Curriculum – Inquiry Teaching

Propaganda Techniques – Concept Attainment

Drew Story — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 23:51:50 +0000

This lesson is intended to teach students how to differentiate between ten different propaganda techniques:

Bandwagon
Repetition
Transfer
Testimonial
Exigency
Glittering Generality
Card-Stacking
Innuendo
Snob Appeal
Just Plain Folks

This is useful instruction in most Social Studies and we use it with current events and a review of political speeches like the State of the Union address. Be sure to read our Teaching Guide for the Concept Attainment Strategy first as it provides the methodology and process behind this lesson's format.

Subject Areas: Social Sciences, History, Humanities, Government
Materials Required: Advertisements (easily found on YouTube) are the suggested main data set, but historical posters would work, too. Optional – whiteboard or display for posting prompts, copies of provided handout
Time Needed: Typically an entire class period

Teaching Guide for Open Ended Discussions

Drew Story — Thu, 31 Aug 2017 03:44:24 +0000

Most teachers are well versed in handling directed discussions where students are asked questions and guided to a particular conclusion. Open ended discussions where there might be no single “right” answer are a very different kind of discussion, and much harder to do well.

Creating a successful open ended discussion takes planning. This free teaching guide will provide you with direction and guidance on how to use this teaching strategy to motivate and stir interest in for any topic in your classes. Open ended discussions are a great way to start a new unit, too, as a means of learning what background knowledge your students may already possess on a given topic.

A few sample lesson ideas are included in this guide in addition to details about how to create your own.

Subject Area: Any
Materials Required: Whiteboard or display
Time Needed: Can be an entire class period or only an introduction item.

Forms of Government – Concept Attainment

Drew Story — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 03:40:19 +0000

This lesson is intended to teach students how to differentiate between six forms of governments:

Monarchs/Oligarchies
Military Juntas
Democratic Republics
Democracies
Constitutional Monarchies
Anarchies

This is useful instruction in most Government, Civics and History classes and can be very helpful in some Language Arts classes. This lesson plan has been used successfully with both middle school and high school students.

Be sure to read our Teaching Guide for the Concept Attainment Strategy first as it provides the methodology and process behind this lesson’s format.

Subject Areas: Social Sciences, History, Humanities, Government
Materials Required: Optional – whiteboard or display for posting prompts, copies of provided handout
Time Needed: Typically an entire class period

Forms of Political Change – Concept Attainment

Drew Story — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 03:34:39 +0000

This lesson is intended to teach students how to differentiate between the concepts of:

Terrorism and Guerrilla Warfare,
Civil Disobedience,
Martial Law,
Revolution,
Civil War,
Wars of Independence, and
Coup D’é Tats.

This is very useful instruction in most History classes and especially in Government classes. This lesson plan has been used successfully with both middle school and high school students.

Be sure to read our free Teaching Guide for the Concept Attainment Strategy first as it provides this lesson’s methodology and format.

Subject Areas: Social Sciences, History, Humanities, Government
Materials Required: Optional – whiteboard or display for posting prompts
Time Needed: Typically an entire class period.

Teaching Guide for Using the Concept Attainment Strategy

Drew Story — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 20:28:12 +0000

How many times do we teach a lesson which hinges on the understanding of what adults consider basic concepts only to discover too late that our students have not grasped this "basic" item? Concepts are often difficult for middle and high school students to grasp. Cognitively, students this age just have not always developed the ability to think conceptively without help. Studies show that the true skill of thinking and articulating concepts doesn't develop in most humans until age 16 to 18. This free teaching guide includes a description of this teaching strategy, a couple of sample lessons, and a planning form for you to use with your own lesson development.

Subject Area: Any
Materials Required: Whiteboard or display
Time Needed: Typically an entire class period, or less.

Free Guide to Instructional Simulation Games

Drew Story — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 02:55:11 +0000

This free teaching guide provides details about using instructional simulation games. In simulation games, students may role play being legislators, mayors, parents, national leaders, Civil War generals, or even criminals. The designer builds the game so that the player can experience some of the everyday responsibilities, decisions, rewards, and pressures found in a slice of historical or social life, whether it is of the Congress, the family, or a small economy.

This teacher’s guide provides reasons for why you should include simulation games in your curriculum, and details about how best to teach with them. Please feel free to share this guide with others.

We sell several simulations that pair with this free guide. Please be sure to check out the following lessons plans:

Our culminating activities of Atlantis and the Who Killed Caesar? Murder Mystery Party are also hybrids of simulation games.

And coming soon, a Simulation of Congress, and a Simulation of Bunker Hill.