Teaching high school students about the Cold War in the United States can be interesting. But it can be challenging, especially for English Language Learners. There’s good news, though! Use the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) strategies. These strategies ensure meaningful learning experiences for English Language Learners. They also promote their language development. Let’s look […]
Teaching social studies to English language learners (ELLs) can be challenging. Social studies involves a lot of content-specific vocabulary, cultural references, and complex concepts. These may be unfamiliar to ELLs. However, with the right teaching strategies, you can make social studies engaging and accessible for ELLs. So, let’s dive right in. Here are five unique […]
In today’s globalized world, diversity is increasingly prevalent in our classrooms. As teachers, it’s our responsibility to not only acknowledge this but also embrace it. Our task is to prepare our students for the diverse and dynamic world they will inherit. The world is becoming increasingly multicultural and multilingual. It’s essential that we are equipped […]
First things first (said in my best Biggie voice), let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Teaching social studies to English language learners can be challenging. Not only are you trying to convey complex historical and cultural concepts. But you’re also trying to do it in a language that may not be their first. […]
It’s that time of year when people start posting their favorite Martin Luther King, Jr quotes. They’re always the same, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.“ or “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Yes, these are excellent quotes. But […]
A while back I was thinking about whether I should write a post about Christmas. I didn’t know what I would say, or if it was relevant. So, I started thinking about the impact of celebrating Christmas in public schools. Then, I saw an Instagram post from @teachandtransform about de-centering Christmas. De-centering Christmas? What’s that? […]
“I already won the lottery. I was born in the U-S of A baby.” – Creed Bratton This quote from The Office is one of my favorites and I post it every year on the 4th of July. It’s funny and I love this country. Now, just because I believe America is the best, doesn’t […]
Juneteenth became a huge topic of conversation in 2020. Now, it’s a recognized holiday. You might know all about Juneteenth by now, but I don’t like to make assumptions, Here’s some helpful information about Juneteenth to help you understand why June 19th is a holiday. First, let’s define what Juneteenth is. I’m not going to […]
Dream with me for a minute. Imagine we didn’t relegate teaching “non-white” history to designated “History Months?” I remember when I was a student teaching. My cooperating teacher was like, “it’s February, teach Black History. Next month teach Women’s History.” So that’s what I did. Black History Month is essential. It brings attention to and […]
The Haitian Revolution in 1804 is the most important revolution in human history. Yet, most people don’t know anything about it. (The defeated United States and European powers made sure of that). Ok, you might be thinking, “That’s a bold statement, Noelle.” It is and I stand by it. The Haitian Revolution is so important […]
Warning, this isn’t like my usual upbeat and positive posts. I’m gettin’ real. A note: when I’m mentioning white people, I am talking about the racist white people of the time I am discussing. Now that that’s out of the way… Back in late Spring of 2020, (you know, when people said they cared about […]
I’m proud that my school district changed Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day. It’s important to recognize indigenous people. I’m sure there were a ton of people who had an atomic wedgie over it, but… It was the right move. That got me thinking. What did I learn about indigenous people in my K-12 education? […]
Think back to what you learned about the Civil Rights Movement. My bet is that you learned that it started in the 1950s when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus. I mean, why wouldn’t she? She was a tired old lady who was trying to get home from work. Then […]
Imperialism in Africa is one of my favorite things to teach. Not only is it interesting, but it’s the perfect time to tackle misconceptions about Africa. You know, like the one where people call Africa a country. News flash. Africa is the most diverse place on the planet. It has 54 distinct countries and thousands […]
Do you hear that? Yup, those are crickets. I remember not so long ago, it seemed like everyone was posting about antiracism on Instagram. The cynic in me was like, “Yeah, let’s see how long this lasts.” I hate to say it, but the cynic in me was right. Everyone who became woke six months […]
Do you believe in magic? Well, the Electoral College sure does. It’s a magic number, and it’s 270. That’s the number you’ll see sprawled across the top of all the news channels on election day. It’s the number of electoral votes a candidate needs to win the presidential election. So I figured I’ll explain the […]
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