This paper is one of a series of ERIC/ChESS publications intended to give practical tips on teaching various topics and disciplines in the precollege social studies curriculum. The tips offered in this publication, written by seven authors, are intended to help teacheres deal with both content and teaching strategies in American history. Each of five actual lessons provides examples of how to incorporate nontraditional subject matter using a structured inquiry approach into the regular American history curriculum. The structured inquiry approach requires the teacher, rather than the student, to select the content of the lesson and to predetermine the structure of the learning activity. The teacher does not have final answers but has a framework in which most student inquiry can occur. Chapter 1 introduces the work by examining reasons and processes for teaching history. Chapter 2 uses a role-play activity for examining the social history of American industrialization. Chapter 3 presents an interdisciplinary social science approach to the study of the American Revolution. Chapter 4 uses comparative data from other societies to illuminate the issue of American slavery. Chapter 5 describes several methods for active inquiry into local history. Chapter 6 provides short activities for developing information search skills. Chapter 7 contains an annotated list of American history resources including games, audiovisual materials, collections of documents, journals, and teacher resources. (Author/DE)