It’s inherently vain to post lesson ideas. Any number of educators know way more than I do about all sorts of things and manage to be effective with strategies I’d never pull off. There are things which work for me which might fall flat in other settings or with other educators. That’s the nature of the gig – the whole “science” of teaching vs. the “art” of faking it pretty well over and over again.
Then, of course, there’s the whole “I don’t want to look stupid in front of my peers” thing that comes into play. Not everything here is brilliant or creative and it’s certainly not representative of the whole. It’s just the stuff that’s fairly easy to share online in hopes someone might find it useful.
And that’s the thing – you just never know what others might find useful. Even if you don’t love something the way it’s presented here, it may spark better ideas or different ways of thinking. Or whatever. I encourage you to use anything you find useful, and to adapt it to your circumstances, style, and druthers, as you see fit. I’d love to hear from you if something works particularly well or if you figure out how to make lots and lots of money with it – or both.
My Teaching Philosophy – Because what could be a better use of bandwidth than one more opinion about how teaching should work?
General Strategies for All Sorts of Things – Asking Good Questions, Pre-Reading, Post-Reading, Artsy-Fartsy Activities, etc. (Stuff that’s not subject specific.)
Causes, Triggers, Events, and Results – Great end-of-semester or end-of-year review or exam prep. Use it to recap main ideas or explore connections more deeply.
Those Circle Things – These can be great bell-ringers, small group activities, assessments, or whatever else you want to try. Go deep or keep them festive; your call.
Primary Sources (Text) & Political Cartoons – Primary Sources and, um… well, you probably figured this one out already.
Reading in Social Studies – Book suggestions for specific grades and topics, along with why I think you should read more in Social Studies. Your suggestions are strongly encouraged.
Early American History / American Government (1492-Civil War) – A few basic presentations, graphic organizers, etc. Keep in mind I don’t “own” most of the images, video clips, or whatever.
Later American History / American Government (Civil War-Today) – More basic presentations, graphic organizers, etc. I still don’t “own” most of the media embedded in various forms.
Virtually ELA – I was looking for a change of pace and got certified in English. Then the pandemic hit, and the pace changed more than I expected. These are a few of the lessons which began as “distance learning” even though I’ve used several in face-to-face class as well. Keep in mind I wasn’t exactly a proper English teacher – but you might find a few things you like in the mix.
Oklahoma History Resources – I’m sure many will find it amusing that this is even a subject – but I taught it for years, and there are good parts.
Document Activities – Maybe the coolest things I’ve ever created for class, so I thought they deserved their own segment.