Jim Smith's Presentations
on
Teaching History
(plus a few others on the art of teaching any subject)


45-60 Minute Presentations

  • Why Teach History?: Finding a Higher Purpose
  • Republican Motherhood and the American Revolution: The Importance of Teaching U.S. History
  • Setting the Standard: Identifying the Characteristics of an Effective History Teacher
  • The Dark Days of April and May: Strategies for Surviving as a Teacher

75-90 Minute Presentations
  • Balancing Depth and Breadth: Covering Historical Content in the Time Available
  • Building a History Curriculum and Developing Effective Lesson Plans for Teaching History
  • Left vs. Right: Teaching American Political and Economic Theory in a U.S. History Classroom
  • A New Birth of Freedom: Teaching the Importance of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War in Shaping the American Character
  • Rights and Rights Talk: Teaching Students to Understand the Development of the Concept of Rights in U.S. History
  • Smith, Marx, and Keynes: Teaching the Three Big Ideas of Economic Theory
  • A System of Shared Powers: Teaching the Constitution in a U.S.History Classroom
  • Teaching History Students to Write Argumentative Essays
  • Teaching Students to Answer a Document-Based Essay Question
  • What is History?: Teaching General Historiography in a U.S. History Classroom

2-4 Hour Presentations
  • Finding a Higher Purpose and Surviving in the Teaching Profession
  • The Write Stuff: Strategies for Teaching Writing in a Social Studies Classroom
  • Thinking Historically: Helping Students Develop Analytical Thinking Skills
  • Time to Improvise: Teaching Jazz in a U.S. History Classroom
  • Defining the Sound of a Nation: Teaching Classical Music in a U.S. History classroom

1-2 Day Presentations