For social studies teachers, the challenge is to teach about war by going beyond causes and results and the major battles and highlights historians claim as important. Excerpts from literature and primary source materials and discussion questions are presented to help secondary students study the personal side of World War I. (RM)

Secondary students participate in a library scavenger hunt to find answers to questions raised by the press release containing President John F. Kennedy's telegram to Nikita Kruschev congratulating the Soviets on the first successful manned space flight. Issues for classroom discussion are also presented. (RM)

Presents a lesson plan in which George Bellows's painting "Both Members of this Club" is analyzed as a historical document illustrating the Progressive movement. Suggests that the lesson can introduce students to a different form of historical communication. Includes background information and procedures for approaching the lesson.…

Relates the positive effects of using an historical document as a stimulus for class projects in the English classroom. (RL)

These learning activities can be used to show secondary level students how contemporary art and literature reflect the main trends of thought and values of the People's Republic of China. Students learn about two of the most important philosophies in old China--Confucianism and Taoism. They also learn about new China (China since 1949). Students…

This lesson plan collection focuses on attitudes and opinions held by Native Americans and European Americans about the United States. The lesson plans are arranged in four sections: (1) "Ancestral Lands" (Debating for Land; Making Treaties and Weaving Wampum; Pipestone Quarry and Westward Expansion: Whose Rock Is It Anyway); (2)…

Designed for use in a one-semester course in U.S. history or literature at the intermediate or secondary level, this collection of the Civil War letters of Lewis Bissell, a Union soldier, is divided into two major parts. Part I (chapters 1 though 5) covers the period of time Bissell spent guarding Washington, District of Columbia. Each chapter…

This teacher's guide gives practical and realistic ideas for teaching and learning about art. Creating artwork need not be seen as an activity in isolation but can be used to reinforce historical understanding or to support cross-curricular work. The aim of the guide is to help teachers recognize the potential of the historic environment to:…

Presents a three-activity lesson plan based on Weir Farm, home of Impressionist painter J. Alden Weir and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Includes three student readings, three maps, and a tabular chart. Outlines step-by-step instructional procedures and a list of books for further reading. (CFR)

Utilizes a letter by J. Dewey Soper as an example of how archival documents can be used in the social studies classroom and explains that in the letter Soper reported on his exploration of Baffin Land (Canada) to the acting director of the Geological Survey. Addresses possible activities and discussion questions. (CMK)

Presents an insider's view of the process involved in creating award-winning historical, biographical documentaries. Argues that documentary filmmakers and historians share a common mission in presenting as complete and accurate a picture of the past as possible. Maintains that the central difference between the two is in the selection of…

Describes a lesson that integrates U.S. history and economics to teach students about hyperinflation in the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War. States that the students analyze primary documents, examine graphs, and participate in a role playing exercise. Includes copies of the primary sources and information on assessment. (CMK)

Presents a high school unit about the U.S. Industrial Revolution featuring the Boott Cotton Mills of Lowell, Massachusetts. Includes student objectives, step-by-step instructional procedures, and discussion questions. Provides two maps, five illustrations, one photograph, and three student readings. (ACM)

Twenty-four year old Jens Jensen came to the United States, settled in Chicago (Illinois), and promptly fell in love with the Midwest's prairie landscape. Although some thought that prairie was boring, monotonous, and ordinary, Jensen saw great beauty in the tree-filled groves, long winding rivers, natural rock formations and waterfalls, and the…

Presents a lesson where students interact with the art of the Gilded Age and learn about various artists from the time period as a means to review the major themes of the Gilded Age. Explains that this lesson addresses the National Standards for U.S. History. Provides teacher notes, extension activities, and additional sources. (CMK)