5 Things We Think Middle School Social Studies Students Know That They Actually Don't & What To Do About It

It happens every year.  You know it's coming, but it still manages to catch you off guard every time.  Your students (and not just one or two) don't know or don't know how to do something so basic it stops you in your tracks, and you probably utter those familiar words, "You should have learned that last year," or, in the case of working a pencil sharpener in a reasonable amount of time, in kindergarten.  Seriously, Ethan, how many cranks until it's sharp enough?

It's probably not their fault, and it isn't productive to blame elementary teachers anyway.  To borrow a phrase from Truman, "The buck stops here."  So, what do we do?  Do we scrap our scope and sequence and just teach elementary content?

​No.  Although, when I taught 8th grade American History, my students loved watching PBS' Liberty's Kids.  The answer is to fill the gaps while moving forward with new content.  I know it sounds like I'm suggesting learning to walk while we're running, but it's actually easier than that.  Over the next month or so, I will be blogging about each of the 5 things and giving you some FREE resources to get started!

So, make sure you continue (or start) to follow this blog to learn more about my Top 5 Things I Think Middle Students Should Know But Don't & What to Do About It.