If you’ve been teaching history long enough, you’ve probably had some students in your classroom that seemed a little too excited about war. Gross wartime injuries are “awesome!” Students think that the solution to any confrontation is to just, “drop a giant bomb on them.” When I first started teaching, these comments were too common, […]
Black History Month Isn’t Enough
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 […]
5 Ways to Easily Add Movement to Your Secondary Classroom
If you’ve ever sat through a long extended faculty meeting or a 100 slide PowerPoint presentation, you know that passive learning can really be monotonous and coma-inducing. No matter the grade level I’ve taught, I’ve found that movement encourages students to connect and retain information, and it actually helps students to maintain their focus. Sure, […]
15 History Lesson Ideas for Google Arts and Culture
If you’ve ever ventured to visit the Google Arts & Culture website, you’ve probably noticed that the site has an incredible collection of interesting information, photographs, and artwork from around the world. You’ve also probably thought about how you might use this website with students. Below, I’ve generated a list of 15 lesson ideas for […]
10 Hacks for Creating with Google Slides – Part 1
If you’re a Google Slides newbie, this is the post for you! As soon as I discovered Google Slides, I started creating with Google Slides. I loved the versatility of creating my resources right on the internet, and the quick and easy ability to share those resources with my students in Google Classroom. I also […]
Peacefield History’s 10 Most Popular Posts of 2018
Although actual teaching often provided some competition with my ability to write for this blog over the past year, I managed to crank out quite a few new blog posts in 2018. Below I shared my top ten most popular posts from the previous year based on blog traffic. Thank you for sharing in this […]
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! […]