Many studies show the value of local history, especially multicultural history, to youth development and student learning outcomes. Incorporating local history into classrooms improves students' ability to question historical significance, analyze primary sources, contextualize their historical thinking, and embrace the learning process as their…

Ordinary citizens and elected officials struggle with the unsettled nature of history and America's problematic racial past in particular. Textbooks--the most common curricular resource in the discipline--contribute by emphasizing singular names (e.g., Martin Luther King Jr.), curious objects (e.g., Rosa Parks's bus seat), and ahistorical notions…

States that local history can be effective in helping students better understand the broader scope of history. Identifies four ERIC documents which will help social studies teachers incorporate local history in their classrooms. Provides bibliographic citations and ordering information. (GEA)

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…

This ERIC digest on a new curriculum project called "Teaching with Historic Places" discusses the program, its products, and how they can be used in classrooms and communities by students, teachers, and other interested groups. The program offers not only educational materials, but also professional training and development for teachers,…

The author examines the reasons for the current interest in local history and discusses the thematic approach as that most favorable for the study of local history. (DE)

Describes the contents and structure of a heritage education resource package which was developed to heighten students' awareness of their heritage through the study of architecture. Designed to supplement a variety of curriculum units, this package utilizes local history resources to enliven heritage instruction. (GEA)

Architecture can be a topic in high school community studies. A program in Boulder, Colorado, is described as a case study. Learning activities include walking tours, library and city archive research, and slide shows. Tips for teachers and an annotated bibliography are included. (Author/DB)

The National Register of Historic Places maintains a database with information on more than 60,000 historic places of significance in U.S. history. This paper contends that the emerging K-12 social studies core curriculum, as exemplified by the National Standards Project, contains a number of openings for teaching about historic places.…

Describes a curriculum development project developed in the United Kingdom to help students write histories based on local case studies. Topics discussed include reasons for writing local history, gathering historical evidence, primary source materials, procedures, and advantages of a local history project. (Author/DB)

Asserts that the value of using pictures and photographs as teaching aids is firmly established. Suggests rephotographing old photographs to produce customized study prints and develop miniunits based on them. Includes a sample unit outline with teaching procedures and three illustrative photographs. (CFR)

Argues that local history collections in the public library can be used by teachers to make their lessons challenging and more meaningful and outlines factors a public librarian needs to consider in developing cooperative teaching programs with schools using primary documents. Sample exercises for fourth and eighth graders are included. (six…

The use of historical records and documents can help students to connect more meaningfully to the past, and lead them to an increased understanding of and participation in their communities. The Regents of New York State have included the use of historical records and documents in their recommendations for the improvement of elementary and…

This report describes some curriculum development work done by the Local History Classroom Project (LHCP) which explores approaches to the classroom teaching of local history and possible roles for computerized banks of standardized historical data. Part one of the document gives a sample lesson developed from court records and newspaper articles.…

Three students describe how teachers were able to make the learning of history exciting and encourage historical investigations. The use of primary sources of information to stimulate interest in history is recommended as a means of providing curricular differentiation for gifted students, and activities using primary sources are described. (JDD)