Recommends using primary source documents in middle school history instruction and examines several strategies for making them more accessible. Describes a course on 17th-century social reformers that utilized paraphrasing of the historical language used in primary documents followed by focus questions and class discussion. (MJP)

Presents a learning activity to help students see themselves as part of the historical process. Describes the nine-week project in which students solicit written or oral remembrances of family, local, and national history. Maintains that the project integrated history and writing in a meaningful way for students. (CFR)

Analyzes one of Henry Ward Beecher's sermons to teach about the northern antislavery movement between 1830 and 1860 and to illustrate how sermons can be used as primary source documents. Provides six field-tested guidelines developed from an introductory U.S. history survey course to explain how students analyzed the sermon, held discussion, and…

Proposes having students write an "immigrant novel" as an alternative to a research paper, allowing them to develop awareness and understanding of the immigrant experience in U.S. history. Students use historical research methods, gain perspective on the immigration experience, and understand concepts. Outlines methods for guiding…

Offers suggestions for teaching the concept of constitutional government. Differentiates constitutional governments from autocratic systems. Includes a handout containing excerpts from a model constitution. Involves students in comparisons of this model to the U.S. Constitution and discussions about clauses in the model. Reveals at the lesson's…

On her death in 1910, Florence Nightingale left a vast collection of reports, letters, notes and other written material. There are numerous publications that make use of this material, often highlighting Florence's attitude to a particular issue. In this paper we gather a set of quotations and construct a dialogue with Florence Nightingale on the…

This book relates the experiences of students and teachers who spent their days in one- and two-room schoolhouses in West Texas during the first half of the 20th century. The book is based on interviews with 77 people and is divided into two sections: student recollections and teachers' memories. Former students reflect on school facilities, the…

The responsibility of the U.S. House of Representatives Task Force on Hunger is to investigate the causes and dimensions of world hunger and to develop legislative recommendations addressing the issues raised. At this hearing, the issue discussed was of basic education as a crucial link in expanding opportunities for poor and hungry people to…

Changes in marriage and the family from 1950-74 in five nonsocialist countries were explored. The countries selected for the study were Japan, the Netherlands, West Germany, Sweden, and the United States. Most of the data were derived from the United Nations'"Demographic Yearbook," although various original sources from the particular…

Seven modules about aspects of growing up in America are presented for incorporation into 11th grade social studies curricula. Content covers a variety of issues spanning a time period from America's colonial history through the present. Each module suggests discussion questions based on primary sources. Module one explores dimensions of religious…

The present volume is a strong reminder that culture areas exist in their own right, sprawling across national or tribal territories, and that the range of culture includes more than survival traits. The Indians of the Subarctic have adapted to a physical habitat that imposes taxation in terms of time and energy far beyond the demands of most…

This reader is one of several supplementary materials for a 15-week newspaper course about crime and justice, mainly in the United States. Six units contain 67 readings from primary sources such as journal articles, monographs, personal interviews, published letters, and government reports. The readings present personal experiences, research…

The paper describes ways in which the urban classroom teacher can celebrate the Bicentennial and investigate the historical role of the cities throughout American history, without sacrificing current and futuristic issues and topics. Primary and secondary sources are used and a community-based field program for students is developed. The following…

Unit two to the second-semester "Comparing Political Experiences" course focuses on a specific controversial political issue: court-ordered busing in Boston. A documentary approach represents the core of instruction in this 12th-grade unit. This approach avoids lengthy narratives of a theoretical approach and yet is more in-depth than…

This teachers guide to unit two of the second-semester "Comparing Political Experiences" course provides specific objectives and instructional procedures for each of the four student activities on the Boston busing controversy. In addition, the guide gives instruction for coordinating the use of the student materials, audiovisual…