The document describes a thesis project which focused on the development of a teacher resource guide as an aid in high school instruction of Iowa history. The objective was to increase students' awareness of Iowa through an examination of the state's current and past development. The project is presented in five chapters. Chapter I states the problem, which was to provide a useful tool for teaching Iowa history. It discusses the purpose, rationale, need, delimitations and limitations, procedure, and organization of the project. Chapter II reviews recent and related Iowa history literature and notes the current lack of organized units particularly in secondary schools. Chapter III, the bulk of the document, presents the resource guide itself. Background information and bibliographies emphasizing primary source and local history materials cover ten topics influencing Iowa history: geographical setting, archeology, trapping and trading, the territorial period, politics and government, the Civil War, post-Civil War, farm and labor, the Depression, and journalism. Suggested activities focus on uncovering further local and oral history sources. Chapter IV presents a unit which considers comtemporary political and economic power and influence in Iowa and the United States. Chapter V provides the summary, conclusions, and recommendations, noting areas not covered by the project, and that periodicals provided the bulk of the material. It recommends that the guide be classroom tested, and that someone should use the references to write a definitive Iowa history text. (CK)