Get ready for many more great ways to start class, no matter what course you teach! In this episode, we pick up right where we left off in the last episode and share fun activities to do with historical images like "Meme Mondays" to kick start curiosity, wall and desk graffiti, spiraling & skill building tasks to help students review previous lessons, and much more. We also share some grading hacks for bellwork so you don't have to spend your precious time grading bellwork while still ...
Summer is hard earned, y'all! And we owe it to ourselves to make the most of it! In this episode, Dan and Caitlin share their best tips for really pouring back into yourself after a long school year! Because the best PD you can get this summer just might be rest, relaxation, and adventure! If you are doing some planning and prep for back to school make sure to check out our site for some great first week activities for history class: www.historyteachersclub.com And we would love it if you...
So many students have test anxiety and we have some ideas to help them! In this episode, Caitlin and Dan share a bunch of ways you can help students who suffer from test anxiety so they can perform at their best and develop more confidence in themselves. Caitlin shares from her own experience and what has helped her and her students- with great reviews, making 'brain dump' videos, and rituals and routines like her 'positive affirmations' right before taking the test. (Yes, theres confetti ...
In this episode, the PLC is joined by the EduProtocols 'Dream Team' to discuss how EduProtocols can save teachers time and energy in prepping and planning while engaging students in active learning. Jon Corippo (co-developer of Eduprotocols), and Adam Moler, and Scott Petri (authors of the EduProtocols Social Studies edition book) joined us to share how EduProtocols really can be a teachers best friend. "By making learning visible" you can ensure students are engaged, monitor students'...
How do you get those students who just rely on their peers to do their work and feed them the answers instead of actually working and engaged in class? Well, thats what we jump into in this episode! Dan and Caitlin share many strategies and tips for getting those students more engaged in class and how to reach them where they are at. The key thing is to realize that moochers are generally doing so for a reason - they could be lost, bored, or needing attention. Once you identify the roo...
Gallery walks can be great activities to use in history class and once and with some secret sauce they can be unforgettable! In this episode, we are joined by Matt Barry to walk us through (get it!) his outstanding Lewis and Clark Expedition Gallery Walk that he has been doing for years with his students. His students get role cards of specific members of the expedition and then have to navigate through the hallway with numerous stations to not just learn about the Corps of Discovery ...
In this episode we are joined by Bruce Lesh, author of "Why Won't You Just Tell Us the Answer? Teaching Historical Thinking in Grades 7-12", to talk all about how to use history labs in the classroom. Bruce shares form his years of experience on why history labs engage and excite students by making students much more active in the learning process. Dan and Caitlin share how they have used labs in their classes and why they love them. Together, we did some trouble shooting of the common probl...
Its everyones favorite time of the year- Halloween season (its not just a day!). And we got you covered with lots of great activities and lessons for Halloween. In this episode Dan and Caitlin share some fun things they have done for US and world history for Halloween and even some local history things you could do as well. From learning about the history of Halloween, 'haunted geography', slimy sources (thats a winner!), and making tombstone epitaphs and graveyards for historical figures, w...
In this comical episode, Dan and Caitlin are joined with the one and only, Gaspare Randazzo, @standuprandazzo, to talk about costumes in the classroom. Caitlin couldn’t be happier! With Dan being a reluctant costume wearer, Caitlin and Gaspare share about why they love dressing up, some of their favorite costumes, where to get affordable costumes, how to make your own with things from around the house, and why raiding Halloween stores the day after the holiday is a gold mine for deals! They a...
17 unique and great tips and tricks we wish we knew when we were entering the profession! In this episode, Dan and Caitlin share many actionable tips, strategies, procedures, and routines that will help all teachers - not just history teachers! From always remembering you cannot possibly grade everything and you shouldn't feel guilty for that, how to use manipulatives and artifacts to help all learners connect to history in a tangible way (yes, you should serve tea for your lesson the ...
How do you get students excited about learning history? How do you make lessons on the silk road, Stamp Act, or WWI come alive and get students interested and engaged in academic rigor? Thats the focus on this episode! We're so glad you asked? 🤣😜 In this episode, Dan & Caitlin discuss how to think about lesson planning, strategies to build the skill that is needed to plan creative lessons that empower students, how to balance state standards with interest-based lessons, and how to not bu...
Dan and Caitlin, with a super special guest, Jon Chiarmonte, aka the @YouMatterGuy, discuss the importance of being genuine, authentic, and honest with our students and creating a learning environment where all students feel welcome and appreciated! Its hard to do- it often requires us to swallow our egos and be real. For a decade Jon has a run a class devoted to connecting with students on a deep level, discussing heavy and important topics that really matter- because YOU MATTER- to e...
Buckle up! This one gets a bit crazy as Caitlin and Dan share some over the top and some easily implementable actions you can take to transform your classroom into a space of excitement, wonder, and engagement! Teaching is such a creative profession and we often play the roles of lead actors as well as directors and if you want students to really get excited about learning, you'll learn some fun ways to do that in this episode. From redecorating our rooms, to costumes, to just having kids clo...
Do you need more MAGIC in the classroom to make history come alive and make learning a history a blast? Thats the focus of our club meeting today! Dan and Caitlin share the first part of a five part series on bringing MAGIC to the classroom: Manifesto, Actions, Genuine, Ignite, and Community. We share how having a personal manifesto and a deep rooted WHY can guide and ground you as a teacher. Dan and Caitlin share their personal stories and manifestos- what teaching history means to them, an...
Dan and Caitlin share their favorite first day lessons for history class to get students interested, active, and engaged right on day one! Scrap the syllabus and procedures and get students excited about the learning that is going to take place in your class all year. You never get a second chance at a first impression- or a first day lesson :) The lessons they share get students thinking critically, working together, and learning skills that they will use all year long. Caitlin ...
This episode is all about NCSS, National Council for Social Studies, and how joining NCSS or your state organization can be so helpful in your growth as an educator by connecting you with other amazing educators and organizations! Dan & Caitlin were just back from the national NCSS conference in Nashville when they recorded this and spoke about their experiences there including both of their presentations. Dan presented on "History Labs: Bridging Historical Thinking with 21st Century Li...
We are relaunching one of our favorite episodes jam packed with creative and fun activities you can try out this Halloween season! In this episode Dan and Caitlin share some fun things they have done for US and world history for Halloween and even some local history things you could do as well. From learning about the history of Halloween, 'haunted geography', slimy sources (thats a winner!), and making tombstone epitaphs and graveyards for historical figures, we tried to include as many fun...
The most important three minutes of class are those first three minutes! In this episode, Dan and Caitlin share their favorite ways to start class in order to transition students effectively, get them interested and excited, and kick-start their curiosity! Sharing very practical strategies on how to set up an effective 'start of class' routine, bellringers that will not just get students focused but also get them to 'lean into the lesson', and how to make sure 100% of students start with a ...
100% or Nothing Quizzes, a historical thinking Get-to-Know-the-Teacher activity, gamifying routines and procedures and much more! 🤩 This episode picks up right where we left off as we go over how we create a community of passionate learners in the first week or two of school! We talk about being your authentic self, how we carefully teach procedures & routines and how you can gamify it to help students master it, how to set high expectations for students so they know learning is serious ...
Building cardboard historical sites, being silly with Play-Doh, on day one, 'living' in a world without history, and many other crazy ideas for an amazing first couple of weeks of school are found in this episode! In this episode, Dan & Caitlin share many strategies, activities, and policies that help them set up an amazing school year. They discuss great ways to get students excited about class with unique first-day activities (yes, we ditch the syllabus and get into some cool stuff rig...