorded interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge of an historical event, is a viable learning activity at the high school level. This methodology was conceived and later institutionalized by Alan Nevins in the 1940s as a way to counter the loss of…

Undergraduate history students can gain insight into the historical process from a short exercise using copies of documents that give conflicting interpretations of the same event. Explains how to lead class discussions based on two letters about lawlessness in Arizona in the 1880s. (Author/AV)

The Spanish conquest of Mexico provides the context for this unit, designed for use with students in grades 9-12. It is intended that students will learn about the process of writing history and ways of assessing various historical accounts, and background about the Spanish conquistadors and the vanquished Aztec Indians. The unit contains four…

Suggests using primary sources in history and social studies instruction. Offers reasons for teaching with primary sources. Proposes activities for developing students' investigative skills. Includes lessons dealing with detecting source bias, differentiating sources, using conflicting sources, and evaluating sources. Presents varied…

Examines levels of the pyramid model of history including complete past; surviving evidence of the past; discovered evidence of the past; what historians consider important; historians' version of history; and what appears in textbooks. Suggests that the model can show students that history as presented in textbooks is a small part of the overall…

Discusses the Columbus Quincentenary and its impact on the K-12 history and social studies curriculum. Reviews the differences of opinion about Christopher Columbus and the results of the voyages of discovery. Warns that teachers must be wary of instructional materials that are based on political and social ideologies. (CFR)

Discusses personal reasons for using historical documents in history instruction. Proposes six reasons why the use of documents in the classroom yields positive learning results. Concentrates on how the use of documents motivates students to read. Provides an example of a document and explains how it is used in the classroom. (RW)

Inquiry learning is superior to traditional learning methods in that it requires students to actively participate in their courses by solving meaningful problems. Included here is a description of the six steps of the inquiry learning process and a complete lesson plan on mobility in nineteenth century American cities. (DC)

Teachers of history in high school should use historical research as a teaching device. Advantages are that it permits teachers and students to learn together through discovery, integrates national and local history, and encourages students to develop respect for history and historians. (Author/DB)