An interview with Irven DeVore, anthropologist, gives perspective on materials dealing with American colonial communities. A card-sort and a brainstorming exercise, along with other activity suggestions for ways to investigate a local community, help students gain a feeling for values held by colonialists at the time of the Revolution. (KM)

Lessons involve K-12 students in analyzing teacher-developed state and local thematic maps, identifying countries of the world with which their city has a linkage as indicated by local ethnic restaurants, discussing local companies involved in international trade, and learning about foreign-made products in their home and community. (RM)

Reported is how junior high school students, prompted by the construction of a local housing authority scheme, produced an information booklet for new residents which covered the history, facilities, and services of the community. Outlined are procedures, activities, problems, and results. (DC)

Described is a project to interest elementary school students in conducting interviews with older people in order to learn more about cultural history and family history. Included is a sample list of interview questions. (KC)

In addition to preserving the memory of one school year, high school yearbook staffs might consider creating and maintaining a reference room that contains the school's entire history. (RL)

Presents a lesson plan that enables students to learn more about U.S. wartime production during World War II. Includes background information on wartime production efforts and provides activities for building upon this overview. Offers additional online resources, a bibliography, and primary sources. (CMK)

The building that once housed the only primary school for blacks in Lee County, Virginia, is now the Appalachian African-American Cultural Center. Besides preserving Appalachian black history, it hosts an annual Race Unity Day; houses a library of black literature; and sponsors workshops on racism, where blacks and whites can discuss racial issues…

Provides background information for a local history project about the 1793 Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) yellow fever outbreak. Offers potential project topics to help students learn about local history and understand life in the eighteenth century United States. (CMK)

Describes an interdisciplinary unit, "Rollin down the River," where second grade students at the Winship Geography/History Magnet School (Macon, Georgia) learned about the local Ocmulgee River and the town of Macon. Includes a bibliography of children's literature and teacher resources. (CMK)

Introduces a new column that focuses on successful strategies used by U.S. historians. Includes seven rules for effective history teaching: (1) teach with enthusiasm; (2) rely less on textbooks; (3) use secondary sources; (4) explore current topics; (5) use local history; (6) use music and film; and (7) become computer literate. (CMK)

Describes problems encountered by public librarians when assisting students with assignments that are difficult or impossible to complete. Examples of librarians' successes in assertive, tactful communication with instructors and a list of solutions to inappropriate assignments are provided. Special emphasis is given to assignments dealing with…

Discusses how students research and publish self-guided walking tours under the guidance of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Assesses the educational value of the experience and suggests resources for creating a tour. Recommends strategies for researching ethnic neighborhoods, including the use of religious and secular institutions for…

Describes a project at the University of Guelph (Ontario) that combined both bibliographical and archival references in one large machine readable database to facilitate local history research. The description covers research tool creation, planning activities, system design, the database management system used, material selection, record…

Suggests using local history, primary source material, and comparative history to alleviate the boredom most students experience when studying the Reconstruction period of U.S. history. Provides an example of comparative history usage through a discussion of ante-bellum Maryland and the history of Liberia. (KO)

Describes an oral history project in which ninth graders interviewed residents of an Atlanta neighborhood facing disruption by urban development and prepared transcriptions and scrapbooks for presentation to the local historical society. (SV)