Getting students involved in the process of inquiry takes much more than pointing out a problem, offering sources, and setting them on their way. Fortunately, there are a number of teaching strategies that can be instrumental in engaging students in the process of inquiry. As a teacher of world history in the seventh grade, House of Avalon, at…

American history demands to be mapped. The stories of exploration, the colonies, the Louisiana Purchase, and so on are incomplete without maps to locate historical places, events, and conflicts. Yet maps can do more for the history teacher than simply illustrating what happened where or what territory was acquired when. Maps also provide clues…

On Tuesday, November 8, 1864, voters in 25 states--including Kansas, West Virginia, and Nevada for the first time--cast their ballots for president of the United States; voters in the 11 states that had seceded did not participate. Incumbent Abraham Lincoln ran as the Republican nominee (called the National Union Party in the 1864 election), and…

In this article, director of Educational Outreach at the Library of Congress Lee Ann Potter describes a classroom activity that focuses on an 1876 single-page circular published in Salem, Massachusetts about Alexander Melville Bell's Visible Speech. A. M. Bell's son, Alexander Graham Bell described "Visible Speech" as "a…

Historical documentary film usually offers content in a format that students find more engaging than traditional historical texts. In the classroom, documentary film can be positioned within a historical thinking framework to study a broad concept like civil rights while facilitating students' source work and skill development. While social…

Sheet music, song lyrics, and audio recordings may not be the first primary sources that come to mind when considering ways to teach about changes brought about by technology during westward expansion, but these sources engage students in thought provoking ways. In this article the author presents a 1917 photograph of Mountain Chief, of the Piegan…

Like many who entered the teaching profession in the 1970s, the author entered a profession that was in transition. Over the more than 30 years she spent in the classroom, the author has had a front row seat during this evolution. It has been a roller coaster ride at times, but she believes our schools will emerge stronger for it. Who we teach,…

Tracy A. Sugarman served in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant, junior grade, in the European theater during World War II. During his years of service from 1942-45, in addition to writing letters home, he recorded his experiences through original artwork. His sketches and watercolor paintings, completed before, during, and after D-Day, with titles such…

The building of historical thinking skills has historically been a lonely endeavor for AP U.S. history teachers. Many often generate their own pedagogy, perhaps modified from an AP workshop or generally gleaned from released exam essay questions. However, as currently scheduled, in 2014, the AP U.S. history exam will undergo a redesign that will…

Reviews where we have been, where we are now, and where we ought to be going in teaching American history. Topics discussed include consensus historians, questioning of consensus interpretations, new interest in the origins of Americans, history of women, history of American labor, and development of a new social history. (Author/DB)

Examines trends in K-12 social studies education in three Ohio cities: Warren, Canton, and Youngstown. The case studies were conducted during the 1976-1977 school year. Findings show that there is little student involvement in any of the programs and that specialized help for social studies teachers is limited. (Author/RM)

Trends in elementary and secondary social studies education in Birmingham, Alabama, are discussed. The case study was conducted during the 1976-1977 school year. Improvement and growth in social studies offerings are reported. (Author/RM)

Examines trends in K-12 social studies education in Vermillion, South Dakota. The case study was conducted during the 1976-1977 school year. Findings show a return to the basics in social studies. Law, ecology, environment, career education, and ethnic heritage studies are being emphasized. (Author/RM)

Trends in elementary and secondary social studies education in San Antonio, Texas, are discussed. The case study was conducted during the 1976-1977 school year. Because of the back to basics movement, more money has been spent on mathematics and language arts than on social studies. The major focus in social studies is on history and government.…

Nazi education stressed the importance of physical education, and considered the education of boys much more important than that of girls. Curriculum changes affected subjects like history, biology, and the German language. In a few years, this highly effective education transformed millions of young people into loyal Nazis. (CS)