Browse Blog - student activities
Ron Gorr's Trifecta: Primary Sources, Technology, and Student Interaction in One Activity!
Feb 7 2011
How can you bring 21st-century teaching into curriculum you've already developed and use? AP U.S. History teacher Ron Gorr substituted online and in-person research and discussion for a quiz and a lecture. [...] »
Elizabeth Schaefer on Mental Maps in American History
Jan 31 2011
Understanding geography is essential to understanding history. By drawing their own maps, students can create multipurpose tools for visualizing and remembering history, says eighth-grade teacher Elizabeth Schaefer. [...] »
Amy Trenkle's Be the Blogger!
Jan 24 2011
Chances are, you can use blogging in your classroom. Maybe you're convinced you have too few computers, or too many students in your class. Eighth-grade teacher Amy Trenkle shows that blogs may be more flexible than you think! [...] »
Michael Yell on Developing a Climate of Engagement
Jan 18 2011
Former NCSS president and 7th-grade teacher Michael Yell shares his first-day teaching strategies for upper elementary and secondary. [...] »
Anthony Pellegrino: Let the Music Play!...in Our Classrooms
Dec 13 2010
Teach with punk, hip hop, and classic rock with these suggestions from teacher educator Anthony Pellegrino. [...] »
Jennifer Orr on Teaching Thanksgiving
Nov 28 2010
How do you broach the complicated issues surrounding Thanksgiving with early primary students? First-grade teacher Jennifer Orr doesn't have all of the answers, but she has some suggestions. [...] »
Elizabeth Schaefer on the Interactive Declaration of Independence
Nov 8 2010
Eighth-grade U.S. history teacher Elizabeth Schaefer "warps" the Declaration of Independence into the future with interactives from the Library of Congress. [...] »
National Archives Launches DocsTeach
Oct 25 2010
Choose from more than 3,000 primary sources and seven activity modules to make your own interactive online lessons. [...] »
Amy Trenkle's Columbus in the Capital
Oct 19 2010
Come Columbus Day, DC 8th-grade teacher Amy Trenkle introduces her class to the man himself—or, at least, one of the nation's many memorials to him. [...] »
Jennifer Orr on Questioning Columbus
Oct 11 2010
First-grade teacher Jennifer Orr answers the question, how do you teach when you don't have the answers to all the questions? Answer: Be honest! Here, she suggests sources for opening up the story of Christopher Columbus. [...] »
