Uncommon History
149 Followers
Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
About the store
This is my eighteenth-year teaching secondary Social Studies in Michigan. Over the years, I've been designing curricula that promotes discovery, guided inquiry and high levels of engagement with historical, geographic, civic and economic concepts and key terms.
My goal is to create activities where students are continually processing the information and ideas to which they are exposed. Rather than lecturing and telling them what to learn, they explore ideas and information through means like guided inquiry, games and small projects.
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Christopher Columbus: Explorer or Exploiter? DBQ BUNDLE
How should history remember Christopher Columbus? This tantalizing question has been a favorite for years. Pieces of evidence from both sides of the argument are offered to question this historic man's legacy as a master adventurer and salesman or as an exploiter of native populations. The DBQ guided inquiry utilizes 12 quotes/ short passages from a variety of sources on Columbus and his legacy: everything from the Traditional Children’s Poem that heroizes him, historians who lauded him, to
5th - 10th
Social Studies, U.S. History, World History
5 World Religions: Timeline, Map, Reading Activity + Compare & Contrast Table
These activities on six worksheets (three pages front and back) introduce students to the central figures, beliefs and the basic history and geography of the world’s five major world religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity plus Animism.  This can be used as a supplement, review or stand-alone activity depending on how in-depth your curriculum requires. A key is available for a quick check of answers. These worksheets are partially editable in Google Slides and also come w
7th - 12th
Ancient History, Social Studies, World History
CCSS
RI.7.4
Also included in:Â Major World Religions: Unit Bundle
Climates & Climate Graphs Bundle: Reading, Analyzing & Creating them
This set of interactive reading and guided inquiry worksheets, Google Slides and Google Form or paper assessments directs students through a series of activities that review and build on their knowledge of climate types and climate graphs. Students will learn the five major climate types and can begin to learn the Koppen-Geiger climate classification system. They will learn to read, analyze and interpret climate graphs and climate data. They will use climate graphs and data to understand the cli
6th - 10th
Geography, Social Studies, World History
The Holocaust & The Final Solution: Defining Genocide. DBQ Bundle
This is a bundle package of the Guided Notes & Digital DBQ activities. Students will define, analyze evidence and assess the legacy of The Holocaust and the Nazi's Final Solution to exterminate the Jewish people in Europe and beyond, which became the worst example of genocide in human history. Each resource provides students unique opportunities to investigate and reflect upon these critical events to history. This topic remains one of students favorites to learn and write about despite the ve
9th - 12th
Social Studies, U.S. History, World History
Cold War Ideologies: Democracy & Capitalism VS. Communism & Socialism - New
This interactive reading and annotation activity helps guide students through the key ideas that were part of the ideological war of the cold war. This is a tool to help students recognize how the US framed the competing sets of political, economic and cultural values at the heart of this clash. Students complete several fill-in-the-blank reading sections to consider the meaning of democracy, capitalism, socialism and communism and how they were opposed to each other during the Cold War. A pr
7th - 12th
Social Studies, U.S. History, World History
Also included in:Â Cold War Bundle Duo: 2 Resources - 1 Package.
Different Types or Forms of Government Comparison - Government Bundle
Help students recognize the key characteristics of and differentiate between 10 major forms of government: Democracy, Anarchy, Republic, Dictatorship, Military Junta, Socialist Government, Monarchy, Oligarchy, Tribal Government & Theocracy. Students will complete a key characteristics and definitions reading that can be checked using the key in the presentation. They will then complete a table to find modern and historic examples of each government type. Finally, a Google Form Quiz can be us
6th - 12th
Civics, Government, Social Studies
Also included in:Â Foundations of Government Bundle
Economics Bundle: Market Failures, Public & Private Goods, and Externalities
Keep students engaged while teaching the basic concepts of Economics. Short formative assessments are included in the teacher presentation. The interactive reading worksheet functions as a textbook that serves like a mini-workbook. The preview is the presentation and worksheet. All Uncommon History guided inquiry and reading comprehension activities encourage students to use critical thinking strategies to figure out the meaning to terms and concepts by analyzing texts, stats, infographics, ma
6th - 12th
Economics , Social Studies
The Stock Market Crash: Game-Based Learning Simulation
This game and guided notes activity can be completed in one 50-60 minute class. After the introduction, students have a blast playing this game that they think will go on until about the end of class. In the frenzy of buying, and buying more and more on margin or credit, they do not see the approaching doom of the stock market. Students feel the loss of the crash through the simulation, which opens discussion for a great debrief and perfect segue into the after-effects of October, 1929. Despit
6th - 12th
Social Studies, U.S. History, World History
Also included in:Â Bundle Duo: 2 Concepts - 1 Package. Totalitarianism & The Great Depression
Major World Religions: Unit Bundle
These Google Folders have everything you need for students to fully investigate the five major world religions: their geographic origins, place on the timeline, key figures, main storylines and core beliefs. This folder contains: An initial student inquiry activity to formulate some of the essential questions to drive engagementA teacher presentation and student guided notes activity about the three Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity & IslamA Key Figures guided reading activity that has s
6th - 12th
Ancient History, Social Studies, World History
How Historians Organize Time and the Timeline with Eras & Periods - Unit Bundle
This guided inquiry begins with song lyrics to an Eduparody of Chris Daughtry’s Home (the song is included as an MP3 attachment). There are fill in the blank reading activities that make for a quick and easy read-aloud activity and become the foundational information students will use to answer questions about how and why historians organize the human timeline the way they do. The worksheets will explore the traditional breakdown of eras and periods and also investigate how the terms are someti
7th - 10th
Ancient History, Social Studies, World History
CCSS
RH.6-8.4
, RH.6-8.7
CYOH Bundle: All Ancient Civilizations - Choose Your Own History Games
Choose Your Own History Games. Discounted Together. Bundle & Save. See Previews for individual products.
7th - 12th
Ancient History, Social Studies, World History
4 Market Structures: Monopoly, Oligopoly, Perfect & Monopolistic Competition
This student worksheet accompanies a short teacher presentation on the four basic market structures that exist within free enterprise systems and descriptions of the characteristics that make up each. The overall learning targets are for students to be able to: Define the Four Different Market Structure TypesIdentify examples of different structure typesDescribe the factors that make up each structure typeUnderstand what governments will do to increase competitionStudents will preview/ review
7th - 12th
Economics , Social Studies
Also included in:Â Bundle Duo: 2 Concepts - 1 Package. Market Structures & Enterprise
Digital Escape Room Activity: The Industrial Revolution & Its Impact
A good Escape Room can be fun for students. This Google Folder contains a Teacher Presentation with Instructions and a Student Worksheet to use as they work through The Industrial Revolution Escape Room. Students will enter a website in which multiple "rooms" have riddles. Those riddles will help them figure out the final key to a final room. This is a fun activity that takes 30-45 minutes to complete after a 3-5 minute introduction by the teacher. The Google Slides Teacher Presentation
6th - 12th
Social Studies, U.S. History, World History
Also included in:Â Bundle: The Industrial Revolution
Imperialism Bundle: The Opium Wars, Scramble for Africa & Conquest of the Congo
This bundle of resources is great for in-person or distance learning. It explores the causes and consequences of Imperialism in Africa and China, especially as it related to the Scramble for Africa, the Conquest of the Congo, and Great Britain's Opium Wars with China.  The mini-unit includes:an introductory inquiry activity attached to a teacher led presentation with Learning Targets, Success Criteria Questions, world and regional maps of colonization, political cartoon analysis and an overvi
7th - 12th
European History, Social Studies, World History
CYOH Bundle: Ancient Egypt, Greece & Rome - Choose Your Own History Games
Choose Your Own History Games. Discounted Together. Bundle & Save. See Previews for individual products.
7th - 12th
Ancient History, Social Studies, World History
The Ordeal by Cheque: Investigate the Roaring Twenties through a Murder Mystery
This activity can be a fantastic way to start the year or embed within the proper unit to shake things up a little. In 1932, Vanity Fair magazine released a story that was told through a series of checks called: The Ordeal by Cheque. It allowed readers to create a tantalizing drama about what happened through the evidence left behind by the checks. As the bulk of the story takes place in the Roaring Twenties, and as death unfolds through the evidence of the checks, students will need to grappl
6th - 10th
Social Studies, U.S. History, World History
Also included in:Â The Interim Years between World War I & II - Essentials Bundle
The Agricultural Revolution: Its Causes and Effects. Guided Inquiries
These Guided Inquiries help students to investigate the Agricultural Revolution. Included in the Google Folder are the following resources: A 4 page Guided inquiry/ DBQ worksheet that defines and analyzes the Agricultural Revolution with text and diagrams. An 8 page Interactive Reading set of worksheets that adapts an article by scholar/ historian Jared Diamond, "The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race." The article has been shortened for a middle school audience. It has been bro
7th - 12th
Ancient History, Social Studies
CCSS
RH.6-8.6
Also included in:Â The Agricultural Revolution BUNDLE: The WHOLE Unit.
CYOH Bundle: The Constitution through Reconstruction 12 Games: 1787 - 1880.
Choose Your Own History Games. Discounted Together. Bundle & Save. See Previews for individual products.
7th - 12th
Social Studies, U.S. History, World History
The Cold War Map Activity - Google Slide Worksheet
This is a quick map activity that can be used for in-person instruction or distance learning. The Google Slide worskheets can be printed or shared digitally. Students will use the 1962 Cold War Map of NATO and Warsaw Pact members as well as Communist Aligned countries to either color or code a simple world map and label several key countries. There are two versions of the worksheet included depending on whether you want to break out the crayons/ colored pencils.
6th - 12th
Social Studies, U.S. History, World History
Also included in:Â Cold War Bundle Duo: 2 Resources - 1 Package.
Maps & Map Projections mini-unit: Bundle of Resources
These guided inquiries and activities explore the purpose of maps, common definitions, the representational element of maps, how world maps become distorted, and the basics of map projections. Students will analyze key differences between shape preserving maps like the Mercator Projection, equal area preserving maps like the Peter’s Projection, and compromising maps like the Robinson Projection. A complementary activity explores how some professionals believe that the Mercator map was used in
6th - 10th
Geography, Social Studies, World History
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About the store
Experience
This is my eighteenth-year teaching secondary Social Studies in Michigan. Over the years, I've been designing curricula that promotes discovery, guided inquiry and high levels of engagement with historical, geographic, civic and economic concepts and key terms.
My goal is to create activities where students are continually processing the information and ideas to which they are exposed. Rather than lecturing and telling them what to learn, they explore ideas and information through means like guided inquiry, games and small projects.
Teaching style
I like to use the following strategies as a teacher/ facilitator:
Guided Inquiry, Game-Based Learning, Escape Room Activities, Problem/ Project Based Learning, Interactive PowerPoints, Learning Games, Multimedia Presentations, Musical Adventures, Interactive Readings and Scaffolded Notes
My own education history
I have a B.A. in Philosophy from Calvin University. I received my Teaching Certificate and Master's Degree in Secondary Curricular Instruction & Design from Grand Valley State University.
Additional biographical information
I am married with three children and reside in Grand Rapids, MI.
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