Over the last twenty-five years, the Minnesota Historical Society, the University of Minnesota Libraries, and Minitex have developed a partnership centered on creating pathways to higher education by engaging local middle school and high school students in immersive programs at academic libraries. These activities vary in scope and content, but…

Bringing history home, an elementary history curriculum and professional development project, began in 2001. As originally conceived, the project's main purpose was to move history from the margins described by Bruce VanSledright into the mainstream of the K-5 school day. Seven years later, the Bringing History Home (BHH) instructional units are…

In recent years, the use of primary sources in the history and social studies classroom has been increasingly promoted as a necessary and welcome practice, one designed to improve the quality of history education and to encourage student interest and engagement. Although some K-12 educators have been wary of adopting the use of primary sources,…

Points out that human sexuality cannot be understood without an historical background. Describes a history of sex course at the University of California, Northridge. Maintains that such courses can make an exciting introduction to the field of history, meet real student needs, are scholastically demanding, and deserve scholarly attention.…

Argues that a bold restructuring of curriculum is a more effective response to the problems in undergraduate history teaching than minor course innovations. Discusses the recent reformation of the history curriculum at Canada's Laval University, presenting an outline of the undergraduate history programs. (GEA)

Described is a history education project of the Illinois Regional Archives Depository System which shows that archives can be both repositories and disseminators of information. A curriculum packet composed of facsimiles of local government records for use in secondary school history classes was developed. (RM)

Describes a college introductory history seminar designed to provide a practical introduction to history through a study of Socrates. Stressed using primary sources, putting events in historical context, evaluating modern scholarship, and writing historical narrative. (CK)

Because of the difficulty that recent graduates with advanced history degrees have finding employment, universities are implementing public history programs which educate historians for nontraditional jobs, e.g., careers with public service agencies or government. One such program, the Western Washington University Graduate Program in Archival and…

Briefly outlines three major themes of American urban history pertaining to the study of all communities, and describes a program using extensive comparative community field studies which reinforces these themes. Emphasizes readings, discussion, field trips, and a month of field work. (Author/CK)

Describes a four-week college history unit on Hiroshima designed to stimulate creativity and imagination in a large class. Activities included readings, films, short essays, and dramatizations and emphasized a multisided approach. (CK)

Reports on three successful attempts by college history teachers to reach beyond the classroom by using radio, newspapers, and television. Programs involved pooling resources by a number of colleges, using local facilities, and appealing to local interests. (Author/CK)

The Teaching American History (TAH) program began in 2001 as a bold new idea: that history content could be delivered directly to United States history teachers through ongoing partnerships with providers of history expertise. The program awards three-year federal education grants for up to $1 million to develop and carry out these professional…

A fifty million dollar grant program for history education was announced by the United States Department of Education in April 2001. To many in the profession it was almost inconceivable that the study of history would receive such generous funding. While historians were convinced of the merits of improved history education, they had to ask what…

In this article, the author describes a technique she uses to achieve an autonomous student discussion. The technique involves setting up highly structured debates, whose content is informed by coherent sets of primary sources and whose form models one aspect of how professional historians work. Students are required to read about twenty to…

History fairs are an excellent way to recognize student achievement and to generate an interest in history. Described is a History Day fair that encouraged students in grades 6-12 to research and prepare papers, projects, and media presentations on a historical theme and to have them judged by history professionals. (RM)