Suggests using primary sources in history and social studies instruction. Offers reasons for teaching with primary sources. Proposes activities for developing students' investigative skills. Includes lessons dealing with detecting source bias, differentiating sources, using conflicting sources, and evaluating sources. Presents varied…

Recommends the use of political cartoons in history instruction. Identifies characteristics of effective cartoons: (1) wit or humor; (2) basis in truth; and (3) moral purpose. Argues that the study of cartoons can promote creativity and social science skills. Identifies sources of cartoons. (SG)

Describes ways in which K-12 educators can gain additional knowledge for teaching ancient history without distorting or misinterpreting the cultural aspects of the events. It also discusses the use of ancient history, particularly Asian and African history, as a means of teaching democracy and social justice. (GLR)

Suggests using primary sources such as diaries and folk songs in history instruction to broaden the textbook portrayal of history. Recommends the establishment of centers throughout the United States with access to library resources. Identifies some existing centers. Includes an appendix on folk songs and history in the classroom. (SG)

Suggests that slave advertisements from old southern newspapers can be used to help teachers convey the nature of slavery. Includes a selection of slave advertisements with analysis and questions for discussion. Recommends the use of such advertisements for units on the causes of the Civil War or the lingering effects of slavery on society today.…

Surveys literature to provide a bibliography for U.S. history teachers to use in integrating sport history into their classes. Emphasizes major topical areas focusing on 1850 to the present. Includes primary sources, general histories, and works focusing on the relationships among sport and the media, individual cities, women, and minority groups.…

Presents four reports from a preconference sponsored by the Young Adult Services Division of the American Library Association on nonfiction and information materials for young people. Highlights include developing lifetime readers, writing and publishing nonfiction, sources from the National Archives and presidential libraries, and magazine…

Describes a project to collect, organize, and analyze petitions to state legislatures and county courts concerning race, slavery, and free blacks in the South between 1776 and 1867. Presents a lesson plan designed to incorporate these, and similar documents, into middle-, and high-school history classes. Includes a sample document. (DSK)

Presents a history of the Saturday Evening Girls' Club and other associated library clubs that were developed for immigrant and working-class women and girls in Boston around 1900. Examines the role clubs and social reform organizations played in advancing intellectual, educational, and economic agendas using primary documents. (Contains 111…

This study examined how frequently psychology professors at liberal arts colleges assign primary source readings. Professors provided information on 576 courses. Frequent use of primary sources suggests that professors view such readings as a valuable component of the psychology curriculum. Professors assigned primary source material in 70.8% of…

Preservice teachers are often amazed at the wealth of print and Internet resources available. They look forward to selecting appropriate ones to make people and events in the past seem real to children. In addition to these, perhaps some of the most meaningful sources might be those they and their future students locate and/or create themselves.…

The American Civil War, the War between the States, War of the Rebellion, the Second American Revolution, and the War of Southern Independence are all names for the bloodiest conflict in American history. That war of many names has inspired authors to write thousands of books and articles. With the advent of the Internet came a plethora of Web…

Today's students are generally accustomed to seeing timelines of events, lists of names, and bulleted items, yet they lack an understanding of the complexity of historical analysis. Learning to read historical information from charts, for example, teaches students to evaluate the significance of change. Comparing related primary sources can…

Twenty years ago, John Goodlad (1984) produced a troubling image of the social studies classroom. The primary activities for students in those classes included "listening, reading textbooks, completing workbooks and worksheets, and taking quizzes" (213). Despite many endeavors over the years to uplift the teaching of history, including the writing…

In this article, the author discusses inquiry learning and primary sources. Inquiry learning puts students in the active role of investigators. Questioning, authentic and active learning, and interactivity are a few of the characteristics of inquiry learning that put the teacher and library media specialist in the role of coaches while students…