Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Super Sunday Sale this Sunday!
Our site of resources is having a sale in partnership with Teachers Pay Teachers using the promo code SUPER for up to 28% off all of our amazing classroom resources. Hope you find some resources that you find helpful for your classrooms!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Thank You Teachers!
Many thanks to everyone who reads this blog and enjoys our resources! Last week Students of History made the Teachers Pay Teachers best sellers' list for high school at #32! This really does mean so much and it's good to know other teachers find these kind of visually engaging, hands-on lessons as valuable as I have!
Monday, January 28, 2013
World War II Keynote Presentation
Although I use my school/work computer for most lessons in the classroom, sometimes I want to create a more visually dynamic presentation for my students. This is when I use my Apple Macbook's Keynote software. Keynote has a lot of great features that Powerpoint lacks and one of the best is the ability to seamlessly embed videos into your presentations and edit them to your needs.
This World War II Keynote presentation is one of these lessons I created. It covers the major battles and events of the war and includes 8 short clips to help students better understand what happened. Slides include information in simple, easy to understand language for your students:
The videos include Churchill speaking, a Japanese suicide bomber, US newsreel footage and more. Maps show students exactly where each battle took place, and the videos and pictures bring them to life. My students are always all engaged throughout this entire lesson. I know your students will do the same. You can download this Keynote presentation here and use it today!
This World War II Keynote presentation is one of these lessons I created. It covers the major battles and events of the war and includes 8 short clips to help students better understand what happened. Slides include information in simple, easy to understand language for your students:
The videos include Churchill speaking, a Japanese suicide bomber, US newsreel footage and more. Maps show students exactly where each battle took place, and the videos and pictures bring them to life. My students are always all engaged throughout this entire lesson. I know your students will do the same. You can download this Keynote presentation here and use it today!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Gilded Age Robber Barons
One topic from US History that has a particular resonance to today is the Gilded Age. The disparity between rich and poor and immigration issues make for easy connections to today's world.
This visually rich 20 slide powerpoint covers the major American "robber barons" of the Gilded Age and can be downloaded here. Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, & Vanderbilt are featured with spectacular photos of them and their magnificent mansions.
Other slides feature political cartoons that highlight the public perception of their tactics.
The notes that accompany each slide cover basic, essential state and Common Core information students need to know about each topic. Your students will marvel at the Biltmore estate, gasp at JP Morgan's disfiguring rhinophyma, and easily understand the relationship of cheap, immigrant labor to the rise of monopolies.
Click here to download this fantastic powerpoint that you can use in your classes immediately!
This visually rich 20 slide powerpoint covers the major American "robber barons" of the Gilded Age and can be downloaded here. Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, & Vanderbilt are featured with spectacular photos of them and their magnificent mansions.
Other slides feature political cartoons that highlight the public perception of their tactics.
The notes that accompany each slide cover basic, essential state and Common Core information students need to know about each topic. Your students will marvel at the Biltmore estate, gasp at JP Morgan's disfiguring rhinophyma, and easily understand the relationship of cheap, immigrant labor to the rise of monopolies.
Click here to download this fantastic powerpoint that you can use in your classes immediately!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Stetson Kennedy Vs. the KKK
I read the great book Freakonomics a few years ago and found that a lot of it would be great to use in the classroom. One of the best stories in is about how the writer and civil rights activist Stetson Kennedy infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan and funneled info that he learned to the writers of the Superman radio show. They incorporated these details into the show and the result was a generation of kids growing up to see the KKK as the evil bad guys, as opposed to how many Southern whites had traditionally thought of the Klan.
I researched some more and put together this story and worksheet which is available for download here. It is a simple 1 page story that will hopefully motivate your students to think differently about how to fight against injustice.
Hope you enjoy it!
I researched some more and put together this story and worksheet which is available for download here. It is a simple 1 page story that will hopefully motivate your students to think differently about how to fight against injustice.
Hope you enjoy it!
Friday, January 4, 2013
The Effects of the Industrial Revolution & Communism
Our latest interactive lesson for World History covers the lasting effects of the Industrial Revolution. I've always had an easy time teaching how it starts and the major inventions, but the effects of the revolution are what probably most important for students to learn because they changed so much about the world.
This lesson available for download features a visually striking powerpoint that covers the major effects of the Industrial Revolution. Rather than simply copying the notes, students must analyze whether each effect was positive or negative and list it in the correct category:
While some such as "improved education" are simple, others like "population increase" lead to excellent class discussions as students weigh the pros and cons. Each slide features a captivating visual representation of the category that will surely benefit your visual learners:
The second half of the powerpoint compares capitalism & communism as a response to the effects. Similarly, students place characteristics such as "redistribution of wealth" under the matching philosophy.
The lesson includes a graphic organizer on which students complete the notes as well as a culminating worksheet. The worksheet is based off of the notes and can be completes without any textbook. Both Word and PDF files of the worksheets are included for your convenience along with the powerpoint from here.
Hope you can find this lesson useful in your class!
This lesson available for download features a visually striking powerpoint that covers the major effects of the Industrial Revolution. Rather than simply copying the notes, students must analyze whether each effect was positive or negative and list it in the correct category:
While some such as "improved education" are simple, others like "population increase" lead to excellent class discussions as students weigh the pros and cons. Each slide features a captivating visual representation of the category that will surely benefit your visual learners:
The second half of the powerpoint compares capitalism & communism as a response to the effects. Similarly, students place characteristics such as "redistribution of wealth" under the matching philosophy.
The lesson includes a graphic organizer on which students complete the notes as well as a culminating worksheet. The worksheet is based off of the notes and can be completes without any textbook. Both Word and PDF files of the worksheets are included for your convenience along with the powerpoint from here.
Hope you can find this lesson useful in your class!