Cooper Smith

Teaching Resources

Technology in the Classroom

1. http://www.fallen.io/ww2/#

a. “The Fallen of World War II - Data-Driven Documentary about War & Peace.”
Home of The Fallen of World War II and The Shadow Peace, by Neil Halloran,
http://www.fallen.io/ww2/.
b. This interactive documentary walks you through the casualties, both civilian and
military, of the second world way, as well as the many wars since then. This
documentary does an incredible job at contextualizing the sheer loss of life and
making the death and history relevant to modern students. This documentary
could be used in either a unit about WWII or a unit showing the destructive nature
of war and the 20th century.
2. History Matters YouTube Channel

a. “History Matters.” YouTube, YouTube,

https://www.youtube.com/c/TenMinuteHistory.
b. History Matters is a YouTube channel that creates short (3-5 minute) videos that
cover specific events, and questions throughout history. These videos are
animated and humorous while remaining scholarly, engaging students with the
animated charm while effectively delivering content. These videos could be used
to provide students with an overview of a particular topic or to answer students’
questions in a quick and engaging manner. These videos are also available to
students outside of the classroom, allowing them to learn on their own time.

Primary Documents
3. “A Challenge to Democracy” Video

a. “1944 U.S. Government-Produced Film ‘A ... - Youtube.com.” YouTube, 1944,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHyqOe9FpPA.
b. This is a propaganda film produced by the US government in 1944 that discusses
the internment of Japanese Americans from 1942-1944. This video paints
Japanese internment in a positive light, explaining the necessity of the act, while
also acknowledging the “challenge” that such actions cause for our democracy.
This video would be an excellent introduction to a lesson on Japanese internment
or could also be used to facilitate a discussion. Showing students a primary source
like this would go a long way towards explaining the feelings and attitudes of
people at the time.
4. The National Archives

a. “Finding Primary Sources for Teachers and Students.” National Archives and
Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration,
https://www.archives.gov/education/research/primary-sources.
 b. The National Archives is an excellent place to find primary sources to use in
class. The national archives have a special section for teachers and classrooms,
making it the ideal website for research projects and other student led projects.
The site is organized by eras and dates, making research easy to navigate for
students.

Inquiry Based/Controversial Issues

5. FacingHistory.org

a. “Our Work.” Facing History and Ourselves, https://www.facinghistory.org/our-

work.

b. Facing History is an organization that creates lessons and provides resources to

teachers to create engaging lessons that encourage students to think critically
engage in discourse. “By integrating the study of history, literature, and human
behavior with ethical decision making and innovative teaching strategies, our
program enables secondary school teachers to promote students’ historical
understanding, critical thinking, and social-emotional learning.” This website
would allow me to facilitate engaging discussions around controversial or difficult
topics.
6. Some Were Neighbors
a. “Ethical Leadership.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum, https://www.ushmm.org/teach/teaching-
materials/roles-of-individuals/ethical-leaders/overview/ethical-leadership.
b. This lesson is an example of the plethora of resources made available by the
Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Holocaust Museum has created a variety of
lessons at all grade levels for teaching anti-Semitism, hate, and the holocaust. The
museum also has a collection of primary resources and activities that are made
available to teachers for their classes. This website has many lessons that I can
use in my class when teaching these topics in engaging and discourse based ways.
7. “Columbus on Trial” Activity

a. Bigelow, Bill, and Howard Zinn. “The People vs. Columbus, et al.” A People's
History for the Classroom, Rethinking Schools, Milwaukee, WI, 2008, pp. 21–28.
b. This activity comes from A People’s History for the Classroom, which contains
lessons and activities created to work with Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of
the United States. The activities in the book are designed to get students
discussing and debating historical events and content by placing them in the shoes
of historical groups and figures. This lesson in particular is a courtroom style
debate, with each group of students representing a different person or group of
people involved in Columbus’ slaughter and general mistreatment of The Taíno
people. This lesson, and the others presented in the book engage students by
encouraging them to pick sides and win their argument.

Discourse/Discussion Materials
8. Philosophical chairs

a. Gonzalez, Jennifer. “The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies.” Cult of

Pedagogy, 26 July 2019, https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/speaking-listening-
techniques/.
b. This article by Jennifer Gonzalez highlights a few effective group discussion
techniques and strategies, with step-by-step instructions guiding you through the
planning, execution, and debrief of the discussions. The usefulness of this article
is in its ability to describe and inform teachers of the variety of discussion
strategies that are out there, encouraging teachers to think outside of the box and
to put effort into planning and preparing worthwhile discussions.
9. Learning for Justice

a. Mahmood, Dr. Rachael. “Teaching Honest History.” Learning for Justice,

https://www.learningforjustice.org/.
b. This website provides lessons, resources, texts, and strategies for teaching
“honest” history and for engaging students in classroom discussions. These
strategies and lessons would provide a valuable starting point for class debates,
for both the teacher and the students! Teachers will find inspiration for lessons
and premade questions, while students will find valuable resources and tools to
build a support their arguments and opinions.

Differentiation
10. Cartoon Collection, Library of Congress

a. “About This Collection: Cartoon Drawings: Digital Collections: Library of

Congress.” The Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/collections/cartoon-
drawings/about-this-collection/.
b. The Library of Congress has access to tons of political cartoons from every
historical era, making them the ideal source for these historical sources. Cartoons
provide an excellent opportunity for students to analyze and interpret pictures and
historical events. Cartoons are also very approachable, with any student being
able to look at a cartoon and say what they see. The cartoons available on the
LOC website cover a wide variety of topics and time periods, making them
applicable to almost any lesson.