Dealing With Lesson Planning in History and Civics

¶ … social studies lessons in the modern classroom. It discusses the importance of planning in order to keep students engaged and learning. Ultimately, the most interesting and useful part of the chapter is the flexibility needed in the process of planning in order to adjust to individual student needs. The thing is, not all students learn in exactly the same manner. The highlight of the chapter for me was the section discussing strategies for adjusting lesson plans for students to better tailor the lesson to their needs.

Differentiated instruction helps target the individual student needs that are required and allows a bit of flexibility within the lesson plan in order to meet those needs. The book provides great strategies for how to take a well-planned lesson plan and adjust it without loosing the primary focus of the plan itself. I feel like I will especially use the strategies outlined to focus on culturally responsive learning, so that I am more effective for each student on an individual level as needed.

Thus, I plan to pay more attention to the cultural and individual needs of each learner in my classroom so that I can adjust my lesson accordingly. Chapter 3 One of the most informative aspects of this chapter was the strategies for asking questions. Like the Socratic method, asking questions proves an invaluable tool for forcing students to find their own answers. This is a powerful tool for learning, as it requires extensive critical thinking. Chapter 3 really explains the benefit of questioning in the classroom from a teacher's perspective.

Traditionally, one would expect the students to be asking all the questions, but the chapter really demonstrates how teacher questioning can lead to the development of critical thinking capabilities. The section discussing the way to sequence questions was exceptionally informative, and I feel that I can adopt it into writing my own lesson plans. It is important not only to utilize questioning in lesson plans, but to make them strategic.

Sequencing questions in a way that one answer flows to another is the best way to provide for critical thinking development. Chapter 6 One of the best parts of this chapter was its demonstration that history in the classroom extends beyond the content in the textbook. True, the textbook is the best source of material, and it aligns with state standards so should be the primary focus when creating lesson plans. However, history is a subject that can transcend the textbook.

For me, the most informative part of Chapter 6 was its listing of additional resources that a teacher can take advantage of to augment the content in the textbook. I feel that I will take more advantage of the Library of Congress in order to find primary sources to be used in conjunction with the secondary source of the history textbook itself. I feel that students can get a better feel for the lesson if they are also engaged in primary sources, which are critical to learning itself.

Thus, I will make sure to include more primary sources from resources like the Library of Congress into my lesson plans. Chapter 7 We do not live isolated from the rest of the world. This chapter sows how.