This story and activities are intended to motivate students, grades K-8, to investigate history. The story "Gram's Trunk"-- is about a family's memories being saved by the grandmother, and about her daughter and granddaughter visiting her to look at the objects stored in the trunk. The activities are varied, but nearly all have to do with the…

Presents an assignment in which students choose a historical medical document, focusing on bloodletting techniques, tendon repair in the calf, or phrenology, and then convince the doctor or specialist who wrote the document that he was incorrect or did not use the best medical treatment. Provides historical background on phrenology. (CMK)

Discusses how students research and publish self-guided walking tours under the guidance of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Assesses the educational value of the experience and suggests resources for creating a tour. Recommends strategies for researching ethnic neighborhoods, including the use of religious and secular institutions for…

Presents the story of the role railroad technology had in the adoption of Standard Time Zones in 1883 and also considers the influence of astronomers at the time. Includes the map of the standard railway time used by W. F. Allen and an annotated bibliography with primary and secondary sources. (CMK)

This paper introduces topics about the American West to teachers and students of U.S. history and suggests that interested students can pursue the topics at greater length. The report is based on information from the novelist, Tony Hillerman, who states in "The Best of the West" (1991) that there are many firsthand accounts and other…

Contends that students should learn about the role of women in Canadian history through research-based projects that focus on the lives of unknown and famous unknown women and that emphasize primary sources and media as important resources. Provides a number of activities that can be adapted for elementary or secondary students. (CMK)

Described is the Man in a Changing Society (MIS) project in which K-12 Swedish children use parish records to study and research local history. Church records in Sweden contain detailed information about individuals living during the 18th and 19th centuries. To make this information accessible to researchers, the Swedish church records are being…

Uses microfilm copies of the 1880 and 1900 census records which tallied information about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family to teach about using census data. Suggests activities that develop vocabulary skills, teach document analysis, utilize map skills, and require research and synthesis skills. (LS)

In 1999, the City University of New York (CUNY) abolished remedial programs in its four-year colleges and began to rely on standardized test scores as criteria both for exiting remediation and for admission to bachelor's programs. By doing that, the university has in effect eradicated its three-decade-old "open admissions" policy, argue…