The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, the author wants to describe generally how the Teaching American History (TAH) grant stakeholders in the Plymouth Canton Schools prioritized a professional development model that emphasized historical thinking. Rather than describing specific institutes, programs, and curriculum projects, the author…

In this article, the author provides an overview of teaching and learning activities that combine both historical and civics instruction with the study of technology, in line with NCSS thematic strand "Science, Technology, and Society." Specifically, these integrative teaching activities focus on Lowell Mill and Ralph Waldo Emerson, within the…

The purpose of many animal studies at early grades is to build observation skills, develop a knowledge base, and practice age-appropriate science skills like comparing, describing, and drawing. While these are important learning experiences, the National Science Education Standards also recommend that students engage in scientific inquiry (NRC…

The Crusades are among the few medieval events with which most students have familiarity. However, during these days of heightened tensions in the Middle East, for many the Crusades have taken on an urgency as a distant historical phenomenon that speaks powerfully to present religious and political concerns. This helps explain why in 2005, two…

On October 5, 1957, the headline on the front page of the "Baltimore News-Post" proclaimed "Russ "Moon" Circling Earth." The "Russ" Moon was Sputnik I, launched by the Soviet Union a day earlier. The launch had far-reaching and unexpected outcomes for the United States. Almost immediately, President Dwight…

Pupils' essays represent an overlooked resource for historical inquiry. Historians have often ignored young people's work as 'unauthentic', falsely believing it to be merely the mimicking of teachers' and parents' beliefs. But young people are not merely mouthpieces for adults, as research on teacher-student interactions has demonstrated. By…

This book focuses on the history of the Statue of Liberty National Monument from 1952 through 1982. It describes how the monument has come to symbolize an expanding set of ideals, how the symbolism has produced responses in various groups of people ranging from celebrations to physical attacks upon the Statue, and the manner in which the monument…

The Associated Press's claim that it is the oldest wire service in the United States (tracing its origin to formation of the New York City Associated Press in 1948) has been regularly sustained in journalism's history literature. This claim has been challenged by Alfred McClung Lee in his book "The Daily Newspaper in America," in which he contends…

Discusses the history of Spain and shows the influence of the many cultures that have contributed to the formation and development of present-day Castilian Spanish. Documents in the monastery of San Millan de la Cogolla testify to some of the origins. (Text is in Spanish.) (TL)

A discussion of what is archival, what records should be preserved, and how and where urban archives should be established. A survey of urban archives in U.S. cities emphasizes projects in Houston, San Diego, and Philadelphia. (JAB)

A foreign scholar of African fiction may face a dilemma if he is not assisted in his research efforts with sufficient background information to understand the world of reality described by the novels. Libraries in advanced countries should aim at providing not only novels for study, but also related background materials. (VT)

The informal system of access to research documents, i.e., the "invisible college", can be a handicap to researchers who are not members of this network. Other problems of access include delay in publication and organizational suppression of publicity. (JAB)

Historical researchers quickly learn that the evidence they seek is often scarce, partial, misleading; and that it is always inconclusive. Investigates how to mute personal reactions to historical evidence in order to let the evidence speak for itself. Attempts to research the life of Betsey Stockton, a black woman born into slavery who rose to…

Reviews a collection of source materials that cover various aspects of immigration. The list includes twenty-three different types of information. Examples of sources are: (1) newspapers; (2) pictorials; (3) documents; (4) articles; (5) letters; and (6) cartoons. (BSR)

By using propaganda commercial radio broadcasts which occurred during the Second World War as the basis for classroom activities, teachers can help students capture the emotional drama of various topics of the war, as well as certain themes still applicable in contemporary society, and stimulate student curiosity about the past. (RM)