Social Sciences
One of the best free Websites available that adequately scaffolds students' evaluation, corroboration, and synthesis of multiple conflicting sources (yes, the full package of historical thinking) is Sam Wineburg's recent digital project, Historical Thinking Matters. Thus far, the four units include: Spanish American War, Scopes (Monkey) Trial, Social Security, and Rosa Parks/Montgomery Bus Boycott.
I often use this site in my methods courses to give students a sense of how essential/critical questions, graphic organizers, questioning strategies with heuristics (e.g., sourcing), think aloud models, highlighting critical features, and multiple representations can help learners engage in the rigorous task of historical thinking. Be sure to check out the Teacher Materials section for printable resources such as graphic organizers. (This link is an example of the resouces available for the Spanish American War exercise. The links that follow are also for the Spanish American War unit.) Also under the Teacher Materials section is a tab for sources, which include full, modified, and Spanish text to increase the accessibility of the written sources for diverse learning needs. Finally, be sure to check out different interpretations of each topic in the resouces tab under the Teaching Matierals section.
- Don't Buy A Textbook
Stanford History Education Group's Reading Like a Historian I recently received an email from a Superintendent in Massachusetts. It was time to buy an American history textbook series, and he wanted to know if I had any suggestions. My quick answer...
- Primary Sources, Primary Sources, Primary Sources...
It's that time of the semester when my students are hurriedly (and thoughtfully, I hope) developing lessons and units with primary sources. Of course, any web search will yield millions of hits, but finding and organizing these sources into a thoughtful,...
- New York State Archives - Throughout The Ages
New York State Archive Last weekend, I attended and presented at the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA. I was more than impressed with the variety of sessions I attended and the generous vendors at the exhibition hall....
- The First Thanksgiving
October is nearing its end, and soon jack-0'-lanterns will give way to images of cornucopias, pilgrims, and Wampanoags (or the more common misrepresentation of Indians with feathers and tipis). In the 1990s, publications such as James Loewen's...
- Teaching With Political Cartoons
Political cartoons show up a lot in social studies curricula, including textbooks, worksheets, and now standardized state and national exams. In these cases, students are asked to analyze the cartoon's content or the cartoonist's point of view....
Social Sciences
Historical Thinking Matters
One of the best free Websites available that adequately scaffolds students' evaluation, corroboration, and synthesis of multiple conflicting sources (yes, the full package of historical thinking) is Sam Wineburg's recent digital project, Historical Thinking Matters. Thus far, the four units include: Spanish American War, Scopes (Monkey) Trial, Social Security, and Rosa Parks/Montgomery Bus Boycott.
I often use this site in my methods courses to give students a sense of how essential/critical questions, graphic organizers, questioning strategies with heuristics (e.g., sourcing), think aloud models, highlighting critical features, and multiple representations can help learners engage in the rigorous task of historical thinking. Be sure to check out the Teacher Materials section for printable resources such as graphic organizers. (This link is an example of the resouces available for the Spanish American War exercise. The links that follow are also for the Spanish American War unit.) Also under the Teacher Materials section is a tab for sources, which include full, modified, and Spanish text to increase the accessibility of the written sources for diverse learning needs. Finally, be sure to check out different interpretations of each topic in the resouces tab under the Teaching Matierals section.
- Don't Buy A Textbook
Stanford History Education Group's Reading Like a Historian I recently received an email from a Superintendent in Massachusetts. It was time to buy an American history textbook series, and he wanted to know if I had any suggestions. My quick answer...
- Primary Sources, Primary Sources, Primary Sources...
It's that time of the semester when my students are hurriedly (and thoughtfully, I hope) developing lessons and units with primary sources. Of course, any web search will yield millions of hits, but finding and organizing these sources into a thoughtful,...
- New York State Archives - Throughout The Ages
New York State Archive Last weekend, I attended and presented at the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA. I was more than impressed with the variety of sessions I attended and the generous vendors at the exhibition hall....
- The First Thanksgiving
October is nearing its end, and soon jack-0'-lanterns will give way to images of cornucopias, pilgrims, and Wampanoags (or the more common misrepresentation of Indians with feathers and tipis). In the 1990s, publications such as James Loewen's...
- Teaching With Political Cartoons
Political cartoons show up a lot in social studies curricula, including textbooks, worksheets, and now standardized state and national exams. In these cases, students are asked to analyze the cartoon's content or the cartoonist's point of view....