Welcome back to another Loves, Links, Reads, and Reviews – the monthly link roundup where I post my best Social Studies related finds from the internet and discuss all that
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Teaching the Skill of Historical Thinking
This blog post came about as a result of a question from a reader through my Instagram. She was wondering how I actually go about teaching the skill of historical thinking that is so embedded throughout my curriculum. I realized that this lesson has become so embedded in my teaching that I really didn’t think about it as a teachable skill. Therefore, I decided to lay out my process for explaining historical thinking to students.
Modern and Current Books for Students About the American Revolution
When asked for suggestions regarding middle-grade fiction about the American Revolution, teachers are often provided with titles that were published long ago. Today I'm sharing a book list that includes more recent options and that widens the list of perspectives.
25 Ways to Assess Student Understanding in a Digital Lesson
As teachers, we're constantly assessing student understanding through questions. However, the question/ answer process can get a bit stale sometimes.
Therefore, I've devised a list of 25 prompt ideas to assess formative understanding in a digital lesson that go beyond the simple question and answer process.
Therefore, I've devised a list of 25 prompt ideas to assess formative understanding in a digital lesson that go beyond the simple question and answer process.
10 Cooperative Learning Idea for a Socially Distanced Classroom
One of my greatest frustrations this year has been the difficulty associated with cooperative learning in a social distanced classroom. Therefore, I decided to brainstorm 10 different lesson ideas that allow for cooperative learning, even in a socially distanced classroom.
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Free CRITICAL THINKING ONE-PAGER ACTIVITY
Sign up to get access to three different versions of the one-pager. One is for U.S. or World History, one is for Ancient History, and the last is a more generic version for high school. I’ve also included a rubric that assesses a student’s mastery in their answer of the question. Add your details below to grab your own copy!
The monthly roundup
Recently Read
Refugee
(Middle-Grade Reading Level - Real-life depiction of the refugee experience - there is death, desperation, and peril)
This book is extremely popular with middle school teachers, and after taking time to read it myself, I'd have to agree. Instead of writing a traditional review, I thought I'd write a list of 5 reasons why this book is a great resource.
1. Gratz chose three stories that showcase disparate religions and cultures. In each case, he makes realistic connections between religious practice and daily life.
2. Each story demonstrates how unfortunately easy it is for people to divide themselves into groups without real cause.
3. The story of the Syrian refugee, Mahmoud, stands out because of its recency. Mahmoud's life deteriorates so quickly and allows students to see that the dividing line between a middle-class life and refugee status is actually quite fragile.
4. Gratz writes for middle schoolers. Each character portrayed a story that students can connect to despite the differences in culture or time.
5. Gratz ties the three stories together at the end to showcase the humanity of every refugee.
There is no doubt that this should be included in every classroom library. Also considering utilizing this book as a class read-aloud, or for a full class read.
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