Books & Videos

Sign up for Newslinks!

A free e-mail newsletter featuring PD articles and resources



About Newslinks
Browse our archives

 

Making History Mine

Meaningful Connections for Grades 5-9

Sarah Cooper
Year: 2009

Media: 216 pp/paper
ISBN: 978-157110-765-7
Grade Range: 5-9

Item No.: WMW-0765

Price: $24.00
Flat-rate shipping $5.00


Tell a friend

Table of Contents | About the Author(s) | Reviews

Middle school history teachers confront the same challenge every day: how to convey the breadth and depth of a curriculum that spans centuries, countries, and cultures. In Making History Mine, Sarah Cooper shows teachers how to use thematic instruction to link skills to content knowledge. By combining thought-provoking activities and rich assessments, Sarah encourages teachers to challenge students to make history personal and relevant to their lives.

Built around eight themes — examining the role of the individual, understanding point of view, assessing the impact of rhetoric, finding patterns in the past, writing analytically, connecting current events to historical precedents, igniting passion through research, and exploring ethics and morals — Making History Mine offers young adolescents a window to the wider world. This comprehensive volume gives teachers and students a solid framework for exploring and understanding history, including how to analyze primary source documents, extrapolate themes, and detect bias in a historian's argument.

A one-page description at the beginning of each chapter explains the embedded skills and shows how the lessons correlate to state and national history standards. Making History Mine includes dozens of short activities, in-depth projects, guiding questions, and effective strategies to help teachers bring history to life in the classroom. Students will learn how to imagine themselves in the past, making decisions that changed the world. Through role playing, debates, and service learning they will gain the skills to make their own histories count.


Table of Contents

Preview this book online!

You will need the latest version of Adobe Flash Player to browse this book.

Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Role of the Individual: Assessing Who Makes History

Chapter 2: How Opinions Become History: Analyzing Point of View
Chapter 3: Fighting Words: Examining Rhetoric, Reasoning, and the Role of Language in History
Chapter 4: A Broader View: Finding Patterns in the Past
Chapter 5: How Historians Think: Writing as a Way of Understanding
Chapter 6: Current Events: Connecting Past to Present
Chapter 7: The Power of Information: Igniting Passion Through Research
Chapter 8: Global Citizenship: Learning to Evaluate Ethics and Solve Problems
Epilogue
Appendixes
Resources


About the Author(s)

Sarah is currently teaching eighth-grade English, with a focus on civics, and serving as director of faculty development at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada, California.
> More


Reviews

Middle Ground - October 2009
"In Making History Mine, Sarah Cooper gives history teachers everywhere a valuable resource that bursts with life and practical ideas to reach and inspire students." Middle Ground, October 2009

Suzanne Kugler - 2009
"I know that by the time next spring rolls around, the book will be well worn from use and my students will have a better understanding of history because of the influence of Making History Mine.

Teacher Leaders Network - August 2009
"Making History Mine is a great resource. The entire book offers teachers the opportunity to gain a fresh approach to teaching strands of history." Teacher Leaders Network, August 2009

Related News

Teaching Current Events
Join Kelly Gallagher and Sarah Cooper in a conversation about why they think it's crucial to teach current events in the classroom and how they make sure their students are in tune with the world

Teaching current events
Kelly Gallagher and Sarah Cooper share their strategies for teaching current events in their classrooms in this audio conversation

Now Online: Making History Mine
Discover a wealth of new strategies for teaching middle school history in Sarah Cooper's new book

Related Titles
Titles with Similar Content
If This Is Social Studies, Why Isn't It Boring?


History Comes Home


Eyewitness to the Past