The deaf population of Martha's Vineyard has fascinated scholars for more than a century since Alexander Graham Bell's research on the frequent occurrence of deafness there and since Groce's book on the island's signing community (Groce, N. E. (1985). "Everyone here spoke sign language: Hereditary deafness on Martha's Vineyard."…

Bridging the gap between an author's works based on real life and historical accuracy can be a challenge for literary sites that symbolize both fiction and reality. Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, the home of the Alcott family and the place in which she wrote her most famous novel, "Little Women," also served as the setting for the…

In this article Kerry Apps introduces students to the significance of the witch-hunts in the modern era, at the time when they occurred, and in the middle of the eighteenth century. She presents her rationale for choosing the witch-hunts as a focus for the study of significance, and shows how her thinking about her teaching has evolved through her…

Providing training for pre-service teachers at historic sites necessitates a reorientation for historic site-based teacher education programs away from strict content learning towards programs that emphasize the modeling of disciplinary problem solving and transfer learning. Outlined here is a History Lab model for teacher education that uses the…

This study examined the extent to which teacher beliefs and practices at the high school level reflect current research on historical thinking and understanding. The topic is significant as teachers are a crucial variable in a child's education and evidence over the years has revealed that students have long struggled in developing conceptual…

As history teachers attempt to bring student thinking processes in line with that of historians, one of the major recommendations that appears in the end notes of nearly every study on the subject, and every set of state curriculum frameworks, is the injunction to partner with historic sites and museums to help students "learn about…

Metacom's War, also known as King Phillip's War, sets a pattern of national expansion through displacement of native people that echoes throughout American history. Helping students further understand this war through the examination of Mary Rowlandson's primary document provides educators and students with an opportunity to delve deeper into the…

Through the presentation of three historical accounts, this article explores the roles imagination and speculation may play within the writing and study of history. By looking at these three incidents, each drawn from the history and historiography of art education over the past 150 years, through a perspective that embraces the value of utilizing…

Students can learn how history is made by shifting through facts and fiction. A living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts, set up a 1627 Pilgrim village has helped students learn more about other cultures and times that goes deeper than sentimentality or entertainment.

Presents information related to the attempts on discovering the true identity of Tituba. Focuses on theories presented about her identity and her role in the Salem (Massachusetts) witchcraft trials. Discusses the images of Tituba portrayed in literature and U.S. history. (CMK)

Explains that teachers should educate their students about images of witchcraft using sources other than those from popular culture. Reviews literature published on the topic of witchcraft including books on the Salem (Massachusetts) witchcraft trials. Includes a bibliography of resources. (CMK)

Presents a lesson plan that focuses on the Salem (Massachusetts) witchcraft trials. Explains that the first section of the lesson has students learn about the trials as described in the court records. The second section asks students to interpret various images of the trials. (CMK)