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Sarah Cooper

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Category: Research

“‘Dropping Into’ Google Docs,” Education Week

October 19, 2021October 21, 2021 Sarah Cooper

What I realized during remote teaching and then back in the classroom is how powerful Google Docs can be for a specific purpose: I can “drop into” a group’s work during class and help make their writing and research better than it would have been otherwise. In a recent resilient history podcast project… Continue reading

Posted in Research

“Weekly Newspaper Articles as Primary Sources,” Education Week

March 14, 2021June 17, 2021 Sarah Cooper

With judicious use of fascinating primary sources, history for middle schoolers can burst off the page.

We as teachers can synthesize or “layer” primary sources to to make the sum richer than its part, remember how hard it can be for students to grapple with unfamiliar documents… Continue reading

Posted in Civics, Research

“The Optimism of ‘Annie’ as an Antidote to the Disillusionment of the 1970s,” Journal of Popular Culture

November 8, 2020June 17, 2021 Sarah Cooper

To watch a video of the cast of Annie singing at the 1977 Tony Awards is to be caught up in the simplicity and buoyancy of a smash hit from four decades ago. The performance begins with the orphans singing… Continue reading

Posted in Research, Storytelling

“A Reformers Unit That Celebrates Activism,” MiddleWeb

July 13, 2020August 8, 2020 Sarah Cooper

My absolute favorite unit, a “reformer from our history” research paper and campaign, is the only one I’ve done every spring through seven years of teaching U.S. history to eighth graders. It focuses on resilience, activism, determination. It celebrates rather than eulogizes. Through their research, students see themselves in history… Continue reading

Posted in Civics, Research

“A Social Studies Podcast Project for Right Now,” MiddleWeb

April 19, 2020December 14, 2020 Sarah Cooper

Rarely has it been so clear that a unit needs to be scrapped and started over from scratch. In my eighth-grade U.S. history and civics class, which has a lot of curricular flexibility, we focus on… Continue reading

Posted in Civics, Research

“Making Annotations with Less Pain, More Meaning,” MiddleWeb

November 18, 2019March 23, 2020 Sarah Cooper

I’m an annotation geek, and my students know it. Whether in English or history, I’m that teacher: the one who asks students to interact constantly with the text as they read. This could be in the margins if they’re looking at a handout… Continue reading

Posted in Research, Writing

“How Not to Go Crazy Reading Rough Drafts,” MiddleWeb

August 26, 2019June 17, 2020 Sarah Cooper

Here’s a bit of a confessional. For many years, with major writing assignments, I avoided reading my students’ rough drafts. I thought I didn’t have time – and that if I commented on the rough drafts Continue reading

Posted in Research

“Keeping Ourselves, and Our Students, Honest About Sources,” Modern Civics Project

August 22, 2019September 8, 2019 Sarah Cooper

The most effective civic education in my eighth-grade classroom is often the simplest. On Fridays, each student brings in an annotated newspaper article on any topic except sports or entertainment, and then three or four students present and field questions on their pieces. During the rest of the week… Continue reading

Posted in Civics, Research

“Finding the Best Parts of a Book, Fast,” MiddleWeb

June 18, 2019June 18, 2019 Sarah Cooper

Sometimes I’ve been teaching a skill in such a mediocre way for so long that I hardly realize how much better it could be – until something shakes me from my stupor. For instance, I’ve always known that my students could use actual books more effectively in their research papers… Continue reading

Posted in Research

“Ways to Use Tech in Social Studies Classes,” Education Week Teacher

May 5, 2019June 8, 2019 Sarah Cooper

So many social studies topics, from history to civics, pop even more when we add electronic pizzazz. Of course, video clips and photos are easy ways to start, especially for events from the 20th century and beyond. But the best technology… Continue reading

Posted in Research

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