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
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
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
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
Self-Grading and Editable AP U.S. Government Exams
I have been trying to wrap my head around how to give tests with some students all virtual and some students in person. Socrative is my solution! What is Socrative program? Socrative is a determinative assessment tool that helps teachers and learners to evaluate understanding and progress in real-time in class through the use of games, queries, and reflection inquiries. How does it work? Socrative is accessed via website or app, with separate apps for ... Read More
Teaching the Electoral College
Regardless of the age of your students, teaching about the election is always an important topic. For younger students, they may host their own election nominating a class president while learning in an age-appropriate way who is running to be the next United States President. As students get older, many become more interested in learning who the candidates are and how an election is run. One vital topic to include during a presidential unit involves the electoral ... Read More
