Inquiry-based activities and primary sources, necessary for social studies standards but also a teacher favorite! Join us for a fun way to challenge your students in the classroom with a primary source crime scene mystery! The activity shared in this session will build the foundation for primary source analysis throughout the year. Students commonly misunderstand the nuanced nature of primary source documents, images, and artifacts. They want a group of primary sources to fit together perfectly, like a jigsaw puzzle, to tell a single, “true” account. Students want primary sources to be true or false, right or wrong, but historical research is never that easy.
Human impact on the environment is a theme that can be carried through instruction on World History and Geography. In this hands-on session, engage in activities that enable students to explore questions about how the environment has been affected by major shifts of civilizations including population growth, the spread of agriculture and cities and global interdependence. Presented activities include cooperative group problem solving, graphing and analysis, and role-playing simulations. Receive electronic lesson plans and background resources matched to state standards.
This session explores the unique demands of social sciences versus ELA writing and the impact of unified instruction. Through best practices in writing and source analysis, educators will gain strategies and scaffolding techniques to elevate student writing, foster skill transfer, and build cross-disciplinary language for critical thinking and analytical expression.
Education Director, The Genocide Education Project
A high school social studies educator in Missouri for 25 years, Kerri Flynn taughtdual credit Psychology and Sociology, Modern U.S. History, and Human Rightsand Genocide, a course she developed. Flynn received the University of Chicago Outstanding Educator award in 2022 and serves... Read More →
Learn how simulations that involve physical movement, creativity, and problem-solving enhance student engagement, recall, and learning. This session will explore the science behind simulations and provide practical strategies for designing and implementing them in social studies classrooms. Avoid common pitfalls and discover how simulations can connect cultures, ideas, and histories to create dynamic, real-world learning experiences that foster critical thinking and deeper understanding.
Use stick figure graphic novel notes to teach the story of Martin Luther and how it led to the Protestant Reformation. Engage the kids with this unique story with a fun note-taking style.
Help students understand history through political cartoons. Explore techniques for interpretation and analysis, opening a new world of primary documents. Empower students to grasp historical concepts effectively.
In this session, participants will be introduced to numerous structured literacy practices that can be quickly and easily implemented in Social Studies classrooms in order to develop content knowledge, facilitate critical thinking, assess student achievement, and improve reading fluency and comprehension. Attendees will have multiple opportunities for deliberate practice, meaningful collaboration, productive discussion, and active learning.
Segregation isn't just about life--it's about death, too. Cemeteries offer insights into the role of Jim Crow in community history and a unique way to present that history. This content presentation discusses the "red-lining" of death and ways to present it to students.
This learning session shares a personal narrative of professional learning and sheds light on a lesser-known aspect of the Holocaust. Participants are encouraged to continue learning and exploring the history of World War II and the Holocaust. Lessons come from a conference I attended through Yahad In-Unum
Throughout history, legislation has been crafted with the intent of solving an economic, political or social problem. History courses usually focus on the intended effects of those policies. In this session teachers will share with students examples throughout history that unintended consequences are more consequential and, in an active learning lesson, conduct basic cost-benefit analysis of decisions government makes every day.
