Course Structure

The structure of this course is based on the assumption that adults, like children, acquire knowledge by building upon what they already know and constructing it in their own way. The course is also designed to provide teachers with a stimulating experience as American history learners, experiencing strategies they can then bring back to their classrooms. Here is the structure of each Teaching American History session:

Introduction

• Provides an overview of the session topic
• Outlines the content and strategy learning objectives

Explore the Content

• Reflect on Your Knowledge asks teachers to draw on their existing content knowledge as a way to begin thinking about the session topic.
• Readings provides teachers with resources to refresh their understanding of the session topic.
• Featured Media focuses on a piece of media (such as a film or online activity) that continues to explore the session topic, in many cases, using the strategy explored in the following section.

Explore the Strategy

• Reflect on Your Practice asks teachers to draw on their own classroom work as a way to begin thinking about the session strategy.
• About the Strategy provides teachers with an explanation of the session strategy.
• Apply the Strategy gives teachers the opportunity to try out the session strategy in the context of the session topic.
• Evaluate the Strategy asks teachers to reflect on the challenges and benefits of using the session strategy with their students.

Extend Your Learning

• Further Content Exploration provides teachers with an opportunity to dig deeper into the session topic.
• Historical Interpretations provides teachers with a historian's perspective on the session topic and asks them to draw their own historical interpretation.
• Linking Content and Strategies encourages teachers to think about ways to apply the session strategy to other history topics and to think about other strategies that can be used to explore the session topic.

Additional Resources

• Provides additional resources for further exploration of the session's historical topic and teaching strategy