Three Branches of Government: Activity Ideas that Engage
No matter how you structure your Civics class, you’re doing a Three Branches of Government unit. There's no way around it. And it’s for sure your biggest unit, with endless…
Avoid these 3 mistakes when asking questions in your social studies classroom
Asking questions seems easy enough. But after spending any time at all teaching you know it’s not. Certainly, not asking great questions anyway. It’s one of those subtle yet fundamental skills I…
How to Teach the Election Even in Polarizing Times
Never before have teachers, especially civics teachers, been in such a delicate, but essential, position to be reliable, non-partisan, and unbiased sources on current politics. The 2016 election left so…
5 Websites That Will Help You Teach Civics Like A Pro
We all know about the amazing iCivics web-based curriculum, the generous endeavor founded by former Justice Sandra Day O’Conner. In fact, it seems to be recommended so much in Facebook groups that…
5 Social Justice Projects That Will Empower Your Students
You probably went into teaching social studies because you have always been a bit of a nerd for learning the real story behind the accepted narrative and somewhat politically involved…
How to Be an Antiracist History Teacher
It’s not enough to simply mention people of color in your lectures and station activities or stress the American ideals of equality and justice. Being an antiracist educator, especially one who…
12 Classroom Activities That Awesome Social Studies Teachers Use
Content can be a killer. It dominates everything in secondary social studies. But that doesn’t mean it has to be all drill and kill. While PBL and thematic units are my jam,…
Incorporating an Oral History Interview Project into your Social Studies Class
Adding in more project-style inquiry learning is equal parts exciting and overwhelming. And creates a lot of questions. However, if you carefully select a project you know will hit meaningfully…
Your Guide to Project Based Learning in a Social Studies Classroom
Project-based learning has been experiencing a bit of a spotlight for the last few years. Heck, even Bill Gates put a PBL-praising book on his 2019 recommended book list. But when you…
Your Go-To News Media Evaluation Strategy (Plus FREE Download!)
The ability to assess news media effectively is perhaps THE most important 21st century critical thinking skill there is, especially since media now infiltrates all aspects of our lives and can…
