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The article focuses on the critical thinking ability of students involving history. It cites the College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies which offer teachers practical ideas for how to entice students to craft complex and incisive questions. It outlines the dimensions of Inquiry Arc of the C3 Framework.

The article offers information on the assessment of history essays, focusing on the argumentative writing. It states the study conducted related to the assessment, highlighting the observation of three teachers in three different schools and collected their students' writing throughout one school year.

The article focuses on teachable trials which serve as excellent tool for teaching particularly in history, social studies and government. It says that trials are characterized as dramatic and exciting which cannot be underestimated when discussed in classrooms. It states that teaching trials is an effective way for advancing substantive principles at the citizenship core in the democratic society. It also emphasizes the need to clarify the civic significance of trials to be discussed.

The article focuses on teaching history. It notes that students first need to have a basic understanding of the history, primarily how civilizations have evolved and interacted. In addition, they need to understand why studying history is important and how it relates to the present. In teaching history, students are able to understand what it was like to live at critical moments in the past. It also serves as an important instrument to integrate the discussion regarding present critical issues. It suggests that students must be engaged in informed deliberation on the uncertainties of history and challenges of the present in order for them to become competent analysts of world affairs.

The article presents the author's views on the words from Jackson Pollock which reflects some of his speculation about authentic principles and methods of instruction. He cites the methods of most teacher in teaching, in which they endorse standards of authentic instruction which includes deep knowledge, higher order thinking, substantive conversation and connections to the world beyond the classroom. However, it is often dull and not suitable for teaching that it tend to be superficial and sterile. He also states that poetic approach in teaching is not sufficient for depth, but it is certainly necessary, for it is one vehicle through which students can feel history. More of his views on pedagogical authenticity are discussed.

The article focuses on teaching archaeology in the classroom. It is posed that mock excavations or "dig boxes" provide students a hands-on chance to explore artifacts and their value and to learn the principles of stratigraphic association and context. It is also mentioned that the dig box can be essential in discussing the variations that existed between ethnic groups, classes, races, and the sexes at different periods in history. This approach of teaching allows teachers to create an activity that complements a particular lesson by increasing student understanding of how different peoples lived during a particular point in history.

The article discusses the teaching of archaeology in the classroom. It is underlined that the enchantment with buried treasures and lost civilizations exceeds all ages and serves as an efficient magnet for drawing students toward the study of archaeology. Moreover, it is mentioned that giving students knowledge about the past offers them a better comprehension of their own present and future. Relative to this, the exposure to the scientific method of investigation that is part of archaeological undertaking forwards skills development in the classroom.

The article offers information on a school-wide effort in learning history. Relative to this concern, the students at Ridgedale Elementary School in Knoxville, Tennessee were made to write about the most memorable events they have encountered at Ridgedale. Their teachers were also made to ponder what messages they would like to impart to those who will be teaching in this school in the future. The parents also participated in this activity by gathering historical accounts of Ridgedale's past in newspaper clippings, through the minutes of the various meetings held during the school's history, and through interactions with the ten principals who have served the school since its opening in 1954.

The article traces the history of Cuba through visual arts. Teaching history using visual arts is a manner of bringing the past into the present. Visual arts and architecture have shown Cuba's identity development through time. The arts have become the mirror that reflects the country's history from the earliest times to the present. Arts in specific periods in the history of Cuba are presented and explained. There are restrictions on the freedom of Cuban visual artists. One is the lack of resources and the other is censorship of content.

The article discusses the study of American Labor Movement through oral histories. Oral histories are in exciting way to directly involve students in the act of historical inquiry. This way of teaching assists students in personalizing history and relating to the actual lives behind major events, names and dates in history. Oral history allows student to learn about the perspectives of individuals who might not otherwise appear in the historical record. It also provides a rich opportunity for human interaction and allows the student to learn different kinds of information.

The article presents a study on the emphasis of World War II on people, which was done through a dramatic narrative project participated by the 5th grade school students. This project was planned to capture the social, political, and emotional essence of historical events. The unit was developed by determining the potential individuals or groups of people along the war's timeline who took part in key events. The development of a list of essential characters, real-life personages and composite characters, who lived through the second world war, was considered. The study involved identification of nonfiction texts and photo essays, selection of picture books, video documentaries and dramatizations, and World War II-era poster reproductions. The author inferred that the growth of personal narratives in the teaching of history can enhance the students on major events and eras like war.

The article details how the authors, in a professor-teacher collaboration, worked with a class of 25 bilingual third graders on "an economics/history unit of study on how individuals, events, and ideas have changed communities over time. The authors describe how they used historical photographs, and written and spoken language, to guide students in thinking coherently about events in the past.

The article presents author's version of the ways and challenges of teaching history. One challenge with teaching students skills in historical thinking is providing them with a framework to guide their thinking. I hoped that by using the same strategies with each document, the students would become more comfortable with the scaffolding and focus more of their energy on interpreting the documents. I focused on three aspects of historical thinking explored by Grant: historical knowledge, historical significance, and historical empathy. Historical knowledge is the understanding of the interpretive nature of history involving multiple perspectives, selecting information, and the emphasis of the historian.

The article discusses about development of SCIM-C strategy, designed to help students in acquiring knowledge and skills necessary to interpret primary sources and reconcile various historical accounts. SCIM-C strategy focuses on five broad phases: Summarizing, Contextualizing, Inferring, Monitoring, and Corroborating. When students examine an individual source, they move through the first four phases and then, after analyzing several individual sources, they compare the sources collectively in the fifth phase.

The article focuses on the use of poetry to teach students about history and discusses three poems he uses in his class on American history. Topics include the poem "The Star-Spangled Banner" which he uses to teach about the War of 1812, Wildred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" which he uses for World War I, and Billy Joel's "Goodnight Saigon" for Vietnam War.

The article presents a lesson plan for elementary education which teaches concepts on creating biography webs to investigate individuals' historical contexts.

The article presents several online resources of instructional materials exhibited at the annual meeting of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) in 2008 in the U.S. Internet-based resources featured in the exhibit includes my wonderful world, campaign by the "National Geographic" journal which links geography to history, government, and global citizenship. Another resource involves the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which has the Interactive Constitution, making students learn the articles and sections of the Constitution. It suggests the online resources of Public Broadcasting System that is currently integrating web 2.0.

The article discusses the relevance of history and social studies curriculum in America. The 1943 debate over the ability of social studies curriculum to train Americans for world leadership came in the middle of World War II (1939-1945) as the United States appeared to re-educate and attempt to democratize Nazi-dominated Europe. A survey of 7,000 in-coming students at 36 colleges and Universities across the country exposed a "vast fund of misinformation on many basic facts." Adding to the concern was that most of these students had studied either American History, government or social studies while in High School and that eighty percent of the institutions of higher learning did not require a United States history course to qualify for an undergraduate degree.

Highlights the importance of teaching historiography. Methods for helping students acquire the understandings and abilities necessary to begin to examine and practice the doing of history; Development of a sense of mindfulness among the students; Importance of an understanding of how historical knowledge is attained and its relationship to evidence. INSET: Lesson Plan: The Mystery of Sam Smiley..

We are currently facing international (and domestic) crises that require political cooperation, honest dialogue, and compromise. While national identity is certainly not going away, there is growing support for a form of global citizenship, and technology has become a major and even transforming force within this movement. I've written about global history and global studies in this column in the past. While those concepts helped us see history, economics, and political science from a global (not national) perspective, digital global history gives us the tools to begin taking the first steps to becoming a global citizen. We're just beginning this journey, but if technology keeps barreling along at faster and faster speeds, we'll all see some truly major changes in our feelings about nations and citizenship in our lifetimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses his Constitution unit of study. He states that the pedagogical core of his Constitution study includes a sequence of activities that provide important structure to the units. He discusses that the first part of the sequence informs students about the background and context of the event to be studied, the second challenges students to choose what action should be taken, the third instructs them what really happened and the fourth directs them to determine the actual results. He relates that the most important lesson he has learned from his Constitution unit was the significance of exercises that demand students to interact with each other.

The article offers information on a website which focuses on the teaching of history. It states that this website is co-directed by Sam Wineburg of Stanford University in Palo, Alto, California and Roy Rosenzweig of George Mason University. This site enables teachers to download four investigations, or lesson plans on the Spanish-American War, Social Security, Rosa Parks, and the Scopes Trial. Moreover, each unit has all teacher and student materials and a downloadable film clip showing the teaching methods, the skill and content standards from Texas and California and fiver others states in the United States.

The author offers his thoughts on teaching historical analysis and thinking through the Internet. He said that historical thinking and historical analysis are essential themes within the ranks of social studies educators. He underscored the use of websites in furthering the study of history. He also mentioned how Samuel S. Wineburg's "Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts" made impact on historians, history professors and social studies methods instructors.

The article offers information on a website which focuses on history. It states that this website has a broad scope of information and resources in teaching history. It also forwards that this includes grades K-4 and 5-12 national standards for both United States and world history with particular statements regarding what students should be able to do to demonstrate competence on a particular standard. Moreover, it also mentioned that this website has links to teaching units in both world and U. S. history, and this can aid teachers in their formulation of curriculum for the teaching of history.

The article offers information on how to search the subject of historical thinking on Google. It states that one can reach the part where the statement of Abraham Lincoln on racial equality is located and why Samuel S. Wineburg considers this understanding of Lincoln as an essential component in history classes by typing "Historical Thinking" into Google. Moreover, a user should click on "Books" and must scroll down until the site of Wineburg is reached. Afterwards, the user must click "Case Studies." Lastly, it is stated that the contention of Lincoln on racial equality is located on Chapter 4.

The article underscores the topic on history in the Wikipedia entitled "Historical Thinking." It states that the article has links to The National Center for History in the Schools at UCLA. This also includes a five-part definition of historical thinking. These are chronological comprehension, historical comprehension, historical research capabilities, historical analysis and interpretation, and historical issues-analysis and decision-making. Moreover, the article has other links to good information resources for teachers and methods of teachers in teaching history.

The article offers information on the services rendered by the Boeing Learning Center at the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. It is posed that this center provide educators and parents with methods and materials for employing primary sources as teaching tools. It also aims to provide students with engaging chances to practice historical thinking skills. The key components of this center are a ReSource Room and a Learning Lab. Moreover, the Learning Lab is open Monday to Friday, while the ReSource Room is open Monday to Saturday.

Comments on student perceptions and the role of teachers in educating students about key issues on politicking and compromise in the U.S. Difference between campaign promises by politicians and the real policy-making; Polarization of electoral districts; Importance of educating students about the balance between principles and policy-making through history.