The author describes how high school students can use Google Tour Builder to track the impact of local Civil War veterans by conducting research with primary and secondary sources. In the article, there is a description of an example from Larned, Kansas where more than one hundred Civil War veterans settled a community on the plains. Digitized…

Significant research has documented the benefits of using primary materials in the classroom, and for a long time, textbook authors and scholars have collected such materials for in-class student use. Teachers and researchers regularly engage with physical and digital archives as resources for their own research and for classroom materials. At the…

Given the recent and ongoing debates about race and inclusion, history classes can turn to the study of local groups that have been marginalized in an effort to increase students' cultural awareness. One such local history project took place in Evansville, Indiana from 2011 to 2013 through collaboration between the University of Southern Indiana…

Lessons in community building and cultural understanding are important aspects of a 21st-century education. Through such lessons, students gain the keys to societal understanding as they gain knowledge about their cultural and historical contexts, and use that understanding as a setting for exploration of deeper values, emotional experiences, and…

Local history, historical fiction, and one of the most significant events of the twentieth century come together in this article as Jon Grant and Dan Townsend suggest a way to enable students to produce better historical fiction and improve their understanding of the history of their own area. They develop the work on historical fiction…

As advocates of engaging students in historical inquiry and of the use of primary sources to aid in this inquiry, we support the claims of numerous student benefits, such as learning to detect bias, appreciating the interpretive nature of historical thinking, and the drawing of conclusions based on judgments about evidence (Fehn & Koeppen,…

This project plays upon technology and an innovative way to research history -- the use of online primary source data that highlight the history of women in volunteer and reform organizations, education, the arts, the workplace, and private lives. Using an archival database from the Lycoming County Women's History collection, this curriculum…

It is vital for young students to see how the lives of the veterans connect to their own lives. In this article, the author describes a project of making history come alive. The project started with a visit to the Otterbein Cemetery mausoleum to learn about the U.S. military veterans interred there. These veterans represented a century of U.S.…

In this article, the authors speak of an encounter they had in which they discovered some forgotten and unused historical resources hidden in a storage closet at the Cherokee County Georgia Historical Society. From these resources, they were able to weave an intriguing narrative encompassing people and events in history. They hope their story will…

Advocates the use of primary sources to increase student interest and learning. Includes suggestions for using local resources in such a program and provides a sample lesson plan. Discusses the importance of student work with unedited materials as opposed to secondary sources. (GEA)

Discusses THE YOUNG HISTORIANS, a project of the Chula Vista (California) City School District which involves elementary students in oral and local history to learn basic social studies skills. Stating that the program is applicable to any area, the author examines the benefits of an oral history approach and provides a guide for conducting a…

Describes three programs offered by the San Diego History Research Center for teaching local history to secondary students. Students tour the Center, use primary sources to write research papers for a contest, and view a slide presentation. (AM)

When elementary students examine primary sources and local historical sites to gain firsthand information about life in the past, history becomes more relevant, exciting, and enjoyable. To help students understand that history is not just what is in a textbook, this student resource book focuses on making them aware that history exists all around…

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)

Describes a local history unit used to introduce fourth graders in Berkeley, California to history. The topics and activities used to teach the topics are discussed. (AM)