Speed Dating

This idea was something I learned from being part of an AP US History group and I adapted it to my classroom. At the end of our unit on the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, we held a Speed Dating Day. This was done in both my college prep and AP classes and they loved it!

Prior to this, students were assigned a reformer to research. They were responsible for submitting a resume for this person. Then on the day of the Speed Dating, we had three minute rotations where "reformers" could talk to each other and find their perfect match for reforming an area of the Gilded Age. Students were encouraged to bring props to enhance their presentations. Each student was given a chart to complete during the activity.

Talk about 100% engagement! Even my less talkative students were actively engaged in conversations. Next year I plan to add romantic music, candle lights (battery powered obviously) and other decorations to make it seem like a real Speed Dating event.

Meeting their perfect matches!

Thomas Nast shares cartoons!

Lesson Hook: Simulating a Bus in Alabama, 1955

At Dave Burgess's "Teach Like a Pirate" seminar, I learned the importance of hooking the students into a lesson and have been searching for ideas ever since.

My lesson on the Montgomery Bus Boycott provided the perfect opportunity. I took a deck of cards and made sure to have the appropriate number of cards for my class period, ensuring that there was just a small amount of face cards. As students entered the room, each one was given a card. Once everyone was seated, I had everyone to stand up around the room. As I called a card, starting with Ace, the students who held that card were allowed to choose any seat in the room. This continued through the numbered cards. Once all of them were seated, those with face cards were told they could choose any seat they wanted, as long as it was a seat that was already occupied. Those "displaced" students then took the remaining open seats. Some got up quietly, others protested.

We proceeded to have a discussion as I first asked the "displaced" students how they felt, and then those with face cards responded. It was the perfect introduction to the bus boycott and allowed me to mix up the table groups for the day's activity, a DBQ answering the question, "Why did the Montgomery Bus Boycott Succeed?" I will be actively planning more hooks like this for my lessons.

Teach Like a PIRATE

Do you have a lesson that you could sell tickets to? If students did not have to come to your class, would you be teaching to an empty classroom? These two questions were presented to me at a recent seminar by US History teacher and author Dave Burgess. Dave's book, Teach Like a Pirate, has become a highly recommended book in the educational world and there is even a Monday night chat on Twitter called #tlap. The focus of Teach Like a Pirate is student engagement. Pirate is an acronym that stands for Passion, Immersion, Rapport, Ask & Analyze, Transformation and Enthusiasm.

The strategies and ideas presented in Teach Like a Pirate help teachers of all subjects and grade levels become more creative and find new ways to engage their students in content. Since joining the Twitter Monday night chats and attending two of Dave's seminars, I have been working to add more creativity into my lessons. Thanks to inspiration of Teach Like a Pirate, I have turned my classroom into a 1920s Speakeasy, created a Cold War March Madness tournament and am planning a couple of Decade Days. My students are responding with increased enthusiasm as they are tired of the same old lectures, worksheets, document analysis of their educational careers. Students are not only engaged, but are thinking critically and are more likely to remember the content years from now.

Speakeasy Simulation: Bringing the 1920s to Life

On Halloween, I turned my classroom into a 1920s speakeasy to teach my students about Prohibition. I made sure students had a secret password the day before and as they entered my class, I asked them for it. It was fun to see students saying, "Joe sent me" and wondering why. I greeted them at the door, dressed as a flapper and asking for the password. As they entered my classroom, Charleston music was playing (courtesy of Pandora radio). I had a sign in front that said, "Welcome to the Haunted Speakeasy." On one table in the back were small cups of apple juice and Halloween candy. The room was decorated with pumpkins and orange lights. On the tables were black table cloths made out of butcher paper. And on the wall in the back were pictures from the 1920s.The first activity was for students to assume the roles of 17 different individuals associated with Prohibition. Their task was to circulate around the room and meet as many people as they could, each time finding out more and more about Prohibition. 
I also gave students bonus participation points for dressing in period attire. Here are some of them: 
I had one of the most enjoyable days of teaching in a long time and I heard my students talking about how much fun it had been. Even many of my most reluctant participants were up and talking to others and getting into the lesson. My brain is already spinning with ideas. Maybe a 1950s sock hop or a Vietnam War Sit In?