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Invisible Founders Part 2, A Birthday Cake for George Washington
Wow! The Birthday Cake for George Washington lesson has really taken off! Today, students held a “silent discussion” about the book and the NPR article published about the book that students read the night before (you can read the article here). To hold a silent discussion, I posted three pieces of chart paper around the…
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Invisible Founders: Who isn’t in the textbook?
I had a great class today that I have been dying to share all day. We began our lesson with inspiration from PBS News Hour’s Clint Smith reciting A Letter to Five of the Presidents Who Owned Slaves While they Were in Office. The message of the video is essentially that there are some parts of…
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Know Your Rights!
Image Credit: https://teachinghistoryherway.com//wp-content/uploads/2017/02/bor-20graph34.jpg Studying the U.S. Constitution is one my favorite parts of the curriculum I teach. There are so many ways to make the Constitution relevant to students and several ways to “do” the Constitution in class. What I find to be the most important part of my job is to make our Constitution come…
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My Philosophy of Teaching
History in the classroom is not just sitting down and taking in information; it isn’t just dead guys and dates. In my classroom, we “do” history. We dance, we sing, we create, we discuss and debate, but we are never static. Students learn that history is about our ever-changing world and the interconnectedness of everyone…
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Monticello: A Class Trip Review
One of my favorite places on Earth to visit is Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. The sheer beauty of the property is enough to make your heart skip a beat. Imagine how thrilled I was to be able to plan a class trip to Monticello for 88 of my eighth grade students and 12 faculty members. Each…
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Teacher Favorites
Below are some of my favorite sites that I use for lesson planning, student engagement, trip planning, finding professional development, or research. I’ve broken them up by category for you so that you can easily find what you’re looking for. Research Colonial Williamsburg: http://www.history.orgColonial Williamsburg’s website has excellent resources for students and teachers who are…
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Eulogies to the Articles of Confederation
The setup for our funeral. We realize that the American flag shouldn’t be that one, but the kids know why it is there. Also, one student suggested flowers. All I had was a sparkly Christmas tree- so we made do. Why give a test when you can assess your students in a much more creative…
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Washington’s Headquarters, Morristown, NJ
A full-size army cot. Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting Washington’s Headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey. It includes a museum built in the 1930s as well as the Ford Mansion, which is where Washington stayed from 1779-1780. I would like to compliment the National Park Service, as our guide was very knowledgeable and gave…
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Assessment & Feedback for Student Empowerment
This week I am attending the Assessment Training Institute in Portland, Oregon. Before I write my post based on what I learned yesterday, I want to give a shout out to this conference. It is a privilege to be here with so many brilliant people who care so much about the students they teach. Hearing…
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Another Thumbs Up for PBL
“Learning by doing”– John Dewey had it right in his Pedagogical Creed written over 100 years ago. I wonder, given the climate of today’s public education system, why aren’t we giving students the opportunity to explore on their own more often and to problem solve on a daily basis? Shouldn’t education emulate life, since we as…