Let's Cultivate Greatness

JULY 5, 2023

This helps me keep this blog running. In the five classrooms I’ve had in my career, I’ve discovered the must-haves that make my social studies classes run smoothly. While many of these are universal tips for any middle or high school classroom, several are social studies-specific.

Social Studies 52

Social Studies Civics History Sociology 52

Let's Cultivate Greatness

DECEMBER 10, 2024

Here are some of my favorite lessons and activities for teaching the executive branch in my high school Civics and Government class. Head over to this blog post where I share this activity in more detail. Its a bit complicated, which means it also offers great opportunities to practice critical thinking and social studies skills.

Civics 52

Civics Government Critical Thinking Social Studies 52

Doing Social Studies

OCTOBER 22, 2021

As we reboot Doing Social Studies, we’d love to introduce you to this month’s author, Nathan McAlister. Nathan McAlister is the Humanities Program Manager – History, Government, and Social Studies with the Kansas State Department of Education. My goal, for this blog post is twofold.

Primary Sources 67

Primary Sources Archiving Library American History 67

C3 Teachers

SEPTEMBER 21, 2024

This blog post delves into the power of inquiry to transform traditional classrooms into dynamic spaces of discovery, fostering critical thinking and lifelong learning skills. Social studies teachers look out into the eyes of a new group of students petrified that the inquiry bridge might not appear.

Critical Thinking 52

Critical Thinking Social Studies Civics Pedagogy 52

Heinemann Blog

FEBRUARY 20, 2024

Here we pick up where we left off in “Inquiries Across the Curriculum”. This is the third part in the Researcher’s Workshop series.

Civics 52

Civics Social Studies Research 52

Moler's Musing

JANUARY 5, 2024

I wanted to ease my 8th graders back into learning while laying the groundwork for my favorite social studies unit on the Constitution and government. In this blog, I’ll reflect on the activities, assessments, and data from this first critical week back as we dive into the content that makes up the foundation of our democracy.

Government 52

Government Civics Social Studies 52

Doing Social Studies

APRIL 13, 2020

In my last blog post, I shared with you a description of my pedagogical approach and provided an example. Thomas intends “to spend my entire life convincing them how exciting and important history is.” His bio picture is daughter Claire and Thomas meeting President Lincoln.

Lesson Plan 67

Lesson Plan Charter School History Library 67

Digital Promise

DECEMBER 14, 2016

It’s a natural fit for a school community whose mission includes cultivating and cherishing “an environment that supports the academic, social-emotional, creative and civic learning” of all students. After studying the artwork of pop artist Andy Warhol, fifth and sixth grade students made artwork inspired by his creations.

Education 75

Education K-12 Middle School Professional Development 75

C3 Teachers

MAY 23, 2022

Most importantly, I want the course content to be relevant to their lives as future teachers, and I want them to see themselves as civic and political actors. In the blogs that follow, you will read more about how teaching assessment through inquiry panned out, what we all learned, and if we would do this again!

Social Studies 52

Social Studies Social Justice Controversial Topics Pedagogy 52