Neil Bates and Robert Bowry have chosen to tackle the issue of curriculum coherence by including local history, both as starting point for new students joining the school in Year 7 and as a golden thread running throughout their Key Stage 3 curriculum. In this article they explain the rationale for their plans, focusing not only on the powerful…

Many studies show the value of local history, especially multicultural history, to youth development and student learning outcomes. Incorporating local history into classrooms improves students' ability to question historical significance, analyze primary sources, contextualize their historical thinking, and embrace the learning process as their…

Ordinary citizens and elected officials struggle with the unsettled nature of history and America's problematic racial past in particular. Textbooks--the most common curricular resource in the discipline--contribute by emphasizing singular names (e.g., Martin Luther King Jr.), curious objects (e.g., Rosa Parks's bus seat), and ahistorical notions…

Martorella's "sleeping giant" is awakening via geospatial tools. As this technology is adopted, it will transform the history curriculum in three ways: deepening curricular content, making conceptual frameworks more prominent, and increasing connections to local history. These changes may not be profound and they may not be sudden,…

The latest round in Canada's History Wars was set off by reports on May 2, 2013, that the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage was going to "undertake a thorough and comprehensive review of significant aspects in Canadian history." As details of the Heritage Committee's review emerged, controversy erupted as politicians, historians,…

This article examines how interest groups in Hong Kong have politicised national history, an unpopular school subject, for their own political ends and allied themselves with the PRC against the SAR government and its policy of not making it a single, independent, compulsory core subject in the school curriculum. The article argues that this has…

Describes resources used to teach local history at the third-grade level in El Cajon, California. The content of the resources is described as well as the methods used to develop the resources. (AM)

History as a school subject in Hong Kong is often assumed to have been a vehicle for "colonialist" indoctrination under the British, and for "nationalist" indoctrination under the post-retrocession Chinese regime. This chapter challenges such assumptions by examining the ways in which history syllabuses have (or have not) dealt…

This article offers ideas for using the local community to support instruction in history. Suggestions range from using a variety of local library resources to field trips and oral histories. (JDH)

Described is a history education project of the Illinois Regional Archives Depository System which shows that archives can be both repositories and disseminators of information. A curriculum packet composed of facsimiles of local government records for use in secondary school history classes was developed. (RM)

Briefly discusses the history of heritage education and introduces the theme articles in this issue. Invites teachers to consider their local heritage resources and the learning opportunities which these materials support. (GEA)

States that local history can be effective in helping students better understand the broader scope of history. Identifies four ERIC documents which will help social studies teachers incorporate local history in their classrooms. Provides bibliographic citations and ordering information. (GEA)

Identifies trends in teaching local history on the college level, including quantative studies, urban history, and redefinition of historical movements. Maintains that local history should be included in the college curriculum because it is a valuable discipline, helps integrate historical knowledge into the mainstream of society, and encourages…

Describes the content, goals, and methods of a four-year curriculum development project that infused learning about Chicago metropolitan area neighborhoods into existing high school social studies and junior high school American history classes. Provides criteria used for lesson design and unit development. (JDH)

This ERIC digest on a new curriculum project called "Teaching with Historic Places" discusses the program, its products, and how they can be used in classrooms and communities by students, teachers, and other interested groups. The program offers not only educational materials, but also professional training and development for teachers,…