Academics debate the veracity of historic sites and what they represent, but no one that has visited historic places as a student, or traveled with students to historic places, can deny their power to teach. Every community has historic sites. Historic sites are, by definition, primary sources. They are artifacts of the past that often contain a…

This article describes the Frank Reade dime novels, published in 1882, that are now recognized as the beginnings of the modern science fiction novel in the United States. They illustrate the hope that Americans of the time held for the future that newly invented technology could offer. Although the Frank Reade stories highlighted the promise of…

This September, Oxford University Press is publishing "Out of Range: Why the Constitution Can't End the Battle Over Guns." Written by Mark Tushnet, the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, "Out of Range" explores competing interpretations of the Second Amendment and discusses how the entanglement of…

Very often events misfire because people are too involved with a set of premises, on which they have built correct logical systems. They look to their methodology or to their data for the difficulty, when they should examine the premises. Examples are discussed. (RM)

Anthropologists may be on the verge of shedding new light on the what, who, when, where, and why children learn in the formal classroom. Eleven propositions extracted from anthropological literature to help evaluate learning and teaching are discussed. (RM)

This primary source document can be used to teach secondary students about the rock 'n' roll era that emerged in the 1950's. The document is a letter written in 1958 by three teenagers to President Eisenhower concerning the induction of Elvis Presley into the U.S. Army. Class activities are also suggested. (RM)

The author examines several theories and experiments dealing with the sexual basis of behavioral differences of males and females. She concludes that the cultural biases concerning women permeate current research in the behavioral sciences because of the lack of controls and poor methodologies. (MB)

Provides an interview with Dr. Angela Rhone that focuses on topics such as the experience of Jamaican immigrants of color in the United States, the marginalization of Jamaicans, the Jamaican grammar school, and the tensions among Jamaican immigrants and between Jamaican immigrants of color and African Americans. (CMK)

Illustrates how teachers can use holidays to construct lessons that are academically substantial, interesting, and meaningful. Model lessons are organized around asking exploratory questions and the ensuing process scholars use to unravel an academic mystery. Designed for use in elementary or middle school during Christmas season. (KO)

Presents a lesson plan on the slave-based rice plantation economy in South Carolina from the late eighteenth century until the Civil War. Includes objectives, teaching activities, maps, handouts of student readings, photographs, and plans for visiting the sites. Discusses plantation life and the culture of the rice economy. (DK)

Reviews the impact of German unification on German society, politics, and culture. Contends that four decades of separation created political and cultural differences that are difficult to overcome. Expresses concern about the growth of intolerant attitudes and nationalism among citizens of the former East Germany. (CFR)

Explains how literary sources can help students understand the culture of other countries and give them insights into their own personalities and society. Describes an unbalanced American history course to indicate how bias can influence views of history and culture. ( Author/DB)

Cultural freedom involves the ability to recognize and participate imaginatively in the exploration of one's own environment for the sake of one's self and one's people and the ability to transcend that environment and speak to all people. Australian artists, writers, poets, music, and oral literature are discussed. (RM)