Divided We Stand: Teaching About Conflict in U.S. History

Divided We Stand was written to assist you in dealing with sensitive and controversial topics in secondary U.S. history classes. Using firsthand accounts and student words, Percoco explores the kind of issues we should be discussing if we are serious about making a better future for successive generations, topics such as gender issues, race, Vietnam, and civil rights. He provides a virtual handbook for teachers, describing specific lessons you can use to study conflict. All manner of resources are explained, with an emphasis on how to access those resources and use them effectively in instruction. There are also templates for the activities as well as critical-thinking worksheets, film synopses, and other tips.

All the sources described are current, and the book reflects recent scholarship in both the arena of pedagogy and methodology, as well as a broader vision of American history. One of Percoco's skills as a teacher is his ability to raise questions with students that challenge their assumptions. Divided We Stand will enable you to do the same.

Visit Jim Percoco's website!

James Percoco teaches United States and applied history at West Springfield High School in Springfield, Virginia. The recipient of numerous education awards, Percoco was named Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year at the 1993 Walt Disney Company American Teacher Awards. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Council for History Education and has been an educational consultant to the National Archives, the National Gallery of Art, the National Park Service, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.