A Call for Pedagogical Proposals: The 1938Projekt is collecting submissions in two age categories: high school and college lessons. The format of submissions is open, but should include: age category/type of school, discipline, intended learning outcomes, a ready-to-use description of teaching and learning activities, and a 50-word bio of the educator/author who is submitting the teaching activity. We especially welcome submissions already tested in classroom setting, with comments on students’ responses.The first deadline for submissions is June 30, 2018. PDF documents should be sent to 1938…

DSM-Smithsonian/PBS Follow a select group of individuals determined to bring Egypt back from the brink: to discover more of the country’s history, keep its heritage safe and persuade tourists to visit the country again. There's a description of the program at http://www.dsp.tv/productions/egypts-treasure-guardians View the fun photos (great for middle school eyes) of artifacts and archaeologists (men and women; Egyptian, British, and Americans) crawling under huge rocks, working in the lab, bringing a new find into the sunlight for the first time, etc.) at http://www.natgeotv.com/uk/egypts-…

PBS/Ken Burns This documentary tells the story of an American couple who in 1939 embarked on a secret mission in Eastern Europe to save refugees and dissidents from the Nazis. The producers have partnered with two education organizations -- Facing History and Ourselves and the Holocaust Educators Network -- to make this project useful to teachers. See the lesson plans at www.facinghistory.org/defying-nazis. The 90-minute film tells the story of Waitstill and Martha Sharp, a Unitarian minister and his wife from Wellesley, Massachusetts, who left their children behind in the care of their…

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the nonprofit organization that founded and preserves the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall, has released new curriculum materials that are available to teachers to teach Vietnam in their classroom. The "Echoes From The Wall" curriculum set explores the Vietnam War and era and includes14 lesson plans: background readings, in-class and extension activities tied to national learning standards, and lecture presentations incorporating primary source audio and video. The lesson plans cover a range of topics, from “Motivations for U.S.…

Teaching students about the history and patterns of authoritarianism can help bolster our own collective awareness of the vulnerability of democracy.

The following articles have been selected from our three main journals for K-12 teachers: Social Education, Middle Level Learning, and Social Studies and the Young Learner. These articles are grouped by topic for easy reference. Also included are recent current event responses that address racism and call for human rights education. NCSS Current Events Responses (2020)Teaching about Race and Racism in the ClassroomThe African American Struggle for Civil RightsSlavery and Its LegacyRacism and Discrimination against Black, Indigenous, and People of ColorHuman Rights EducationMiddle Level…

Aesthetic-based teaching, such as the featured lesson using Picasso’s Guernica to study the Spanish civil war, helps students emotionally connect to the past while also advancing academic performance.

OPEN ACCESS Join us for this webinar hosted by staff from the European Union (EU) featuring educators who have successfully incorporated EU topics into their U.S. courses. You will learn about curriculum resources available for teaching the EU, and tips to implement these learning tools in your classroom!  This webinar will provide you with the following tools and resources. Example lesson plans and activities Advice and best practices from other international high school teachers Access to the EU’s library of resources and tools to facilitate learning and demonstrate the importance of…

Amplify women’s voices in your classroom to honor the past, inform the present and inspire the future. Women’s stories have always been integral to American history, but they have often been marginalized or erased from K-12 education – presented as peripheral to the main story or highlighted only during Women’s History Month. Participants will be introduced to and receive a set of six teaching posters that will support teachers in integrating women’s history across the curriculum through American art and portraiture. Featured artworks link women’s stories to major themes in history and…

Social studies teachers can gain valuable insight from Kathleen Wellman’s book about U.S. and world history textbooks created by conservative Christian publishing houses.