The rise of China, as well as any of the emerging economies, has much to offer students and teachers of social studies--especially in the fields of history and economics. Traditionally, history education in the United States has emphasized Western civilization and provided instruction for educators with that end in mind. In an era of increased…

Teachers of history in high school should use historical research as a teaching device. Advantages are that it permits teachers and students to learn together through discovery, integrates national and local history, and encourages students to develop respect for history and historians. (Author/DB)

The question, "What were the causes of World War I?," has become one of the classic historical debates of which there seem to be endless permutations. In the past 90 years historians, journalists, and politicians have offered many more or less rational explanations for the war. Although at least some of the usual "causes"…

Reports a panel proceeding enumerating classroom experiences in teaching local and regional American history to high school and college students through oral history techniques. (TO)

Provides a classroom exercise, known as Synergistic Convergence (SYNCON), in which students are divided into small groups, and then into successively larger groups, until the entire class is involved in one problem. Asks students to develop a list of five heroes and five villains in history. Generates insights into the nature of historical…

Maintains that most history students realize that primary sources are the cornerstone of written history. Contends that, when students understand that written history reflects the historian's personal insights, biases, and limitations, they discover both the pleasure and peril of studying history. (CFR)

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 Provides suggestions for students concerning categorizing and analyzing historical documents.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)

Reviews a college freshmen history seminar project in which students wrote, illustrated, and prepared a U.S. history textbook on the 1950s and 1960s. Reflecting on the resulting text, Ramsay questions whether students succumbed to the didactic fallacy; and cites a lack of cohesiveness, but praises the project's value as a teaching exercise. (LS)

Contends that the freedom to discover and debate the past is essential to a democratic society. Presents a high school lesson in historical methodology to illustrate how historians search for what happened in the past. Includes seven classroom activities to help students examine historical evidence. (CFR)

Since history textbooks omit and/or emphasize certain data, students are left with a false sense of history. Although the "hard data" presented in history texts is generally regarded as reliable, the selection and organization of that data is inherently manipulative because other data has been excluded. Because authors do not begin with a…

Dime novels, short melodramatic paperbacks written in America from 1840 to 1910, are useful in helping secondary school students understand the slave experience in the United States. Writing a dime novel can be used as a class activity; the procedure for using dime novels in the classroom is discussed. (BJV)

Describes a broad variety of instructional ideas and activities designed to make history come alive for the intermediate grades. These include personal time lines, interviewing grandparents, and show and tell with personal artifacts. Includes a section of activities designed specifically to work with historical fiction. (MJP)

Provides an interesting introduction to the military units, tactics, and campaign strategy used in the Civil War battle at Antietam (Maryland). Recommends a walking tour of the site and offers suggestions for discussion questions and related topics. Includes selected quotes from letters and memoirs of participants. (MJP)

Proposes having students write an "immigrant novel" as an alternative to a research paper, allowing them to develop awareness and understanding of the immigrant experience in U.S. history. Students use historical research methods, gain perspective on the immigration experience, and understand concepts. Outlines methods for guiding…

Contends that the end of the Cold War requires teachers to change their teaching methods and content. Presents six lessons, most with three individual student activities, that trace the Cold War from the pre-World War I era through the end of the Vietnam War. (CFR)