History Teachers Club

All Things NCSS! Dec 13, 2023

This episode is all about NCSS, National Council for Social Studies, and how joining NCSS or your state organization can be so helpful in your growth as an educator by connecting you with other amazing educators and organizations!
Dan & Caitlin were just back from the national NCSS conference in Nashville when they recorded this and spoke about their experiences there including both of their presentations.
Dan presented on "History Labs: Bridging Historical Thinking with 21st Century Literacy Skills" and spoke about the importance of elevating skill development in our classrooms so that students are able to navigate today's ever challenging media landscape. Participants got to experience a mini-history lab on "What happened to Rosie after the war?"
Caitlin presented on "Symbol Slam: A Revolutionary Spiraling Activity" and how this foundational strategy helps her students both master the content knowledge in her classroom and how it helps them develop skills as well. Partipants got to experience how Symbol Slam uses note-taking, call and response, time-lines, mapping, writing, and games to spiral knowledge and skills all year long!
Dan & Caitlin also shared how the NCSS conference can introduce educators to so many organizations, networks, and other teachers in order to build an inspiring community that can elevate your career and life!
If you have any questions or want to book Dan and/or Caitlin to lead professional development at your school or for your district, you can go to our site, www.historyteachersclub.com or email us at historyteachersclub@gmail.com
Keep making magic,
Dan & Caitlin

Repost: Spooky, Scary, Slimy Social Studies: Halloween Activities & Haunting Lessons! Oct 13, 2023

We are relaunching one of our favorite episodes jam packed with creative and fun activities you can try out this Halloween season!
In this episode Dan and Caitlin share some fun things they have done for US and world history for Halloween and even some local history things you could do as well. From learning about the history of Halloween, 'haunted geography', slimy sources (thats a winner!), and making tombstone epitaphs and graveyards for historical figures, we tried to include as many fun and engaging but still content rich activities you could do for Halloween.
Also check out our fall fashion line on our site. We got new t-shirts you are going to want to rock out with all Autumn long!
To get the "History of Halloween" video lesson go to our History Teachers Club site.
Have fun and happy haunted teaching!
-dan and caitlin

Best Bellwork Activities Part II Sep 29, 2023

Get ready for many more great ways to start class, no matter what course you teach!
In this episode, we pick up right where we left off in the last episode and share fun activities to do with historical images like "Meme Mondays" to kick start curiosity, wall and desk graffiti, spiraling & skill building tasks to help students review previous lessons, and much more.
We also share some grading hacks for bellwork so you don't have to spend your precious time grading bellwork while still giving students credit for their efforts and keeping them accountable!
Make sure to check out our website www.historyteachersclub.com for resources including Caitlin's "Skill-Building Bellworks" for US history, great graphic organizers for social studies, Presidential Decision Simulations, Dan's US History video curriculum, and much more!
And please, if you enjoyed this episode, leave us a quick review! It really helps!

Best Bellwork Activities: Win the lesson in the first 3 minutes! Sep 13, 2023

The most important three minutes of class are those first three minutes!
In this episode, Dan and Caitlin share their favorite ways to start class in order to transition students effectively, get them interested and excited, and kick-start their curiosity!
Sharing very practical strategies on how to set up an effective 'start of class' routine, bellringers that will not just get students focused but also get them to 'lean into the lesson', and how to make sure 100% of students start with a win!
You are going to love Caitlin's Dice Breakers to gamify bellwork!
These strategies will ensure all students are ready to move foward with you into the bulk of the lesson! And, its just part I!
Make sure to listen to the follow-up, part II, episode where Dan & Caitlin share fun ways to use historical images to start class, grading hacks for bellwork (oh, did we wish we knew this when we started teaching!), and how to build skills those first few minutes!
Check out our site- www.historyteachersclub.com to grab Caitlin's "Skill-Building US History Bellringers", Dan's video curriculum, Symbol Slam, Presidential Decision Simulations, and much, much more to engage and excite your students!
And signup for our newsletter when you're there for more tips and tricks, discounts for our site, and occasional freebies!
Happy teaching,
Dan & Caitlin

First Week Activities to Set Up an AMAZING School Year part 2 Aug 22, 2023

100% or Nothing Quizzes, a historical thinking Get-to-Know-the-Teacher activity, gamifying routines and procedures and much more! 🤩
This episode picks up right where we left off as we go over how we create a community of passionate learners in the first week or two of school! We talk about being your authentic self, how we carefully teach procedures & routines and how you can gamify it to help students master it, how to set high expectations for students so they know learning is serious business in your room, a lunch room fight activity to build historical thinking skills, and other stuff!
If you haven't make sure to listen to part 1 first.
To grab some of our first week goodies head to www.historyteachersclub.com and check out all our great resources!
Dan shares about SHEG's Lunchroom Fight activity that you can get here. Make sure to create your free acount- they have so much great stuff!
Spark joy in learning,
D&C

Best First Week Activities for an Amazing School Year! Aug 17, 2023

Building cardboard historical sites, being silly with Play-Doh, on day one, 'living' in a world without history, and many other crazy ideas for an amazing first couple of weeks of school are found in this episode!
In this episode, Dan & Caitlin share many strategies, activities, and policies that help them set up an amazing school year. They discuss great ways to get students excited about class with unique first-day activities (yes, we ditch the syllabus and get into some cool stuff right away) and how get students to start building skills that they'll need for history class, but in fun, low-stress ways.
To grab any of the lessons and resources we talked about in the episode, head to our site www.historyteachersclub.com
Also check out our Amazon Storefront to grab supplies for your new school year. Everything we have listed, we stand by!
If you're interested in the PD course, "Make History Engaging, Exciting, and Empowering" to get even your reluctant learners excited about history, go check out www.engaginghistory.com
Thanks for being awesome,
D&C

How to Have Your Best Teacher Summer Ever! Jun 27, 2023

Summer is hard earned, y'all! And we owe it to ourselves to make the most of it!
In this episode, Dan and Caitlin share their best tips for really pouring back into yourself after a long school year! Because the best PD you can get this summer just might be rest, relaxation, and adventure!
If you are doing some planning and prep for back to school make sure to check out our site for some great first week activities for history class: www.historyteachersclub.com
And we would love it if you could leave us a quick review where ever you listen to podcasts :)
Thanks and gig 'em,
Dan & Caitlin
Follow us @historyteachersclub and @History_4_Humans and @TheGreatCateHistory on instagram and TikTok

Helping Students With Test Anxiety! Apr 27, 2023

So many students have test anxiety and we have some ideas to help them!
In this episode, Caitlin and Dan share a bunch of ways you can help students who suffer from test anxiety so they can perform at their best and develop more confidence in themselves.
Caitlin shares from her own experience and what has helped her and her students- with great reviews, making 'brain dump' videos, and rituals and routines like her 'positive affirmations' right before taking the test. (Yes, theres confetti and stars as well!)
Dan shares some Social Emotional Learning strategies he uses like gratitude journaling before testing, building the rigor on exams slowly over the course of the year to build students confidence, and of course, how to use dad jokes to break the tension and smile during a test!
Check out our website to check out our review materials and Caitlin's freebie "Pre-Test Positive Affirmations" video:
www.historyteachersclub.com

Happy teaching & learning😎,
Dan & Caitlin

"Engaging & Energizing End of Year Review Strategies That Work!" Apr 05, 2023

Reviews can be fun, helpful, and even energizing for students and for us teachers if done correctly. And in this episode, we are talking all about review strategies and a framework for approaching reviews that will ensure students get a lot out of it and maybe even look forward to showing how much they learned on the test! 🤷‍♂️
Caitlin shares about how she transforms her terms and key concepts from her Symbol Slam into a massive timeline and a map to help students remember, recall, and make deep connections to everything they learned all year. She shares about "Glow" strategies to make review super fun and exciting (go figure!). And a sorting hat activity (think Harry Potter meets history themes!)
Dan shares how he helps students move beyond trying to memorize terms to seeing all key concepts as puzzle pieces in the larger story of history. A matching terms to themes activity helps them understand the themes of AP US history. He shares about his "100% or Nothing" group quiz activity that helps students process their notes, deeply analyze questions, eliminate wrong answers, and master the content.
And few other things we think you'll enjoy as well!
Check out www.historyteachersclub.com for great resources and some review activities for AP US History and make sure to join our mailing list there as well.
Join our growing Facebook community as well to collaborate with other great history teachers!
Thanks & Gig 'em,
Mr. Lewer

Teaching Black Joy During Black History Month & All Year Long! Feb 08, 2023

Get ready to be inspired to not just teach or highlight Black culture and Black leaders, but to really celebrate it! We were so luck to be joined by Deana Forbs, @socialstudiesscholar, who shared so many inspirational ideas and activities you and your school could do during Black History Month, sure, but also all year long!
Deana specializes in teaching and helping other educators teach Black Joy, an approach to teaching Black history and Black cultures that doesn't overly focus on slavery or the traumatic parts of their history, but highlights and celebrates Black leaders, resistance, and the beauty of their cultures all around the world.
She shares strategies that will empower all your students, not just students of color. She also shares about how to respond to any criticism or push back from parents, admin, or peers, during these times where history is wrapped up in so much controversy.
You can connect with Deana on Instagram @socialstudiesscholar and her website www.socialstudiesscholar.com

Using EduProtocols in History Class Jan 24, 2023

In this episode, the PLC is joined by the EduProtocols 'Dream Team' to discuss how EduProtocols can save teachers time and energy in prepping and planning while engaging students in active learning.
Jon Corippo (co-developer of Eduprotocols), and Adam Moler, and Scott Petri (authors of the EduProtocols Social Studies edition book) joined us to share how EduProtocols really can be a teachers best friend. "By making learning visible" you can ensure students are engaged, monitor students' growth, and with consistent use of these versatile strategies, so much more class time is devoted to actual learning.
They share some of their favorite ways to use EduProtocols, tips for getting started, and how it can really help students feel comfortable and confident in class.
You can check out their book, "The EduProtocols Field Guide Social Studies Edition" on our amazon storefront.
Check out all our resources and lessons: www.historyteachersclub.com
CONTACT INFO:
Follow Scott @scottmpetri on twitter & his blog @ HistoryRewriter.com
Follow Adam- @moler3031 on Twitter and TikTok and @moler.adam on Instagram. His blog is: molersmusings.wordpress.com
Follow Jon @jcorippo on Twitter and Tiktok.
And you can join their facebook group- "EduProtocols Community" for lots of ideas and support with using EP.

How To Get "Moochers" Engaged in Class Jan 11, 2023

How do you get those students who just rely on their peers to do their work and feed them the answers instead of actually working and engaged in class? Well, thats what we jump into in this episode!
Dan and Caitlin share many strategies and tips for getting those students more engaged in class and how to reach them where they are at. The key thing is to realize that moochers are generally doing so for a reason - they could be lost, bored, or needing attention. Once you identify the root of the students 'mooching' then you can strategize how to help that student.
From taking little breaks to spark fun and excitement to get those students' attention, to having private conferences with that student to let them know we care, allowing for more student choice in work, and much, much more- you'll learn many ways you can reach those students and make them want to learn and want to work.
Dan and Caitlin also discuss how its not always something you can address and fix and that is okay! You are doing amazing work and if you're reaching most of your students, bravo to you, rockstar teacher!
Please check out our site for resources and awesome lesson plans www.historyteachersclub.com and sign up for our mailing list for more great tips and tricks!

How to Make Gallery Walks Unforgettable In History Class Dec 11, 2022

Gallery walks can be great activities to use in history class and once and with some secret sauce they can be unforgettable!
In this episode, we are joined by Matt Barry to walk us through (get it!) his outstanding Lewis and Clark Expedition Gallery Walk that he has been doing for years with his students.
His students get role cards of specific members of the expedition and then have to navigate through the hallway with numerous stations to not just learn about the Corps of Discovery but in some way, experience it!
Besides diving deep into this one lesson, we talk about many different ways you can spice up gallery walks to make them more interactive, exciting, and impactful.
If you enjoyed this episode, we would love it if you left us a review where ever you listen.
And you can sign up for our newsletter at www.historyteachersclub.com to get the info graphic that Caitlin mentioned in the podcast and many other goodies that our newsletter receives!
Mahalo and 'gigem,
Dan & Caitlin

Project Based Learning & Maker Spaces in History Class Dec 02, 2022

John Spencer is something of a project based learning guru and an expert in delivering empowering student-centered projects. In this episode, we get all into how to manage and how to incorporate PBL in history and social studies classrooms.
In the episode we talk about how moving towards more project-based-learning can be intimidating for teachers because as John discusses, getting off the tracks is part of the process. But we discuss ways to provide supports for students, ensuring content and standards are still being met, and how to enjoy the process even when it gets messy.
John shared about fun, single class period explorations that he calls "wonder day projects" where students research and discover something that they are interested in and want to learn about. I also loved his idea of using 'curiosity-casts' where students create a podcast reflecting and discussing about what they learned during the project or exploration period.
Dan, Caitlin, and John share ways to create 'maker spaces' even with limited resources- because you don't need 3D printers and tech centers. You just need a to make room or create some space for students to work and create original projects and products of their interest (within your content and standards, of course).
Love this quote John shared:
"Higher standards doesn't mean more work, it means better thinking." Something many administrators and teachers could reflect on. :)
John Spencer mentions, "The Pulse of PBL" by Mike Kaechele and Matinga Ragatz.
You can follow John Spencer at www.spencerauthor.com on twitter @spencerideas on IG @spencereducation and his youtube vids can be found @ www.spencervideos.com
Let us know what you think of the episode! Please rate and review the podcast where ever you listen to them!

How to use History Labs with Bruce Lesh Nov 10, 2022

In this episode we are joined by Bruce Lesh, author of "Why Won't You Just Tell Us the Answer? Teaching Historical Thinking in Grades 7-12", to talk all about how to use history labs in the classroom.
Bruce shares form his years of experience on why history labs engage and excite students by making students much more active in the learning process. Dan and Caitlin share how they have used labs in their classes and why they love them. Together, we did some trouble shooting of the common problems that can happen with inquiry lessons, what separates a DBQ from a 'history lab,' and why labs can generate more authentic learning that the standard DBQ.
Bruce also shares several alternative assignments to go with history labs instead of the common 5 paragraph essay used for the DBQ- ones that are much more student and teacher friendly, while not sacrificing the skill-building in the process. But if we are going to change the way we teach, we also need to change the way we access to focus more on those historical thinking skills.
Bruce has a new book coming out in 2023 building on the ideas of his last book that you should definitely stay tuned for!
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a review where ever you listen to your podcasts.
Thanks and gig 'em,
-Caitlin & Dan

Spooky, Scary, Slimy Social Studies: Halloween Activities & Haunting Lessons! Oct 26, 2022

Its everyones favorite time of the year- Halloween season (its not just a day!). And we got you covered with lots of great activities and lessons for Halloween.
In this episode Dan and Caitlin share some fun things they have done for US and world history for Halloween and even some local history things you could do as well. From learning about the history of Halloween, 'haunted geography', slimy sources (thats a winner!), and making tombstone epitaphs and graveyards for historical figures, we tried to include as many fun and engaging but still content rich activities you could do for Halloween.
To get the "History of Halloween" video lesson go to our History Teachers Club site.
Have fun and happy haunted teaching!
-dan and caitlin

Costumes in the Classroom! Great Ideas for Dressing Up Oct 22, 2022

In this comical episode, Dan and Caitlin are joined with the one and only, Gaspare Randazzo, @standuprandazzo, to talk about costumes in the classroom. Caitlin couldn’t be happier!

With Dan being a reluctant costume wearer, Caitlin and Gaspare share about why they love dressing up, some of their favorite costumes, where to get affordable costumes, how to make your own with things from around the house, and why raiding Halloween stores the day after the holiday is a gold mine for deals! They all share why its important to step out of your comfort zone if you feel weird or awkward dressing up and how to go into school dressed as Julius Caesar or a Crusading Knight, or even a piece of bread, with confidence! Costumes can make lessons memorable and add an element of fun to learning that students won’t forget.

Awesome CSI Activities and Inquiry in History Class Oct 06, 2022

Getting students to think critically, carefully analyze primary and secondary sources, and gather evidence to answer a prompt can sometimes be like pulling teeth, but CSI activities get students doing all these with enthusiasm!
In this episode, Dan and Caitlin break down why inquiry is such a powerful teaching modality for history classrooms. And one of the coolest and most engaging ways to implement an inquiry lesson is with CSIs- Crime Scene Investigations!
From the basics of just using 'crime scene' yellow tape in the room with a couple of simple artifacts, and playing pink panther or X-File music, to going a little over the top by outlining body outlines on the floor, providing magnifying glasses, and having students create detective names, Dan and Caitlin share how to create a lesson students will never forget!
All CSIs and inquiry lessons need to start with a great question - but make sure to keep it simple and then of course, they need great sources for students to analyze. But getting students really interested, really curious, and super engaged sometimes takes us to bring a little magic and pageantry into the room.
In the episode, Dan shares a few lessons you can find with History's Mysteries (though they are pricer than he recalled- starting at $29.95). There are others on Teachers Pay Teachers for cheaper and you can purchase Caitlin's Boston Massacre lesson on our website!
Please let us know if you have questions by hitting us up on social media or emailing us through our site.
Happy Teaching!

Build Historical Knowledge with SYMBOL SLAM! Sep 19, 2022

In this episode, Caitlin breaks down how she uses "Symbol Slam" to engage students while building historical knowledge for her students. Its more than notes, its more than a call-and-response- its more than a review of key terms - its an active learning strategy that can be applied to any subject matter, any history class, at any age to get students to comprehend essential terms and then to be able to think critically about them!
Dan pretty much ends up interviewing Caitlin for this special episode due to the number of requests we got to review how this strategy works. Think of the 10 million things you need to get students to learn in the 10 months you teach them and now narrow down just the 50-100 most essential terms, people, events, or concepts that are most important for mastering the standards and understanding your subject matter. Caitlin explains her process for determining which terms make the cut and get a symbol (she narrows it down to just 70 for the year), what the symbol will look like (keep it simple, stupid!), and what students must know for each. From there, what is the super simple, must know thing about the term, and that will be the call and response. Then of course, she covers what might be most important- which is how to get your room to sound like a rock concert of excitement and engagement when you are teaching and reviewing these key terms. That is symbol slam!
Trust me, after listening to this, you'll see why this is such a powerful way to build historical knowledge. And definitely listen to the end for the little sneak peak into Caitlin's class reviewing some symbols from the first month of school.

17 Great Tips and Tricks for Teachers Aug 31, 2022

17 unique and great tips and tricks we wish we knew when we were entering the profession!
In this episode, Dan and Caitlin share many actionable tips, strategies, procedures, and routines that will help all teachers - not just history teachers! From always remembering you cannot possibly grade everything and you shouldn't feel guilty for that, how to use manipulatives and artifacts to help all learners connect to history in a tangible way (yes, you should serve tea for your lesson the Boston Tea Party!), to saying no unless its a 'heck yes!' so you don't over extend yourself, to classroom management tips to get a room where students know the rules and actually follow them! These are things we wish we knew when we were wide-eyed newbies!
We got into a ton of other things like using history themed shower curtains from Amazon as classroom decor, to using engagement to monitor students, how having fun is essential for students of all ages, to advice for dealing with principles, and negative teachers.
Let us know what you liked about this episode, what questions you have, or what you would like to hear more of on our instagram or our website- www.historyteachersclub.com
See you next week! Club dismissed :)

Building COMMUNITY in and Outside the Classroom | MAGIC part V Aug 22, 2022

Building a community in the classroom where students feel connected, supported, and confident they can be successful is essential for teachers. However, fostering a community of other passionate and supportive educators to for us to lean on is equally important! In this episode Dan & Caitlin with special guest, Matt Kulasiewicz, discuss how they do both. :)
Matt shares the importance of learning students' names day 1 to connect with them, how he gets students to open up and share about personal issues in a safe way where students feel comfortable so students connect with one another on a deeper level, and much more. Dan shares an exit ticket strategy he uses that builds a culture of gratitude, and Caitlin shares how she adapted that strategy to also get students to start recognizing their own strengths and skills, and much, much more!
For fostering a teacher community around you to support you and inspire you, Matt shares about the importance of checking in on other teachers, Caitlin shares on how important it is to collaborate with other teachers who jive with you, and Dan shares about how you can start a "Marigold" program at your school to create a spirit of appreciation and encouragement amongst the staff. 💜
Caitlin references the book, "Be the Flame: Sparking Positive Classroom Communities" by Shane Saaed.
And don't worry- the fire alarm that interrupted our intro was recorded after school so no students were around and Caitlin was fine! Just a little wet from the rain! 🤣

Ignite Magic: Make History Class Interesting, Exciting, and Engaging! Aug 10, 2022

How do you get students excited about learning history? How do you make lessons on the silk road, Stamp Act, or WWI come alive and get students interested and engaged in academic rigor? Thats the focus on this episode!
We're so glad you asked? 🤣😜 In this episode, Dan & Caitlin discuss how to think about lesson planning, strategies to build the skill that is needed to plan creative lessons that empower students, how to balance state standards with interest-based lessons, and how to not burn out in the process! Because lessons and activities that actually ignite students and get them willing to struggle over important historical lessons actually will give us fuel to keep teaching with that fire! There is no substitute for passion and bringing enthusiasm into your lessons each day- if you want kids to care a little, you better care a whole friggin' lot!

Genuine MAGIC - Being Open, Honest, and Authentic with Students Aug 01, 2022

Dan and Caitlin, with a super special guest, Jon Chiarmonte, aka the @YouMatterGuy, discuss the importance of being genuine, authentic, and honest with our students and creating a learning environment where all students feel welcome and appreciated! Its hard to do- it often requires us to swallow our egos and be real.
For a decade Jon has a run a class devoted to connecting with students on a deep level, discussing heavy and important topics that really matter- because YOU MATTER- to ensure that students have a place, and a teacher, where they know they can be appreciated, be themselves, and be engaged in real learning.
Dan, Caitlin, and Jon share several personal stories, some tear jerkers, from their years of teaching and relations with students, to show that mistakes are okay, all voices and stories matter, and when we drop the pretense and allow ourselves and our students to be vulnerable, something special happens.
As always, we hope this episode helps you transform your classroom and have a bigger impact in the classroom. We welcome questions and comments on our instagrams, emails, or in a review that you write us! Club dismissed :)

Lights. Camera. ACTION! - Make History Class Magical! Jul 22, 2022

Buckle up! This one gets a bit crazy as Caitlin and Dan share some over the top and some easily implementable actions you can take to transform your classroom into a space of excitement, wonder, and engagement! Teaching is such a creative profession and we often play the roles of lead actors as well as directors and if you want students to really get excited about learning, you'll learn some fun ways to do that in this episode. From redecorating our rooms, to costumes, to just having kids close their eyes and take them on "virtual field trips" back in time- this episode will help you set the stage of your classroom for some exceptional learning!

M is for Manifestos - MAGIC in the Classroom I Jul 10, 2022

Do you need more MAGIC in the classroom to make history come alive and make learning a history a blast? Thats the focus of our club meeting today!
Dan and Caitlin share the first part of a five part series on bringing MAGIC to the classroom: Manifesto, Actions, Genuine, Ignite, and Community. We share how having a personal manifesto and a deep rooted WHY can guide and ground you as a teacher. Dan and Caitlin share their personal stories and manifestos- what teaching history means to them, and two lessons that exemplify it. Of course, there's some fantastic, "Dad Jokes in History" to close it off as well. Hint- Caitlin is not happy with Dan's jokes. 🤣

Amazing First Day Activities for History Class! Jul 04, 2022

Dan and Caitlin share their favorite first day lessons for history class to get students interested, active, and engaged right on day one! Scrap the syllabus and procedures and get students excited about the learning that is going to take place in your class all year. You never get a second chance at a first impression- or a first day lesson :)
The lessons they share get students thinking critically, working together, and learning skills that they will use all year long. Caitlin shares an awesome lesson that has students analyze personal artifacts to piece together a story of who she as they learn to make observations, inferences, and generalizations to interpret the past. Dan shares a lesson that has students debate the most important reasons to study history to get them to understand the relevance or 'why history matters!' Lots and lots of goodies are shared throughout the episode that can help you plan the best first day ever next year!
Oh, and don't miss the "Dad jokes in history" at the end 🤣 (But where's the eye-roll emoji??)

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected