Month: July 2019

This article is part I of a five part series. Primary sources were a central part of my curriculum when I taught U.S. History. I also taught my students different methods of inquiry and the skills that go along with them. Teaching this way, using the sources that I did, was a weekly occurrence in my classroom; due to this fact, I have written five steps with supporting details on how I taught using primary …

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

Historians and social studies teachers know that history is complex and can never truly be understood. The past is complicated for several reasons, one of which are the multiple perspectives of people in the past and present. Unfortunately, many teachers only show students one perspective, that of their textbook. The textbook is a useful tool in a social studies classroom because it provides a busy teacher with lessons and guidance, but it is prone to …

The Importance of Historical Themes Read More »

Many of our adolescent students are searching for an identity; students in middle school start forming groups comprised of people with similar tastes, appearances, interests, and ideas. The action of students searching for their self will ultimately affect their classroom behavior, attention, and willingness to complete tasks. Some teachers and schools may stifle the natural occurence of searching for an identity, but I suggest social studies teachers embrace it and give students time to explore …

Benefits To A Social Studies Curriculum: Discovering Students’ Personalities, Strengths, Weaknesses, and Future Goals Read More »

To a social studies teacher, the introduction of themselves and their class is an important moment. Teachers of other disciplines also need to set a good tone and establish their parameters, but a social studies teacher has to do that and encourage student that their class will be a safe place to discuss societies most contentious issues. What’s more, as teachers of topics with multiple perspectives and opinions, we must encourage students to express their …

How to Introduce A Social Studies Class Read More »