How to Use History Alive to Teach History

Teachers' Curriculum Institute (TCI) has created a powerful tool for educators with their History Alive program. Using 8 instructional practices, teachers can improve student learning in social studies using hands-on activities that engage students in the curriculum.

Instructions

1. Decide your instructional objectives or goals for the year. Check state standards and district guides to see what is essential for students to learn by the end of the year in history and correlate these to available History Alive lessons. You should pick and choose to keep the content amount realistic, since you don't want to feel like you have to hurry and "cover" stuff as opposed to teaching something well.

2. Develop a "Big Picture Question" for each unit, or maybe 3 to 5 questions. These essential questions should encapsulate the main idea for the content, be open-ended, and engage students in the curriculum. Use your questions to decide which History Alive learning units you want to use.

3. Supplement the History Alive curriculum with other materials that help meet your objectives. Some teachers and school districts are designing their own History Alive type lessons that might be available online, such as the Alief School District in Texas.

4. Attend a History Alive training to gain hands-on experience in the TCI approach to teaching and learning. Check with your school or district to see if they will host a training for you and some colleagues or contact TCI to find a workshop near you.

5. Create your own curriculum materials using the TCI approach if your school hasn't purchased the History Alive program. The TCI approach has 8 core aspects: theory-based, active instruction, standards-based content, a preview assignment, multiple intelligence teaching strategies, considerate text, graphically organized reading notes, a processing assignment and multiple intelligence assessments. Order the "Bring Learning Alive" or "Bring History Alive" books from Teachers' Curriculum Institute to learn more about their strategy.

Resources

• The Social Studies Department at Alief School District has teacher-created History Alive lessons.
• History Alive homepage with sample activities, discussion groups and more.