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Cerebral Palsy: Essential Social Studies Skills and Strategies

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Cerebral Palsy: Essential Social Studies Skills and Strategies

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This article broke down the subject of social studies into two camps: Skills and strategies. The article goes on to explain the various skills a student with special needs has to possess in order to succeed in a social studies classroom, and the second piece, the strategies, offer evidence-based practices that have been proven to help a student with special needs succeed.

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Cerebral Palsy: Effective Social Studies Teaching Strategies

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Cerebral Palsy: Effective Social Studies Teaching Strategies

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While this was technically more of a list, I liked that the information was easy to access. Also, the list itself is a great way to jog one's memory about half-forgotten evidence-based practices that could help their students with special needs succeed.

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Cerebral Palsy:12 Best Instructional Strategies to Thrive as a Social Studies Teacher

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Cerebral Palsy:12 Best Instructional Strategies to Thrive as a Social Studies Teacher

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Breaking down a lesson into the follow parts: The hook, the lesson, and the next level all contained evidence-based practices that would help a student with CP struggling in their social studies class. The language was easy to follow, and I liked how the page was organized as well.

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Teaching high schoolers is an intimidating beast.

There, I said it, because it doesn't do anyone any good to keep that truth unspoken.

But it's also a ton of fun and a bit addicting. Especially when you realize you just captivated 35 goofy teenagers for an hour with a topic they would otherwise think is boring.

So whether you are just starting your student teaching practicum and looking for a few foundational instructional strategies, or you're a long-time teacher needing a mid-year refresh, you'll want to incorporate this list of my favorite start-using-tomorrow strategies.

The magic of teaching lays in perfecting a core toolbox of effective teaching strategies that are based on real brain science about how the human mind understands. The first thing to know about impactful instruction is that no matter whether your class periods are 45 or 85 minutes long, there is a beginning, a middle, and an end with transitions in between.

It's really just like a story. You are telling a story. An impassioned one. One in which your students are the heroes.

The most powerful storytellers follow a precise formula that the audience never notices, but is always there. Ask any aspiring novelist or motivational speaker.

How I approach the hour or so I have each day with my students changed dramatically after I read Chip and Dan Heath's book Made to Stick (seriously, one of my top 5 books of all time) and after TED Talks began blowing up as THE model for captivating public speaking. Years after my Master's program ended and I was still struggling to elevate my lessons beyond "Today we are going to...," these helped show me real strategies for engaging the toughest audience of all-teenagers.

These strategies follow a deliberate arch that will carry you through your lesson, from the hook to the ah-ha. I don't think I'll ever teach a social studies method course, so instead I've chosen this space to share my 12 all-time best strategies that I use in my high school social studies classes on the regular.

If you want more, my 48 instructional strategy favorites are organized into the 6 stages of the perfect lesson and formatted into a life-saving flip deck of 48 cards that you can keep handy at your desk when planning. I use it all the time because, to be honest, I originally made it for myself!

#1 The Hook

We all know a hook is important in teaching the 5-paragraph essay, but what about in the opening minutes of class?

What if you started immediately with a hook, created a bit of a cliff hanger, then tasked your students with a challenge, all within the first few minutes? Then, while they are working away, you handle all those things that otherwise kill the momentum before class has even started: attendance, missing pencils, or questions about yesterday's lesson.

My three favorite hooks aren't novel, but rather the exact same ones as those on the tried-and-true, science-backed list we give our students when teaching about the introduction paragraph.

Offer a crazy statistic or fact.

I start the very first day of my World Population unit asking students to spend a couple minutes guessing the percentage of people in the world who live under $2 a day and then $5 a day. They are floored when I reveal the answer-about 10% and 50%, respectively, according to the World Bank.

Tell a story.

The day I introduce our interview narrative project component of my Three Branches of Government unit, I tell the story of my neighbor who, while serving during the Vietnam War, gained a whole new appreciation for the meaning of democracy as he was perched high above his two thousand Naval shipmates and tasked with fixing the radar equipment while the whole mission waited on him.

I haven't said a word yet about the interview project they will be conducting in the coming days and they have no idea yet why I'm telling this story, but they are on the edge of their seats. And, honestly, it very likely is in part because they think my story is a tangent from the day's regular lesson. Little do they know...

Read all about creating your own interview project in my post where I break it down into 5 easy steps!

Display an "onion image."

As a history teacher, I delight in this one because our discipline is so rich with images that offer a bit of a puzzle. What's going on? Where is this? What are they doing? Why are they doing that? What does that detail mean? What are they likely thinking?

We are visual creatures and images are accessible regardless of reading levels. Images as hooks are a must! Pick a photograph or piece of art that has multiple things going on, comes at a very specific moment in history, or is perfectly representative of the topic you are covering today in class. You can read more about this in my post where I detail my favorite image analysis strategy.

#2 The Directions

You will save so much of your sanity and precious class time if you deliver your directions in a way that students actually hear and do them. This is probably the most fundamental aspect of teaching to master first, especially if you feel overwhelmed by all these other tips. Often these kinds of types are strategies are labeled for ELL instruction and we forget that all brains need needs clear, easy-to-follow directions!

Give one at a time.

This one works great if you need students to complete a series of tasks that require a specific order, like folding a piece of paper and labeling it before watching a documentary.

State the first direction, modeling it yourself if at all possible, and wait until everyone has done it before moving onto the next step.
Fold your paper hot-dog style like mine... Now, label the left side... Then, divide the right side into two...
Number the steps.

Tell students how many total steps, parts, or sections there are in the upcoming activity so that students have a broader understanding of what they are doing. Until they know the big picture, the details are meaningless. As you number them, hold up your fingers for visual reinforcement. This works great when you are about to release the students for independent work. Bonus strategy: you'll also want to have the steps posted on the board or student worksheet during the activity.
At each station, you will need to do three things. First...
Assign a task.

For every single text, video, image, or other stimulus, give a specific task that requires physical action. It may seem obvious why you want students to read a news article, but they won't know it for sure unless you tell them, and they won't do it for sure unless you task them. It can be any sort of task, just make it simple.
As you read, highlight with your two colors for problems and solutions.... As you examine each photo, write an emotion in the margin that... As you watch, list the 6 causes...
#3 The Lesson

This is what separates teacher overwhelm from teacher confidence. Doing deliberate things as part of a normal lesson because it makes the learning stick, whether you students realize it or not. It doesn't hurt to reveal your tricks from time to time, especially when the energy in the room is waning.

Write it down.

Writing is thinking. And by writing, I mean handwriting. So much scientific data is revealing now what teachers would file under #obvious, but it's still worth mentioning because writing is more than what we as teachers often think. Writing can be as small as a single word or even symbols.

Task students to summarize each paragraph of a historical essay into a single word in the margins as they read. Challenge students to assign a big, bold letter grade on the top of the text to the State of the Union Address after analyzing it. Recap with students the purpose of a political cartoon the following day by having them commit a verb next to the image.

Get them up.

This is the strategy we often need to be reminded of, because we are the ones up and moving around all day. Jennifer, over on Cult of Pedagogy, details a long, fantastic list of science-backed movement activity ideas so I'll just describe two super easy ones you can implement on the spot.

Have students pick a YES or NO side of the room to force them to decide a position, or pick a corner assigned as ABSOLUTELY YES, SOMEWHAT YES, SOMEWHAT NO, and ABSOLUTELY NO (or some similar variation).

Another effective one is having students get up and find a new partner every couple of minutes to complete one more step of an activity. That way students get to work through their task hearing different ideas. Keep the switching time short-no more than 10 seconds!

Have a driving question.

Know the big picture for why you want students to know something so well that you not only share it, but challenge students to it at the beginning, at the closing, and at any time when a student is lost. And this something has to be more authentic than "... because it's a state standard."

Having an open-ended question that sparks curiosity or truly asks students for their thoughts is a sure-fire way to build an engaged classroom. You can use a question to frame a whole unit or just a single lesson.

If you want to know more about crafting units and lessons around driving questions, I detail it in this blog post all about creating a PBL classroom. Don't worry, though, you can still have great driving questions without going full PBL.

#4 The Next Level

It's one thing to go through the motions of a lesson and get words written down on worksheets, it's an entirely different thing to create ah-ha, connection, and takeaway. These next few are the strategies for you, my teacher friends, who are feeling like you have Marzano's basic strategies on lockdown and are ready for the next step.

Facilitate divergent thinking.

This is one of my favorite parts of being a social studies teacher. We are the teachers who get to challenge students to think beyond what the "right" answers are. We get to ask questions with no "right" answers at all!

Ask students to think of the opposite. Why wouldn't someone...

Ask students to find evidence for the other side of their position. On which aspect can you agree...

Ask students for an alternative. If she had chosen another tone for her speech...

Teach meta-analysis.

Never analyze a source for its content alone. Have students also consider the persuasive devices used, the tone that is developed, the organizational structure chosen. If you want your students to be independent thinkers and, more importantly, doers, then you have to show them the tricks to being effective communicators and citizens through the models of past successes!

Don't just show students photos of the 1960s lunch-counter sit-ins, but also have them decide how effective sitting-in is as a protest strategy. (I have a great DBQ mini-unit that does just this!)

Don't just have students read the arguments of Mary Lease, the Knight of Labor, and the Populist Party for how broken Gilded Age government was, but also have them decide what about their arguments and examples were so persuasive that they sparked real change. Check out my Gilded Age source 6-pack to see what I mean.

Connect to today.

As social studies teachers, we try our best to consume high-quality media, but still it's impossible to always be on top of each day's news cycle. So, give yourself grace, for sure, but also be selective about a few main sources that come in formats you can consume easily. Having even a small pulse on the news affords you so many opportunities to weave in and make connections to what you are teaching in your lessons. And I always find taking a minute or two of class time to make that connection is well worth it in deepening student learning.A lot of news organizations now have daily emails or podcasts that take just minutes to absorb. NPR's Up First promises to be around 10 minutes and the New York Times' The Daily is around 20 minutes. Sign up for Washington Post's newsletters for quick emails on specific political issues as well general headlines.

The Atlantic has great long-form articles on all sorts of social, political, and economic issues that can be read at a more leisurely pace over the course of a month. I have learned I just can't keep up with weekly news magazines, so a monthly one has worked well for me.

If you want a quick skim of the day's news from across the political spectrum, then AllSides is the perfect website for you (and one you'll likely want your students to explore!). For certain issues, I head straight here to ensure I am hearing different angles. It's very eye-opening!
I hope these strategies give you the starting point or reboot you need to be an even more awesome teacher! Click below to grab my complete 48-card Instructional Strategies flip deck for more great strategies in one easy reference tool!

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12 Best Instructional Strategies to Thrive as a Social Studies Teacher

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Be a great social studies teacher with these use-tomorrow, science-backed teaching strategies.

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Although this site isn't based in America, I found the way they organized their resources (graphic organizers, cooperative learning, writing/presenting information, and using oral/visual activities) to be extremely useful and easy to follow. This would be a perfect resource for an educator working with tier 3 students.

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There are many useful teaching strategies to support effective teaching in social sciences. This section contains a variety of graphic organisers; cooperative learning ideas; tools and resources for writing and presenting information; and ideas for oral and visual activities.

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There are many useful teaching strategies to support effective teaching in social sciences. This section contains a variety of graphic organisers; cooperative learning ideas; tools and resources for writing and presenting information; and ideas for oral and visual activities.

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Cerebral Palsy: Teaching Social Studies to Students with Mild Disabilities

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Cerebral Palsy: Teaching Social Studies to Students with Mild Disabilities

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This article did a fantastic job of highlighting the obstacles students with special needs face when trying to learn a social studies curriculum. Also, the article goes on to suggest various accommodations that can be made to help this population of student succeed.

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As the website explains: Classroom Law Project is a non-profit organization of individuals, educators, lawyers, and civic leaders working to equip students with the knowledge, essential skills, and motivation to participate in our democracy. I loved how the website was targeted at preparing the next generation to lead our country on a continued path of democracy.

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The best way to preserve democracy is to teach democracy. New Executive Director After a national search, the Classroom Law Project Board of Directors has announced that Erin Esparza will become Executive Director on Oct. 5, 2018, succeeding our founding Executive Director, Marilyn Cover. Golf Tournament Join us September 24, 2018 at the Oswego Lake ...

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Almost like a virtual field trip, this website enables one to travel all over time periods and across continents exploring different artifacts. Extremely user-friendly, I thought this would be perfect to use as a introductory lesson for a new unit.

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The British Museum's remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history and culture. Over 6 million visitors every year experience the collection, including world-famous objects such as the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures, and Egyptian mummies.
Discover our interactive experience The Museum of the World

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British Museum, London, United Kingdom - Google Arts & Culture

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The British Museum's remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history and culture. Over 6 million visitors every year experience the col...

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With an emphasis on teaching students to reducing prejudice and improving intergroup relations, I thought this resource was very appropriate for the times we are living in. The lesson plans are well organized and designed, and I think they could easily be modified for students based on their ability level.

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Learning for Justice is a community education program of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) that centers civic and political action education for everyone.

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The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages students in historical inquiry. Each lesson revolves around a central historical question and features a set of primary documents designed for groups of students with a range of reading skills. The lessons utilize reading strategies such as sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and close reading which help the student bring history to life instead of reading dry facts out of a book.

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History Lessons | Stanford History Education Group

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This curriculum teaches students how to investigate historical questions by employing reading strategies such as sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and close reading. Instead of memorizing historical facts, students evaluate the trustworthiness of multiple perspectives on historical issues and learn to make historical claims backed by documentary evidence.

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Developed by the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian’s History Explorer is designed for K-12 teachers and students and offers hundreds of free, innovative online resources for teaching and learning American history. I found this resource to have extensive information for both students and educators.

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Support for Smithsonian's History Explorer is provided by the Verizon Foundation

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The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

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The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

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In addition to including programs and lessons for a social studies teacher, a website features more than 60,000 unique historical documents that can be searched by time period, topic, or object type.

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The Gilder Lehrman Collection is located on the lower level of the New-York Historical Society. Please visit the Collection to examine original historical documents and artifacts in person.

The Collection is available online. Browse or search our website for catalog information and select images.

For full digital access, please visit American History, 1493-1945, a subscription-based database of the Gilder Lehrman Collection, published by Adam Matthew Digital. American History, 1493-1945 contains more than 50,000 documents from the Gilder Lehrman Collection. It is designed for teaching and independent research. More than 100 universities and institutions-including Harvard University, Yale University, and the Library of Congress-have acquired a subscription to the database for their students and researchers.

We're pleased to announce that Adam Matthew Digital has a special offer for K-12 schools of two deeply discounted pricing options:

$1,000 One-year subscription

$5,000 Perpetual access

To request a 30-day free trial, contact Meredith Godby, meredith@amedu.com or 703-969-2850.

Copies of primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman Collection can also be requested for reference or permission to reproduce for publication.

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the gilder lehrman collection | the gilder lehrman collection is located on the lower level of the new-york historical society. please visit the collection to examine original historical documents and artifacts in person.the collection is available online. browse or search our website for catalog information and select images.for full digital access

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a subscription-based database of the gilder lehrman collection

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published by adam matthew digital. american history

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000 documents from the gilder lehrman collection. | the gilder lehrman collection is located on the lower level of the new-york historical society. please visit the collection to examine original historical documents and artifacts in person.the collection is available online. browse or search our website for catalog information and select images.for full digital access

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a subscription-based database of the gilder lehrman collection

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
published by adam matthew digital. american history

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
000 documents from the gilder lehrman collection. it is designed for teaching and independent research. more than 100 universities and institutions—including harvard university

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and the library of congress—have acquired a subscription to the database for their students and researchers.we’re pleased to announce that adam matthew digital has a special offer for k–12 schools of two deeply discounted pricing options:$1

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000 perpetual accessto request a 30-day free trial

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meredith@amedu.com or 703-969-2850.copies of primary sources from the gilder lehrman collection can also be requested for reference or permission to reproduce for publication.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

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The Gilder Lehrman Collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection is located on the lower level of the New-York Historical Society. Please visit the Collection to examine original historical documents and artifacts in person.The Collection is available online.

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These videos helped me pass a college history class one time! I love how condensed and easy-to-follow the information is. The visuals also keep students engaged throughout the video.

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At Crash Course, we believe that high-quality educational videos should be available to everyone for free! Subscribe for weekly videos from our current courses! The Crash Course team has produced more than 45 courses on a wide variety of subjects, including organic chemistry, literature, world history, biology, philosophy, theater, ecology, and many more! We also recently teamed up with Arizona State University to bring you more courses on the Study Hall channel. Help support Crash Course at Patreon.com/CrashCourse.

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Focused on high school students, the Big History Project is a joint effort between teachers, scholars, scientists, and their supporters to bring a multi-disciplinary approach to knowledge. I liked how visually appealing the site was, and I also liked how it had standards built in for educators to consult.

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American Panorama is an historical atlas of the United States for the twenty-first century. It combines cutting-edge research with innovative interactive mapping techniques, designed to appeal to anyone with an interest in American history or a love of maps.

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I liked this website for a variety of reasons. First, it's print, visual, and multimedia materials that explore the diverse social and cultural histories of the nation seemed to really engage a visual learner. Additionally, the website contained podcasts of different historical events that would be useful for an auditory learner.

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ASHP/CML challenges traditional ways that people learn about the past with its print, visual, and multimedia materials that explore the diverse social and cultural histories of the nation. Our professional development seminars help teachers use the latest scholarship, technology, a…

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Cerebral Palsy: 7 Simple Activities To Build Self-Esteem In Children

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Cerebral Palsy: 7 Simple Activities To Build Self-Esteem In Children

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Public speaking and self-esteem have a very intimiate connnection. In order to have a commanding presence while giving a speech/speaking, one must possess a decent level of self-esteem. This resource goes over ways to build self-esteem so public speaking isn't as overwhelming for a student with CP who might have low self-esteem.

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Cerebral Palsy: 10 Public Speaking Games and Activities to Try 

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Cerebral Palsy: 10 Public Speaking Games and Activities to Try 

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This resource provides additional games and exercises a student with CP could practice with a friend, family, or even by themselves! I like how the activities are simple and get the student talking. The only way to get better at public-speaking is to practice!

URL: https://ethos3.com/2018/03/10-public-speaking-games-activities-try/

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Cerebral Palsy: Public Speaking Activities for Secondary Students

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Cerebral Palsy: Public Speaking Activities for Secondary Students

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I included this resource as an additional place to check for new and creative activites that build speaking skills for secondary students. There is also a wonderful segment that discusses nonverbal communication, an equally important component of public speaking that a student with CP needs to be mindful of!

URL: https://languageartsclassroom.com/2015/04/public-speaking-activities.html

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Cerebral Palsy: 15 Fun Public Speaking Activities

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Cerebral Palsy: 15 Fun Public Speaking Activities

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There are tons of free public speaking activities and games on the internet! I included this resource because it included some outside-the-box ideas on how to get a student talking for an extended period of time.

URL: https://slightlyunconventional.com/fun-public-speaking-activities/

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Cerebral Palsy: Speech Therapy Exercises For Children

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Cerebral Palsy: Speech Therapy Exercises For Children

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Since many people with CP suffer from speech impediments, I thought this would be a great resource to use. It goes over four main ways to practice speech for students of all ages.

URL: https://www.speechbuddy.com/blog/speech-therapist/speech-therapy-exercises-for-children/

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Who doesn't like TED talks? This resource breaks down the 9 most important lessons one can glean from watching TED talks. I like how organized and easy to follow the article is!

URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2014/03/04/9-public-speaking-lessons-from-the-worlds-greatest-ted-talks/?sh=4769734e4a9d

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Public speaking is dreaded by a number of students in high school, so this resource could help a student fear this act a bit less. It includes useful tips and gives great explanations as to WHY public speaking is integral to communicating and being successful after high school.

URL:  https://www.collegexpress.com/articles-and-advice/majors-and-academics/blog/how-take-better-notes-high-school-and-college/

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Taking Better Notes in High School and College

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Taking Better Notes in High School and College

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While the student may not be in college (yet), this resource is another great way to brush up on note-taking skills for high school classes as well. I liked the fact the article embedded a graphic organizer for the student to use when practicing their note-taking skills.

URL: https://www.collegexpress.com/articles-and-advice/majors-and-academics/blog/how-take-better-notes-high-school-and-college/

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I found this resource to be helpful for students in high school who may need additional support with their note-taking. The article breaks down key components of the note-taking process in easy to understand terms in a logical pattern of organization.

URL: https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/take-notes.html

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I really liked this article because it went into great detail about how beneficial reading aloud can be for a struggling student. It also listed a sample set of "read aloud texts" that could be used by a student for additional practice.

URL: https://numberdyslexia.com/10-board-games-that-improve-reading-fluency/

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Improving Reading Fluency with Board Games

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Improving Reading Fluency with Board Games

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This website describes a total of 10 different board games that can be used to help a student struggling with reading fluency practice their skills.

URL: https://numberdyslexia.com/10-board-games-that-improve-reading-fluency/

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Since active listening has been emphasized in this course, I thought I would include this resource in my padlet. This website has tips on how to become a better active listener with easy to follow tips and directions as well as videos embedded in the article for students who are visual/auditory learners.

URL: https://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm

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This resource would also be useful for a student who struggles with active listening. It includes a short, visually appealling video with multiple choice questions, additional resources with more information regarding listening, and  a concluding set of questions that help the student consider the importance of active listening.

URL: https://ed.ted.com/best_of_web/foptnjVE#discuss

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This resource is extremely useful for students who may need additional support with different areas of grammar. The website contains explanations of different grammatical components as well as practice problems, handouts, tips, presentations, and links to additional Youtube videos.

URL: https://chompchomp.com/menu.htm

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This resource is a fantastic guide for student's who have questions about MLA grammar, style, and citaitons. Since MLA is the dominate style of writing in secondary education, I thought this would be a prudent resource to include.

URL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_style_introduction.html