History Repeats Itself in the Classroom, Too!

History Repeats Itself in the Classroom, Too!, provides a practical approach for satisfying the exigency of Common Core Standard implementation for social studies teachers, social studies departments and secondary school administrators. It is also an excellent source for teachers of all experience levels that are searching to augment their own content knowledge, to be aware of their students’ prior/future experiences in Social Studies and to collect rigorous writing and project based activities to be applied in the classroom. This book makes a cogent argument for the vertical alignment of social studies curriculum as an effective method for teachers to prepare students to handle readings of increasing difficulty and to improve the quality of citizenship education for all secondary students through the exploitation of content repetition and the scaffolding of content literacy skills. -- Jon Resendez, social studies teacher, Irvine High School, James Madison Memorial Foundation Senior Fellow (CA 2012)
One goal of the Common Core State Standards is to increase the complexity of student reading and writing in subject specific academic disciplines. With these new demands, social studies teachers must rely on students' prior knowledge and build on this knowledge progressively each year. History Repeats Itself in the Classroom, Too! is a practical guide with many examples of key terms, readings, writing assessments, and projects to help teachers connect and align their students' learning from year to year. -- Alyson Brant, principal, Alder Creek Middle School, Portland, Oregon
Greg and Jennifer make a timely and compelling argument for activating and building prior knowledge in order to deepen and extend student understanding of history. Rather than simply providing lip service to the power of vertical alignment and the Common Core State Standards, this book illustrates that power and reminds us why history should be engaging and relevant for students. Each chapter provides practical examples of highly recursive, articulated curriculum that weaves together non-fiction, literature, and primary source documents with inspiring and engaging lessons. This book isn’t just about the Common Core; it’s truly about good pedagogy and common sense. By working together to align curriculum so that each course/grade level builds on the next and by infusing smart, creative approaches to instruction into the classroom, teachers can anchor historical understanding and generate a desire for students to question, argue, and engage in conversations about their world. In History Repeats Itself in the Classroom, Too!, educators have a collaborative tool to re-energize teaching, re-align curriculum, and re-focus instruction on the knowledge and skills that our students need to understand how the past informs the present and how educated and empowered voices will shape the future. -- Cassie Parham, assistant superintendent, education services, Irvine Unified School District, Irvine, CA