MEMBERS ONLY

Editor's Notebook

MEMBERS ONLY

Should High School Students Be Required to Pass a Citizenship Test?

By Diana E. Hess, Sam Stone, Joseph Kahne

Two experts on youth and civic participation present very different views on the controversial proposal to require high school students to pass the INS test.

MEMBERS ONLY

Formative Assessment Using Library of Congress Documents

By Joel Breakstone, Sam Wineburg, Mark Smith

Classroom-ready tasks that foster historical thinking provide quick feedback about student understanding when it is most useful—during the course of a unit.

MEMBERS ONLY

Deepening Student Understanding of the Debate over the Constitution through a Description of a Grand Procession

By Stephen Wesson

The featured document from a parade to celebrate the Constitution can serve as an engaging entry point into a lesson about the founding document and the campaign for ratification in 1788.

MEMBERS ONLY

Prequel to Independence: Who Fired the Shot Heard Round the World?

By Annie Davis

The 1775 deposition from a militia commander at Lexington, featured in this article, can be used to spark student inquiry about why the American colonials decided to go to war.

MEMBERS ONLY

Teaching Argument Writing and Content in Diverse Middle School History Classrooms

By Chauncey Monte-Sano, Susan D La Paz, Mark Felton

Activities such as the Shays' Rebellion investigation outlined in this article enable students to develop inquiry and literacy practices as they integrate critical reading, historical thinking, and argument writing.

MEMBERS ONLY

Mandated Reporting and the Confrontation Clause: When are Teachers like Police Officers?

By Phillip Trobaugh

A study of the Supreme Court case, Ohio v. Clark, about suspected child abuse reported to authorities by teachers, can ignite a stimulating classroom debate about the Sixth Amendment right to confront one's accuser.

MEMBERS ONLY

Secondary Sources in History Classrooms: Disciplinary Frameworks and Student Learning

By Dave Neumann

Secondary sources provide students valuable insight into historians' arguments, showing how they disagree, and how events of the present shape interpretation of the past.

MEMBERS ONLY

Websites Teachers Should Have Access To and Follow

By C. Frederick Risinger

The highlighted websites and programs offer wide-ranging information that will enrich classroom teaching.

MEMBERS ONLY

Essential Books for Teaching about Armenian Culture and the Armenian Genocide

By Sara Cohan

This annotated list of books and resources can help teachers implement innovative lessons during the 100th anniversary year of the Armenian genocide.

MEMBERS ONLY

Introducing Civic Activism in the Elementary Classroom: Case Studies Using Books on Non-Violence and Social Justice

By Mary E. Haas, Robert A. Waterson

Teachers can advance the literacy skills and civic awareness of their students through the use of children's literature on non-violent campaigns to obtain social justice.