Reframing Extra Credit

“Can I do extra credit to raise my grade?” I hated this question so much as a teacher. It required me to do more work and sometimes felt like it wasn’t a good practice. For a few years, I offered no extra credit because I didn’t have the capacity to grade anymore than I already […]

Memorial Day Lesson/Project Ideas

Most teachers in the social sciences discuss the wars that America has been a part of. It’s also important to discuss the people and places. Here in Arizona, we often remember Pat Tillman, a NFL player who left to enlist in the Army after the 9/11 attacks. Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan and is […]

{Guest Post} How to Be an Expert in the Classroom with Brit Bingold

I was given an awesome opportunity to be on Liz Evans’ podcast, Teaching History, Politics, and Stuff, which was a joy and a “taste of my own medicine” as she was on Learning Unlocked in Season 1, Episode 11: “How to Avoid Teacher Burnout and the Comparison Trap.” When she came onto the podcast last […]

Teaching AP Government Resource Round Up

Last year, around this time, I was looking at my calendar for Spring 2020 and knew I needed a solid plan because my semester was short (to the test), and I needed to make the best of my time. Add in the usual college visits, random Arizona illnesses, and other things my days would have […]

Engaging Final Exams

As a student, I was not too fond of multiple-choice final exams. It seemed that what I studied was never on the test, and the fact that it could change my grade up to 20% felt impossible. As a teacher, I hated the district-mandated final exams. I hated meeting to create them, fighting over what […]

Unit 5 Resources: Election Season in AP Government

“We should be giving students the tools to learn and know what they want about the election, as well as what they need to know regarding the curriculum.”