10 Great Ways to Make Your Kids Smarter

I’ve always been a Newsweek fan. And in the last year or so, I’ve gotten really hooked on their digital offering, The Daily Beast. A recent Beast article caught my attention that I think we as teachers need to look at. Written by Sharon Begley, Buff Your Brain: 31 Ways to Get Smarter in 2012 [...]

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The Conspirator in the Classroom

No, I haven’t seen it yet. But the trailers look good, the reviews aren’t bad for a Civil War period piece and it seems like a great way to end a unit on the Civil War or begin one on Reconstruction. A quick review: After Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, seven men and one woman are arrested [...]

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Tip of the Week – Sit Down Quiz

As part of our Teaching American History grant, I get the chance to hang out in the classrooms of some great teachers. Last week, it was lessons by Nathan McAlister and Keil Hileman. Both teach middle school and have been recognized for their ability to motivate students. And it was during my time in Keil’s [...]

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Tip of the Week – Google News Timeline may be coolest tool ever

Okay . . . maybe not the coolest tool ever. But pretty stinking close. Google Labs released Google News Timeline about a year ago and I’ve been using it ever since. And I’m very impressed. It works a bit like the basic Google Search page but focuses obviously on just news stories. I see this [...]

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Abe Lincoln, the Civil War and Social Media

One hundred and fifty years ago, America’s citizens were wrapped up in their own election excitement. An Illinois Congressman named Abraham Lincoln was locked in a tight race with three other candidates including Southern Democrat John Breckinridge and Northern Democrat Stephen Douglas. With the majority of northern counties in his pocket (despite any campaigning or [...]

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