Through Many Lenses

This post features materials created by Kimberly Rouse and Martha Potts, two elementary cohort teachers, as part of a collaborative project to support student historical thinking through inquiry based learning. The unit was presented at the innovative teaching and learning conference, sponsored by microsoft in April 2012.

Students from two states join together on a journey through the American Civil War using a flipped classroom model. Utilizing primary and secondary sources, students gain multiple perspectives on the war. Students learn through inquiry-based lessons how the Civil War affected different groups: the government, soldiers, generals, people living in the North or South, slaves, and many more. The primary and secondary resources add a sense of authenticity to the lessons and allow the students to use evidence to support historical ideas they formulate throughout the lessons. Students examine and evaluate the primary and secondary resources for historical context in relation to war. By taking on a flipped classroom approach, these inquiry-based lessons garner more motivation, discussion time, Skype time, hands-on learning time, and engagement with students.

Explore the materials selected for this unit, which are organized in an online skydrive. Materials include lesson plans, sample video, primary sources, and examples of student work.

You can also go behind the scenes of this project:

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