How to Keep History Lessons Meaningful During Role Play. By Aaron Brock Most social studies teachers are expected to cover very specific content, whether or not it resonates with the students personally or politically. This often leads us to fall back on reenactments as the primary method of giving students an historical “experience.”
While there is value in these activities, it is important to reflect on the purpose of any hands-on lesson. Having students act out historical episodes “just because” is as meaningless as making students memorize names and dates for a test. I divide on-your-feet history lessons into three broad categories: dramatization, experiential, and real-world application. Dramatic missteps A dramatization is any activity where students take on historical personas or act out specific events in history. My first attempt to give students an experience from the past came while trying to teach feudalism in seventh grade. Success at last This year, I conducted my first truly successful “living history” lesson.
Keeping it meaningful. Elections in Action Lessons. Whether you are teaching about this spring's primaries or planning to cover the midterms this November, the latest version of Mikva's Election in Action lessons is now available. To receive a *FREE* pdf version of these lessons (designed for middle and high schoolers), please click here to complete a short request form. You will then receive them by email within 24 hours. (Click the following icon to download a Table of Contents for this curriculum: 2014_Elections_table_of_contents.pdf (69 KB) .) Rock the Vote's Democracy Class Rock the Vote's Democracy Class Rock the Vote's Democracy Class is a one-period, civics education lesson plan that teaches high school students about the importance of voting, the history behind it, and registers them to vote.
Campaign Ads: Create Your Own and Analyze Others Teaching Campaign Finance Additionally, you can click here to find the NYTimes' guide about the different ways one can make political donations. Listen to Me 50 States' Voting Laws in One Place. Keith Hughes. How the Electoral College Works.
Social Media for Teachers: Guides, Resources and Ideas. Although students are evermore connected to the social web, many of these networks remain out-of-class digital playgrounds where students congregate. In a 2014 survey of 1,000 teachers, just one in five said they use social media regularly with students. Of course, it can be a challenge to incorporate social media into lessons.
There are many gray areas for teachers to navigate, like setting guidelines, accessibility at school, and student safety. But to help teachers navigate this ever-changing landscape of social media tools, here are some of the best guides on the web for four popular networks, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. More Great Reads From Edutopia In addition to those great guides, there is a lot of useful information right here on Edutopia. 40 Maps That Will Help You Make Sense of the World. If you’re a visual learner like myself, then you know maps, charts and info graphics can really help bring data and information to life. Maps can make a point resonate with readers and this collection aims to do just that.
Hopefully some of these maps will surprise you and you’ll learn something new. A few are important to know, some interpret and display data in a beautiful or creative way, and a few may even make you chuckle or shake your head. If you enjoy this collection of maps, the Sifter highly recommends the r/MapPorn sub reddit. 1. Map by Google 2. Map via Wikimedia Commons 3. Map by Stuart Laycock (via The Telegraph) 4. Map by eatrio.net via Reddit Pangea was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, forming about 300 million years ago. 5. Map by Business Management EU 6.
Map by The New York Times 7. Map by Teepr on Reddit 8. Map by ChartsBin.com 9. Map by Phoenix B 1of3 10. Map by Carna Botnet via Reddit 11. Map by Vizual Statistix 12. 13. 14. 15. Where Do You Fit? 2011 Pew Research Political Typology Quiz.