History & social studies / Resources
by Susan Curtis · Published 02/10/2024 · Last modified 02/21/2024
African Americans faced severe repression when Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926. In this updated MiddleWeb resource, we share links that trace the impact of African Americans in politics, arts and sciences, and report on the call to teach Black history throughout the school year.
Eric Saunders provides well-researched neuroscience tips on spaced repetition, interleaving, and retrieval that can quickly advance student learning, says NBCT Megan Balduf. Use “Stick the Learning” to craft brain-savvy curricular experiences and scaffold their implementation.
In middle school some gifted students find themselves lost in an urban maze without sufficient navigational support. GT facilitator Sharon Ratliff shares some teaching techniques and conversational strategies that can help them stay on the road that leads to academic success.
When teachers effectively implement feedback to make success visible to students, achievement increases and stronger relationships result. Educator and author Miriam Plotinsky suggests having a clear, written set of expectations for assignments and avoiding the “feedback hole.“
To make sure social studies content reading is accessible to all of her students, no matter their level of reading when they arrive, Megan Kelly has added strategies to her literacy toolbox to create entry points for everyone. See the six activities she’s developed so far.
Jeny Randall introduces her 6th graders to Shakespeare, first tossing quotes around a circle, then character mapping, and finally prepping and presenting scenes. Keying into themes of Identity and Origin, she rotates among 3 comedies’ mistaken identities. The kids love it!
Alison Dover and Fernando Rodrigues-Valls highlight the gaps in current education policy and practice that affect newcomer and plurilingual students and then offer ways to equitably meet those students’ needs. TESOL educator Kimberlee Elder is grateful for their book.
Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn describe ways leaders can effectively advocate for schools by developing strategic alliances with local officials, internal groups in schools and external groups in the community. It can be time consuming but definitely worth the effort!
After 20+ years of teaching, Dina Strasser has found one thing almost never fails to connect with adolescents: the positive reaction you get when you genuinely compliment a kid on their appearance. Check out the strategy she’s developed to help reap smiles and build rapport.
As she describes some ways she’s begun to work fun, ethical AI components into major assignments, Sarah Cooper wonders how the nature of learning and teaching will evolve in tandem with the evolution of Large Language Models. How do we best prepare our students for the future?
