All posts by glennw

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About glennw

I work as a social studies specialist at ESSDACK, an educational service center in Hutchinson, Kansas. Before coming to ESSDACK, I taught middle school US History and higher ed social science classes.

Interactive maps compare current cities to 19th century versions

best practice, Glenn Wiebe, maps, museum, photos, strategies, technology, , ,

dc-spyglass-viewI love the Smithsonian magazine. Both the print and online versions. The articles are incredibly cool and range all over the place, from why we incorrectly believe that carrots help us see better to what people snacked on during the 1963 March on Washington.

During a recent run through their online history articles, I ran across a very cool interactive activity that lets you look at past and present maps of six major US cities. The magazine recently dipped into David Rumsey‘s collection of over 150,000 maps to find some of the best representations of American cities over the past couple hundred years. With some simple programming, they were able to overlay images of vintage maps of some major cities onto satellite images from today. Continue reading Interactive maps compare current cities to 19th century versions →

Analysis worksheets, evidence, and primary documents

Glenn Wiebe, graphic organizer, historical thinking, primary sources, , ,

loc analysis worksheetThere’s a cool buzz running through the history education world.

Primary sources. Documents. Using evidence. Solving problems. Historical thinking. And that’s a good thing. But I know that it can be difficult sometimes trying to figure out how to use primary sources.

First piece of advice?

Don’t worry so much about primary vs. secondary sources. Start thinking about evidence, about data, instead of focusing just on one sort of document over another. Because if we’re asking great questions, kids will be using all sorts of documents and sources to solve the problem.

Second piece of advice?

Don’t re-invent the wheel. Have kids use the different tools already out there as they work to make sense of documents. As we train our kids to think historically, these sorts of analysis worksheets can be great scaffolding tools, especially with  elementary and middle school students.

Some of the best Continue reading Analysis worksheets, evidence, and primary documents →

iPad apps and the C4 Framework for Social Studies

best practice, C4, common core, historical thinking, ipad, standards, strategies, technology, ,

I spent most of the day today talking iPads with K-12 teachers in all contents. But I have to admit – my favorite part of the day was the two hours spent with social studies teachers.

C4-logoWe chatted about a variety of things but the focus was on iPad apps and activities that aligned to my recently released C4 Framework for the Social Studies. For those unfamiliar with the C4 Framework, we’ve broken down the NCSS national social studies standards, the Common Core literacy standards for the social studies, and the new Kansas social studies standards into four easy to follow themes that can help you plan high-quality lessons and units.

The idea behind the C4 Framework is to incorporate each of the following items into your lesson and units: Continue reading iPad apps and the C4 Framework for Social Studies →

A whole bunch of History Twitter feeds

best practice, Glenn Wiebe, social media, technology,

Okay, I may have done the math wrong. But whatever the number is, it’s a bunch of very cool and useful Twitter feeds. Grab a couple or three of them and expand your Personal Learning Network.

A quick and easy way to grow your list is to check out who these users are following. In no time, you’ll have tons of links to tons of stuff.

And be sure to scroll down for some basic info on using hashtags! Continue reading A whole bunch of History Twitter feeds →

Teaching with movies

best practice, Glenn Wiebe, lesson plans, movies,

Several years ago I wrote a post titled “10 Movies Every Social Studies Should See.” Of course, I added some extra bonus movies. I love movies and am convinced that using short video clips from featured length movies in the classroom is a good idea.

And, yes, I’m probably encouraging the stereotype of social studies teachers / coaches showing movies every week so that they can read the newspaper, break down game film, or drink coffee. But I will always argue that appropriate use of video clips and movies is great for kids.

So some resources to help break the stereotype: Continue reading Teaching with movies →