#sschat is a network of educators, resources, and ideas that started on Twitter, but has expanded to Facebook, an annual NCSS unconference, and more. Join us to chat asynchronously on Twitter or Facebook, or chat with us live on Mondays from 7-8pm EST.
Welcome, everyone. My name is John Tully, and I'm professor of history and social studies coordinator at Central Connecticut State University. I'm also the coeditor of the Harvey Goldberg Series for Understanding and Teaching History, published by @UWiscPress. #sschat
Hi everyone, my name is Tyler Garrard and I am an MAT student at Duke University. I am preparing to teach social studies in Durham Public Schools. I'm excited to join my first #sschat
Before we start tonight's #sschat, here's a friendly invitation to submit a guest-hosting proposal for the September-to-December session.
Let this be the first of several browser tabs that you open this evening:
https://t.co/rCoRvojMSE
I teach HS World History in the Twin Citeas (MN). I've also taught a lot of US History in my career. I'll be in and out, getting ready for a presentation tomorrow.
#sschat
Hi everyone. I'm Brad Austin, and I am a professor of history at Salem State University (MA). There, I teach the "Methods" course, along with both US and World history surveys. I'll be co-teaching a USII survey at Salem HS this fall. #sschat
Chris from Bloomington, IN. Teach world history for private online HS affiliated w/ Indiana Univ. Also one of the #sschat co-leaders. Have been teaching world history survey courses for 15+ years. Looking forward to getting some new ideas.
Hi! I'm Evan. I'm taught ESL in S. Korea and Indonesia for about 8 years, and now I'm a M.A. in Teaching candidate at Duke, transitioning to Secondary Social Studies education! #DukeMAT#sschat
Hi gang! I teach HS social studies - modern Us and Modern World - and try to include comics and pop culture whenever possible. #sschat today is anniv. of Hiroshima - I can’t recommend this autobiographical graphic novel series enough. Students left speechless.
A1: Up to now they have been chronological, mostly b/c that is the simplest and most traditional way to do them. I would love to try a thematic course if I can get my colleagues to join me (alignment requirement in my district). #sschat
#sschat A1 will be teaching WH this year as a student teacher and am thinking I will go chronologicallyish, but am interested in learning some different possibilities
A1) Hello #sschat, I teach 8th grade US History in Southern Ca. My middle school survey class is taught primarily chronological but some key themes run through out. #sschat
I’ve been teaching Western Civilization 1 in a “Scale-Up” style classroom to 150-180 students. I flip the classroom and have the students write a textbook. #sschat
A1- Combo. Units themselves are chronological, but do themes within each unit. (pol/econ/soc/cul/etc. Have found that this is the happy medium between the two. #sschat
Mary from CO, where I work in support of the TPS Teachers Network through a grant from @librarycongress to @TPSMSUDenver. Is everybody in #sschat gearing up for a super new year?
A1b I'm fortunate in that my department chair doesn't really care what we do (or the order we do it in) as long as it bears a reasonable resemblance to the curriculum. #sschat
A1 Currently taking the combo approach using materials from @BigHistoryPro and collaborating w 2 eng Ts from @KennedyMedical#sschat Focus on interdisciplinary & medicine.
That makes sense, Mike. Do you need an official departmental consensus to experiment? Is this assessment based? What kinds of themes do you think you'd emphasize? US and/or world? #sschat
A1: Up to now they have been chronological, mostly b/c that is the simplest and most traditional way to do them. I would love to try a thematic course if I can get my colleagues to join me (alignment requirement in my district). #sschat
A1) My world history courses are structured chronologically but around essential questions. Students choose a historical theme (semester 1) or essential question (sem 2) as their lens through which to study the past. #sschat
A1- Combo. Units themselves are chronological, but do themes within each unit. (pol/econ/soc/cul/etc. Have found that this is the happy medium between the two. #sschat
A1 Currently taking the combo approach using materials from @BigHistoryPro and collaborating w 2 eng Ts from @KennedyMedical#sschat Focus on interdisciplinary & medicine.
A1 Chronologically, but also thematically. We make sure that students are making connections between the few topics per unit and throughout the year. Bring in modern/current events whenever we can. #sschat
In some sense, I don’t really care what the students write about as long as they coordinate across the class to produce something that’s more or less coherent and more or less a textbook. It often goes in unexpected directions. #sschat
I tried going 100% geographic a few years ago, but it got too confusing with missing content. I basically did one continent a marking period (Asia, Africa, S. America, Europe) but after a certain point, everything is too interconnected. #sschat
Thanks--what advice can you give to those who want to step away from the lecture-based and toward a more "flipped" classroom? Did you like the textbook assignment? It sounds really interesting. We'd love some details. #sschat
I’ve been teaching Western Civilization 1 in a “Scale-Up” style classroom to 150-180 students. I flip the classroom and have the students write a textbook. #sschat
We need a consensus and an administrative OK to do an experiement like that...small deviations or tweaks are fine, but that is a pretty radical restructure TBH. Yes, it is assessment based. I would probably use the five theses in the History Alive text! #sschat
I’ve blogged about it a good bit: https://t.co/kzgiKW1ByL
The biggest thing is allowing students to be wrong, do things the hard way, and make mistakes while also being open minded to what they might care about. #sschat
A2 Stanford's Reading like a historian is great; they have many U.S. And world lessons that actually have students do history! Many others as well. #sschat
A1) My world history courses are structured chronologically but around essential questions. Students choose a historical theme (semester 1) or essential question (sem 2) as their lens through which to study the past. #sschat
American Revolution Unit: Political/Economc/Social/Cultural causes. Then follow that up with the effects. End with the “How Revolutionary was it?” DBQ. How much (pol/Econ/soc/cul) did it really change things? #sschat
What will you be teaching? @SHEG_Stanford has great document-based lessons and historical thinking assessments. Also @NewVisionsNYC has OER materials for U.S. and world history. #sschat
In reply to
@LearnPlayBake, @SHEG_Stanford, @NewVisionsNYC
A1). Primarily chronologically, but with themes interwoven - AP World is pretty much set up that way. In my modern world, it was loosely chronological and focused on themes per unit #sschat
Do you set aside "special days" to talk about current events, or do you just incorporate them as they seem relevant? #sschat Is this a deliberate strategy? Does it help students or confuse them?
Without a doubt Wikipedia #sschat
Between the geographic data, basic chronology, and factoids, it’s more accurate than most textbooks, free, and universal.
A2) Preparing formal set of essential questions for each unit has helped students keep their mindset on "big picture" learning v. the minutia on page ____ of the text. I often revisit/edit this resource as well. #sschat
A2: Lies My Teacher Told Me is a good book outside of straight texts. Also "Why Won't You Just Tell Us The Answer", Teach Like a Pirate and almost anything that Gilder-Lehrman puts out. #sschat
That sounds like a great opportunity to experiment @BillCaraher Do you have your eyes on any particular approaches? Going to try several? (Thanks for the link to your blog) #sschat
Hello! High school World Civ teacher. Teaching it for the first time and implementing interactive notebooks for the 1st time. We organize chronologically #sschat
A1: When I was in the classroom I went chronological due to me teaching #APWorld never got the chance to change it up. I did emphasize and with the students identified different themes along the way #sschat
1300-1750 How do interactions between civs & changing power structures change civs & their relationships?
1500-1900 How did sig changes in science, politics, & economics affect people's lives (from family to nation-state/empire) & relationships betwn regions of world? #sschat
I think I want to do three or four new classes all with the same title and at the intro level. Environmental history, religious history, political and social history, and a history ONLY from primary sources. I don’t know if these will be flipped or more hybrid. #sschat
A2: It's helpful when teachers front load approaches/skills to be used throughout the course. Whether it's historical, geographic, economic, or civic thinking methods, I try to invest time in practicing them so it becomes second nature to students. #sschat
I've tried using American Yawp (https://t.co/agjNU2yVD0) as an online textbook. Seemed to work pretty well and love that it had primary sources associated with each chapter. #sschat
A2) Preparing formal set of essential questions for each unit has helped students keep their mindset on "big picture" learning v. the minutia on page ____ of the text. I often revisit/edit this resource as well. #sschat
Hello! High school World Civ teacher. Teaching it for the first time and implementing interactive notebooks for the 1st time. We organize chronologically #sschat
I second Stanford’s Reading Like a Historian. Also suggest at least looking at AP materials. Why can’t our survey classes be given the same prompts? For example, this year’s APUSH DBQ was on Imperialism. You can bet that I’m having my survey kids look at those docs too! #sschat
A2 Stanford's Reading like a historian is great; they have many U.S. And world lessons that actually have students do history! Many others as well. #sschat
A2 Stanford's Reading like a historian is great; they have many U.S. And world lessons that actually have students do history! Many others as well. #sschat
A2) Preparing formal set of essential questions for each unit has helped students keep their mindset on "big picture" learning v. the minutia on page ____ of the text. I often revisit/edit this resource as well. #sschat
I introduce 3 EQs at the start of each unit. All of the lessons connect with one. At the end of the units students choose 1 to support with evidence by writing Free Response. For my general ed students they will be starting with an AVID one pager. Going to try that first! #sschat
I'm also a fan of the Inquiry Design Model from @C3Teachers based on the C3 Framework: https://t.co/TZihEcrWaj. Designing IDMs takes time, but they can really generate high quality inquiries. #sschat
A2 Stanford's Reading like a historian is great; they have many U.S. And world lessons that actually have students do history! Many others as well. #sschat
A3: Great question! I believe its a matter of getting to know their content before jumping in! What feels right to them as a first year, but also showing them how units can be woven together into themes. #sschat
I really love EdPuzzle and so do my students. Really helpful since my courses are asynchronous & rolling enrollment (everyone in a diff place). Can add in context, explanations, etc. to help Ss learn more. #sschat
I agree with this, @dankrutka Being explicit about what we're trying to do, and why we are doing it, can pay big dividends and get students to buy in throughout class. #sschat
A2: It's helpful when teachers front load approaches/skills to be used throughout the course. Whether it's historical, geographic, economic, or civic thinking methods, I try to invest time in practicing them so it becomes second nature to students. #sschat
A3: That getting in every single historical element is far less important than the skills the Ss will be learning. And to not get into arguments over minutia with either Ss or other Ts. #sschat
I actually use Wikipedia to teach he kids about sourcing and citations! Don’t read the wiki entry....go to the original source that the wiki entry is based off of! :) How reliable is THAT source?! #sschat
A3. In terms of organization, if it doesn't make sense to you, it sure as hell won't make sense to the students. Flexibility is key- this is my 11th year w/ World II AND I've never taught it the same way twice. #sschat
A3) Love World History for Us All - this would be my answer for Q3 too - all world history educators should go to this site and familiarize themselves with the content if it’s their first time. Understand the BIG Picture #sschat
I want to clarify we reference the EQs throughout the unit as they apply. And mine tend to look more like "compelling questions". Not super broad like "What is Justice?"#sschat
I'm also a fan of the Inquiry Design Model from @C3Teachers based on the C3 Framework: https://t.co/TZihEcrWaj. Designing IDMs takes time, but they can really generate high quality inquiries. #sschat
A3 Dare to omit! Focus on Big Ideas, <10 / term. All events should be instances of some larger theme. All students do not need to master the same details. in #WHAP these are the Key Concepts, but in my on-level class they are power standards in student friendly language.
#sschat
Well, sure. That’s always good as well, and Wikipedia is more transparent than most of the college level textbooks that the big publishers peddle. #sschat
Don’t trust authority, trust argument.
A3 That you're never going to cover everything, so you're better off thinking carefully about what to spend time on and what to gloss over/ skip entirely. #sschat
A2: It's helpful when teachers front load approaches/skills to be used throughout the course. Whether it's historical, geographic, economic, or civic thinking methods, I try to invest time in practicing them so it becomes second nature to students. #sschat
Looking forward to responses. I tell my pre-service teachers to pick an approach from a site that has good resources like @C3Teachers, @SHEG_Stanford, etc. & use their lessons. Don't try to recreate the wheel your first year... rely on the work of others. #sschat
I've tried using American Yawp (https://t.co/agjNU2yVD0) as an online textbook. Seemed to work pretty well and love that it had primary sources associated with each chapter. #sschat
A2) Preparing formal set of essential questions for each unit has helped students keep their mindset on "big picture" learning v. the minutia on page ____ of the text. I often revisit/edit this resource as well. #sschat
Part of it. They also do a multiple choice w/ document analysis mixed in. The structure is exactly the same all year. Many students seem to appreciate the lack of the "surprise" factor. #sschat
Great discussion, resources, and ideas. It's hard to keep up. Remember, this will all be archived at https://t.co/KRUlsuPQ7T To help organized, please respond to specific questions (Q1, for example) with (A1) #sschat
Yes!! This is great advice!! I’ve only learned this through trial and error. #sschat Plus once the students have the tools, they can work to set their own secondary learning goals and benchmarks! Having students involved in the assessment process from the start too! #sschat
A3: As an ID, I’d suggest the essential of Backwards Design. To always focus on the learning outcomes when designing activities and assessments. Not to accidentally get anchored in by the materials first. #sschat
YES. It's so hard to get them to accept that, though. The key is finding good partners with whom they can student teach. Thanks, @judyrichter2001#sschat
A3 That you're never going to cover everything, so you're better off thinking carefully about what to spend time on and what to gloss over/ skip entirely. #sschat
A3) Talk to colleagues and ask ?s about your PLN. It will be overwhelming at first. Don't try to cover everything. Focus on the big items but also the big picture and skills. #sschat
Focus on the bigger questions first! Then build around those! You won’t have time to cover everything, so what essential knowledge about _____do you want your students to walk away with? What knowledge will lead to them being better global citizens? #sschat
A3 There is no right way. But you have to have a focus on historical skills just as much as the content. Don't focus overly on memorization skills #sschat
A2) Preparing formal set of essential questions for each unit has helped students keep their mindset on "big picture" learning v. the minutia on page ____ of the text. I often revisit/edit this resource as well. #sschat
It's hard... I still feel guilty skipping topics, but it's the only way to give a good overview. And the only way to ever hit the 20th century. #sschat
A3 Dare to omit! Focus on Big Ideas, <10 / term. All events should be instances of some larger theme. All students do not need to master the same details. in #WHAP these are the Key Concepts, but in my on-level class they are power standards in student friendly language.
#sschat
I've tried using American Yawp (https://t.co/agjNU2yVD0) as an online textbook. Seemed to work pretty well and love that it had primary sources associated with each chapter. #sschat
A3 Dare to omit! Focus on Big Ideas, <10 / term. All events should be instances of some larger theme. All students do not need to master the same details. in #WHAP these are the Key Concepts, but in my on-level class they are power standards in student friendly language.
#sschat
Keeping in mind quality not quanitity, build those skills so as you progress through out the year they are being applied to analyse and interpret, rather than select one of the answers below. #sschat
Love "Dare to omit!" Should be a mantra for us when teaching survey courses. @BruceLesh Why Won't You Just Tell us the Answer? says this, too. And we're reading it for our #sschat book study this month. Check out #sschatreads for more.
I use the 5 themes of geography as an anchor for my course. I have posters around the room that shows an image of the theme, a definition and examples. It’s great to be able to refer back to them as I move through different topics. #sschat
A4: I think it is very important, so that the Ss can get some context for their own lives and why society is how it is today. Always a challenge, but Daring to Omit is necessary when you are doing a survey! #sschat
If we rush through the Cold War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, because they are at the end of the "chronology." how can we ever expect students to understand global issues today. #sschat
A4 Depends on what "get to" means. History is about connecting past to present bc issues are consistently present through time Basic content is important but the connection is more important. #sschat
A4 All history is the present. Teach contemporary skills and methods, and whatever content you want. Once the students have the skillz and contemporary methods, the period, people, and places matter a bit less. But always teach the present, no matter what period! #sschat
Q4) I am conflicted on this one. When CB tried to cut out a lot of #APWH content, I was very angry. I believe both ancient and modern history are important to cover. Perhaps give students a chance to connect premodern historical events to the present? #sschat
A4 I try to balance it out. I try to hit the stuff in WH that they probably won't get in US (decolonization, anything not directly Cold War related). #sschat
What do you consider “present”? 😊 Need to omit topics to get to the 2000s. And that’s OKAY! Students need to have context for today’s events and those aren’t always based in the 17-1800s. :)#sschat
A4: Very important to present as it creates ownership of their learning, understanding their audience, technical skills. This summer I had students respond to a #DBQ on Stalinist Russia through @Flipgrid! I gave them sentence starters and they did a great job! #sschat
Ar So sorry. I got pulled away! I teach ancient history, so the "present" is the middle ages. And I don't get there. I do make sure I hit the Magna Carta. #sschat
A4) I think it's really important to get to the present and to reference it throughout your course. Tie the past to the present. That's where Ss are & that will help make the content relevant to them. #sschat
If we rush through the Cold War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, because they are at the end of the "chronology." how can we ever expect students to understand global issues today. #sschat
A4 All history is the present. Teach contemporary skills and methods, and whatever content you want. Once the students have the skillz and contemporary methods, the period, people, and places matter a bit less. But always teach the present, no matter what period! #sschat
A4 I also embed a lot of Current Events, usually things that are thematically related to what we are covering that week. It helps with both the connections and the present day content. #sschat
Good point, @MissHunsberger If we're always helping them understand the context for contemporary events, then we're "teaching the present" throughout the class. #sschat
A4 Depends on what "get to" means. History is about connecting past to present bc issues are consistently present through time Basic content is important but the connection is more important. #sschat
A4. If you're teaching students to "think like a historian" and use skills effectively, they should be able to make connections to the present or analyze current situation on their own. Also, if modern events are being touched on regularly for compare & contast, no need #sschat
A4) I have my AP World student connecting to present day every rotation - they find a current event to bring in and lead a discussion that is based on the theme or content we are studying #sschat
Q5: How does your district divide up the American survey, and given the AP World History controversy, when should the World History survey start? How should we divide the US survey? #sschat
#sschat Late to the conversation but I remind myself my college freshmen were 1 yr old on Sept 11. It is a mystery to them. My goal ea sem to end Cold War 2nd to last day and 1990s to Sept 11 last day. They are relieved to talk about it. Have really basic questions. Hard!
If we rush through the Cold War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, because they are at the end of the "chronology." how can we ever expect students to understand global issues today. #sschat
A2 This will be my first year teaching a US history II course, going to to try to get up to present day, its crazy to think that my middle school students were born 4-5 years after Sept. 11th. I think that is important to cover for the country they live in today #sschat
A4) Teaching middle school, the push to do a thorough job with Reconstruction is real but achievable. Present is referenced through out. Constitutional issues today, Native American reservation today, race relations today...#sschat
A4 State standards for recent history often turn into laundry lists of events that seem important to teachers who lived through them. I agree about connecting to the present, but am leery of treating most of the recent past as history.
#sschat
I think it is great to be discussing the impact on the present and to trace some current events to the past.
I don’t think we have to try to figure out how the ‘news of the day’ is similar to things in the past though. Unless it flows naturally. #sschat
A5 The US curriculum (2 years in NJ) splits at 1877. World generally goes from 1500 to present... but I usually start at 1250 or so, since IF my Ss got the previous content, it was in 7th grade #sschat
CT, in an effort to help students reach the present, recommends 5th Grade US history go to the Revolution, 8th Grade go to about the 1890s, and HS US History to the present. #sschat
Q5: How does your district divide up the American survey, and given the AP World History controversy, when should the World History survey start? How should we divide the US survey? #sschat
BTW, if you don't teach about Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) then you need to check out @katelanddeck's historical work! Love to have historians jump into #sschat.
#sschat Late to the conversation but I remind myself my college freshmen were 1 yr old on Sept 11. It is a mystery to them. My goal ea sem to end Cold War 2nd to last day and 1990s to Sept 11 last day. They are relieved to talk about it. Have really basic questions. Hard!
We have similar goals, @katelanddeck I've used the graphic version of the 9/11 Commission Report in my 20th C. World and USII classes. Many students liked it (and appreciated learning about it), but some didn't like the formal and thought it trivialized the attacks. #sschat
#sschat Late to the conversation but I remind myself my college freshmen were 1 yr old on Sept 11. It is a mystery to them. My goal ea sem to end Cold War 2nd to last day and 1990s to Sept 11 last day. They are relieved to talk about it. Have really basic questions. Hard!
A5: We are going to be very rigid this year about starting in 1865 in the junior year. Not going to intrude on earlier stuff that the Ss were taught on the Civil War and previous! #sschat
A5: We have supportive leadership at the #DO and I am hoping to build a curriculum team around these same questions. I am excited for the next couple of years!! #sschat
A3 Doing this right now with my s-t. We are building a US1 course. Started with Essential?s. Looked at Apush syllabi. Brainstormed lessons. Putting it on shared OneNote #sschat#MicrosoftOnenote
A4) I think it's really important to get to the present and to reference it throughout your course. Tie the past to the present. That's where Ss are & that will help make the content relevant to them. #sschat
Q5: How does your district divide up the American survey, and given the AP World History controversy, when should the World History survey start? How should we divide the US survey? #sschat
BTW, if you don't teach about Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) then you need to check out @katelanddeck's historical work! Love to have historians jump into #sschat.
#sschat Late to the conversation but I remind myself my college freshmen were 1 yr old on Sept 11. It is a mystery to them. My goal ea sem to end Cold War 2nd to last day and 1990s to Sept 11 last day. They are relieved to talk about it. Have really basic questions. Hard!
CT, in an effort to help students reach the present, recommends 5th Grade US history go to the Revolution, 8th Grade go to about the 1890s, and HS US History to the present. #sschat
Q5: How does your district divide up the American survey, and given the AP World History controversy, when should the World History survey start? How should we divide the US survey? #sschat
A5: World history is from prehistory-1500s. We divided US History into 2 courses from Native American arrival-the Civil War & then Reconstruction to the present. #sschat
Our world history survey begins with the absolutism (Louis XIV) and gets to today. That’s a lot of history!!! There is much overlap in the second half of the year with the second course in our US survey. So we try to avoid repetition where we can. #sschat
Q5) My district covers 1600s-Obama in US. Where to start each course is the million dollar question. Ideally I would love for Ss to have at least 2 years of WH. Unfortunately most districts do not see the time or need for this 😕 #sschat
In US history and government, I often use morality as basis upon which to bring in the present. Take examples of leaders in history who make decisions and then compare those decisions to present-day leaders- philosophical connections like this really bind themes together. #sschat
A5 My district teaches early American history in 8th grade, finishing through WW2 in 9th. We have a semester class called Modern Global Issues that covers post WW2. We have the IB program, so no AP. World History is taught in 10th. #sschat
A5) First half of US in 8th grade, second half in 11th; ancient world in 7th, early modern in 9th, modern world in 10th, but with new MA State Standards, scope and sequence may all change a bit #sschat
In MA, our USI will soon go from 1700-1920s (Putting the CW and Reconstruction at the center of the course) and the USII class is supposed to go to the present. A lot of folks are going to have to change their classes. #sschat
We can't keep teaching modern students the same way most of us learned history. We have to make the connections to current history/events for it to make sense. They have vast amounts of reputable databases, websites, etc. at their finger tips. #sschat
Q5) My district covers 1600s-Obama in US. Where to start each course is the million dollar question. Ideally I would love for Ss to have at least 2 years of WH. Unfortunately most districts do not see the time or need for this 😕 #sschat
Welcome. You'll see questions are posted with Q1, Q2, etc. People tend to answer with A1, A2, etc., but feel free to like, respond, ask, and retweet. Glad you're here! #sschat Everything will also be on https://t.co/KRUlsuPQ7T
A5 would like to see CA create a 2 yr WH class. Too many standards to cover. Instead many dists are creating #ethnicstudies courses to create cultrally-relevant ped. in HS #sschat
Q5: How does your district divide up the American survey, and given the AP World History controversy, when should the World History survey start? How should we divide the US survey? #sschat
We currently have 3 semesters of WH, but the 3rd one is going away because we no longer have a standardized content test on WH in California...:/ #sschat
A5. This is tricky right now because MA has new frameworks with mandatory civics for 8th grade which messes with my districts' current model. Currently, I teach Freshmen World II, they get pt. 1 in 8th, but that will change next year. US definitely gets emphasized more. #sschat
A6: Key question for all history teachers, what is the narrative your are trying to convey? Using our own professional judgement of depth vs breath, keeping in line with standards, yet building a comprehensive view of history #sschat
A5 @BigHistoryPro has a great framework for teaching big bang to modern day. If only they would create an explicit world hist curriculum. #sschat Crossing my fingers.
We currently have 3 semesters of WH, but the 3rd one is going away because we no longer have a standardized content test on WH in California...:/ #sschat
CT, in an effort to help students reach the present, recommends 5th Grade US history go to the Revolution, 8th Grade go to about the 1890s, and HS US History to the present. #sschat
Q5: How does your district divide up the American survey, and given the AP World History controversy, when should the World History survey start? How should we divide the US survey? #sschat
A6 Teaching about different people groups from all over the world is very important for me especially in my world history course. Students seem to like the diversity rather than just focusing on Europe or the U.S. #sschat
It is called Contemporary World Issues. It was put in solely to increase test scores b/c the Ss couldn't take that test until sophomore year, by which time they had forgotten most of the material! #sschat
A6 You have to make a concentrated effort. It's too easy to default, for example, to all Europe in a WH class. Or to only focus on men. And constantly ask your Ss "who isn't in this history?" to get them to realize what's missing #sschat
While we have standards that we follow, it is important for us to teach beyond the standards -to bring in voices and regions that are neglected. Start off small and then work to include more! #sschat
A6 Realizing that history didn't just happen in Europe. "Understanding and Teaching the Age of Revolutions" has some nice sections on women, the Haitian revolution, etc. In my district the population is diverse, so each year we get better with bringing new regions in #sschat
A6 You have to make a concentrated effort. It's too easy to default, for example, to all Europe in a WH class. Or to only focus on men. And constantly ask your Ss "who isn't in this history?" to get them to realize what's missing #sschat
A6 You have to make a concentrated effort. It's too easy to default, for example, to all Europe in a WH class. Or to only focus on men. And constantly ask your Ss "who isn't in this history?" to get them to realize what's missing #sschat
A6 Realizing that history didn't just happen in Europe. "Understanding and Teaching the Age of Revolutions" has some nice sections on women, the Haitian revolution, etc. In my district the population is diverse, so each year we get better with bringing new regions in #sschat
I was definitely against this move to more US, but there was less political will to open up world history - hard to do it all, something had to get sacrificed - that’s the way of survey courses, right? #sschat
One of the best things we can get them to consider! What voices/stories AREN'T here? There's a great book (title something like "Why You Can't Teach US History Without Native Americans") that helped me reframe my entire USI survey. #sschat
A6 You have to make a concentrated effort. It's too easy to default, for example, to all Europe in a WH class. Or to only focus on men. And constantly ask your Ss "who isn't in this history?" to get them to realize what's missing #sschat
A6 In WH always stress connections or comparisons between regions. Seriously question any content that is focused on one regions. Avoid the "European Tunnel of Time." If 2-3 topics in a row are from Europe, you are teaching Western Civ.
#sschat
That's it. Don't judge it by its cover--it focuses on how other countries' textbooks cover events that affected US History. I use the Spanish-American war account as my case study. #sschat
I think a good World History teacher is already teaching #ethnicstudies A separate course is superfluous. We need a comprehensive & coherent narrative #sschat
A7) I think revolutions is a great theme that has many different examples from different times and places. Allows comparison/contrasting, thinking about who supports/participates vs not & why, etc. #sschat
A7 Use really good questions to provide depth and then cover the content which serves these overarching questions. Questions are the BEST filters. #sschat
I struggle with depth/coverage because I want to go deep in EVERYTHING. I often get lost in research when preparing and learn really cool and interesting things that I WANT my students to know. I need to often step back, think, & limit myself. Can only go deep in so much #sschat
A7: we base our coverage/depth by first setting up a map of the assessed standards on the M-STEP for the SS classes, once we have that we dive into the EGs. #sschat
Sounds great, if you can make the connections. I've had several authors Skype into my classroom, but I usually knew them beforehand. With Spain, there might be a language barrier for your/their students, too. Would be great if you could make it work, though. #sschat
I use Lesh's book with my Methods students now. Lots of good advice in that one, and they appreciate how he discusses how mistakes helped make him a better teacher. #sschat
Possibly, but I also speak Spanish and a lot of my Ss do too. I can't imagine some of the Ss in Spain speak some English as well. A guy can dream, anyway...#sschat
Q7) I believe that College Board does a good job of this with their key concepts and illustrative examples. It allows Ts to know that they don’t have to cover everything. #sschat
It's great! One of the authors, @KwardSST , is a big part of @HistoryMN and social studies education in Minnesota. Phenomenal mentor for student teachers. I used it to develop a lesson on the Iranian Hostage Crisis:
https://t.co/qZGXzX4BtN#sschat
In reply to
@CHitch94, @bradinsalem, @KwardSST, @HistoryMN
A7. For the past couple of years, students in my classes have been interested in the idea of revolutions but also imperialism/nationalism unit which allows them to consider ongoing concepts that are getting attention like cultural appropriation, racism, oppression, etc. #sschat
A7) Who Built America has inquiry units that address how ordinary people/communities have changed society and government. Interesting lens to examine. https://t.co/1CgyN359Hw#sschat
A7) I’ve focused on giving students the big picture or a model, ie: Revolutions using Crane Brinton, and then for depth I have projects structured around students researching another revolution and analyzing whether the model works or if it’s too limiting #sschat
That's the best--when they make the connections and see the importance for themselves. I love it when discussions go "off track" like that. Those are the best teaching days. #sschat
A7. For the past couple of years, students in my classes have been interested in the idea of revolutions but also imperialism/nationalism unit which allows them to consider ongoing concepts that are getting attention like cultural appropriation, racism, oppression, etc. #sschat
Q7) I believe that College Board does a good job of this with their key concepts and illustrative examples. It allows Ts to know that they don’t have to cover everything. #sschat
Thank you for joining #sschat & thank you to our hosts! The archives from tonight's chat will be posted at https://t.co/ronvPO57sM in a bit. Please join us next week when @CathyHWhitehead hosts Bringing More Literature into Social Studies Classrooms.
