Middle school students learned about their community when they created documentaries as part of a state bicentennial celebration. Students gathered multiple primary and secondary resources and worked with community members to interview them for their perspectives through video presentations as part of the inquiry process. Students work with local…

Integrating local history with national or even global history can help students to find social studies more meaningful, to make connections between course content and their own lives and surroundings. In this article, we describe a project in which seventh grade students in Istanbul, Turkey, located centuries-old trees still living in their urban…

The Social Studies course covers many opportunities for students to actively learn-by-doing and learn-by-living outside of the school and classroom environments. In this context, the present study aims to identify how the Social Studies Curriculum in Turkey (Ministry of National Education [MoNE], 2018) supports learning in environments outside of…

This article, by Lynda Abbott and Richard Grayson, offers a fascinating example of collaboration between school and university, focused on the development of a community archive. The project--run as an extra-curricular activity--was originally inspired by a concern to preserve the personal stories of those whose lives were affected by the Second…

Suggests activities for students interested in historic preservation: walking trips, collection, and projects which recreate activities of the past. (KC)

Provides suggestions for turning the search for local history materials into a coherent package for the classroom. Teachers should choose a project that teaches skills and helps shape student values. A thematic approach (for example, transportation) contributes to selectivity and is useful for producing a sourcebook. (KC)

Oral history can be done without sophisticated technology, involves students actively in history, and generates enthusiasm and tangible products. Eleven projects are suggested, ranging from classroom to interdisciplinary community research. A bibliography cites 19 books about oral history programs for social studies classes. (AV)

Describes a local history project in which high school students located valuable historic photographs on the local community and reproduced them on 35mm slides. An historic photo archive consisting of the slides accompanied by documentary materials was created. Procedures for creating and suggestions for using a photo archive are included. (KC)

Briefly discusses projects in local history from elementary to graduate level. Suggests that projects can serve as a springboard for broader study and a building block for an appreciation of United States History and western civilization. (Author/KC)

The booklet is designed to help social studies teachers initiate oral history projects. Preceding the two major sections of the document, the authors specify that oral history is more than a person with a tape recorder; need not be transcribed to be useful; need not be a big project; and is not the final product of history. The next section…

Traces the history of Arthurdale, West Virginia, a homestead community established by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Division of Subsistence Homesteads in 1933. Includes Arthurdale's community projects, activities, and schools. (RW)

The history of Amityville, New York, compiled by 11th and 12th grade advance placement history students, is presented in journal form. Six papers focus on: (1) South Oaks: The Long Island Home; (2) A History of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Amityville; (3) Amityville: A Vacationland; (4) Amityville School System from 1904 to Present;…

This oral history project was completed by a Munice, Indiana high school honors U.S. history class. The students interviewed Munice residents, who during World War II either served in the military or experienced the War from the homefront. Two interview instruments were designed, one for the military front and the other for the home front. The…

Centennial celebrations provide an ideal opportunity to help young children develop an understanding of the concepts of time and chronology, maps, societal change, and an appreciation of family and personal heritage. Centennial activities for use with first and second graders are provided. (RM)

Describes a history unit for middle school students focusing on their own communities. Describes getting organized, introducing the unit, and possible student projects. Adds a note of caution. (SR)