C-SPAN's StudentCam is an annual national video documentary competition that encourages students to think seriously about issues that affect our communities and our nation. Students are asked to create a short (5-8 minute) video documentary on a topic related to the competition theme listed below.
The Constitution and You: Select any provision of the U.S. Constitution and create a video illustrating why it’s important to you.”
Your documentary may focus on any section of the Preamble, Articles, or Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. You should not focus your documentary on failed or proposed amendments that have yet to pass.
Choose a provision, grab a camera, and get started on your documentary today!
What it is: History Pin is a really neat website that lets students (and anyone) electronically “pin” historical pictures, videos, audio clips, and stories to a digital globe. There are three main ways to use History Pin: exploring it, adding to it, or curating things on it
How to integrate History Pin into the classroom: History Pin is a neat place for students to learn about history. They can see history through pictures, video and stories submitted by people around the world. History Pin is also a fantastic place for students to demonstrate learning. They can add pins, create collections or tours around their learning.
This is my favorite "find" from summer academy! It is like an on-line textbook with interactive links to images, videos, audio clips and primary sources.
In going through my archives I just rediscovered a couple of nice resources for teaching about politics through the use political cartoons, videos, and primary resources.
Historians read the first part, then jump to the end and ask themselves:
Who wrote this?
When was it written?
What else do I need to know to make a considered and valued judgment?
What is the author's point of view?
Why was it written?
Is this source believable? Why? Why not?
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Before we accept this as fact or true, we ask ourselves the above questions. (This is called Sourcing)
It's critical thinking and evaluation. It's worthwhile. Not just filling in worksheets.
A look at advertising can introduce students to persuasive writing, the effect of different music, colors and mediums, critical thinking and problem solving.
I like to have students to consider both sides of advertising. First, what does it mean to be a consumer and how does advertising play into that? Second, how would you create an advertisement that reaches a target audience?
You can also tie advertising to history by asking students to look at World War II posters
In fact every time I have helped a teacher flip their classroom in the high school it has never involved videos. Instead it involves students actively finding information, making sense of it, and then coming to class ready to discuss with the teacher what they have learned, what questions they have and, what it is they still don’t know/understand.
Currently I am working with a history teacher who came to me with some “really dry historical content” that he needed to cover in his 11th grade Thailand and Southeast Asia history class.
The essential question: How does the past influence the present?