When I browse the new books shelf at the library, usually I’ll look for titles on history, cooking or biography – such as the brief yet profound… Continue reading
“Be the Change: Teach Social Comprehension,” MiddleWeb
Category: Civics
“Talking About Tragedy: Teachers Are Human Too,” MiddleWeb
As a history teacher who covers current events daily with eighth graders, I’m all too accustomed to the hard classroom conversations that follow an unfathomable act of violence. Bomb threats, attacks at concerts, white supremacist rallies – my students and I have discussed them all… Continue reading
“My Must-Listen Podcast: ‘Teaching Hard History,'” MiddleWeb
I was way late to the podcast party. For a long time I had what I thought were good reasons: I don’t commute far. I like to listen to music, not words, while I exercise. I had a wonky old phone without enough memory… Continue reading
“A Balanced Approach to Teaching Current Events,” MiddleWeb
This year I’ve been more careful when choosing the news items I bring into my 8th grade U.S. history classroom daily for our 5-minute current events discussions. Why? … Continue reading
“Teaching Current Events in the History Classroom,” MiddleWeb
I loved Sarah Cooper’s first book, Making History Mine: Meaningful Connections for Grades 5-9. It was the first book I bought when I became a middle school social studies teacher, and I found it filled with great ideas and connections. So I was absolutely thrilled to be able to review her new book… Continue reading
“We Won’t Be Having Class Debates This Year,” MiddleWeb
As we start the school year, I’m just not feeling the debating spirit. Last November, I wrote about an electoral college debate gone awry in my eighth-grade history classes. The topic felt too stale and too political… Continue reading
“An Op-Ed Project Based on Personal Choice,” MiddleWeb
Assigning opinion pieces on current issues gives our students voice and lets us hear their strong and sometimes fiery perspectives. When I’ve assigned op-eds in both world and U.S. history, students have responded best when… Continue reading
“Creating Citizens in the History Classroom,” MiddleWeb
Imagine that the ever changing world is your curriculum. That is the way it is for social studies teachers. History changes each day – from local news to news of the world. The job of a social studies teacher is… Continue reading
“Add 5 Minutes of Current Events into History Class,” MiddleWeb
Four years ago, I made a huge shift in daily classroom practice: I started talking about current events just about every day in my eighth-grade U.S. history classroom.I procrastinated making the change because… Continue reading
“Making a Project ‘Pop’ with One Simple Tweak,” MiddleWeb
Sometimes it’s the simplest tweaks that make a project pop – and this one turned out to be even simpler and more effective than I had envisioned. Eighth graders at my school do an individual or partnered community impact project each year… Continue reading
Sarah Cooper 