Month: July 2019

Assessments are tricky for all types of curriculum, social studies is no different. No matter what your teaching philosophy, at the end of the quarter and/or semester, students must have some symbol of their completing the course. There are many educational debates that focus on grading and assessment, with impassioned factions and philosophies turning discussion into argument. In this article, I will explain how I assessed and use grades in a United States History course. …

Grading, Assessments, and Common Assessments Read More »

This article is part V of a five part series Analyzing sources can be difficult for students, but a surprising amount enjoy the challenge. Despite the enthusiasm for a challenge, students will also groan and ask questions like; “can we just do a worksheet?” Or, “can we take notes like we did in last year’s social studies class?” Even though some students say this, especially the students accustomed to doing well in school, they will …

Part V: Teaching with Primary Sources and Skills Based Assessment Read More »

This article is part IV of a five part series. Philip Vincent, A True Relation of the Late Battell Fought In New England: Between the English, And the Salvages: VVith the Present State of Things There. London: 1637. After watching a teacher analyze a primary source, students must do an analysis. Throughout this article series, I used CK-12’s lessons Pocahontas Basic and Pocahontas Advanced. Thankfully, CK-12 lessons normally contain several primary sources over the same …

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This article is part III of a five part series. Students need to see how they can use a method of inquiry to analyze a source. When reviewing a method of inquiry, I have primarily used two methods. First Approach The teacher can analyze a source during class while the students take notes. The source would need to be big enough for students to see the analysis, and it would be best if each student …

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This article is part II of a five part series. After the teacher has decided on their topic and has chosen some sources, they must choose a method of inquiry for students to analyze. Methods of inquiry are ways in which social studies professionals look at a problem or question in order to find solutions. History Forge has organized skills under five methods of inquiry, which are (1) sourcing/summarizing, (2) corroboration, (3) monitoring/questioning, (4) contextualization, …

Part II: Teaching with Primary Sources and Skills Based Assessment Read More »