It’s no secret that the indigenous people of the Americas suffered a catastrophic collapse in the 16th century, driven by disease and the genocidal practices of European colonizers. Every year, fierce debates rage over the legitimacy of Columbus Day, with detractors pointing to Christopher Columbus’s mistreatment of native people. One of the most barbaric, gut-wrenching,... Continue Reading →
Note: If you have not read Historical thinking skills in the classroom, Part 1: Shifting your mindset, do that before reading this article! We've finally made it to the portion of this series where I detail what the skills are and how to teach them in the classroom! As always, this has come a year... Continue Reading →
I’m throwing an audible here. I was originally going to move forward with my article on the gathering sources and sourcing competencies, but due to the repeated requests for more information and resources after publishing Part 1 (which you should read before this one), I thought it prudent to do this article first. But before... Continue Reading →
Update (9/7/25): An update was issued regarding the origins of the supposed Silk Road drawing. Two years ago, I wrote an article on historical thinking skills in the classroom after I had read a few books that introduced me to the topic. In my opinion, the article is decent and makes some solid points, but... Continue Reading →
It's no secret that us Social Studies teachers have felt like we're walking on eggshells for the last few years: calls to ban books, raging debates around the teaching of Critical Race Theory, and the numerous "divisive concepts" laws that have had the unintended outcome of making us targets. Whether you're in a liberal, conservative,... Continue Reading →
History in Focus 