“If you believe people have no history worth mentioning, it is easy to believe they have no humanity worth defending.”
- William Loren Katz, Historian
Humanity Worth Defending: Disability History in State Standards 2021
Published on Mon, 02/08/2021
"Messages from Masks" Album showcases Civics poster art
Published on Wed, 01/27/2021
The featured poster in our most recent eNews issue comes from a teacher-friendly album of downloadable and easy-to-share images, each accompanied by teaching notes.
History's Mysteries K-5 is exciting young history detectives
Published on Fri, 12/18/2020
December 18, 2020 Update: Newly added to the Kindergarten unit: Mystery #4, HOW DOES A TRADITION BECOME A HOLIDAY? about Juneteenth.
"What has excited my kids most is the chance to be detectives. They look forward to the days of the week when they get to hunt for clues."
-2nd Grade Teacher
November 16, 2020
New Primary Source Sets and Picture Books Feature Disability History
Published on Fri, 10/02/2020
Pairing Picture Books with Primary Sources: Primary Source Sets from Missouri School Librarian Tom Bober Feature Disability History
Bober’s new Primary Source Podcast compliments his KnowledgeQuest blog posts on picture books and primary sources
People familiar with the work of Emerging America will know that our Accessing Inquiry project and clearinghouse of resources offers one of the best available archives of accessible lesson plans that address topics related to people with disabilities across American history.
Wendy Harris guest post: What exactly is a disability?
Published on Tue, 09/22/2020
In celebration of our new course on teaching disability history in the K-12 classroom, we invited Wendy Harris, a teacher at a school for the Deaf with expertise in teaching DeafBlind students, to share her thoughts about disability with us. The topic of Deafness as a disability gives the opportunity to begin with an exploration of the conception of DISABILITY itself, and the question of what abilities and attributes should be regarded as a disadvantage or an equally valid and valuable difference in experience of the world. This is where Wendy Harris's reflections begin.
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NERC Workshop : Teaching History’s Mysteries Elementary Inquiry
Published on Mon, 09/21/2020
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History's Mysteries K-5 Curriculum now available!
Published on Fri, 07/17/2020
History's Mysteries K-5 Curriculum
The kids loved this! They were very interested in the slideshow the entire time. The narration made it seem like a movie. They asked a lot of thoughtful questions and had lots of good discussions. I liked that we had the flexibility to make it last as long or as short as they could handle. - First Grade Teacher
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It's your America! Teaching the U.S. Census
Published on Thu, 01/30/2020
The 2020 Census launched in frozen Alaska this month. The occasion offers many ways to engage student interest and historical thinking.
It’s not just about simplifying the English. It’s also about helping to recognize claims of cause and effect.
Published on Sun, 01/05/2020
We are preparing to teach an upcoming section of our course, Accessing Inquiry for English Learners through Primary Sources, and reflecting on what specialists in English language acquisition tell us about making history and social studies accessible.
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Why Teach Immigrant History? Exploring Language Communities of the U.S.
Published on Mon, 12/16/2019
In 2010, when Emerging America first focused on teaching strategies using primary sources to engage and support English Learners, we built the course content around immigration history, expanding the investigation to include the history of American communities that speak languages other than English. A key part of making curriculum accessible to all learners is teaching topics, concepts, and skills that are directly relevant to their lives. Not all English Learners are immigrants, of course. Yet many are, and today’s volatile politics of immigration impact all English Learners.
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