K-12 State History Information Center
Information, strategies, and resources for K-12 state history teachers and researchers.
Though state history content and instructional methods are topics that have not been as heavily studied or written about compared to US or world history, there have been books, dissertations, book chapters, journal articles, news paper articles, and curriculum guides written about the topic. In turn, teachers and researchers have also developed websites and blogs concerning the subject. Below is a bibliography of everything I have been able to locate about teaching and/or researching the subject of state history. If you know of any other works to add to the page, please contact me. I will update this page as often as possible to offer state history teachers and researchers the most expansive listing of state history resources possible.
Books/Dissertations
McCall, A.L., & Ristow, T. (2003). Teaching state history: A guide to developing a multicultural curriculum. Portsmouth, N.H.:Heinemann.
Description: This book shows upper elementary teachers how to plan state history unit using a "culturally relevant constructivist pedagogy." The
book is made up of six chapters and includes topics such as "Integrating Family History with State History" and "Exploring Diverse Perspectives on Becoming a State and on Voting Rights."
Roberts, S.L. (2009). The textbook presidency theory and its relationship to the portrayals of 20th and 21st century presidents found in the middle
level state history textbooks of Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio,
Texas, Vermont, and Virginia (Doctoral Dissertation, The University of Georgia, 2009). http://athenaeum.libs.uga.edu/handle/10724/11791
Description: This is my dissertation. In sum, I analyzed 42 state history textbooks from the 14 states that were the birthplace of at least one 20th and/or 21st century presidents. I wanted to determine if elements of Cronin's (1974) textbook presidency theory could be found in texts. In turn, I wanted to determine if the four patterns of presidential mentions I identified in a pilot study about Georgia textbooks from 1950-2005 (Roberts, 2011) were common in the state history textbooks used in other states. Overall, the elements of an over-idealized portrayal of the presidency from Cronin's textbooks presidency theory were apparent in state history texts though specific correlations to the four constructs of his theory were limited. In turn, there were several correlations between the patterns I found in the pilot study to most of the state history textbook analyzed.
Roberts, S.L. (2012). Teaching middle level social studies: A practical guide for teaching 4th-8th grade. Athens, GA: Ditigaltextbooks.biz
Description: In my middle level social studies methods textbook, I devote a full chapter (Chapter 7) to best practices for teaching state history.
Stein, M. (2008). How the States got their Shapes. New York: HarperCollins.
Description: Though not written specifically for state history teachers this book (later adapted into a television series for the History Channel) offers state history teachers interesting information about the economics, history, and politics that lead to the borders of their states that they can incorporate into their lesson.
Stein, M. (2011). How the states got their shapes too: The people behind the borderlines. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Books.
Description: This book offers even more details about the people responsible for creating the boundaries of each state.
Book Chapters
Cousins, J.E. (1967). State history: The reign of provincialism. In C.B. Cox & B.G. Massialas (Eds.). Social Studies in the United States: A critical
appraisal (pp. 80-103). New York: Harcourt, Brace, and World.
Description: The primary focus of this chapter concerns the reluctance at the time to include controversial issues in state history courses.
Roberts, S.L., & Butler, B.M. (2012). Idealizing and localizing the presidency: The president's place in state history textbooks. In H. Hickman & B. J.
Porfilio (Eds.). The new politics of the textbook: Critical analysis in the core content areas (pp. 287-305). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Description: The primary focus of this chapter describes how the limited focus of state history courses allows for the possibility of a more biased, inaccurate, and over-idealized portray of both local and national individuals, institutions, and events, including the presidency. My coauthor and I then looked at the texts through three "presidential lenses" to find overarching examples of the inaccuracies that can be found in state history textbooks.
Articles/Papers
Blaga, J.J., & Nielsen, L.E. (1983). The status of state history instruction. Journal of Social Studies Research, 7(1), 45-47.
Description: This article was from the results of a national survey about the teaching of state history. At the time 44 states required state history courses, the textbooks that were being used by most of the states were judged as "adequate," and many states that taught the subject did not have a curriculum guide or a requirement that teachers take a state history course.
DeLuca, R. (1984). In search of the "real" California history: History in the fourth grade textbook. Paper presented at the CILO Conference: Berkeley,
CA.
Description: This paper discusses the limitations and inaccuracies found in the 4th grade California history textbooks used in the early 1980's.
Helmreich, J.E. (1989). The curricular validity of local history: Surface events and underlying values. Social Education, 53, 310-313.
Description: This article offers examples that demonstrate the values of learning and teaching local and state history.
Isner, T.D. (1990). Teaching Kansas state history: The state of the state. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, 15(1), 21-28.
Description: This article offers an analysis about how Kansas state history was being taught during the time period and way to improve teaching the subject.
Lothrop, G.R. (1989). Women's place in California history: An overview. Social Studies Review, 29(1), 8-13.
Description: This article discusses the contributions that women have made to the history of California. It describes why women have been left out of California history courses and why it is important for student to learn more about historic women.
McLaurin, M. (1971). Images of Negroes in Deep South public school state history texts. Phylon, 32(3), 237-246.
Description: This article examines the portrayal of African-Americans in the textbook used in the Deep South following the modern Civil Rights movement. McLaurin contended that slavery was still being portrayed as a humane system, while the texts tended to offer limited discussions about the Civil Rights Movement and its leaders.
Menton, L.K. (1993). Research and writing state history: Theory and practice. The History Teacher, 26(1), 221-231.
Description: This article offers a textbook author's perspective on writing a state history textbook and the strategies she used to overcome some of the criticisms that had be made about textbooks in the past. Menton focuses on the collaboration she had with scholars and classroom teachers to write a book that was "historically accurate and pedagogically sound." The article also provides readers with interesting information about the uniqueness of teaching and writing state history.
Moore, J.R. (1969). State history texts: Essays in ethnocentrism. Social Education, 33(1), 267-278.
Description: This article is a scathing critique on state history textbooks and the potential consequences that may come from students reading these books. While noting that there are some positive aspects of teaching state history, Moore argues that state history texts provide students with a "ethnocentric belief in the superiority of the state's culture and disparagement of 'outside' contributions."
Percy, W. A. (2003). Georgia history textbooks. www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Description: This article in the New Georgia Encyclopedia provides a brief history of the Georgia history textbooks used in the state's schools from the 1880's-1982. Percy also provides a list of textbooks used in the states schools from 1884-1999.
Roberts, S.L. (2007). Albert B. Saye (1912-1989). www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Description: This article in the New Georgia Encyclopedia provides a biography of Albert B. Saye, an UGA professor who authored or coauthored four of the top selling Georgia Studies textbooks used in the state's schools from 1954-1982.
Roberts, S.L. (2011). Did Georgia (eventually) like Ike? Perceptions of 20th and 21st century presidents in Georgia history textbooks: 1951-2005.
The Georgia Social Studies Journal, 1(1), 1-18. http://www.coe.uga.edu/gssj/archives/vol-1-no-1-2011/
Description: This article was the pilot study of my dissertation. I analyzed 20 Georgia history textbooks written from the years 1951-2005 to determine how the portrayals of presidents changed as Georgia moved from a one party to a two party state. Though the state's political allegiances changed overtime, the portrayal of the presidents did not.
Roberts, S.L. (in press). "Georgia on my mind:" Writing the "new" state history textbook in the post-Loewen world. The History Teacher.
Description: This article has not yet been published. I will offer a description once it has.
Seibert, R., & Seibert, S. (2012). Teaching state history: An outline with projects. www.crosswalk.com
Description: This article was originally published in the Fall 2011 Old School House Magazine and offers state history lesson ideas for homeschool students.
Stiff-Williams, H., & Strutz, J.P. (2012). Interviewing the "Lost Generation" from Prince Edward County's closed school era. Social Education, 76(2),
77-81.
Description: This article describes how oral history projects about local people can be used to help student understand larger national "milestone" events.
Terry, S.M. (1983). Depiction of the Reconstruction period in Georgia history textbooks. Georgia Social Science Journal, 14(2), 5-10.
Description: This article describes an analysis of the portrayal of Reconstruction in Georgia history textbooks written from 1917-1982. Terry found that books from used up to the 1960's held a traditional southern view of Reconstruction why books written after tended to be more revisionist and balanced in nature.
Terry, S.M., & Wingo, W.B. (1989). State studies: Is it really worth the time? Georgia Social Science Journal, 19, 17-19.
Description: This articles describes the advantages and disadvantages of teaching state and local history and how it can be improved.
Curriculum Guides:
Roberts, S.L. (2009). Georgia economic history: Lessons for implementing the GPS at Grade 8. Atlanta, GA: Georgia Council on Economic
Education
Description: I was the lead author on a book that provided teachers with 17 lesson plans about the economic history of the state. Based on the work of Sam Wineberg, Linda Levstik, and Keith Barton, the lessons offered teachers hands-on, inquiry-based approaches for teaching the 8th Grade Georgia Studies economics, geography, government, and history standards. In 2012, the GCEE has revamped the program and added lessons.
Roberts, S.L. (2012). 8th grade social studies teacher notes. Georgia Department of Education. www.georgiastandards.org.
Description: I am the author of a 144 page document offering teachers "notes" about the the Georgia Studies Standards. These notes provide teachers with content knowledge, pedagogical suggestions, web links, test questions, and a vocabulary list about the economics, geography, government, and history of the state.
Websites:
English, G. (2009). Louisiana 101. http://louisana101.com
Description: This website was created by Louisiana history teacher Greg English. The site provides teachers with 650 pages of information, 260 lesson ideas, and 50 pages of reading materials.
Blogs:
History is elementary: "Teaching state history: Point/counterpoint." http://historyiselementary.blogspot.com.
Description: This blog post discussed the benefits and drawbacks of teaching state history and if it should be taught at all.
Teaching ideas: Three fun ways to teach state history. http://blog.reallygoodstruff.com
Description: This blog post offers suggestions for teaching state history at the upper elementary level.
Newspaper Articles:
Sieff, K. (2010, October 20). Virginia 4th-grade textbook criticized over claims on black Confederate soldiers. The Washington Post.
Description: This article describes the national controversy that a state history textbook caused. The book claimed that "1000's of southern blacks fought for the Confederacy a claim that is rejected by most historians.
Thorson, R.M. (2012, September 19). History is learning the stories we all share. The Hartford Courant.
Description: This editorial is in support of Connecticut state senator, Don Williams, proposal to require that Connecticut history be taught in the
state's public schools. Thorson also explains how state history can lead to a better understanding of history in general.
Other Publications:
Governor's Commission on Georgia History and Historical Tourism (2003). Georgia Heritage: Promoting Cultural, Educational, and Economic
Development, 65-66
Description: This documents offers details about the Georgia state law O.C. G.A. sec 20-2-142 that requires Georgia history (studies) to be taught to all students in the state.
Stern, S.M., & Stern, J.A. (2011). The state of state U.S. history standards 2011. Washington, D.C.: The Fordham Institute.
Description: This report offers a letter grade for state's U.S. history standards. The report also provides a few details on each states' state history courses/standards with the exception of West Virginia as the subject of West Virginia history is not mentioned.
Other Media:
Gallagher, S., Greensfelder, A., Carroll, A., Smith, G. (Producers), & Konschnik, D. (Director). (2011). How the states got their shapes: Season One
[DVD]. United States: A & E Television Networks.
Description: This television series offers interesting and often funny reasons about how state lines were drawn. This show is based on the book of the same title and provides clips that could be shown in state history courses.