I simply love review games in my US History class! Who doesn't enjoy hearing their students reviewing content and being successful? I especially love it when I see students being competitive and being joyful at the same time. I started playing Jenga in my US History classroom many years ago. I’ve tweaked how I play it over the years and I’d like to share what works for me and why my ... Read More about Playing Jenga in the Classroom
Requesting College Recommendation Letters
One of the biggest shocks I had when I moved from teaching middle school to high school was the amount of college recommendation letters I would be asked to write. My first 2 years of teaching high school, I just dealt with the onslaught of requests. Every time I turned around, another student was requesting one. I don’t mind writing them, but they take time. Even though I have several ... Read More about Requesting College Recommendation Letters
Decades Project for US History
Have you ever assigned a decades project for your US History class? It's the end of the year. You’ve finished your US History curriculum and need something engaging for students to go as an end of the year project? It’s time to try a US History end of the year decades project! Are you like me? It’s May and standardized testing season is over. You feel like you’ve done all of the fun ... Read More about Decades Project for US History
How I use Hexagonal Thinking in my US History Classroom
Hexagonal Thinking is a game changing activity when it comes to US History Review time! If you are looking for a way to have your students make connections between concepts in US History and think critically in a hands-on, active way, it’s time to try Hexagonal Thinking! Have you been there? You’ve taught quite a bit of content to your students. You look out and wonder, “are they ... Read More about How I use Hexagonal Thinking in my US History Classroom
Bingo in Secondary History Classrooms
I’ve been using online games to review content with my students for a long time now. Kids love games like Kahoot, Quizlet Live, Gimkit and others. Recently, I’ve noticed that my students aren’t as excited to play. When I asked them why, I get answers like “We use Kahoot in every class now” or "I just played Quizlet Live last period.” Bottom line, I think kids are getting tired of them! So, I ... Read More about Bingo in Secondary History Classrooms
Addressing Cell Phones in the Classroom
Cell phones in the classroom. They can be a blessing and a curse. As a high school teacher, I want to honor the ability of students to have and use cell phones for school assignments, but I don’t want to fight them being out all the time. This quick strategy has really helped curb the cell phone issues. Enter: The 3 minute phone break! Do you see the following behaviors? Essentially, I ... Read More about Addressing Cell Phones in the Classroom
