Doing Social Studies

APRIL 13, 2020

I was very excited to have them reflect on these documents and then create letters to send to policy makers advising them on the situation. Based on the compelling arguments in those past documents, I was sure students would be suggesting that policy makers shut things down. For a copy of my lesson, follow this link.

Lesson Plan 67

Lesson Plan Charter School History Library 67

Studies Weekly

JANUARY 10, 2024

Creating Connections Because Studies Weekly’s print publications are consumable, students can create artifacts to demonstrate their learning by cutting the primary sources and other information out of their publications. Giving students this trust creates a partnership of learning and growth between students and the teacher.

Artifacts 52

Artifacts Primary Sources K-12 Psychology 52

Dangerously Irrelevant

MAY 31, 2017

Like many teachers, I would tap into the the Library of Congress, which would give me tips for teaching with primary sources , including quarterly journal articles on topics such as integrating historical and geographic thinking. Washington University in St. Louis has an amazing collection of interviews from the Great Depression.

Social Studies 76

Social Studies Teaching Archiving Geography 76

The Hechinger Report

APRIL 18, 2017

Founded in 2009 by the retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, iCivics also offers readings and standards-aligned lesson plans about the Constitution, the three branches of government, media and influence, and many other topics. I could say, hang on a second, this is how it’s supposed to work.”.

Civics 77

Civics K-12 Education Primary Sources 77

Zinn Education Project

SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

The next day, we dove into the document analysis activity compiled by Ursula Wolfe-Rocca. After going over key terms and background information (as suggested by Wolfe-Rocca in the PDF version of the activity), I arranged my students in groups of four and they investigated six of the included documents.

History 52

History Teaching Social Studies Middle School 52

The Hechinger Report

JANUARY 14, 2018

The nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves is offering “The Reconstruction Era and the Fragility of Democracy,” described on its website as an “archive of lessons, videos, and primary sources to teach about one of the most tumultuous periods in U.S. history and its legacy today.” The materials can be downloaded free.

Teaching 102

Teaching Primary Sources History K-12 102

Students of History

JANUARY 25, 2022

6th insurrection at the Capitol (I have a lesson for this here ), I came across an article about the only "successful" coup or insurrection in US History. I couldn't believe I had never heard of it before, but I dove into learning all I could about what happened at Wilmington, NC in 1898 and created this lesson plan on it for my students.

Lesson Plan 52

Lesson Plan History Primary Sources Government 52