My Lessons

This is an interactive activity reinforcing literary comprehension.  Students are asked to pick a quote from a book or story they are reading.  They, then, are required to translate it and present it to the class showing understanding and creativity.

This activity puts the decision making squarely on the students' shoulders.  Stuudents get to pick their next book to read by promoting a book selected from a list to the class.  They are charged to read the reviews and the summary.  Then they present to the class.  The class will vote on which book to read next.

This is a fun interactive project for Doug's th grade Global Studies class.  Students are instructed to choose a character from the Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution.  They are to research them and become them.  The projects requires that they write letters and that they have discussions with eachother much like the characters in the Age of Enlightenment did in salons across the major capital cities of Europe.

This is a visual activity on WWII.  Students are asked to choose from a selection of iconic WWII photos.  They then research the significance of the photo and why it is such an important visual representation of the war or an event during the war.  This culminates into a presentation infront of the class.

The activity requires students to describe their vacation in a French speaking country.  Students need to use tense, verbs and vocabulary related to vacationing.  In addition, they need to familiarize themselves with points of interests in their chosen country. This activity has a cultural, oral and written component and is meant to be a comprehensive unit assessment so duration is longer than most other lessons uploaded onto this site.

Character study in the form of a diary using The Glass Menagerie, a play by Tennessee Williams. Stephanie asks her students to explain the plot and emotional implications of the play from at least one character’s point of view.

This lesson examines the fears brought on by the Cold War and the prospect of a nuclear war 1945-1965. Students are asked to pretend that they are nuclear war survivors in a bunker that can only hold some of them due to food shortages.  Each group of survivors is tasked to choose who will stay and who will be expelled. Following this activity is a discussion centered around assigned reading.  The reading details the mood of the day and the various fears both people and nations involved experienced. 

This is an interactive lesson addressing context when it comes to evaluating historical figures.  Students examine Abraham Lincoln and his views on slavery using primary source documents. The objective is for students to determine what Lincoln's real views on slavery were and to challenge their own preconceived notions regarding the president.  Essentially, did Abraham Lincoln abolish slavery for any other reason than his own conscience? After examining the primary sources, have the students' views about the president changed?

This is an interactive activity requiring students to experience what they have studied.  Students are to pick one of the five pillars of Islam and implement it in their daily lives.  They are to keep a journal recording their experiences following the principles of the pillar they have chosen.  This activity can last up to two weeks and can be adapted to the study of other religions.

This is a debate on "Reparations".  The activity pits one team against another.  Each team states their position on reparation.  Then they try and dismantle the oppositing team's arguments.  This activity is meant to take place at the end of a unit on slavery.  Students are asked toreview material coverred in class and resources provided by the teacher specifically assigned for the debate.

The fight for Women’s rights in today’s society

This lesson is both in video and lesson plan form.   Doug created this activity for his Generation Studies course.  Students are tasked to investigate the changes that have occured in the local community and try to imagine how things were at different moments in time.  This activity is meant for the students to better understand their surroundings.

This lesson is on the New Deal.  It is an activity that requires students to engage in the subject matter by having them sit in the center of a circle "fishbowl" and take questions from their peers.  This activity is adaptable to any subject matter related to historical events. 

This video shows an activity requiring students to present reasons why US presidents were either successful or not in their domestic and foreign policies.  Students are tasked to do their research and present to the class.  They are also responsible for writing down their own finding in essay form.   This is a debate. Students listen to presentation given by their peers.  they then vote on whether their arguments were sound enough to win their vote.  More instruction about the activity is found at the start of the video.

This instructional video presented by Dr. Ian Kelleher, explores ways teachers can re-engage in learning and distance learning in general and especially in the age of COVID.  Please watch. Dr. Ian Kelleher is a science teacher at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, MD.  He is also one of two founders of the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning along with my good friend, Glenn Whitman.  https://thecttl.wordpress.com/