This month (February) is Black History Month in the United States. Therefore, I’ve seen many posts around the internet that highlight the stories of individuals who had previously been written out of the narrative. I applaud this effort. I love seeing these stories utilized more in classrooms, and I think it’s great that educators are […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
My Middle School Students Don’t Take Notes Anymore
Yep, it’s true! My middle school students really don’t take notes anymore. Well, at least not in the traditional sense of “notes.” When I first started teaching, I strictly adhered to the concept of notes, and notetaking, and the understanding that it was a necessary skill for students. I still think that notetaking is important, […]
10 Ways to Encourage Primary Source Analysis with Middle Schoolers
As Social Studies education has transformed in the past few years, I’ve found that I need to have my middle school students analyzing documents almost every day of the year. Simply having students read and answer questions becomes tedious and boring after a week of class. Therefore, I’ve developed quite a few strategies to “trick” […]
Socratic Seminars in the Middle School Social Studies Classroom
Setting Up a Socratic Seminar Middle school students are still learning the art of conversation, so when we as educators decide to have our class conduct a Socratic Seminar, we need to offer some structure to make sure that the debate offers a positive learning experience. I’ve had several debates over the years, some much […]
The Best Inquiry Based Social Studies Lessons on the Web
As you begin to learn about inquiry-based Social Studies education, you might find the quality pre-written inquiries are hard to come by. In the post, I’ve collected the best that the internet currently has to offer. 1. Who Built America? This website is specifically focused on Social History, so their inquiries have a specific […]