Curriculum materials

recommended by Student's Friend

Eyewitness to History

by John Carey

Nearly 400 short, first-person accounts describe not only important historical events from ancient to modern times (like the death of Socrates), but also smaller moments that can provide a flavor of the past (like dining with Attila the Hun).  Shop Amazon.com

World History in Documents:

A Comparative Reader

by Peter N. Stearns

In something more than a standard collection of primary source documents, Professor Stearns prompts students to compare how different societies have dealt with common issues at different times in history.  Shop Amazon.com

Greeks: A simulation

by Interact

What better way to learn about people of the past than to become people of the past?  And what better people to become than the ancient Greeks who gave us democracy, humanism, realistic art, drama, and the Olympic Games?  This Greek simulation could last for hours or weeks; pick the parts you like best to incorporate into your "Greek Week." For more info, click here.  Be careful; competition between city-states can get fierce.  Maybe conclude with a friendly banquent of Greek recipes downloaded from the Internet. Opa!  Shop Social Studies School Service

24 Exiting Plays for Ancient History Clases

by Dean R. Bowman

Here's another opportunity for your students to become people from the past, but only for 15-20 minutes at a stretch.  In these "reader's theater" plays, students can get a feel for what it might have been like to be the son of a scribe who would rather play than learn hundreds of cunieform symbols.  And where else in this life can students experience reincarnation into the next one?  

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Bowman has also produced 20 Exciting Plays for Medieval History Classes.  Shop Amazon.

Choices Program

from Brown University

Want to dig deeper into selected events in US and world history?  Brown University's "Choices" program offers curriculum units on a wide-range of topics from the French Revolution to North Korea to the US role in the world.  Class sets are available; prices vary.  Shop the Choices Program  

Reading Like a Historian

from the Stanford University History Education Group

This program includes scores of lesson plans for world history and US history classes meant to engage students in historical inquiry.  "Each lesson revolves around a central historical question and features sets of primary source documents designed for groups of students with diverse reading skills and abilities."  Better yet, it's FREE!  

Go to Reading Like a Historian

(Students Friend has no financial association with Social Studies School Service, Brown University, or Stanford University.)