If high school history courses are meant to introduce students to the paradoxes and debates of American history, then they should study the 1619 Project, the authors argue in this article. College history students regularly debate the extent to which slavery was formative to the development of American systems of law, business, medicine, religion…

In searching for alternatives to multiple choice tests and document-based questions, the authors were inspired by the common practice of "do-nows" (also known as "bell work") in which teachers give students a brief task at the beginning of class to prepare them for the day's lesson. Could these minutes at the start of class be…

This article describes 10 recommendations for creativity, higher-order thinking, and meaningful learning activities that can be used to guide teachers in constructing an engaging AP course: (1) Be on the committee that decides how students will be selected for AP; (2) Maximize time and connections through blocks of time with an English colleague;…

The Federal Writers' Project was an arm of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Franklin Delano Roosevelt's massive program to put the unemployed back to work. The Writers' Project was charged with producing an extensive guidebook for each of the 48 states; and more than 6,000 local newspaper writers, novelists, poets, college professors, and…

Research has pointed out that an over reliance on textbooks and lecturing in the social studies often devolves instruction into narrow perspectives and uninspiring activities. Thus, teachers allowed their students to use something they were interested in, technology, to access a wide range of resources for a class project. This assignment, the…

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the integration of Norfolk Public Schools. On February 2, 1959, the "Norfolk 17" integrated the formerly all-white public middle and high schools in Norfolk, Virginia. Less known than their counterparts in Little Rock, Arkansas, the stories of the Norfolk 17 underscore the struggle schools…

Describes a reading and writing activity for senior high school students which involves "explicating" a textbook passage. It maintains that the assignment puts an end to superficial reading habits. (JDH)

Maintains that teaching is, among other things, the art of connecting students with course content in personal, relevant, and exciting ways. Presents three classroom lessons that incorporate journals, plays, and essays into social studies teaching. Includes discussion questions and follow-up assignments. (CFR)

Addresses advantages and disadvantages of routinely assigning textbook questions. Offers four approaches for making these assignments more meaningful, less frustrating and more enjoyable for students, including use of clustered questions, peer teaching, cooperative work groups, and assignment mentors. Provides guidelines for effective use of…

Describes principles which achieve good writing assignments in the social studies: (1) define the content and skills teachers want students to learn, (2) devise assignments in which level of difficulty of task fits the level of the goal, (3) let students speculate on the topic, and (4) present the topic so that students know how and what to do.…

Suggests methods to help social studies teachers integrate writing into courses along with and in place of verbal activities. Also suggests ways to decrease teacher's time in the evaluation of student writing. One method is to focus on a few primary features of writing as they are defined in the goals of the assignments.

Presents guidelines for social studies teachers and a sample writing assignment to encourage student's developmental writing. Suggests that students emphasize the significance of the writer's ideas and information rather than the information itself. Establishes the relationship between thinking processes and writing and the need to break these…

Describes pre-and post-writing activities designed to aid students in submitting a polished social studies paper rather than merely a first draft. Data analysis, questioning strategies, games, simulations, and values education strategies provide sources for focusing on the topic. Rewriting involves evaluation, revision, and editing.

Outlines a procedure for teaching writing which helps students learn the content and thinking skills necessary for the reasoning and learning tasks required in the social studies. Sample lessons in a secondary American History course involve students in discussing, reading, problem solving, and synthesizing information. (KC)

Describes a secondary U.S. history course in which students study the impact of industrialization on U.S. culture and society. Asserts that assignments in which students create political cartoons, poetry, posters or other visual products enhance student interest and provide diverse evaluation strategies. (CFR)