This book brings together in one volume a sampling of primary source materials from the historical development of curriculum in the United States. The materials describe what has been or might have been taught in U.S. schools from the 17th century through the 20th century. The materials are arranged in chronological order focusing specific issues…

This resource book provides essays on relevant topics, conceptual overviews, courses of study, successful lessons and other ideas by individuals widely recognized for their expertise in teaching world history. Lessons illustrate cross-cultural exchange, global themes, and comparative analyses to teach the skills of thinking historically. The book…

This lesson explores the group of buildings in West Orange, New Jersey, built in 1887, that formed the core of Thomas Edison's research and development complex. They consisted of chemistry, physics, and metallurgy laboratories; machine shop; pattern shop; research library; and rooms for experiments. The lesson explains that the prototypes (ideas…

Part of the National Park Service "Parks as Classrooms" heritage education program, this educational outreach curriculum was designed for a wide range of grade levels to use the resources available at Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site (Montana). The curriculum subjects include cultural heritage education and environmental…

In its 20th year, History Day in California, a statewide program, is a history-based learning experience for students from grades 4-12. Through participation in History Day, students not only learn about issues, ideas, people, and events in history, but they apply what they have learned through creative and original productions and by developing…

This lesson discusses two California communities, Locke and Walnut Grove, that illustrate the experiences of early Asian immigrants and their struggles to find a place in U.S. society. The lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration files, "Walnut Grove Japanese-American Historic District,""Walnut Grove…

In 1917, Chaim Weizmann persuaded the British government to issue a statement (later called the Balfour Declaration) favoring the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine. Because of the arrival of many Jews in Palestine in the 1930s and Arab fears about Palestine's future, guerrilla fighting broke out between the two groups. When U.S.…

During the summer of 1777 the British undertook an ambitious campaign to isolate New England from the rest of the colonies. For two months General John Burgoyne led his army down the Lake Champlain-Hudson River toward Albany (New York) with apparent ease, but he then found he needed provisions, wagons, cattle, and horses for his army. He sent an…

Colorado's residents are reminded of the land's past residents, the Northern San Juan Ancestral Puebloans. Their artifacts are encountered throughout the state. What can people learn from the Ancestral Puebloans about how to live on this landscape? The "Escalante Pueblo Curriculum" is designed to enhance a teacher's options for…

To better understand the turn-of-the-century United States, this interdisciplinary lesson (covering 6-8 weeks) integrates use of primary resources with historical and literary analysis. Students work in groups and express themselves creatively through a multi-media epic poem. The artistic models for the students' multi-media epic poem are Walt…

The materials in this curriculum book provide examples of strategies and resources that can be used to initiate or enhance existing lessons and units in history and social studies. The material can be adapted or modified. The lessons are designed to encourage students to think critically about frontiers in history, conduct research, interpret…

This lesson is based on the National Historic Landmark files, "Madame C. J. Walker Building" and "J. C. Penney Historic District," as well as other relevant sources. The lesson first discusses the Indianapolis (Indiana) site of Madame Walker's cosmetics business. The building is a 4-story brick structure completed in 1927.…

This lesson offers students experience in making historical meaning from eyewitness accounts that present a range of different perspectives. Students begin with a case study in working with alternative reports of a single event: the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. First, they compare two newspaper reports on the fire, then two memoirs of the fire…

By the early 1900s, many Americans were calling child labor child slavery and were demanding an end to it. Lewis Hine, a New York City schoolteacher and photographer, believed that a picture could tell a powerful story. He felt so strongly about the abuse of children as workers that he quit his teaching job and became an investigative photographer…

Twenty-four year old Jens Jensen came to the United States, settled in Chicago (Illinois), and promptly fell in love with the Midwest's prairie landscape. Although some thought that prairie was boring, monotonous, and ordinary, Jensen saw great beauty in the tree-filled groves, long winding rivers, natural rock formations and waterfalls, and the…