Due to a large demand by teachers, the Studio for Southern California History sponsored the creation of lesson plans that integrated local history for various student levels, beyond the 4th or 5th grade, when the state standards for learning local history end. These lessons, with the LA History Archive, originated as ways for residents and educators to access, question and gather local history.

The Studio Guide to Writing History Papers (PDF download)

A central tenet of these lessons and guides is that it is beneficial for residents of a place to share local history stories and information, which builds from Dolores Hayden’s The Power of Place (1995), a work that documents different public history projects in Los Angeles that use social history as the basis of their approach. Hayden shows that it is not just the dissemination of history information that is powerful in public history projects; but the sharing of information between human beings provides a transformative context for one’s relationship to place. This axiom holds true in the classroom setting; Lessons presented here require the sharing of all work and often include assignments where students may work collaboratively. Depending upon the abilities of different schools, some assignments may be conducted outside of the classroom, though all may be conducted in the classroom. In the spirit of Hayden’s model of collaborative learning and in the development of connection to a place, all assignments require presentation of student work both to provide these moments of learning and to build a broader body of knowledge related to local history.

Thes lesson plans were authored by a group of educators, students and practioners:
Nancy I. Bautista
Lanla Gist
Kristin Hargrove
Jennifer Escobar
Hillary Jenks
Dona Lawrie
Julia Ornelas-Higdon
Monica Pelayo
Sharon Sekhon