During the summer, I am sharing thematic posts bringing together responses on similar topics from the past 11 years. You can see all those collections from the first 10 years here.

Today’s theme is Teaching Social Studies.

You can see the list following this excerpt from one of the posts:

1. Teaching About Slavery in the United States? Start With Honesty

Strategies have to include teachers acknowledging what they don’t know and recognizing they have to convey some ugly truths. Read more.

2. Strategies for Using Art in Math, English, Science, and History

Employing art to explore geometric patterns and to scaffold essay writing are among the ways educators can use art in their classes. Read more.

3. Introducing Primary Sources to Students

Five educators share strategies for introducing primary sources to students, including English-language learners. Read more.

4. Eight Ways to Teach With Primary Sources

Four educators share ways they use primary sources with students, including a strategy called “Zoom,” and I don’t mean the meeting platform. Read more.

5. ‘Standing Up for What Is Right': Teaching in the Aftermath of the Presidential Election

Four teachers explain how they are handling this year’s—2020—presidential election in their classrooms. Read more.

6. Post-Election Teaching Strategies

Four teachers share suggestions for lessons following the 2020 election, including focusing on local issues and practicing media literacy. Read more.

7. Readers Respond: Should Politics Be Kept Out of the Classroom?

Many readers share their responses to the question of politics in the classroom, ranging from the importance of separating it from “partisanship” to stating that “teaching is political.” Read more.

8. ‘Keeping Politics Out of the Classroom Is Like Keeping the Water Out of Rain’

Four educators consider how to explore politics in the classroom, including by incorporating multiple perspectives and ensuring all student voices are heard. Read more.

9. Politics Belongs in the Classroom

Four educators discuss the importance of bringing politics into the classroom, including to help students develop skills in discourse and information literacy. Read more.

10. ‘Classrooms Are Political’

Four educators push back against the admonition to “keep politics out of the classroom” by, among other things, explaining that schools are part of a broader political system. Read more.

More Q&A posts about teaching social studies:

• Ways to ‘Break Down Walls Between Classroom & Community’
• Three Ways to Bring the Classroom to the Community
• Adapting Social Studies for Remote Teaching
• Social Studies Instruction in the Age of the Coronavirus
• Making Current-Events Connections to Lessons
• Seven Ways to Bring Current Events Into the Classroom
• The Best Social Studies Lesson Is When History Comes ‘Alive’
• It’s a Great Lesson When Students ‘Want to Continue Their Own Learning’
• Ways to Strengthen Students’ Information-Literacy Skills
• We Need to Teach Our Students to Be Smart Consumers of Information’
• ‘Students Need to DO History, Not Just Listen to it’
• Ways to Use Tech in Social Studies Classes
• ‘We Should Embrace Writing in Social Studies’
• Ways to Integrate Writing in Social Studies Classes
• Helping Students ‘Get Into History’
• Social Studies Is ‘About Creating Skilled Inquirers’
• Common Core Moves Social Studies From ‘Memorization’ to a ‘Meaningful Place’
• Common Core in Social Studies Looks Like ‘the Work of Historians’
• Teachers Lose ‘Credibility’ If We Don’t Address ‘Controversial’ Topics
• Fear’ Should Not Stop Us From Exploring ‘Controversial’ Topics in School
• Teachers Should Examine ‘Biases’ When Discussing ‘Sensitive’ Topics
• ‘Don’t Avoid Controversial Topics’ in School
• It’s ‘Vital’ for Teachers to ‘Integrate Controversial Topics Into Lessons’
• Ways Principals Can Assist Social Studies Teachers
• ‘Doing’ Geography Instead of ‘Studying’ It
• Engaging With Class & Race in the Classroom
• Ways to Teach Globalization
• Teaching History by Encouraging Curiosity
• Teaching History by Not Giving ‘the Answers’
• Ways to Deal With ‘History Myths’ in the Classroom
• EdWeek Readers’ Ideas on How We Can Teach Social Studies More Effectively
• Additional Ways We Can Teach Social Studies More Effectively—Part Two
• Several Ways We Can Teach Social Studies More Effectively—Part One

Explore other thematic posts:

• It Was Another Busy School Year. What Resonated for You?
• How to Best Address Race and Racism in the Classroom
• Schools Just Let Out, But What Are the Best Ways to Begin the Coming Year?
• Classroom Management Starts With Student Engagement
• Teacher Takeaways From the Pandemic: What’s Worked? What Hasn’t?
• The School Year Has Ended. What Are Some Lessons to Close Out Next Year?
• Student Motivation and Social-Emotional Learning Present Challenges. Here’s How to Help
• How to Challenge Normative Gender Culture to Support All Students
• What Students Like (and Don’t Like) About School
• Technology Is the Tool, Not the Teacher
• How to Make Parent Engagement Meaningful