Addresses curriculum and course design by organizing some important considerations of elementary school history and social-science study into a three-step plan for implementation that discusses the selection and organization of topics, their classroom presentation, and the resources available to help align the elementary curriculum with the…

Outlines the characteristics of a good history program for kindergarten through grade four, analyzing the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework and the Core Knowledge Sequence as they apply to elementary instruction. Also describes and evaluates principles of teaching history to young children. (Author/SLD)

This article, the first of a two-part series, introduces the living history program. This yearly, weeklong program features living portrayals of famous people, which becomes a catalyst for teaching curricular standards, as well as providing the spark for inquiry. Here, the authors describe how the yearly living history program was implemented and…

Compares the California Framework for History-Social Science Education with the California Framework for English-Language Arts. Depicts the two frameworks and shows how teachers can implement both through interdisciplinary applications. Suggests how the two subject areas can be integrated. (LS)

In the first part of this article, the authors introduced the living history program. This yearly, weeklong program features living portrayals of famous people, which becomes a catalyst for teaching curricular standards, as well as providing the spark for inquiry. Successful implementation of this program requires providing teachers with…

Studied the Heritage Project, a federally sponsored program to develop and implement social studies curricula based on local history and cultural traditions in three rural areas. Results offer insight into educational change initiatives and problems with top-down program implementation. (SLD)

Uses data obtained from a national survey of middle school teachers, conducted in the 1989-90 academic year, to examine questions on the topics covered in the American history curriculum in public middle schools, the academic background and experience of middle school history teachers and teachers' views on what should be changed for a more…