Recommends that media presentations can be used effectively in the history classroom as images of reality. Suggests films and television programs and documentaries that can be utilized to show how movies play a role in shaping opinion and changing perceptions. (DK)

Discusses state history instruction in U.S. schools. Describes the writing of an updated history of Minnesota for use in instruction. Addresses the inclusion of the history of minorities, women, and the environment in the book. Suggests that state history is a natural stage for demonstrating the interplay between the individual and the universal.…

Encourages educators to rethink approaches to teaching about Columbus'"discovery" of the Americas. Recommends that teachers examine textbooks for balance of presentation about Columbus. Suggests using children's literature and primary sources in addressing the topic. Underscores the need to present a balanced, multicultural explanation…

Offers suggestions for incorporating literature into teaching history. Outlines several activities designed to extend students' understanding of historical events. Includes a suggested reading list of fiction covering various periods in U.S. history for grades 4 through 12. (NL)

Recommends including geography in history instruction. Suggests that the theme of time is implicit in the five fundamental geographical themes of location, place, relationships within places, movement, and regions. Observes that maps enable students to visualize historic events. Concludes that geography can help students connect past and present.…

Suggests promoting student critical thinking and motivation through the dramatization of U.S. history. Explains that the exercises make use of old newspaper articles, diaries, and letters, as well as physical artifact facsimiles. Discusses an activity in which students acted out the formation of the Iroquois nation, then wrote first person…

Describes the California Assessment Program's (CAP) group performance assessment task. Provides a sample task field test in world history, including written and culminating exercises. Suggests that such assessment exercises are popular with students and provide the teacher with an amalgam of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. (DK)

Describes a social studies unit for use in U.S. history courses or a class in contemporary social problems. Explores child labor in U.S. history and today. Includes questions, research, and discussion for small groups of students. Suggests that the unit helps students' view themselves as part of the learning process. (DK)

Presents a classroom exercise to help rural high school students see that xenophobic attitudes have existed throughout U.S. history. Suggests showing that the culture has survived and been enriched by each new wave of immigration. Lists typical attitudes toward immigrants, especially in rural areas where immigrants rarely are encountered. (DK)

Suggests assigning students to construct moving panoramas as a means of learning about nineteenth-century U.S. history. Explains procedures for developing and presenting the panoramas. Identifies evaluation methods. Argues that the activity can stimulate student curiosity, provide a creative means for orchestrating facts, and make history become…

Contends that teachers often demand creative and concise writing but do not provide students with concrete suggestions. Presents an approach to writing instruction using geometric figures as models for essay writing. Includes 10 examples of models with essay questions derived from each model's conceptual base. (CFR)

Describes how an eighth-grade teacher taught her class about Anne Frank, the Holocaust, and World War II by creating a character, playing the role of the character, and making history personal for the students. (SM)

Describes two seven-session workshops for elementary and secondary teachers, focusing on historical thinking and writing and on stimulating personal involvement of students with history. (SR)

Asserts that the Nobel Peace Prize provides a gateway for teaching the critical issue of peace in history courses. Presents an overview of the origin, development, and history of the Nobel Peace Prize, with special focus on U.S. winners. Includes six suggested student projects and a list of U.S. Nobel Peace Prize winners. (CFR)

Discusses the lack of teacher training provided for teaching assistants in history departments. Argues that emphasis on research and publication is misplaced because most new Ph.D.s will be teaching rather than publishing. Urges teacher training to prepare graduate students for their chosen profession and to improve undergraduate education. (DK)