Future of History / Making History Meaningful
by Lauren S. Brown · Published 09/05/2016 · Last modified 12/11/2019
How do we overcome the perception that history is boring? Connecting the past directly to students’ life experiences is a flawed strategy, history educator Lauren Brown believes. Teachers should focus less on “relevant” and more on “meaningful” and “interesting.”
Design Thinking / Future of History
by Jody & Shara · Published 08/21/2016 · Last modified 11/26/2019
Can history teachers apply Design Thinking ideas to a subject often taught as a progression of facts? Jody Passanisi thinks so. “What could be more relevant than looking for solutions to challenges that were created in the past and are still having impact today?”
Sarah Cooper’s spring U.S. history classes provided a dress rehearsal for the upcoming fall election season. Here are six classroom-tested strategies she plans to use during Constitution studies as her middle schoolers experience America’s often volatile political process first-hand.
Future of History / Middle School History / New Teacher Advice
by Lauren S. Brown · Published 07/19/2016 · Last modified 11/26/2019
After many years teaching high school & college students, Lauren Brown re-entered a middle school classroom last fall as a full-time social studies teacher. She describes her delight with young adolescents who greeted history with enthusiasm and deep discussions.
Beyond the Textbook / Future of History
by Sarah Cooper · Published 06/27/2016 · Last modified 11/22/2019
In Sarah Cooper’s never-ending effort to reach beyond textbook basics, she sometimes asks students to read a selection from a scholarly journal article or popular history book. Carefully sharing a JSTOR piece on Sherman’s March helped students grasp “total war.”
Current Events / Future of History
by Jody & Shara · Published 05/31/2016 · Last modified 10/13/2024
Jody Passanisi, an eighth grade teacher and author of “History Class Revisited,” uses a three-step scaffolding process to help students raise their awareness between events currently taking place and the historical events they study in the social studies curriculum.
Future of History / Silent Conversation
by Sarah Cooper · Published 05/15/2016 · Last modified 12/02/2019
Near the end of Sarah Cooper’s unit on the film Glory, she wondered what her 8th grade history students found most interesting. Read about the “silent conversation” she facilitated to help them replicate the authentic adult experience of “browsing history.”
Future of History / Writing in Social Studies
by Jody & Shara · Published 04/19/2016 · Last modified 11/25/2019
Today’s history students need to include evaluation, analysis, and synthesis in writing assignments, going well beyond the traditional reporting of facts. Shara Peters and Jody Passanisi share their methods for helping students improve their writing skills.
After a decade of forgoing the activity, Sarah Cooper recently revisited hand-drawn concept maps as a means to further engage her 8th graders in US reform movements. Here she shares ideas she’ll use to deepen the successful assignment next time.
Future of History / Project Based Learning
by Jody & Shara · Published 03/22/2016 · Last modified 09/20/2024
Project-based learning in history class can be challenging as teachers juggle a content-laden curriculum and limited class time. Shara and Jody and their tech colleague Doug Hinko set out to find practical ways to make PBL work with a unit on medieval China.
