C3 Teachers

MARCH 14, 2025

That search led us to the Inquiry Design Model (IDM), an approach that shifts Social Studies from rote memorization to deep, student-driven inquiry. The impact was clear: students were not just learning history; they were doing history asking questions, evaluating evidence, and formulating arguments. IDM does just that.

Social Studies 40

Social Studies Public School Primary Sources Civic Engagement 40

Passion for Social Studies

FEBRUARY 14, 2025

Social Movements The 1980s was a decade that gave rise to numerous subcultures, many of which challenged traditional social norms. Studying subcultures allows students to understand how marginalized groups used music, fashion, and activism to challenge mainstream cultural expectations. 1980’s Game Show $ 4.00

Cultures 130

Cultures Social Studies Economics Tradition 130

Catlin Tucker

JANUARY 13, 2020

I teach AP Psychology, blended and traditional, at a high school in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. She is a veteran social studies teacher who has taught Sociology, US History, World History, Anthropology, and Psychology. Cori Schwarzrock is an AP Psychology teacher at Cary-Grove High School in Cary, Il.

Psychology 218

Psychology Sociology Anthropology World History 218

ED Surge

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

Social studies and history classes weren't just academic discourse, they were social and emotional experiences. Like many people who learned new skills during the pandemic, I immersed myself in Black history, pedagogy, and education reform. I first acknowledged it subconsciously in my middle school years.

History 107

History Tutoring Pedagogy American History 107

Teaching American History

MAY 6, 2025

Ginny Boles needed to build her content knowledge in American history. Paradoxically, her love of this history had led her to major in classics as an undergraduate at UCLA, so as to read the Latin and Greek texts the Founding Fathers read as they formulated their plans for self-government. Next, her father called.

Primary Sources 52

Primary Sources American History Library Government 52

C3 Teachers

MAY 5, 2025

with Tara DeVay In late summer 2015, as I prepared for my third-year teaching eighth-grade social studies in rural Western New York, I balanced many of the challenges that young teachers do: coaching, building curriculum, and searching for more meaningful ways to teach content. Were my students truly doing history?

Teaching 40

Teaching Museum Primary Sources Professional Development 40

TCI

SEPTEMBER 16, 2024

Building a toolbox of teaching strategies can help educators meet the needs of students and bring social studies to life. This hands-on approach ensures that students are not just absorbing information but actively applying and exploring it, making subjects like social studies more meaningful and memorable.

Social Studies 52

Social Studies Teaching Professional Development Geography 52

HistoryRewriter

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

This post features examples of a 10th-grade World History class practicing interpreting literary criticism. This was a part of a large, interdisciplinary project that required the collaboration of an ELA teacher, a History teacher, and a Spanish teacher. The next day, I asked students to evaluate their work after reading my sample.

Archiving 130

Archiving Social Studies Tradition World History 130

The Hechinger Report

AUGUST 1, 2021

They point to dismal scores on national history and civics exams — less than 25 percent scored as proficient — as proof that schools need to spend more time teaching students core facts about our system of government, and warn that civics projects are displacing that instruction. “In Larry Paska, the National Council for the Social Studies.

Civic Engagement 142

Civic Engagement Civics Teaching Middle School 142

The Hechinger Report

JANUARY 12, 2022

The best class I ever taught centered on the history of Washington, D.C. They learned about the history of their neighborhoods and the origins of the music they listened to. Still, my love of history had an outlet in school. Social studies was the class I excelled in because it felt most meaningful.

Heritage 132

Heritage Artifacts Local History Social Studies 132

The Hechinger Report

SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

11, 2001, high school social studies teacher and football coach Robert Lake stood outside with students waiting to get picked up from school. But even then, teachers of traditional U.S. Robert Lake, social studies teacher at North Plainfield High School. Photo: Chris Hondros/Getty Images. NORTH PLAINFIELD, N.J. —

History 75

History Social Studies Museum Civics 75

Students of History

AUGUST 12, 2021

I designed the digital pages I created to look like traditional notebooks - vertically aligned and in the style of the "cut-and-paste" activities we were already doing. This makes each slide really pop and help students get immersed in your unit of study. Thankfully, I had been using digital notebooks in my classes for a few years.

Social Studies 52

Social Studies Primary Sources World History Civics 52

The Hechinger Report

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

Johnson feels about Friday,” she told the students as she paced around the cafeteria in an “I am black history” shirt. “If In Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas, dozens of taxpayer-funded public charters enroll far more white students than any of the traditional public schools in their areas. You know how Ms.

Charter School 109

Charter School History Library Public School 109

The Hechinger Report

AUGUST 27, 2018

A study of project-based learning found that social studies scores were higher for second-grade students who learned this way, compared to students who were taught traditionally. studied civics in the fall of 2016, they began by exploring a nearby park in Pontiac. Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report.

Project-Based Learning 111

Project-Based Learning Civics Historic Sites Social Studies 111

Studies Weekly

MARCH 14, 2025

It may seem simple, but the ability to use printed, colored text and images when teaching social studies is incredibly impactful, she explains. Unlike traditional textbooks, Studies Weekly removes barriers and allows for a dynamic, interactive approach to learning.

Primary Sources 52

Primary Sources American History World History Social Studies 52

The Hechinger Report

AUGUST 13, 2024

Patty Topliffe, who teaches social studies at Woodstock High School in Vermont, said teaching vocabulary and other literacy skills to her students helps them understand primary source documents. Patty Topliffe (center right) and other English and social studies teachers at Woodstock High School, in Vermont.

High School 145

High School Teaching Primary Sources K-12 145

HistoryRewriter

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

Conversational Videos in the Classroom from Social Studies School Service on Vimeo. Previously published by Social Studies School Services. Participating in oral histories improves engagement and increases the amount of historical empathy students develop. Access slides at bit.ly/CONVOvidSSSS. CONVOvidSSSS.

Oral History 100

Oral History History Social Studies Middle School 100

HistoryRewriter

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

See Chapter 15 in the Social Studies Edition. Our special guest will be Camarillo High School history teacher Mike Hernandez. To recap, when I follow the traditional Retell in Rhyme EduProtocol, I use these steps. In this post, I want to introduce a new differentiation strategy I am calling Reverse Retell in Rhyme.

Primary Sources 130

Primary Sources Social Studies Tradition History 130

Studies Weekly

MAY 2, 2024

A Teacher’s Guide to Celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month May 2, 2024 • Studies Weekly Diverse perspectives strengthen education, according to Heather Singmaster’s EdWeek article from November 2018. They broaden students’ view of history and teach them to respect people from different cultures.

Heritage 98

Heritage Museum Social Studies Artifacts 98

C3 Teachers

APRIL 10, 2022

I recently zoomed with Nick S tamoulacatos, Supervisor of Social Studies at Syracuse City School District and one of the writers on the article “Countering the Past of Least Resistance” in that latest Social Education. We’re interested in getting kids engaged in social studies. But we can’t stop there.

History 52

History Social Studies Sociology Professional Development 52

The Hechinger Report

MAY 8, 2019

This single assignment asks students to master science, math, history and language arts standards, which is par for the course for these sixth graders. In English language arts, they did even better than their peers, growing more over the course of the year than students in the school’s traditional classrooms. That’s fine with Chew.

Project-Based Learning 112

Project-Based Learning Tradition Middle School Social Studies 112

The Hechinger Report

APRIL 24, 2023

Educators have felt pressure to cut time for science, social studies and the arts in order to carve out more time for reading and math, the two subjects that are tested annually by every state and by which schools are judged. In this study, the researchers copied a method used by charter school researchers. However, U.S.

Charter School 142

Charter School Geography Public School Private School 142

Thrive in Grade Five

NOVEMBER 10, 2018

Your upper elementary students would not only enjoy the opportunity to have a Thanksgiving feast, but they can also dig deeper into the meaning of Thanksgiving, the history, and the customs. Will the parents of your students be willing to provide hot entrees, sides, and desserts if you have a traditional feast? It is a LOT of work.

Tradition 130

Tradition History Social Studies Teaching 130

ED Surge

JUNE 2, 2023

AR can be used in the classroom to create interactive learning experiences that enhance traditional instruction. The McGraw Hill program is releasing a social studies and language arts component that integrates the two content areas. What does AR look like in the humanities? It gives humanities a relevant context.”

Lesson Plan 130

Lesson Plan Artifacts Educational Technology Interactive Learning 130

Thrive in Grade Five

FEBRUARY 2, 2019

Be careful when teaching the history of the United States. We need to emphasize that Native American groups were (and are still) unique with distinct language, beliefs, traditions, and dress. I will be the first to admit, I’m guilty of this too. I didn’t realize these phrases were disrespectful because I’d heard them all my life.

Cultures 130

Cultures Teaching Museum Elementary School 130

The Hechinger Report

APRIL 3, 2018

Ann Marie Lynam, seventh-grade social studies teacher, Baldwin Schools, Long Island. Lynam teaches seventh-grade social studies five periods each day, to students with severe special needs, to a mix of general and special education students, and to kids who are academically advanced.

Social Studies 107

Social Studies Elementary School Tradition History 107

The Hechinger Report

MARCH 18, 2018

From Greensboro lunch counters to Tiananmen Square, youth have led significant campaigns for social and political change throughout history. Leave this field empty if you're human: Social studies is typically considered the most suitable subject area for developing citizenship skills and knowledge.

Civics 85

Civics Social Studies Critical Thinking History 85

The Hechinger Report

NOVEMBER 3, 2016

In the middle of all this activity, seventh-grader Jacob Higuera sat alone with his laptop, intently typing out a social studies assignment. Many classrooms resemble a traditional setup, with a teacher at the front of the room and students sitting in rows, at desks, completing assignments with pen and paper.

Elementary School 111

Elementary School Tutoring Middle School Tradition 111

Catlin Tucker

AUGUST 22, 2023

Learning About Historical Figures: When studying historical figures, the teacher could ask students to reflect on what they initially thought about a person and how their understanding changed as they learned more. This promotes critical thinking and historical empathy. This encourages cultural sensitivity and open-mindedness.

Controversial Topics 131

Controversial Topics Critical Thinking Cultures Social Studies 131

ED Surge

NOVEMBER 29, 2023

It can bring traditional textbooks to life by adding interactive elements like videos, models or supplementary information to printed pages. Furthermore, it can transport students to different times and places, making history and geography lessons more immersive and educational.

EdTech 130

EdTech Junior High Geography Critical Thinking 130

Dangerously Irrelevant

MAY 25, 2017

The flaw of traditional education systems, we are told, is that they focus too much on the group, the class, the collective. As a history major and former Social Studies teacher, I believe in the idea of common schools and education as a common good. via [link]. We also know, however, that one-size-fits-all models don’t.

Educational Technology 77

Educational Technology Social Studies Tradition History 77

The Hechinger Report

MAY 21, 2018

From first through fifth grade, each teacher taught fewer subjects, perhaps just reading or reading and social studies, but was responsible for more students. Then Fryer compared test scores of the kids in the “platooned” schools with those in traditional schools in which a main classroom teacher continued to teach most subjects.

Elementary School 112

Elementary School Economics Project-Based Learning Tradition 112

The Hechinger Report

JANUARY 23, 2019

Michael is a senior at Vertus High School , an all-boys charter school in the Rochester City School District whose hallmark is a program that blends online classes with more traditional classroom teaching. For his part, though, Michael appreciates the opportunity to work faster than traditional classrooms allow.

Charter School 111

Charter School Advocacy Middle School High School 111

Digital Promise

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Middle school students use pre-crafted story maps to learn standard classroom content in science and social studies. High school students create story maps to deepen their own learning and help others, in history, science, and even English literature. First graders are working with high school honors students to map kindness.

Education 107

Education K-12 Middle School Professional Development 107

The Hechinger Report

DECEMBER 7, 2016

It is just one of a slate of waivers approved by lawmakers, including class size, teacher preparation time, hiring and firing rules, and others, allowing traditional public schools to operate with the same educational requirements as their area charter schools. My degree is in psychology but I’m teaching history! According to U.S.

Charter School 111

Charter School Tradition Public School High School 111

The Hechinger Report

APRIL 25, 2023

It was the first lesson in a school week that would take her kids through memoir writing, an introduction to division and research on Indigenous history, each activity carefully curated by Snyder. A first-year teacher, she joined the Boston Teachers Union Pilot School this fall as an ELA and social studies teacher.

Charter School 139

Charter School Government Sociology Social Studies 139

The Hechinger Report

SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

Spokespeople from the schools say the criticism doesn’t reflect the fact that they often enroll students who are struggling academically, are enrolled for short periods, and have a history of changing schools frequently, a metric shown to hurt academic performance. They also say they are taking steps to improve retention and graduation rates.

Charter School 139

Charter School Education Policy Public School History 139