Not Another History Teacher - History and Technology

Bureaucracy Project Better Because of Covid

I am thankful my husband and I just got our covid shot as I am planning my bureaucracy project. We feel thankful since we have been both in person since September with numerous covid exposures. 😷 When the sickness is over.... My son's Ben (4) and Finn (2) have extensive "when the sickness is over" lists for what they want to do when life gets back to normal such as going to eat a the diner, ice skating, going to music class in-person, and visiting grandparents. My … [Read more...] about Bureaucracy Project Better Because of Covid

Social Studies Documentaries

Happy March🍀 The countdown until spring and summer is on! March Madness clearly means different things to different people. For some, it’s a very exciting time of year full of buzzer-beaters and celebrations. For teachers? Well, let’s just say there’s plenty happening that’s driving us mad 😤 Here are some key social studies documentaries in the classroom to help us pass the March madness and distance learning. How I use social studies documentaries? I use these … [Read more...] about Social Studies Documentaries

Increase Engagement during Distance Learning

We are all trying our best to increase engagement via distance learning. I recently went to a conference on Teaching Distance Learning and listened to an amazing presenter Emma Pass. Emma shared some engaging strategies that I literally used the next day in my classroom and some I modified and made my own. Strategy 1: Set Clear Rules and Maintain them Your students need to have a clear understanding of your expectations during remote lessons to increase engagement. … [Read more...] about Increase Engagement during Distance Learning

The longest day of my teaching career!

I don't know about you but Thursday 1/7/21 was the longest teaching day of my teaching career! I was running on adrenaline, lack of sleep, and I modified that lesson more times than I'd like to admit! I changed my lesson from impeachment to a lesson to help my students process the events happening in the capital at 11 PM at night, which is not like me. On Wednesday 1/6/21, I was glued to the news like the majority of this country. I thought to myself this is how my … [Read more...] about The longest day of my teaching career!

How the Pandemic changed my teaching?

It’s hard to believe that we’re wrapping up 2020. As much as I would love to bash 2020, I have a lot to be thankful for and I am a glass-half-full person! Due to the pandemic, I am so thankful for all the family time we got. We ate every meal together, had more zooms than "normal" in-person gatherings, played outside almost every day, and reconnected as a family. Even though teaching online was hard, I learned some amazing tricks that I'm going to take with me for the rest of … [Read more...] about How the Pandemic changed my teaching?

Gimkit is more addicting than drugs!

I am a huge believer in the power of Socrative for review games and assessment in the classroom, but have you tried Gimkit? I learned about it at NCSS and instantly fell in love with it! Gimkit can be used in any classroom to introduce or review concepts; it's like a mashup of Kahoot! and Quizlet on steroids! No seriously, my kids ask to play it like every day... Live Gameplay The live gameplay is fast-paced and engaging like a game show, but when it's assigned for … [Read more...] about Gimkit is more addicting than drugs!

NCSS Resource Smackdown!

This is a wonderful collection of resources shared from the National Social Studies Convention, December 5th-6th, 2020. I hope you take and use a resource or two with your class! Click here to check out the list of amazing social studies resources! … [Read more...] about NCSS Resource Smackdown!

Teacher Self-Care During a Pandemic

Teaching through a normal school year is exhausting. Teaching through a school year impacted by COVID-19 is exhausting on a whole different level. Between lesson planning, grading, lesson delivery, paperwork, and data collection, the to-do list of a teacher is never-ending. Now, add in COVID-19 safeguards and teaching becomes more demanding and exhausting than ever. In addition to all of the above items, teachers now have to ensure masks are worn properly, students are … [Read more...] about Teacher Self-Care During a Pandemic

The Importance of Voting

As the Presidential election quickly approaches, the reminder to vote is everywhere and a very important part of our civic duty. As secondary students, your students probably aren’t old enough to vote yet, but it is so important to instill a desire and duty to vote while teaching them how to become informed voters.' It is important to discuss the history of voting and who has had the right and privilege throughout history. Your students would not have been allowed to … [Read more...] about The Importance of Voting

Teaching Students to be Critical of Federalism

Whenever government structures are involved in lessons, students may become confused. There is so much information to cover, which will present many unfamiliar terms. When students are focused on the United States, they not only have to learn about their local government but also the state and the federal government. Federalism may be a tough topic to learn about but with the right lesson components, students will gain a much deeper understanding not only on what federalism … [Read more...] about Teaching Students to be Critical of Federalism

Grade Transferer: The Time-Saving Tool for Teachers

Briefly Grade Transferer is a chrome extension that lives in the browser and allows teachers to seamlessly transfer data between a variety of educational platforms and their gradebook(s). The Problem It Solves With an increase in remote instruction, teachers are using a huge variety of online resources and tools, including Google Classroom, Google Meets, Zoom, online gradebooks, educational apps, and other technologies. Unfortunately, these tools don’t always … [Read more...] about Grade Transferer: The Time-Saving Tool for Teachers