Supplemental American History Curriculum with WalllBuilders

photo from nixxphotography

Do you love history? I certainly do, in fact, I majored in history in college, mostly because I loved reading about it, and also writing those papers.  One of the main reasons I chose to change my major was based upon a presentation I heard by David Barton, founder and president of WallBuilders, an organization dedicated to informing and educating people about America's Christian heritage. In addition the content that Barton presented, I was impressed with his conversational tone and how he peppered the material with vital information about the Christian perspective and history.

Recently I found out that WallBuilders also has curriculum for kids called “Drive Thru History America” which includes 9 DVD video lessons, a teacher guide, student textbook  and worksheets (answer keys included), along with activities and assignments. Although the video lesson are only 10 minutes each, I’m sure the curriculum would make a great supplement or addition to an existing history curriculum, or a great way to help kindle a students interest in American history.

Explore the WallBuilders website for a list of helpful links on topic such as environmental issues and historical documents, as well as books and resources that you can purchase to learn more about the rich, Christian heritage of our nation.

Olympic Teaching Ideas

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Instead of the boring (and let's face it, predictable) “What I did this summer” assignment that teachers inevitably ask their students to write, why not asking students to write about the 2012 Olympics instead? 

Writing starters may include:

·      Who is your favorite Olympian and why?

·      What is your favorite Olympic sport?

Writing starters for older students may include:

·      Background history on the location of the 2012 Olympic games (What makes London so significant).

·      Research the origins of the Olympic games.

                                                                                                       

But don’t think that the Olympics only lend themselves to writing scenarios. Oh no, just think of how the math teacher can discuss ratios and odds when analyzing wins and losses. And keeping track of the number of overall wins is the perfect way to introduce (and reinforce) charts and graphs.

Medieval Education

Medieval education was geared toward the classes.

In today's modern thinking we realize that education allows people to rise above their social class, however this was not the case during the medieval era where people stayed in their class, partly due to their lack of education. But was their education "appropriate" (as asked by the assignment in one of my classes)?


Check out THIS ARTICLE for information on the educational system and the types of things different classes learned.

Learning About Gladiators

While the Russel Crowe box-office hit "Gladiator" might be too graphic for the kids in your class to watch, it can surely give you as the teacher some great ideas on how to teach your students about Romans and the culture during the times of gladiator games.

So go ahead, watch the movie as an excuse for teacher research, then snatch up some of this cool Amazon goody to help your classtime. Be sure to check out THIS ARTICLE for activities too!

America Bulletin Board Ideas

Are you a teacher struggling with some bulletin board ideas? Follow the link below for information on how to create American themed Bulletin board with ideas about the US flag, the map, US Presidents, famous inventors, and more:

America Bulletin Board Ideas eHow.com