Teaching Beyond the Timeline

Engaging Students in Thematic History

Teaching Beyond the Timeline: Engaging Students in Thematic History is a practical guide for shifting the the way we teach history in the middle and high school classroom. In order for our students to be truly engaged, we need to help them see the relevance of events in the past, moving from simple rote memorization to requiring students to meaningfully connect historical concepts, people, and events using patterns of comparison, causation, and elements of continuity and change over time. Courses organized around central themes also help to ensure inclusive and relevant curriculum for all our diverse students, a challenge that is difficult to overcome with a traditional, chronological approach.

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ISBN 978-0-325-17074-9 / 0-325-17074-6 / SKU E17074
2024 / 184pp / Paperback
Grade Level: 6th-12th

Topics: Assessment, Comprehension, Equity, Inquiry, Social Studies

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Full Description

Return the heart and purpose to the teaching and learning of history.

Teaching Beyond the Timeline is a practical guide for teachers looking to transform history in their classroom. China Harvey and Lisa Herzig share the rationale and research behind shifting to a thematic approach and the essential ingredients for a thematic course, including:

Demonstrating historical relevance and engaging through current events
Centering identity and inclusion
Using an inquiry-based approach

Using these tools of thematic teaching can help your students develop a deeper understanding of history and see its significance in their own lives.

Each chapter provides a step-by-step process and the tools for organizing units and lessons around central themes with your students in mind. Sample unit maps, lesson plans, and student work are provided to help you visualize teaching history thematically. Online resources, including downloadable planning forms and teaching tools, give you everything you need to redesign and teach your middle and high school history course.

"Teaching thematically allows students to make meaning and to draw connections between the past, the present, and the future. Teaching thematically transforms history from something to recall to something to explore with curiosity."  —Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn, Ed.D

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Table of Contents

Foreword
Acknowledgments

Introduction
— Why Teach Thematically?
— How to Use This Book?

Chapter 1: Outlining Ingredients for a Thematic Course
— The Thematic Concept
— Essential Ingredients for a Thematic Course
Chapter 2: Framing the Thematic Course
— Creating Central Course Themes
— Developing Big-Picture Questions
— Creating Unit-Level Themes
— Developing Unit-Level Focus Questions
Chapter 3: Building Units Around Your Unit-Level Focus Questions
— Mapping Out the Flow of a Unit
— Making it Personal for Students
Chapter 4: Designing Thematic Lessons
— How to Build a Thematic Lesson
— A Preview of Thematic Teaching in Action: Creating Thematic Lesson Plans
Chapter 5: Thematic Teaching in Action: Broad Time Period Lesson on Voting Rights
— Building a Lesson That Spans a Broad Period of Time
— An Overview of the Black American Voting Rights Lesson
Chapter 6: Thematic Teaching in Action: Narrow Time Period Lesson on Women and the War Effort
— Building a Lesson That Focuses on a Narrow Period of Time
— An Overview of the "Women and the War Effort" Lesson
Chapter 7: Assessing Students in a Thematic Course
— Creating Engaging and Relevant Thematic Assessments
— Thematic Unit Summative Assessments
— End-of-Year Culminating Projects
Conclusion
— Our Reflections on the Thematic Approach
— Our Students' Reflections on the Thematic Approach
— Teacher Reflections on the Thematic Approach
— Final Thoughts on the Thematic Approach
Appendix
Works Cited

Samples

Reviews

“I could go on about the many zinger moments in Teaching Beyond the Timeline that made me want to replan some of my units right now and test them out on real students! Really, though, you need to experience the book’s friendly intricacy for yourself – and then buy it for every preservice, new and veteran social studies teacher you know.”—Sarah Cooper, MiddleWeb