History teachers frequently show pupils visual images and often expect pupils to interrogate such images as evidence. But confusions arise and opportunities are missed when pupils do this without guidance on how to 'read' the image systematically and how to place it in context. Barbara Ormond gives a detailed account of how to make the most of…

Katie Hall and Christine Counsell attempt to construct a Key Stage 3 scheme of work out of the draft National Curriculum for history that was released for consultation in England in February 2013. They explain the process by which they attempted to convert the programme of study into a coherent, workable plan that would fulfil the stated aims.…

First order knowledge and understanding, relating to the "stuff" of history, is, of course, absolutely fundamental to the development of children's historical knowledge and understanding. However, as Frances Blow shows, in a contribution to a series of articles exploring second order concepts in history published in Teaching History by…

With state content standards always looming in the background, history teachers express concern about "covering the curriculum." And, many history teachers say they have to abandon teaching the "fun stuff" in order to teach state-mandated content. While teaching challenges do entail practical considerations, this article argues…

Contends that empathy is a powerful tool for understanding history. Discusses theories and meanings of historical empathy drawing from previous research on these concepts. Believes that historical empathy engages students in historical inquiry and interpretation and encourages them to think critically about the past. (CMK)

Explores letters written by free children of color during the nineteenth century in Louisiana (United States) as a means to understand their political education, the reasons and motivations behind their use of their imaginations to envision the Atlantic world, and how they developed an understanding of race, nation, and citizenship. (CMK)

Examines fourth and fifth graders' ideas about historical evidence through a year-long qualitative study of two classrooms. Discusses the results, focusing on understanding the reliability of sources, evaluating evidence and reconciling conflicting accounts, and using evidence to reach conclusions. Addresses the implications for instruction. (CMK)

Describes a lesson in which students read a letter from the Web site "Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities during the American Civil War," an interactive archive of digitized primary sources. Students search the site's 1860 population census to learn about Thomas Garber and his family. Students also learn about life in the 19th century.…