How to Teach Social Studies and Still have a Life Outside the Classroom
Often times, teachers find themselves lugging home giant piles of grading so that they can devote the time they have during the school day to all of the other tasks they need to complete. One of the most frustrating parts of teaching is being able to find the time to grade. As teachers take on […]
Creating Stations for your Social Studies Class
I’m a huge fan of utilizing stations to teach skills and reinforce content. Stations get students up and moving around the classroom, and help build knowledge and historical thinking skills. Stations also reinforce student-centered and inquiry-based learning. Still, I recognize that creating stations for your Social Studies class can pose a bit of a daunting […]
Designing a Full Unit for Your Social Studies Class
I love designing units, however, it can be a bit daunting those new to the profession. Which standards should you cover? Which standards are okay to skip? How will you make this unit fun, creative, make sure your students learn, and think, and cover the content? It’s a lot to consider. Therefore, when I create […]
My Favorite History Review Game of All Time!
Throughout my teaching career, I have always tried to come up with practical review games that were also fun. I love games that get my kids up and moving, and most importantly, laughing. I devised this game about 9 years ago, and it has held strong as my favorite History review game of all time! […]
Teaching Evidence Based Argumentation through Games
NOTE: I had my students play JENGA again this school year. I modified the rules, and the game worked much better! I’ve decided to edit this post to include some the new details. Look below to see my updates! Evidence-Based Argumentation through Games Teaching History is often about expressing a point of view, and supporting […]
Utilizing MEAL for Paragraph Writing in Social Studies
In recent years, I’ve noticed that Social Studies teachers are incorporating more writing into their classrooms. This makes my teacher heart happy, as I know that writing is absolutely crucial for students to understand and think critically about history. Obviously, when teaching students to write, teachers develop strategies to make sure that student writing is sophisticated. […]
10 Ways to use Pear Deck in your History Classroom
(NOTE: This is not a paid review, and I haven’t received a premium account for my review. I just really love Pear Deck.) Last year, I discovered Pear Deck, and my direct instruction hasn’t been the same since. I’ve never been a huge fan of direct instruction, and I’ve slowly removed most direct lectures from my […]
Conducting a Silent Conversation with Your History Class
I recently conducted my first “silent conversation” with my AP U.S. History classes. I’d seen the idea in several locations previously, however, I couldn’t yet conceptualize how it would work with my classes. Then, I saw a version posted by Caleb Lagerwey, a fellow APUSH teacher. His version of the silent conversation seemed perfect for […]
Designing your Social Studies Classroom Cheaply and Easily
This post contains affiliate links. I use the money earned to buy books for my classroom library and to review for this blog. This past year, I decided that my Social Studies classroom really needed a bit of an update. I’ve been in the same classroom for the past 15 years (I know, it’s shocking.) […]
Inquiry-Based Learning and Teaching
My teaching philosophy and goals have evolved many times over the years. Most transformative has been my change to inquiry-based learning. What is Inquiry-Based Learning? Essentially, inquiries surrounding a compelling question. This question must be specifically worded so that students could provide a complete evidence-based argument from many directions. The questions can be extremely broad. An […]
