Probes the logistical problems of assigning a term paper to large history classes. Proposes a solution that asks students to write a biographical sketch of a notable individual in western civilization. Describes paper requirements and student responses to the assignment. Stresses the importance of developing writing skills in the liberal arts. (RW)

Urges history teachers to be more cognizant of the methods involved in the writing-across-the-curriculum movement. Suggests that these methods could provide students with the opportunity to learn history independently. Outlines the steps taken to implement these methods. (KO)

Describes the National History Day Program which was instituted to give secondary students a chance to display their research and analytic skills in the field of history for which they could receive awards or scholarships. Explains the process for participating. (KO)

Investigated maternal beliefs about the role of parents and teachers in children's knowledge acquisition in five domains: science, mathematics, sociopolitics, history/geography, and language. Differences in views were attributed to cultural traditions of the two countries. Examined teacher ratings of children's classroom behaviors across cultures;…

Contends that, although multimedia technology offers new options for history instruction, its value depends on the consistency, reliability, and convenience of operational methods. Provides reviews of three recommended and one not recommended multimedia packages. (CFR)

Describes the creation of a traditional Samoan feast in a teacher-librarian's Pacific Studies course. The feast helped students learn to see as other see, recognize culture as a way of being, and realize they have options in life when they understand diversity. (SM)

Presents three responses to the perennial student question, "Why study history?": (1) the acquisition of higher-order thinking skills; (2) the construction of history through a consistent and clear lens; and (3) the safeguarding of American individualism. Asserts that teachers need to provide frameworks that allow students to interpret…

Presents a five-hour simulation designed for secondary social studies students that focuses on the civil war in the former Yugoslavia. Describes necessary materials, a recommended time frame, and a five-day instructional plan. Includes data sheets about individual nations, focus questions, and individual role descriptions. (CFR)

Maintains that each new generation strives to define itself and the nation. Presents a lesson plan focusing on legal issues and principles related to cultural diversity. Includes student objectives, step-by-step instructional procedures, and two student handout sheets. (CFR)

Maintains that the inclusion of scholarship about women's history has not proceeded as vigorously in secondary schools as in colleges. Asserts that resources to incorporate women's history into high school curriculum are widely available. Identifies books by Anzia Yezierska and Charlotte Perkins Gilman. (CFR)

Asserts that the story of Amelia Earhart holds an ongoing fascination for students. Presents an instructional unit using a spreadsheet to create a database about Earhart's final flight. Includes student objectives, step-by-step instructional procedures, and eight graphics of student information or teacher examples. (CFR)

Discusses the significance and circumstances surrounding the Yalta Conference near the end of World War II. Presents diary excerpts written by Anna Roosevelt, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's daughter. Includes four recommended teaching activities and an address list of the presidential libraries. (CFR)

Asserts that recent efforts to demonstrate the weaknesses of Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis only have strengthened its reputation. Discusses the significance of Turner's thesis and its evolution during the past 100 years. Concludes that historical presentism flattens the drama of history. (CFR)

Contends that the elementary classroom can be an ideal place for instituting authentic assessment. Provides suggestions for beginning to use authentic assessment approaches in elementary social studies. Includes four sample performance items and suggestions for scoring performance-based tests. (CFR)

Contends that historians are now using historical sites to produce three-dimensional experiences with the past that cannot be obtained in any other way. Asserts that Stratford Hall Plantation, the Lee family home in Virginia, is an outstanding example of such a site. (CFR)