The Rural School and Community Trust has made place central to its educational and community-building work. Because the understanding of a place is fundamental to building sustainable communities, Rural Trust schools and communities are committed to providing their children and young people with opportunities to explore, analyze, and contribute to…

The Llano Grande Research Project in south Texas directs research methods and special projects classes that assist students in developing effective academic, research, and social skills. Students in these classes pursue a curriculum based on pedagogy of place principles and gain an understanding of their community's environment and culture. This…

The suggestions in this booklet address the needs of children between the ages 4-12. The booklet shows how museums can inform and inspire and build skills for both classroom and lifelong learning. Suggestions are given for ways to make family visits to museums a special opportunity to spend time together in a rich learning environment. Museums…

This simulation allows students to pretend to go to a one-room schoolhouse in the last half of the 19th century. Students work to earn points in order to graduate from Apple Valley School. A sense of history is developed as students learn about a "school of long ago" and compare it to today's schools. Role play, writing activities, and critical…

This paper presents an expanded lesson plan for "The Bloomington-Normal Black History Project." This is a revised and expanded version of one of the six items that constituted the earlier work. The objectives are to analyze a primary source document, recognize the importance of individuals who made a difference in community history, and…

The goals of this teacher's guidebook and videotape are designed to incorporate Acadian (Cajun) history into the 4th grade social studies curriculum and the 4th and 5th grade Louisiana 30-minute daily French programs and French immersion programs. Another goal is to create an awareness, appreciation, and understanding of Acadian history in…

Land was at a premium during the first quarter of the 19th century in the newly incorporated city of Boston (Massachusetts). Among the first priorities was the development of a safer, healthier city. Boston's burial grounds were seriously overcrowded, and additional space was no longer available within the city limits. Attitudes about death and…

Railroads influenced and reflected U.S. settlement and development patterns from the 1830s to the 1950s. In cities, they shaped and stimulated economic growth, planning, and architecture. Chattanooga, Tennessee's sprawling Terminal Station, is a tribute to the town's importance as a southeastern transportation hub. This lesson is based on the…

This teacher guide and student community research guide unit are intended to help students learn to conduct research in their community and to communicate the results of that research to classmates and others. The unit, which can be used in conjunction with a video, helps students learn about community research, oral history, and folklore…

Describes the "Neighborhood Walking Tour" project in which gifted sixth graders worked with college students in Duluth, Minnesota to compile histories of buildings located in their neighborhoods. Evaluation results show that the project results in a greater awareness of appropriate sources for the collection of various types of data. (RM)

Described is the evolution of "Foxfire," a student-run magazine dedicated to the collection and preservation of the oral history, folklore and folklife (or traditional culture) of the students' own locality--Appalachian Georgia, wherein they collected a wide variety of materials from the living repositories of the old mountain culture.…

Focuses on three different project approaches used by teachers in the Alberta (Canada) Heritage Fairs. The Fairs are multimedia education programs designed to increase awareness of and interest in Canadian history. Discusses celebrating personal history, early Canadian history, and culture. (MJP)

Describes several ways of using journals, diaries, historical documents, and photographs found in attics or closets to provide stimulating classroom activities. Suggests ways of using the accounts and experiences of real people (preferably the ancestors of students) to enliven history and create interest in historical topics. (GEA)

Discusses the group dynamics of ethnic parades with respect to participants, outsiders, and recent immigrants. Covers the following topics: (1) context of parades; (2) community development within historical and social environment; (3) American and ethnic aspects; (4) presentation of immigrants in parades; (5) relationships with homeland; and (6)…

Describes how an intensive journalistic writing course motivated students by combining journalistic writing with a school-history research project. (MM)