Film documentaries can be a valuable addition to introductory American history courses. Using "The Adams Chronicles" as an example, the author identifies flaws in the film and then explains how careful planning and analysis of the video and printed programs enabled him to incorporate it effectively into a freshman-level survey course at Ohio State…

Describes a U.S. history survey course that incorporates cultural pluralism and family histories into the writing assignments. Students are encouraged to write about events that occurred in their families during the time periods being studied. Oral interviews and family documents supplement traditional research tools and secondary sources. (MJP)

Discusses the role of oral history in the documentation and interpretation of family history. Gives information for constructing and managing information in interviews. Stresses that oral history permits analysis of materials in terms of shared conceptions. Emphasizes ways family histories can be used in research projects and classroom teaching.…

Describes how 4 historical, popular, culture mediums may be used to help stimulate student curiosity about the past and provide practice in using and understanding the historical method. Highlighting the slave experience, the mediums are: (1) the antislave almanac; (2) the dime novel; (3) the moving panorama; and (4) the propaganda play.…

Describes a Niagara University (New York) senior seminar designed to teach research, writing, and analytical skills by using a major research essay. Utilizes family history to understand the nature and methods of historical research. Includes a reading list and an outline for a class project of a comprehensive family research project. (NL)

Maintains that teaching history can be far more than dry lectures and reading long books. Maintains that the "historical staff ride" program in the U.S. Army can serve as an example of how to teach history outside the classroom. Describes the program and provides guidelines for selecting and visiting historic sites with classes. (CFR)

Problems of college survey courses in history are reviewed. Traditional approaches which stress lecture and discussion overwhelm students with content. A recently developed method, Personalized System of Instruction, is described as a way of making history courses manageable and interesting for both students and teachers. For journal availability,…

Contends that, during the past generation, a new social history that concerns itself with the lives of ordinary people has changed history research and teaching. Describes an eight-unit college course in the history of United States sports. Includes a selected bibliography of books for students and teachers. (CFR)

Asserts that people of all ages love a story that involves heroes and villains and that a teacher can bridge the gap between political and social history through dramatization. Describes procedures for identifying appropriate topics for dramatization and encouraging student involvement. (CFR)

Recording history is a valuable learning technique in studying immigration or ethnic history. At the University of Missouri in Saint Louis, students develop a questionnaire and then interview first-generation immigrants as well as American-born descendants. Tapes and transcriptions are added to the campus archives. For journal availability, see SO…

Examines levels of the pyramid model of history including complete past; surviving evidence of the past; discovered evidence of the past; what historians consider important; historians' version of history; and what appears in textbooks. Suggests that the model can show students that history as presented in textbooks is a small part of the overall…

Contends that end of Cold War increases need for students to understand causes and aftermath of World War II. Recommends spending less time on military aspects of the war and more time on the economic, social, and cultural impact of total war. Provides a selected list of resources to be used in a college level course on the war. (CFR)

Describes how a role-playing approach may be used to capture the style, flavor, and conversation of nineteenth-century British life through the staging of a Victorian tea. Examines the economic, social, and cultural questions addressed through the technique. Also discusses evaluation and student impact and recommends the activity for any…

Asserts that students have difficulty visualizing the physical conditions of the event or period under study. Recommends the resources found in military museums to reproduce landscapes, images, and sounds that stimulate the learning process. Describes the First Division Museum at Cantigny near Wheaton, IL. (CFR)

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…