Discusses the use of letters, diaries, and eye witness accounts to introduce students to personal impressions and experiences usually absent from contemporary written resources. Includes collections of letters, diaries, and eye witness accounts with accompanying activities for each primary source. (CMK)

Presents an article from volume 1 of "The History Teacher's Magazine," published in 1909 and the predecessor to "The Social Studies." Discusses methods of historical research and compares them to research in the natural sciences. Provides suggestions for students concerning categorizing and analyzing historical documents. (CFR)

Contends that the D-Day assault on Normandy's beaches in 1944 was critically important to the Allied war effort and ultimately to the security of all nations. Presents a lesson plan based on a message drafted in the early hours of D-Day by General Dwight D. Eisenhower and sent to his superior, General George C. Marshall. (CFR)

Contends that posters can be a powerful teaching tool in history courses. Discusses the definition, history, and development of posters. Provides approaches to using posters in the classroom, criteria for assessing effective and ineffective posters, and reprints of five exemplar posters. (CFR)

Presents a classroom lesson based on the Civil War prison camp at Andersonville, Georgia. Includes drawings, three maps, two photographs, and two student readings from the National Register of Historic Places registration file on the Andersonville National Historic Site. (CFR)

Asserts that increasing numbers of history teachers design courses to have students use historical research and processing skills. Reports on a study of 120 middle school students about their perceptions of what historians do. Concludes that the study provided teachers a means of assessing student understanding of historians. (CFR)

Contends that, despite increasingly sophisticated means of communication, posters remain a powerful cornerstone of many government advertising campaigns. Describes the beginnings and evolution of Smokey Bear from a World War II homefront poster to an ongoing advertising success. (CFR)

Contends that studying the opposition to the Mexican American War helps students understand Manifest Destiny and assess foreign policy issues on moral, political, and historical terms. Presents a three-day lesson plan employing a series of primary sources to analyze issues of the time. Includes a political cartoon and eight documents. (CFR)

Contends that the typical approach to immigration in U.S. history may not be interesting or exciting to students. Describes an interdisciplinary program using primary sources and computer databases to encourage student participation and enhance academic achievement. Includes three appendices with information and raw data used in the program. (CFR)

Presents a lesson plan based on primary sources about the home in which William Howard Taft was born and grew up. Provides student objectives, instructional procedures, and suggested student activities. Includes two documents, two map exhibits, three student readings, and two photographs. (CFR)

Contends that teaching U.S. history and law are inextricably intertwined. Presents nine instructional strategies and accompanying examples to illustrate effective instruction combining law-related education and history. Includes lists of recommended resources and a teacher's bibliography. (CFR)

Asserts that the Civil Rights is the clearest and most accessible example of nonviolent resistance to injustice in U.S. history. Discusses two common misperceptions among students about the Civil Rights movement. Presents a three-day classroom activity, including a bibliography and primary source readings. (CFR)

Contends that the pledge by President Kennedy to land a man on the moon and return him safely "before the decade is out" was a Cold War tactic designed to bring national unity. Presents a lesson plan, a chronological chart, three primary documents, step-by-step implementation procedures, and related student activities. (CFR)