Asserts that the study of history involves more than the passive absorption facts, dates, names, and places. Maintains that real historical understanding requires students to engage in historical thinking, to raise questions, and to marshal evidence. Describes skills for five types of historical thinking. (CFR)

Maintains that post-constitutional political history can be taught more successfully to high school students by focusing on party systems rather than presidential administrations. Recommends a four-part model for this approach and illustrates it by using the first political party system in the United States. (JDH)

Presents a lesson in which students learn about the settlement of the colonial borderlands. Analyzes (1) the immigrant experience of the Canary Islanders in Texas and (2) their interactions with people on the colonial Texas frontier. Offers a handout and rubric. (CMK)

Discusses an oral history project in which students interview a member of the Baby Boomer generation. Explains that the fourth episode of the "Talking History" series, "Greatest Generation," offers students background information before starting the project. Describes how the teacher can prepare and guide students through the interviews. (CMK)

Presents a lesson plan focusing on the film, "Dr. Strangelove" by Stanley Kubrick, and describes the film in detail. Reviews the historical background about the film to assist students in understanding the themes presented. Discusses the characters in the film and their possible real-life counterparts. (CMK)

Provides a two-part lesson plan in which students focus on the change and continuity in women's working conditions from 1840-1940. Students analyze historical materials. Includes background information, optional homework assignments, a bibliography, and five handouts. (CMK)

Presents a lesson plan in which students explore the impact of industrialization on agriculture, the experience of William Ellison, a free black cotton gin mechanic, and the skills that Ellison needed. Students discuss handwritten documents, diagrams, and census information related to the cotton gin. Includes a bibliography and four handouts. (CMK)

Provides background information on the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) focusing on the educational programs for the CCC. Presents a lesson on the censorship of the booklet "You and Machines" from the CCC programs. Includes excerpts from "You and Machines," copies of newspaper articles about the booklet, and a student handout.…

States that many students enroll in the introductory history survey course soley because of curricular requirements. Discusses assignments and content of the course, including topics and teaching strategies. Focuses on group activities that engage students and prompt them to participate. (CMK)

Discusses the role Hollywood and films had in defining the image of women in post-World War II in the United States. Focuses on the film, "Mildred Pierce," and offers a discussion of the content of this film. Includes a film based lesson plan and three accompanying handouts. (CMK)

Presents a lesson plan in which the teacher and students participate in a mock trial of Katherine Harrison, who was accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century. Provides background information about the trial, as well as primary sources of the testimonies given by witnesses during the trial. (CMK)

Provides citations with abstracts from the ERIC database focusing on using film to teach history. Includes background information and teaching materials on topics such as using documentary films, the use of film and television to teach history, and teaching history using the film,"JFK," by Oliver Stone. (CMK)

Describes a lesson for students in grades 8-12 where they watch a video from the PBS "American Experience" series that used the diary of Martha Moore Ballard, a U.S. midwife, to create a docudrama. Explains that the video helps students understand the harshness of life in the United States during the eighteenth-century. (CMK)

Provides background information on the life of Lady Bird Johnson, including her role as a politician's wife and First Lady. Focuses on her efforts related to the beautification and conservation of the natural environment. States that her legacy was to legitimize environmental issues as a national priority. Includes learning activities. (CMK)

Provides a brief background on Eleanor Roosevelt and the Declaration of Human Rights. Presents a lesson wherein students simulate the creation of the Declaration of Human Rights and consider the leadership skills of Eleanor Roosevelt. Explains that the activity requires three class periods and some student preparation before the lesson. (CMK)