The massive masonry defenses of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, which were begun in the 16th century, exist today as the oldest European-style fortifications within the territory of the United States. This lesson is based on the World Heritage Site nomination file and the National Park Service Handbook, "San Juan: The Forts of Old San Juan."…

Surrounded by the beauty of southern Utah and panoramic views of three states, filigrees of colorful stones that erosion has shaped into a spectacular array of spires, fins, and pinnacles called "hoodoos" remind tourist viewers of church steeples, Gothic spires, castle walls, animals, and even people. In this lesson students explore why…

This curriculum unit is designed to give primary school students foreign language experiences and also to support the cultural literacy strand of the California State History-Social Science Framework. The unit is part of an elementary literature series which utilizes quality primary source literature from various world regions and countries and…

This teaching unit is based on primary sources, taken from government documents, artifacts, magazines, newspapers, films, and literature from the U.S. historical period under study, which in this case, is the Great Depression of the 1930s and Franklin D. Roosevelt's response to it--the New Deal. The unit explains that the New Deal established the…

This book, for grades 9-12, presents primary source materials relating to the poet Nikki Giovanni (including many of Giovanni's poems reprinted in full), easily adaptable lessons and activities, and a resource section for students and teachers wishing to study Giovanni's work further. It is a resource both for teachers already teaching the work of…

This field trip program consists of a 60-minute interpretive tour, a 90-minute hands-on workshop, and a 20-minute slide show at the Lowell, Massachusetts "Invention Factories." The program explores invention and its significance to the modern world. The workshop complements the tour by bringing the significance of historic resources to…

This field trip program, a 75-minute interpretive tour and a 90-minute workshop, provides students with the opportunity to explore what it was like for newcomers from many different cultures to move to an industrial city. The workshop complements the tour by bringing the significance of historic resources to life. The tour focuses on the…

This question, first formulated in 1780, is answered in high school history classes to gain a new perspective on America and its role in history. (KM)

Two aspects of Suffolk's Local History Classroom Project are outlined: (1) some procedures used for the construction and use of case study and (2) possible roles for computerized banks of standardized historical data. (Author/SJL)

Reviews seven recent Canadian political history books: a volume in the Canadian Centennial Series, three books on provincial and three on national politics. Stresses the importance of political history in presenting new information and interpretations to students. (KC)

Focuses on ideas and strategies to help students identify appropriate resources for specific research tasks. Highlights include three processes for working through assignments, brainstorming and narrowing the list of sources, using a checklist of primary sources, and other considerations. (AEF)

Provides historical information on the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom" and the role of A. Philip Randolph who originally conceived the idea for the March. Features a letter from A. Philip Randolph to President John F. Kennedy. Includes a list of teaching activities. (CMK)

Presents a lesson plan about the Keys' Desert Queen Ranch, located in the Joshua Tree National Park (California), that can be used in a unit on U.S. western expansion or desert environments. Explains students learn about life on a homestead and Ralph Waldo Emerson's ideas on self-reliance. (CMK)

Presents an annotated bibliography of online resources on the Civil War from the Abolition movement through Reconstruction, drawn from Rutgers University's (New Jersey) Web page. Lists primary resources, secondary sources, online bibliographies and indexes, general sites, and listservs. (AEF)

Discusses the teaching technique, "authentic instruction," in which students learn to analyze historical documents. Describes how to teach elementary students to analyze historical photographs. Explains how teachers can locate historical photographs using the World Wide Web or family photographs. (CMK)