One of the most challenging things to teach in history is not content—it’s thinking. How do we move students from simply seeing something to actually understanding  what it tells us about the past? I designed a lesson for my Grade 10 Ancient History class on “What is a Civilization?” in an attempt to do this. Below is the lesson. Starting with a Simple Question Rather than beginning with definitions, I started with a task. Students were given a set of images showing differen

One of the ongoing challenges in teaching is finding the right balance between intellectual challenge and accessibility. This tension became particularly clear to me while teaching a lesson based on Jared Diamond’s The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race , an article that presents a provocative and evidence-rich critique of the Agricultural Revolution.   The article is powerful, but it is also demanding. It contains dense academic language, unfamiliar disciplinary

One of the most rewarding parts of teaching is designing activities that help students make meaningful connections between the past and...

Displays from Sanxingdui Last week, our high school students had the opportunity to visit Ningbo Museum for a special exhibition on the...

As a child, I loved reading Choose Your Own Adventure  books. They were exciting ways to take control of a story and discover how...

There’s no doubt that the development of farming was one of the most consequential moments in human history. It allowed for an...