Quick note: This episode is a repost, but it’s a great one to revisit as you plan simple, engaging ways to help students build stronger history skills.
Welcome to Part 2 of the Social Studies Summer Series!
In this episode, we’re talking all about how to teach history skills in a way that feels meaningful and engaging for upper elementary and middle school students. History is more than memorizing dates and people from the past. It’s about helping students make connections, ask questions and understand how events and decisions shaped the world we live in today.
I’ll share straightforward tips and activity ideas to help students connect history to the present, explore primary sources, think like detectives and reflect on the lessons we can learn from the past.
Whether you’re mapping out your social studies plans for next year or looking for fresh ways to make history more interactive, this episode will give you practical ideas you can use in your classroom.
Episode Highlights
In this episode, you’ll hear ideas for:
- Connecting history to today
- Using primary sources with upper elementary students
- Helping students explore history like detectives
- Bringing historical events and people to life
- Encouraging critical thinking
- Reflecting on lessons learned from the past
Resources and Links
Check out my history daily passages
More history-related resources
Mentioned in this episode:
Grab the Back to School Social Studies Pack!
Get your upper elementary students excited to start the school year using these low-prep back to school social studies getting to know you worksheets! With 20 pages of engaging activities targeting geography, history, and classroom community building, it makes a great back to school resource for the first week or first month of school!
Learn more about the Back to School Social Studies Resource
Teacher Summer Talks and Bootcamp - Double Dose of PD!
The week of July 20th is jam-packed with some exciting PD for teachers!
Sign up for the Teacher Summer Talks audio summit >> https://thesouthernteach--secondstorywindow.thrivecart.com/tst-26-max-pass/
Sign up for the Social Studies Bootcamp >> https://thesouthernteach.com/bootcamp
