Follow Early Humans to Global Expansion

Inquiry-Based Lessons in World History, Volume 1: Early Humans to Global Expansion
By Jana Kirchner, Ph.D. and Andrew McMichael, Ph.D.
(Prufrock Press, 2019 – Learn more)

Reviewed by Stephanie Gilbert

Inquiry-Based Lessons in World History is a practical set of adaptable lesson plans and ideas that I can take directly to my classroom this fall. The book is broken into four parts that cover different eras from 750 to present day. Each part has chapters for the various topics within the general time period.

The chapters in this book are well written and contain three detailed lesson plans, along with a historical context introduction and NCHS World History standards and CCSS Literacy in History/Social Studies standards. Each lesson plan contains an organizing question, strategies used, materials needed, and detailed lesson plan with supporting handouts. Each lesson focuses on one or more primary sources that students have to examine to achieve the learning outcomes.

I would highly recommend this book to any social studies teacher looking to expand their lessons to include more inquiry-based primary source instruction.

Find Joanne Bell’s MiddleWeb review of Inquiry-Based Lessons in World History, Volume 1 here.

Stephanie Gilbert is a seventh grade social studies teacher in my eleventh year. She lives in Western North Carolina, just south of Asheville. She enjoys teaching students about the lesser known events in our history and helping them discover the parts of history that interest them. She is an item writer for the North Carolina Final Exams for 7th grade social studies. She enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids.