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The Week That Was in 234

This week, we wrapped up the Revolutionary War and began transitioning into the formation of a new nation. From major battles to the Treaty of Paris, and the contributions of marginalized groups to the local impact of Revolutionary War veterans, the focus was on tying big ideas to personal connections.

EduProtocols were front and center, with Sketch and Tell-O taking the lead as students visualized key concepts across the unit. We also used Wicked Hydra to spark curiosity, Number Mania to connect history to local stories, and Brain, Book, Buddy, Boss to strengthen review and collaboration. It’s been a week of reflection, practice, and making history come alive through active, creative engagement.

Monday – Sketch and Tell with CER, Reading

Tuesday – Treaty of Paris Reading and 2xPOV, Sketch and Tell-O

Wednesday – Marginalized Voices lesson

Thursday – Brain, Book, Buddy

Friday – Number Mania, Reading

Monday: Revolutionary War Battles

Today, we focused on Revolutionary War battles, diving into the “big five” that shaped the war’s outcome: Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown. While battles aren’t my favorite part of this unit (and I’m ready to wrap it up by the week’s end), I aimed to make the lesson purposeful and engaging for my students while also pushing their thinking beyond surface-level details.

Starting with Curiosity and Context

To kick off, I posed a simple but thought-provoking question: How many battles do you think were fought during the Revolutionary War? As expected, the responses ranged from “10” to “1 million” (middle schoolers never disappoint). I shared the surprising fact that there were over 1,000 battles and skirmishes, but we’d focus on five key battles. This helped set the stage for students to see the broader context before zooming in on the most impactful moments.

Building Knowledge with Gimkit and Padlet

We started with a 3-minute Gimkit to review core terms and concepts from the Revolutionary War. This quick burst of activity keeps engagement high and helps solidify foundational knowledge. Next, I had students dive deeper by becoming “battle experts.” Each student researched one battle, focusing on:

When it happened
Where it happened
Two major events
Why it was important to the war’s outcome

To share their findings, I set up a Padlet divided into five sections—one for each battle. I provided directions, maps, and a prompt to guide their work. Students also used the “I Can’t Draw” AI tool to create images representing their battle, adding a creative touch. Once the Padlet was complete, students read through the shared information and mapped out each battle location along with three key facts per battle.

Pushing into Evaluation and Synthesis

After gathering information, I challenged students to evaluate: Of the five battles, which three were the most important? They struggled with this—evaluating and ranking require a shift to DOK 2 thinking, and it’s an area we’re still building. Students sketched a quick image for each of their top three battles, which helped them synthesize their ideas visually.

To extend their thinking further, we moved into a CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) exercise: Which battle was the most important overall? Writing a strong claim with evidence and reasoning remains a work in progress for many of my students, but these moments of struggle are necessary steps in their growth. While the CERs weren’t perfect, they showed effort and emerging skills, and I see improvement as we continue practicing.

Wrapping Up with Retrieval

To close, we circled back to a 3-minute Gimkit, reinforcing what we’d learned and giving students a sense of progress by ending with something familiar and fast-paced.

Reflection: A Mix of Wins and Areas for Growth

My students excelled at the DOK 1 tasks—reviewing, gathering information, and sharing details—but evaluating and ranking battles (DOK 2) proved more challenging. CER writing continues to be a struggle, as expected, but it’s something we’ll keep practicing. The process of grappling with these higher-order tasks is just as important as the end result. Overall, the day offered a mix of engagement, content-building, and opportunities for growth, which is exactly what I want as we head toward the end of the unit.

Tuesday: Treaty of Paris of 1783

Today was all about the Treaty of Paris of 1783, and we explored its impact through visuals, questioning, and perspective-taking. This pivotal moment in history not only marked the end of the Revolutionary War but also set the stage for a newly independent United States. My goal was to hook students with curiosity, guide them through the key agreements, and challenge them to think critically about the treaty’s outcomes.

Starting with Wicked Hydra: Hooking Curiosity

We began with Benjamin West’s famous unfinished painting of American diplomats at the Treaty of Paris. Using the Wicked Hydra protocol, students generated questions about the painting. Predictably, many asked whether Benjamin Franklin was in the painting and why parts of it were blank or cloudy. Wicked Hydra is one of my favorite ways to start a lesson because it taps into students’ natural curiosity and frames their questions as an integral part of the learning process. I deliberately designed the lesson to answer many of their questions, creating a sense of anticipation and connection as the day progressed.

Treaty Reading, Sketch and Tell-O, and Summarizing

Next, students read a one-page summary of the Treaty of Paris. I used a concise reading to make the content manageable, focusing on three key agreements of the treaty. To reinforce comprehension, students sketched out each agreement using a Sketch and Tell-O, pairing visuals with concise explanations. Sketch and Tell-O not only keeps students engaged but also helps them process information in a way that sticks. After sketching, students wrote a brief summary, which encouraged them to synthesize what they’d learned and translate it into their own words.

Mapping Boundaries: Visualizing the Treaty’s Impact

To make the treaty’s outcomes more concrete, we turned to a map showing the boundaries established by the agreement. Students read three short descriptions outlining the boundaries for Spain, the United States, and Britain, then colored the map accordingly. This activity was an eye-opener—it highlighted just how challenging spatial reasoning and interpreting written directions can be for middle schoolers. Even with labeled sections on the map, many struggled. While it wasn’t smooth sailing, it was excellent practice for connecting textual information with geographic visuals, a skill they’ll continue to develop.

Ending with Perspective: A 2xPOV Activity

To wrap up, we revisited the painting and engaged in a 2xPOV protocol. Students wrote from the perspective of the American diplomats in the painting, reflecting on the significance of the treaty and their feelings about independence. Then, they switched to the perspective of the absent British negotiators, imagining their thoughts on the loss of the war and the new boundaries. This exercise pushed students to consider the treaty from multiple viewpoints, fostering empathy and critical thinking about the complexities of peace negotiations.

Reflection: A Mix of Wins and Growth Opportunities

The Wicked Hydra and Sketch and Tell-O were clear wins—their questions and sketches showed curiosity and a solid grasp of the treaty’s major points. The mapping activity, while a struggle, was valuable practice in connecting abstract agreements to tangible visuals. The 2xPOV activity challenged students to think beyond surface-level facts and put themselves in the shoes of the historical figures involved, a skill that’s key to understanding history as more than just events and dates.

Wednesday: The Contributions and Paradox of Marginalized Groups in the Revolutionary War

Today’s lesson was about bringing the voices of marginalized groups into the narrative of the Revolutionary War, a story that often centers on the contributions of white men while sidelining others who played critical roles. Ohio’s standards emphasize the importance of teaching how different groups—enslaved people, women, and Native Americans—contributed to the war’s outcome. However, our textbook provides only a brief mention of women and an even smaller nod to enslaved people, leaving an enormous gap to fill.

Introducing the Paradox: Fighting for Freedom

As I prepared for this lesson, I wanted students to grapple with a critical paradox: How did these marginalized groups help secure freedom during the Revolutionary War, only to be denied that freedom in the new nation they helped create? It’s a difficult, uncomfortable truth, but it’s also an opportunity to make history more inclusive and meaningful. My goal was to push students to think about this contradiction and see history as more than just dates and events—it’s a collection of human stories, struggles, and injustices.

Building Context with a Frayer Model: Defining “Marginalized”

We began by unpacking the term marginalized using a Frayer model. Defining the word gave students the vocabulary to frame the lesson and helped anchor their understanding of how these groups were treated during and after the war. Adding examples and characteristics brought the abstract concept to life, setting the stage for our deeper exploration.

Sketch and Tell-O: Contributions and Denial of Freedom

Next, students read a passage I created by combining textbook excerpts and additional information generated with AI. I asked AI to fill in the gaps, highlighting both the contributions of marginalized groups and the freedoms they were denied after the war. The students then completed a Sketch and Tell-O, choosing one group to illustrate both their contributions to the war and an example of the freedoms they were denied afterward. This activity gave students a way to process the information visually and reflect on the paradox of fighting for freedom while being excluded from it.

Engaging Perspectives: Interviewing Historical Figures with AI

To take things further, I introduced a Frayer model activity where students “interviewed” a historical figure. Using Claude AI and Magic School Chatbot, I created personas for James Lafayette, Abigail Adams, Deborah Sampson, and members of the Oneida. While I’m cautious about using AI for marginalized perspectives due to potential bias, I carefully tailored the instructions to avoid harmful stereotypes and ensure the responses were appropriate for 8th graders.

Students chose a figure, conducted interviews, and completed the Frayer model, answering questions about the figure’s contributions to the war, their treatment during and after the war, and their legacy. This interactive component allowed students to step into the shoes of these individuals and gain a deeper understanding of their experiences.

Closing with Reflection: Living the Paradox

To conclude, I asked students to reflect on what it might have been like to fight for freedom yet be denied it in the new nation they helped create. We discussed examples such as being forced back into slavery, having one’s land taken away, or being excluded from voting. This reflection aimed to connect students emotionally to the historical content, fostering empathy and critical thinking about the inequities that shaped early America.

Reflection: Teaching Beyond the Textbook

Today’s lesson was a powerful reminder of the importance of teaching history as a collection of diverse stories. While the textbook offers a narrow view, using AI and creative protocols like Sketch and Tell-O and historical interviews allowed me to broaden the narrative and engage students in meaningful ways. Grappling with the paradox of marginalized groups is challenging, but it’s a necessary step in helping students understand history’s complexities and injustices. I’m hopeful that today’s lesson planted seeds for deeper thinking and more inclusive perspectives in our classroom conversations.

Here’s the updated blog post for Thursday:

Thursday: Reviewing with Brain, Book, Buddy, Boss

Today was a review day, and we used one of my favorite protocols: Brain, Book, Buddy, Boss. This time, we approached it through multiple-choice questions to reinforce key content from the Revolutionary War unit while encouraging collaboration, self-reflection, and deeper understanding.

Setting Up the Process: Brain, Book, Buddy

Students began by dividing their paper into three columns. I provided 16 multiple-choice questions, covering everything from Revolutionary War battles to the Treaty of Paris. Here’s how the protocol unfolded:

Brain: In the first column, students answered the questions independently without any help. This initial attempt was purely from memory, and I asked them to highlight or star any questions they were unsure of as they worked through the set.
Book: Next, students used their notes, sketches, and completed EduProtocols to review the questions they’d flagged. In column two, they wrote down the updated answers they found using these resources. This step not only reinforced their retrieval skills but also encouraged them to connect back to the activities and materials we’ve worked on throughout the unit.
Buddy: Finally, students compared their answers with a partner, writing their final answers in column three. Any discrepancies between their answers sparked a discussion, requiring students to explain their reasoning and come to an agreement. These discussions were phenomenal—students were engaged, asking each other questions, and even revisiting their notes to back up their arguments. The teamwork was inspiring and exactly what I hoped to see.

Grading and Analyzing Progress

At the end of the activity, I revealed the correct answers and had students grade themselves for each column. The goal was to reflect on what they knew independently (Brain), how much they improved with resources (Book), and whether collaborating helped them refine their understanding (Buddy). For most students, the progression showed clear improvement, but there were a few surprises—some students actually scored lower as the columns progressed! I chalk it up to the unpredictability of middle school thinking; sometimes overthinking or misunderstanding during the Buddy phase can derail what they initially got right.

Wrapping Up with Gimkit

To close the day, we played a Gimkit to reinforce the content we’d reviewed. The class averages—83%, 86%, 86%, and 90%—showed strong growth and confidence. Gimkit remains a favorite because it blends competition and repetition, making review both effective and fun.

Reflection: Balancing Independence and Collaboration

Today highlighted the balance between independent thinking and collaborative learning. Students showed strong effort in the Brain and Book phases, and the Buddy discussions pushed them to explain their reasoning and build consensus. Even when some students scored lower after collaborating, the discussions were valuable in fostering deeper thinking and reinforcing the importance of justifying answers.

The self-grading piece was especially powerful, giving students immediate insight into their progress and areas for improvement. Middle school is a mix of surprising growth and moments of “What just happened?” but that’s what makes it such a rewarding process. Overall, today was a win for reflection, review, and meaningful teamwork.

Friday: Assessment and Connecting the Revolutionary War to Local History

Today was a mix of assessment and transition, as we wrapped up the Revolutionary War unit and began looking ahead to the creation of a new country. With ties to local history, the lesson aimed to connect the broader narrative of the war to something more personal and tangible for my students.

Assessment: Gimkit and Short Answer

We started the day with a dual-format assessment. I set up a Gimkit assignment with 17 questions that stopped automatically when students completed it, giving them a focused goal. Alongside the Gimkit, I included two short-answer questions on paper, asking students to synthesize key ideas from the Revolutionary War unit. They had 20 minutes to finish both tasks, balancing their time between the two formats. After collecting their papers and recording scores, we transitioned to the second part of the day.

Number Mania: Local Connections to Revolutionary Veterans

For our next activity, we explored a transitional topic: Revolutionary War veterans settling in Ohio. I found a fantastic article from the Clermont Sun newspaper detailing how land in Clermont County and surrounding areas, including Hamilton and Brown counties, was granted to veterans as payment for their service. This topic is personal for me because my family has farmed Revolutionary War land in Clermont County since it was granted to my ancestors. Sharing this personal connection brought a human element to the lesson and helped students see how national history ties directly to their local area.

Like all Number Mania activities, I began with a statement for students to prove:
“Clermont County became a significant settlement area for Revolutionary War veterans, who were paid in various ways for their service.”

We read the article together, and students highlighted four numbers and corresponding facts that supported the statement. Using these numbers, they designed slides that visualized the information in a clear and compelling way. This task combined reading comprehension, critical thinking, and design skills, making it a great way to bridge content areas.

Wrapping Up with Insights

With five minutes left, I revealed eight possible numbers that could have supported the statement, giving students a chance to compare their choices with other possibilities. This final step sparked discussion about what makes evidence strong and how different pieces of information can support the same claim.

Reflection: Bringing History Home

Today’s activities were a meaningful way to connect national history to local significance. The assessment gave students a chance to show what they’ve learned, while the Number Mania tied the Revolutionary War to their own community’s roots. The personal connection—especially sharing my family’s Revolutionary War land story—added a layer of authenticity and relevance that helped students see how history shapes the places we live today. As we move forward into the new country’s formation, I hope this connection inspires them to think critically about how the past continues to impact the present.

TWTW

The Week That Was In 234

This week focused on building a strong base for our Revolutionary War unit through EduProtocols and engaging activities. We used Gimkit rounds to reinforce key vocabulary, Thick Slides to explore foundational ideas like government’s role, and Brain-Book-Buddy-Boss for structured retrieval practice. Midweek, students independently analyzed the Declaration of Independence, paraphrasing and summarizing key passages.

By Friday, we launched into the war itself, pairing Sketch and Tell-O with a Choose Your Own Adventure as Continental soldiers and a creative Funko Pop project. These varied protocols helped make complex history accessible and memorable, laying the groundwork for deeper exploration of the Revolutionary era.

Monday

DOI Parafly Link, Thick Slide Link

This week, we continued our journey into the Declaration of Independence, working to break down complex ideas and bring clarity to an iconic but challenging text. The goal was to keep the Declaration manageable, balancing cognitive load with targeted analysis. I aimed to help students connect with the key concepts through consistency, vocabulary focus, and engaging paraphrasing work. Here’s a look at how it unfolded.

Breaking Down the Declaration

We picked up with the Declaration, focusing on why it was created, who was involved, and what it outlined for the future of governance. Knowing the text can be overwhelming, I broke it down into digestible sections—five key excerpts, starting with its description of government’s role. This approach allowed students to work with smaller, manageable parts and helped me pace the class to keep focus high.

We kicked off with a Gimkit review of core vocabulary from the Declaration—terms like political bands, unalienable, endowed, self-evident, usurpations, and tyranny. Running Gimkit in short rounds gave students a fast-paced vocabulary review; after three minutes, I provided quick feedback and immediately launched another round to reinforce retention.

Parafly: Paraphrasing with Scaffolding

Moving into the Parafly activity, I used Socrative to facilitate the paraphrasing practice. To get students warmed up, we started with random trivia and fun animal facts, adding some lighthearted engagement before diving into the Declaration’s text. I then introduced the five excerpts, inviting students to either paraphrase the original or work from a simpler translation if needed—an approach inspired by my special education background to support all learners. I pointed out the relevant vocab terms as we went along, helping to connect meaning and context in real time.

The Parafly took a bit longer than expected, with students getting involved in the layers of meaning within each excerpt. Although I aimed for a fast pace, I found it rewarding to see their focus as they grappled with language and intent.

Wrapping Up with Vocabulary Reinforcement

With time running out, we returned to Gimkit for a third and final round. It reinforced our vocabulary in a quick and dynamic way, although we didn’t quite make it to the Thick Slide summary I’d planned to close with. Still, seeing their engagement and progress with the Declaration was a win.

The week’s start has been a balance of repetition and exploration, and the students are beginning to see the Declaration not just as words but as ideas that shaped history. EduProtocols like Gimkit and Parafly have helped make the content accessible, and I’m looking forward to building on this foundation in the days ahead.

Tuesday

While I presented at an AI conference, my students worked independently on two key areas: wrapping up our exploration of the Declaration of Independence and diving into a basic introduction to the Electoral College for Election Day. With both activities, my focus was on reinforcing their understanding of purpose and process in government while also beginning the slow shift away from traditional worksheets.

Thick Slide: Synthesis and Locke’s Influence

For the Declaration, I left a Thick Slide assignment designed to help students synthesize what they’ve learned. They were tasked with listing three facts about the Declaration, explaining why it was written, and defining the purpose of government. To add a layer of historical analysis, I had them find a quote reflecting John Locke’s influence and select an image that could show King George’s reaction to the Declaration. It was an opportunity for them to connect the ideas we’ve been exploring and to bring a bit of creativity into the mix.

Election Day Connection: Electoral College Intro

Given the significance of Election Day, I added a brief lesson on the Electoral College. I provided a simple reading, a set of questions, and an Edpuzzle video to introduce the basics. While I’m gradually moving away from basic worksheets, I recognize that some students are accustomed to this format and often gravitate toward it. The goal is to phase out these simpler resources without overwhelming them—a gradual balance of cognitive load and new skills.

Most students completed the Electoral College worksheet, but the Thick Slide remained unfinished for many. I’d hoped they’d prioritize the slide, but I understand that their inclination toward worksheets is simply a comfort zone I’m working to expand. Since the Thick Slide is key to consolidating their learning on the Declaration, we’ll wrap it up together on Wednesday.

The day was a reminder that gradual shifts in learning habits take time. As we move forward, I’ll keep guiding students toward deeper reflection and away from surface-level tasks. It’s a process, but it’s encouraging to see their growing confidence with more complex activities like the Thick Slide.

Wednesday

Brain-Book-Buddy-Boss Link

With the end of our unit in sight, Wednesday was dedicated to solidifying knowledge and preparing for what’s next. We began with a Gimkit review covering British taxes, colonial protests, and the Declaration of Independence—an all-in-one refresher to activate students’ memory of the unit’s main ideas. Following that, students completed the Thick Slide they’d started on Tuesday, giving them 12 focused minutes to synthesize their understanding before moving into our big review activity: Brain-Book-Buddy-Boss.

Brain-Book-Buddy-Boss: A Layered Approach to Review

This review approach remains one of my favorites because it gives students multiple ways to retrieve information, collaborate, and clarify. Each part of the protocol has a unique focus:

Brain: Students started with 10 minutes of solo retrieval, jotting down everything they could remember from the unit. It’s a powerful way to see what truly “stuck” from the lessons.
Book: Using the EduProtocols we completed, students had 12-15 minutes to revisit their notes and review resources. This stage encourages them to reflect on what we covered together and reinforces their recall with structured material.
Buddy: Partnering up, students spent 8-10 minutes discussing and cross-checking their answers. This peer support helps bridge gaps in understanding and often leads to those “Aha!” moments.
Boss: Finally, students could ask me questions for eight minutes. I set a timer and told them that when the timer was up, so was the Q&A—creating a sense of urgency and encouraging focused, meaningful questions.

Reflections on Class Differences

It’s always intriguing to see how each class performs during Brain-Book-Buddy-Boss. Some groups had extensive recall during the Brain phase, while others needed more time with their notes. These variations make me think critically about my own teaching—was something presented differently, or did attendance play a role? Each class brings its own dynamic, and this reflection helps me adapt and refine my approach for next time.

Overall, today’s review reminded me of the power of structured retrieval and peer collaboration. By giving students a framework to recall, reflect, and refine, I saw their confidence grow as they connected the dots across the unit. It’s a gratifying way to close a chapter and prepare for what’s ahead.

Thursday

Thick Slide Link

Today, I was out of the classroom, but I set up a dual assessment to gauge students’ understanding of our unit on colonial unrest and independence. Knowing that my students were well-prepared after multiple reviews and practice with the material, I felt confident leaving them with activities that encouraged both quick recall and deeper analysis.

Self-Paced Gimkit Review

I kicked off their assessment with a Gimkit assignment set to complete when students answered 20 questions correctly. I like this self-paced approach because it adapts to students’ mastery levels—those who know the content can finish quickly, while others get more repetitions to reinforce their learning. The class averages came in at 83%, 80%, 74%, and 86%. The 74% average in one class stood out to me, given the number of review sessions we’ve done. It’s something I’ll need to revisit to ensure we’re addressing any lingering gaps.

Thick Slide: Independent Analysis

For the second part of the assessment, I left a Thick Slide assignment designed to capture various levels of understanding (DOK 1, DOK 2, and DOK 3). On the Thick Slide, students had to:

Create a title and subtitle.
Find an image illustrating the colonists’ desire for independence and explain it in a caption.
Compare Loyalists to the Sons of Liberty.
Identify and describe two British taxes.
Select a quote from the Declaration of Independence that reflects Enlightenment influence.

This mix of tasks allowed them to showcase both foundational knowledge and analytical skills. Despite my absence, 83% of students were able to complete the Thick Slide, which was encouraging. It’s rewarding to see them synthesize information independently and apply key concepts we’ve covered.

Today’s self-paced setup allowed for some great insight into both their grasp of the material and areas where we might need to focus more in future lessons. The combination of Gimkit for quick recall and the Thick Slide for deeper analysis created a balanced assessment that catered to different learning strengths.

Friday

Life As A Soldier Link, Sketch and Tell-O with Reading

Today marked the beginning of our Revolutionary War unit, and I used a blend of strategies to introduce core vocabulary, guide focused reading, and foster creative engagement with historical content. From targeted vocabulary practice to a Choose Your Own Adventure activity, each step was designed to give students multiple entry points into understanding the complexities of the Continental and British armies.

Gimkit Vocabulary Practice and Strategic Reading

We started with a Gimkit focused on essential terms like minutemen, Continental Army, and Redcoats—words they’ll see repeatedly as we dive deeper into this period. After running through the questions, I reviewed the most commonly missed terms, helping to solidify their understanding. I then had students skim the reading to locate these terms in context, connecting vocabulary to real content.

For the reading, I handed out a streamlined, one-page document that highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of both armies. (Our textbook dedicated three pages to this, but I find that a more concise approach keeps students focused and reduces cognitive load.) I prompted them with, “How long should it take to read this?” Responses varied from 5 to 10 minutes, so I set a 4-minute timer to add a sense of urgency and purpose. Their goal: highlight one strength and one weakness under each heading, keeping their focus clear and purposeful. By giving them a structured task with a set time frame, I aimed to improve both their reading efficiency and comprehension.

Sketch and Tell-O: Visualizing Key Points

With their highlights in hand, students moved on to a Sketch and Tell-O, where they created four quick sketches representing the key points they’d just highlighted—one for each strength and weakness. Importantly, they did this without looking back at the reading, challenging them to recall and process the information in a new way. After sketching, they discussed their drawings with a partner, building verbal communication skills and reinforcing the content through peer-to-peer explanation. This was followed by a summary writing task, helping them consolidate their understanding in their own words.

Immersive Learning with Choose Your Own Adventure & Funko Pop Creation

To cap off the day, we turned to an engaging, interactive Choose Your Own Adventure experience inspired by Mike Meehan (@MrMeehanHistory). Students stepped into the shoes of a Continental or minuteman soldier, making choices to navigate the realities and hardships of Revolutionary War life. This approach gave students a more personal connection to the material, encouraging empathy and a deeper grasp of the soldiers’ experiences.

As a creative wrap-up, students crafted their own Funko Pop soldier. They incorporated the strengths, weaknesses, and lifestyle aspects they’d learned throughout the lesson, transforming the facts into a personalized, imaginative artifact. This final activity allowed them to express their understanding in a tangible, visual way and capped off the lesson with a memorable project.

Each part of the lesson was carefully structured to balance cognitive load and engagement. The use of concise readings, strategic highlights, timed tasks, peer discussion, and hands-on creativity gave students multiple modes to interact with the content, making the start of our Revolutionary War unit both educational and memorable.

TWTW

The Week That Was In 234

This week was all about keeping engagement high and adapting to student needs with a strong lineup of EduProtocols. We started by wrapping up our government voice inquiry with a Thick Slide summary and fast Gimkit reviews, then dived into Sketch and Tell-o on Loyalist perspectives and Enlightenment ideas with Parafly paraphrasing exercises. Thursday’s Halloween twist saw students using Number Mania for the Declaration of Independence, while Friday’s low attendance turned into a lively Gimkit Draw session and creative Retell in Rhyme exercise on Disney movies and daily topics. EduProtocols once again carried the week!

Monday

Lesson Link, Thick Slide

Monday Reality Check

After missing Friday, I came back on Monday to discover that my inquiry lesson on the importance of having a voice in government hadn’t gone as planned. I had used AI to simplify the primary sources into 7th-grade-friendly readings, hoping this would keep students engaged and make the sources more accessible. But when I checked Google Classroom, only a handful of students had completed the work. The inquiry went deeper than expected, and without support, the substitute likely couldn’t guide students through the challenge.

Regrouping with Purpose

Rather than diving into low scores or assigning blame, I chose a reset. I’m not one to pass off low marks without offering students a real chance to understand. So, we tackled the primary sources together, discussing the background and importance of each source and connecting them back to our essential question: Why is it important to have a voice in government? We used this discussion to explore representation, power, and fairness—all critical ideas that lay the groundwork for the events leading to the American Revolution.

Thick Slides to Synthesize Learning

For our wrap-up, I had students create a Thick Slide summary on what they’d learned. Thick Slides have proven incredibly effective in helping students distill complex concepts into concise, visual representations, and the students did a fantastic job as usual. The content breakdown clearly helped, and it was rewarding to see them engage with and articulate these foundational concepts in such a clear way.

Reinforcing with Gimkit

We wrapped up with a Gimkit Fast and Curious to reinforce everything we’ve covered, from British taxes to the French and Indian War and the growing tensions with Britain. Class averages hit between 80% and 90%, showing that sometimes all we need is a little extra time to reset and regroup. It was a solid reminder of the power of building understanding, even when things don’t go as planned.

Tuesday

Sketch and Tell-O, Digital Inquiry Group Loyalists

With classes reduced to around 45 minutes, I knew our lesson had to be both quick and effective. This made the Loyalist primary source lesson from the Digital Inquiry group a perfect choice. I adapted the sources with AI, preserving the primary source feel but bringing the language down to a level that worked for 8th graders. My goal was to shift focus and challenge students to consider an often-overlooked question: Why would some colonists choose to stay loyal to Britain, despite rising revolutionary sentiments?

Setting the Scene with Inquiry and Quick Retrieval

We started with an inquiry warm-up: “We’ve been discussing how the Sons of Liberty protested British rule. What do you think might cause someone to stay loyal to King George instead?” After sharing some predictions, we moved into a Gimkit for a brief but focused review of vocabulary like Loyalist, Patriot, and other terms they’d encounter in the readings. I wanted to ensure they had the basics down before diving deeper.

Document Analysis in Action

Students then moved to Document 1, where they filled out an organizer, closely reading the text, sourcing the information, and contextualizing it in terms of its historical moment. We repeated the process with Document 2, helping students see the range of reasons people might remain loyal. Finally, we had them corroborate the two sources to find connections, patterns, and any differences in Loyalist reasoning. This built their analytical skills and brought out critical thinking as they explored motivations and biases.

Wrapping It Up with Sketch and Tell-o

For our final task, students engaged in a Sketch and Tell-o activity, visualizing three reasons for Loyalist loyalty and summarizing each one. This combination of analysis and creativity is really where their understanding shines—they don’t just read; they actively process and illustrate their learning.

We ended with a quick Gimkit for further retrieval, although the class averages varied, thanks to the adjusted schedule and excitement of a different day. The students really took to this shift in perspective and showed curiosity about how Loyalists made their choices. Even in a shorter time, they walked away with a new layer of insight into the diversity of colonial perspectives.

Wednesday

Lesson Link (Frayers, Parafly, and Sketch and Tell-O)

With a return to our usual schedule, we jumped right into two big topics: The Enlightenment and the Declaration of Independence. These foundational ideas helped shape American ideals, and I wanted to make them accessible and memorable for the students using some targeted EduProtocols.

Starting Strong with Fast and Curious

We started class with a Gimkit Fast and Curious, tackling key Enlightenment terms and early concepts from the Declaration of Independence. I kept this session short—just three minutes—and then gave feedback to help clarify terms. It was a quick but effective primer, setting the stage for the day’s deeper dive.

Frayer Fun: Enlightenment and John Locke

Then, we turned to the Frayer Model for the term “Enlightenment.” Students rewrote a definition in their own words, listed characteristics, and found a symbolic image. This helped break down the big concept, and I could tell from their summaries that they were getting it.

Next, we moved into a Frayer on John Locke. While I usually would bring in the Archetypes protocol to help link Locke’s ideas with Enlightenment ideals, I decided to keep it simple this time. Instead, students listed his beliefs, noted his influence, and added an image to represent him. This exercise anchored Locke as a key influencer on American revolutionary thought.

Parafly Protocol: Making Paraphrasing Fun

Then came Parafly, an EduProtocol that introduces students to paraphrasing in a super engaging way. I used Socrative to share fun sentences about topics like Halloween, quirky facts, and even SpongeBob, to warm them up to the idea. After reviewing strategies like using synonyms, simplifying, and rearranging sentences, I gave them two minutes to submit their paraphrases. Then, we voted on each round, and I provided feedback. The excitement and engagement levels were high. At one point, a student even said, “This is fun. Can we keep doing this?” They were totally absorbed—in paraphrasing, of all things!

We wrapped up Parafly by shifting focus to key terms like “Enlightenment,” “Natural Rights,” and “Social Contract.” Students paraphrased each term and then brought in some creative flair by using Emoji Kitchen to design custom emojis representing their ideas on a Sketch and Tell slide.

Wrapping with Another Fast and Curious

To end the day, we circled back to the Gimkit Fast and Curious from earlier, this time to see growth after our review of the terms. Seeing their scores rise was the perfect way to close out the lesson, with students clearly connecting to these revolutionary ideas.

This mix of creative, structured, and interactive protocols turned some abstract concepts into tangible understandings, with Parafly paraphrasing emerging as the highlight of the day.

Thursday

Halloween and an observation on the same day? No problem—EduProtocols to the rescue! Two weeks back, I’d casually agreed to a Thursday observation without realizing it fell on Halloween. Despite potential holiday distractions, I knew the structured and interactive protocols would keep us on track and meet the standards for my evaluation.

Kicking Off with a Fast and Curious on Independence

We began with a Gimkit Fast and Curious on the Declaration of Independence. This activity set the stage, refreshing students on key terms and events as we eased into the historical focus of the day. With classes in good spirits, I projected a Google Maps Street View image of Independence Hall to add some context. Seeing the actual site where the Declaration was signed gave everyone a sense of place, grounding our conversation in the moment of 1776 and shifting attention from Halloween to history.

Halloween Twist: A “Declaration Signer” Meme

Keeping things festive, I introduced an activity that blended Halloween fun with historical context. Students created a Halloween costume meme (EMC2Learning) for a “Declaration signer.” We talked through some “accessories” these costumes might need—powdered wigs, quills, maybe even parchment or lanterns. This meme-building activity was a hit! It allowed students to engage with historical figures through a lighthearted lens and provided a creative outlet that still tied back to the Declaration. The students brought some great ideas, and our meme creations lasted about 15 minutes.

Main Event: Number Mania on the Declaration of Independence

With focus re-centered, we dove into our main EduProtocol for the day: Number Mania. I started by sharing the quote: “The Declaration of Independence showed how the American colonists were willing to risk everything to create a new government that protected people’s rights. They carefully planned a way to explain why they wanted to be free and what they believed about human rights.”

Students read through our text, highlighting four specific numbers or statistics that supported the ideas within the quote. They then designed a visual infographic. Having practiced Number Mania with the Boston Tea Party, students were ready to go and applied themselves well—this time the numbers came together even faster.

Wrapping Up with Fast and Curious

Finally, we circled back to another Gimkit Fast and Curious for a quick review. Students’ Gimkit averages were up across the board—our rounds in the morning paid off with solid comprehension by day’s end. Between Gimkit, our “costume” meme, and Number Mania, EduProtocols helped guide the class from start to finish and make my observation a success. Nothing like a combination of creativity and rigor to wrap up Halloween with history and high engagement!

Friday

With attendance looking rough the day after Halloween, I knew diving deep into the Declaration of Independence wouldn’t hit the mark, so I pivoted to something lighter and more interactive. The goal was to keep students engaged without overwhelming them—sometimes you just have to read the room and adapt.

Gimkit Draw Mode: American Revolution Edition

We kicked things off with a crowd-pleaser—Gimkit Draw mode. This random-student-draws, classmates-guess format brought the energy up immediately. To keep it connected to our content, I had AI generate a list of simple, Revolution-related terms for students to draw, like “stamp,” “tax,” and “musket.” The guessing was quick, and even the less artistic students loved the challenge. This activity was perfect for the post-Halloween lull and reminded everyone that history doesn’t always have to be a quiet read-through.

Rhyming Games with Disney and Rhyme Scheme

Next, we switched gears to a quick exercise on rhyme schemes with a Disney twist. Using rhyming couplets about Disney movie plots (thanks again, AI!), we turned it into a guessing game. This light activity led to a discussion about rhyme schemes and couplets, and everyone had fun trying to guess the movie based on the rhyme.

Retell in Rhyme: The Challenge of Writing in Pairs

Inspired by our Disney activity, I introduced Retell in Rhyme. Students chose a favorite Disney movie and worked in pairs to craft a summary in rhyme with six couplets. Some classes took to it and got really creative; other classes found the rhyming tougher than expected, and I could feel the energy dip. For those groups, I pivoted: instead of summarizing a movie, I had them write couplets about everyday topics like “morning routine,” “making a sandwich,” or “rainy days.” This tweak gave students a familiar foundation and helped them find their flow again.

TWTW

The Week That Was In 234

This week in Room 234 was packed with a mix of EduProtocols, hands-on activities, and a focus on understanding colonial tensions. From Sketch and Tell-O for visualizing British taxes on Monday to analyzing historic protests with 8 Parts and Cyber Sandwich later in the week, each day brought something new. We tackled the Boston Tea Party with Number Mania to dig into key details and wrapped up with an inquiry lesson on “having a voice in government.” I even worked in guided notes—a rare move for me—to support their understanding of the British Acts. Each protocol helped keep the energy high while pushing students to think critically about the events leading up to the American Revolution.

Monday

Lesson Link

Monday didn’t start out the way I’d planned. I wasn’t feeling well, but I managed to make it to school—until that weird feeling just took over and I had to head home. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I ended up leaving…guided notes. 😳 Yep, the thing I swear I’m anti- guided notes. But sometimes, you’ve got to roll with what works for the kids you have this year, even if it’s not your ideal plan.

Guided Notes

I’m working with a student population that’s still getting used to taking ownership of their learning. So, while guided notes aren’t my go-to strategy (and honestly, something I’d like to phase out), they’re a starting point. I figured that leaving the notes would help the students review what we’ve already learned about British acts and taxes while introducing some new information like the Townshend Acts, Tea Act, and Intolerable Acts. I could’ve covered all the British acts and taxes at once, but knowing the group I have this year, I wanted to avoid overload. Small doses, steady progress—that’s the plan.

Sketch and Tell-o: Emoji Kitchen Edition

To follow up the guided notes, I left a Sketch and Tell-o activity. I had the students use the Emoji Kitchen to create visual representations of the British acts. The goal was for them to combine two emojis into one new emoji that represented each act, like using a tea cup and an angry face to illustrate the Tea Act. It’s a fun and creative way to get them thinking beyond the text, and I was hoping it would engage their imaginations a bit more than traditional worksheets.

Gimkit

I set up a Gimkit as an assignment and left it for them to complete. It was meant to reinforce the acts we covered, testing their recall and giving them that competitive, game-based edge they enjoy. I figured it was the perfect way to end the lesson independently—keeping it interactive even while I was out.

The Results: Progress, but We’ve Got Work to Do

Here’s what happened:

About 80% of students completed the guided notes, which isn’t bad considering it’s what they’re used to.
50% made it through the Sketch and Tell-o, which shows me they’re still warming up to that format.
Only 30% completed the Gimkit—but of that 30%, the overall average score was 82%, so they’re retaining the info, which is a positive takeaway.

Not the most productive day, but it’s progress. The plan is to ease them out of guided notes and into more interactive and student-led learning activities as the year goes on. We’re building stamina and confidence, one small step at a time. This class is growing—slowly but surely—and I’m adapting my approach to meet them where they’re at while pushing them forward. It’s all part of the journey.

Tuesday

Mr. Roughton’s Site

Tuesday, I was back in action and ready to keep building on the momentum (even after a rough Monday). To really drive home the idea of British acts and taxes, I used a classic Mr. Roughton lesson called “Of Parents and Children.” It’s a gem that uses a humorous, relatable approach to connect the build-up of the American Revolutionary War with the students’ own experiences.

“Of Parents and Children”: Bringing the Revolution Home

In this lesson, the premise is simple but effective—compare historical events to everyday situations that students can relate to. I read scenarios that mimicked the British acts and taxes but presented them as if they were happening between parents and children. For example, one scenario had the “parents” making their child pay the family Netflix bill (which, of course, got a lot of groans and eye rolls). The students wrote down how they would feel if that happened to them—most of the responses ranged from “unfair” to “totally unreasonable.”

After each scenario, we flipped the script and connected it to the actual historical event, like the Stamp Act or Townshend Acts. The students then made connections between the two, understanding how colonists might have felt and why they were so angry. It’s always great to see the lightbulbs go off when they realize how similar these feelings of unfairness are to the colonists’ experiences.

Taking Longer Than Expected

The activity ended up taking longer than I anticipated—students were really into it, and we had some great discussions about fairness and control. We didn’t have time for all the follow-up activities I had planned, but the engagement and dialogue made it worth it. It was one of those moments when slowing down felt right, even if it meant changing the pace of the day.

Fast and Curious Wrap-Up

To wrap things up, we did a quick Gimkit Fast and Curious. It was a great way to reinforce what we’d discussed in a fun and interactive format. The class averages ranged from 90% to 76%, showing that even with a more hands-on, discussion-based approach, they were retaining the key information.

It was a solid day of learning that tied the content to something personal and familiar for the students, making the history feel less distant and more relevant. Onward to the next lesson! 💥🔥

Wednesday

Lesson Link

Wednesday, I could tell the energy in the room was running low after all the talk about British acts and taxes. It was time to pivot and move on. I decided to shift the focus to how the colonists protested these taxes and why they chose to take action. And, to really hook them, I wanted to start with something dramatic—violence.

Kicking Off with a Hook: “The Bostonians Paying the Excise-Man”

To grab their attention right off the bat, I used the famous cartoon, The Bostonians Paying the Excise-Man. This picture tells a pretty wild story—perfect for keeping 8th graders interested while diving into the deeper meaning of protest and rebellion. I knew the image’s intensity would catch their eye and drive home the point that sometimes people resort to violence when they feel unheard.

I started the lesson with a quote on the board:
“He picked off his charred skin, kept it in a box, and showed it to King George III to prove his loyalty.”

It was just the hook I needed. Eyes went wide, and hands shot up. The curiosity was sparked, and we were off to a solid start. This lesson was done entirely on paper because I’ve noticed that my students engage more with physical materials than with digital ones—so we’re rolling with what works.

8Parts: Analyzing the Cartoon

We kicked off with an 8Parts activity. The goal? Analyze the cartoon with no background information—just raw observation. I asked them to list nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs they saw. This helped them start thinking critically without immediately jumping to conclusions. After they’d had some time to work through their observations, I filled them in on the historical context behind the cartoon and had them consider: Why would someone create this?

To wrap up the 8Parts, they crafted a summary using all the parts they had identified. It was cool to see them start piecing together how protest could turn violent and why.

Frayer Models: Sons of Liberty & First Continental Congress

Next up, we switched gears and worked on two Frayer Models—one for the Sons of Liberty and one for the First Continental Congress. I provided the Google definition for each term, but I wanted them to make it their own. They had to create their own definitions, jot down two examples of people they might have heard of who were part of each group, and sketch a picture to represent each one. It was a solid way to build context and give them some hands-on work that helped reinforce the key players in these protests.

CyberSandwich: The Story of John Malcolm

For the main event, we dove into a CyberSandwich about the cartoon The Bostonians Paying the Excise-Man. The story focused on John Malcolm, who was tarred and feathered by the Sons of Liberty. This narrative always grabs attention—it’s intense and dramatic, exactly the kind of thing that gets 8th graders engaged. They took notes using the who, what, when, where, why structure. They were all in, and you could see the gears turning as they made connections between the story and the broader context of colonial protests.

To wrap up the CyberSandwich, I tried something different. I had AI create a really bad summary paragraph for the students to fix. They nailed it—picking it apart, rephrasing, and turning it into something meaningful. It was awesome to see them take ownership of their corrections and really focus on improving the content.

The last task was to write a caption for the cartoon, but from the perspective of a British loyalist. This was a challenge for them. They struggled to switch perspectives, and it was clear that empathy mapping is still something we need to work on. But it’s all part of the process, and I’m confident that with more practice, they’ll get there.

Reflection

Wednesday was an active day that pushed the students to connect personally with history while developing key skills like analysis, summarization, and empathy. The energy in the room was definitely better, and I felt like the shift in focus was just what we needed to keep the momentum going. On to the next! 💥🔥

Thursday

Lesson Link

Thursday was all about continuing the theme of protest, shifting from violent and intimidation protests to destructive protests when people felt their voices weren’t being heard. Our focus? The Boston Tea Party—a classic example of colonists taking drastic measures to make their point.

Intro to Number Mania

I love using Number Mania for events like the Boston Tea Party, but I realized I hadn’t introduced this activity to my students yet. So, before diving into the history, I set up a practice round to get them comfortable with the concept.

To start, I had each student create a slide with 3 numbers that were significant to them. It could be anything—like their birthday, favorite sports jersey number, or the number of pets they have. Then, I taught them how to use Word Art, change colors and fonts, and add drop shadows to make everything pop on their slides. This creation time took about 12-15 minutes, but it was worth it. They got into the groove of designing and making their numbers stand out.

This step was crucial; it got them familiar with the process and built confidence so when we moved into the actual content, they’d feel ready.

The Real Deal: Boston Tea Party By the Numbers

With the practice under their belts, it was time for the real Number Mania experience. I had Claude (AI) create a “Boston Tea Party By The Numbers” reading. Of course, I fact-checked everything before handing it over to the students—got to keep things accurate!

To set the stage, I gave them a quote:
“The Boston Tea Party was a massive and well-organized protest that required careful planning, involved many people, and had huge consequences.”

Their goal? Find 4 numbers and facts in the text that supported this quote. We read the text together, and they highlighted the numbers that stood out. Then, they created a slide with their findings, just like we practiced.

Success with Number Mania

Thanks to the practice run, they nailed it. I was hearing a lot of “This is easy!” as they worked, which is exactly what I want—confidence and engagement. They connected the numbers back to the larger idea of the Boston Tea Party being a well-planned protest, and it was great to see them make those connections independently.

This approach worked wonders. It wasn’t just about understanding the history; it was about reinforcing the process, building confidence, and making it feel achievable. We’re definitely keeping Number Mania in the rotation!

Onward to the next chapter in our revolutionary journey! 💥🔥

Friday

Primary Sources Lesson Link, Thick Slide Summary

Friday was a day off for me, so I set up an inquiry lesson for my students—a deep dive into the question, “Why is it important to have a voice in government?” This inquiry question felt like the perfect way to wrap up everything we’d covered throughout the week about colonial protests, representation, and rebellion.

Tackling Inquiry with a Little Help from AI

Now, I actually like some of the inquiry lessons from the textbook, but the problem is they’re often a bit much. These lessons can be overly complicated, and many of the primary sources aren’t exactly written at an 8th-grade-friendly level. Sure, I want students to stretch their thinking and be challenged, but there’s a fine line. Most students don’t have the stamina for hours of “critical thinking” with material that feels too complex or abstract.

So, I decided to give this inquiry lesson a boost to make it more accessible. Here’s what I did:

Streamlining the Primary Sources: The lesson had five primary sources, so I took screenshots and ran each one through Claude AI. I asked it to rewrite the sources at a 7th-grade reading level, but still maintain the original tone and style. This way, the students could understand the essence without getting bogged down by archaic language.
Adding Context & Guiding Questions: For each source, I had the AI add context to set the stage—who wrote it, why, and how it fits into our big question. I also had it extract any guiding questions from the textbook and even create one additional question for each source to push the students’ thinking just a bit further.
Final Synthesis Question: The ultimate goal was for students to answer the question, “Why is it important to have a voice in government?” After they’d worked through the sources and guiding questions, they were meant to summarize their findings on a Thick Slide.

The Real-Life Results

Did most students finish the work on paper? Honestly, I’m not sure. I saw that about 30 out of 90 students got to the Thick Slide summary. My guess is that the majority were working through the sources at their own pace, which is totally fine. The focus was less on “getting to the end” and more on engaging with each source meaningfully.

This setup was a bit of an experiment, but I’d say it was worth it. Having simplified sources and targeted questions helped make the inquiry more manageable. Even if they didn’t all finish, I’m hopeful that they took away some understanding of why representation matters—a key theme we’ll keep building on as we move forward in our revolutionary timeline.

TWTW

The Week That Was In 234

Sometimes, the demands of teaching and life outside the classroom can be overwhelming. This week, I felt the weight of it all. Trying to balance lesson planning, teaching, and taking care of my own well-being hasn’t been easy, but I’m doing my best to carve out moments for myself to stay sane. Still, Tuesday’s lesson reminded me that, despite all the challenges, we’re making progress—one step at a time.

Tuesday

Lesson Link

Our focus for the day was colonial government, diving into how the colonies were left to create their own systems under England’s “salutary neglect.” It was a great opportunity to make connections between historical events and the structures the colonies built, giving students a look at the roots of American government.

We kicked things off with a Gimkit review to get the students’ minds engaged. The scores were rough—class averages came in at 49%, 60%, 65%, and 68%. Not exactly the strong start I was hoping for, but it set the tone for what we needed to work on. It’s all about growth, and sometimes seeing those lower numbers is the push we need to make improvements.

Map and Tell: Visualizing Space and Context

Next, we did a Map and Tell activity. I wanted students to make the observation that England was far away from the colonies. This helped us place the lesson in the context of distance and the impact of England’s hands-off approach, leading to salutary neglect. It’s one thing to tell them the colonies were left to manage themselves; it’s another to show them the physical distance on a map and let them connect the dots themselves.

Pyramid of Power: Visualizing Colonial Structure

To reinforce the concepts, we filled out a pyramid showing the power structure in England versus the colonies. The top half of the pyramid was England, with the king and Parliament. The bottom half showed the 13 colonies with their elected assemblies and town meetings. This was my attempt to help them visualize how the government was structured differently on either side of the Atlantic. We also tied this back to mercantilism, which we covered last week, emphasizing how England’s focus on economic gain allowed the colonies to develop their own political systems.

Thin Slides: Chunking Colonial Government

After the pyramid, I had the students use a Justin Unruh Thin Slide to work through chunked readings about the different foundations of colonial government, like the Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, House of Burgesses, English Bill of Rights, and Fundamental Orders. The goal was to have them engage with keywords and summarize these concepts visually.

But this is where things got tricky. The kids seemed overwhelmed by the task. I chunked the material into five slides, thinking it would make the information manageable, but even this proved daunting for them. I timed each slide at 5-6 minutes, but it felt like I was pushing a boulder uphill—students were struggling to keep up, and engagement was low. I tried to step in, reading the content aloud and shifting to an “I do, we do, you do” model, hoping to guide them through it.

By the time I got to the second half of the day, I realized I needed to adjust. I switched the Thin Slide activity to paper. It was a simple move, but it made a huge difference. With the material in front of them and fewer distractions, the kids seemed more settled, and the pace was smoother. It’s a reminder that sometimes we have to adjust and find what works best for our students, even if it means veering from the plan.

Wrapping Up: Finishing with Gimkit

To close out the lesson, we went back to Gimkit for a final review. This time, the class averages were better—70%, 80%, 74%, and 72%. It wasn’t a dramatic jump, but it showed progress, and that’s what I’ll take away from this day.

Reflections: Learning and Adjusting

It wasn’t the most productive day, and that’s okay. Some lessons flow smoothly, and others remind us that teaching is a constant process of trial, error, and adjustment. Switching from digital to paper was the right call, and it’s something I’ll keep in mind moving forward. If a strategy isn’t working, I have to be flexible enough to try something new in the moment.

It’s all about finding the balance—both for my students and for myself. Whether it’s adjusting lessons on the fly or taking a deep breath to center myself before the next class, I’ll keep moving forward. Sometimes, it’s about embracing the small wins—like those incremental Gimkit score improvements—and using them as building blocks for the next day.

Here’s to figuring it all out, one lesson (and one adjustment) at a time.

Wednesday

Lesson Link

We started the lesson with the “Brain” phase—classic retrieval practice. Students closed their Chromebooks and used their memories to answer a series of questions about the English Colonies. I set the timer for 10 minutes and challenged them to pull as much as they could from their own knowledge. The purpose was to emphasize thinking without relying on tech. As they worked, I could see some were really digging deep, and the effort was there. It was a great warm-up and laid the groundwork for the rest of the lesson.

Next, I had students highlight the questions they couldn’t fully answer, and that’s when we moved into the “Book” phase. Chromebooks came back out, but I was strict—no Googling! Instead, they had to rely on their notes and materials from previous lessons. I made sure to walk around, keeping everyone focused on using their resources the right way. This was all about reinforcing the importance of their own notes as tools and encouraging them to build solid study habits. The class was quiet but engaged, as students dove into their resources.

Once they had gathered their answers, it was time for “Buddy.” Students paired up and compared their responses, filling in any gaps or clarifying details they missed. This was the most interactive part of the lesson, and it was great to see them teach and learn from each other. I could tell that some students found confidence in what they knew, while others appreciated the chance to ask questions and catch up.

Finally, we wrapped up with “Boss” mode—that’s where I stepped in. Students brought their remaining questions or uncertainties to me. I loved this part because it gave me insight into areas where they needed more support and gave them the opportunity to check their understanding. I made it a point to answer their questions directly, clearing up any misconceptions they had about the material. It was a great way to wrap up the review while ensuring that everyone walked away with a clearer understanding.

The Results: A Big Improvement

I didn’t reveal the Brain-Book-Buddy-Boss framework upfront—I introduced each step as we went along, keeping the students curious and engaged. By the time we got through all four phases, they were fully on board and energized. We ended the lesson with another Gimkit assessment. This time, the class averages jumped significantly: 92%, 88%, 87%, and 86%. It was a major improvement from the 60%-70% range we had last week.

And the best part? I had them put away their notes and Chromebooks for the Gimkit—just their brains, again. The progress showed me that the strategy worked, reinforcing not only content knowledge but the value of retrieving information from memory.

Final Takeaway: Why I’ll Be Using This Again

The Brain-Book-Buddy-Boss approach hits all the right notes for an effective review session. It builds on retrieval practice, collaboration, and direct feedback—all while keeping students actively engaged. The step-by-step method allows them to build confidence, reflect on what they know, and fill in gaps—all in one lesson.

I’ll definitely be using this strategy again. It’s a win for the students and a win for the teacher, and it’s exactly the kind of structure we need to keep moving forward in our learning journey.

Thursday

Lesson Link

Thursday was a turning point in the classroom as we launched into a new unit: the Causes of the American Revolution. The focus was all about understanding the shifting relationship between the colonists and England, and how things went from cooperation under Salutary Neglect to conflict. I knew I needed a hook that would be engaging, relevant, and just disruptive enough to get their attention—so I turned to PBIS.

Hooking Them with the PBIS Bathroom Trick

Let’s be honest—classic hooks like pretending to tax pencils or papers just don’t cut it anymore. Kids see right through it. So, I pulled out a move that was a little more realistic. I went into our PBIS rewards system and created a store item—a bathroom pass—for a steep price: 150 PBIS points. When I announced this to the class, they were outraged, and that’s exactly what I was going for.

We launched into a discussion about why they were so mad. The students had a lot to say, calling out the fairness of it all and pointing out that I had never cared about bathroom usage before—so why was I making it a big deal now? That’s when I pulled out my “Aha!” moment. I explained that this frustration they felt was exactly what the colonists experienced. England had ignored them for years under Salutary Neglect, and then suddenly, it started enforcing policies and making them pay their “fair share.” The students connected instantly—it wasn’t just a random history lesson; it was a situation they could feel.

This hook worked because it was something they genuinely cared about, and it was believable. It’s way better than the cheesy, outdated “tax” tricks. When you tap into something realistic like PBIS rewards, they buy in because it’s their world.

Retrieval Practice and Review: WordWall and Gimkit

After we had our discussion, I wanted to keep the momentum going with some retrieval practice. I’ve been making a conscious effort to build retrieval practice into the routine so it becomes second nature. We started with a WordWall activity where I posted a 13 Colonies map and had students, from memory, drag and drop to match the colonies. They got one shot to do it. Most students nailed 13 to 14 colonies correctly, which was awesome to see—proof that the practice is starting to pay off.

Next, we switched gears to a Gimkit focused on the French and Indian War. I prompted them with the question: “Think about what changed the relationship between the colonists and England?” This helped frame the conversation about how England’s policies started shifting after the war, leading to the tensions we’d see later.

Thin Slides and Sourcing Parts: Making Connections

To dig a little deeper, we did a quick Thin Slide on Padlet. I asked the students to find the European country that controlled Clermont County, Ohio, in 1754. Their task was simple: one word (the country) and one picture (a map) to support their answer. It took about 5 minutes, which was longer than I usually like for Thin Slides, but they needed that time to explore and find the info. I’m okay with a little extra time if it means they’re engaging with the material.

We moved on to Sourcing Parts using the famous Join or Die cartoon. The goal was to pick apart the cartoon and write a summary of its message. This activity took about 10 minutes, but I was impressed. The students noticed details like the letters and abbreviations representing the colonies, which was exactly why I had started with the WordWall retrieval practice earlier. It set the foundation for them to make the connection to the colonies depicted in the cartoon.

Experiment Time: Guided Notes vs. Sketch and Tell-o

Here’s where the day got interesting. I tried an experiment with my classes: for the first three, I used guided notes while I talked about the French and Indian War. For the last class, I switched it up and used a Sketch and Tell-o, letting them read about the French and Indian War on their own and create their own notes. I wanted to see if one approach would yield better engagement or retention.

We ended with another round of Gimkit. The scores were all over the place:

First class: 45% to 69%
Second class: 39% to 76%
Third class: 31% to 66%
Fourth class: 43% to 74%

So, what did I learn? Well, honestly, it’s hard to draw any clear conclusions. There were so many variables at play—behaviors, levels of engagement, and just plain old classroom dynamics. In the last bell, where I tried the Sketch and Tell-o, I had a couple of my usual top scorers out of the room during the second Gimkit round. They usually rank in the top 5, so there’s no doubt their absence impacted the final percentage. That 74% could’ve easily pushed up closer to 80% if they’d been there.

Final Thoughts

Was it the guided notes or the Sketch and Tell-o that made the difference? I don’t have a definitive answer yet. What I do know is that mixing things up and testing out different methods helps me see where my students are at and what they respond to. Sometimes, it’s not about the perfect strategy; it’s about being willing to pivot and try new things, even if the results aren’t crystal clear. At the end of the day, any progress—whether it’s small jumps in Gimkit scores or students making connections to content—means we’re moving in the right direction.

The PBIS bathroom hook will definitely make a return in future lessons—it’s the kind of realistic hook that gets them thinking and feeling like they’re in the colonists’ shoes. And I’ll keep experimenting with different approaches to see what sticks and what doesn’t. It’s all part of the process, and every day, we’re building something better.

Friday

Lesson Link

Taxes and “No Taxation Without Representation”

I kicked off the class with a quick overview of why we have taxes in the first place—what they pay for and why they’re necessary. This laid the groundwork for our discussion about taxation without representation, so the students could start seeing things from the colonists’ perspective. I used a map to show the distance between England and the colonies, highlighting how disconnected the colonists felt from the laws being imposed on them.

I didn’t want to overwhelm the kids with too much information at once, so I decided to focus on just three key acts: the Stamp Act, the Sugar Act, and the Quartering Act. Breaking it down into manageable chunks felt like the right move, especially for a Friday when everyone’s attention span is hanging by a thread!

Iron Chef on Padlet: Act by Act

Once I set the stage, I gave each student a half-page of reading about one of the acts. They had 10 minutes to read and then jump into an Iron Chef activity on Padlet. The goal was to share key facts from their reading and use Padlet’s “I Can’t Draw” feature to create an AI-generated image that visually represented the act they were assigned. It was fun watching them explore the AI tool, and it definitely kept the energy up in the room.

Sketch and Tell with Emoji Kitchen

After we built out the Padlet, students reviewed each other’s work. Their task was to choose an act they didn’t study initially and create a Sketch and Tell using the Emoji Kitchen. They had 10 minutes to pair an emoji with a visual representation of the act and explain its significance. This approach was all about helping them synthesize information from their peers and think critically about how to represent historical concepts visually. The Emoji Kitchen adds a playful twist that keeps them engaged—some of the creations were spot-on and hilarious!

Wrapping Up with a Thick Slide

To pull everything together, we moved into a Thick Slide activity. I asked the students to create a slide that included the following:

A title and subtitle for context
Four key facts about the acts they learned
A comparison between the Stamp Act and the Sugar Act
An image that tied their points together

The Thick Slide gave them a chance to consolidate their knowledge and show what they’d absorbed in a structured way. It also allowed me to assess their understanding at a glance. I love how Thick Slides force students to think critically about what they’ve learned and distill it into a concise, visual summary.

Ending Strong with Gimkit

We wrapped up class with a Gimkit session to reinforce what we covered. The students always get competitive with Gimkit, and it’s the perfect way to review and end the week on a high note. I could see that focusing on just three acts kept things clear and manageable for them, and the structured activities made it easier for them to retain and recall information.

Final Thoughts

Friday felt like a win. By focusing on a few key acts and using a variety of EduProtocols like Iron Chef, Sketch and Tell, and Thick Slides, the lesson flowed smoothly. The balance of reading, visual work, and interactive review hit all the right notes. It’s all about finding ways to keep the students engaged while ensuring they walk away with a solid grasp of the content.

I’m looking forward to building on this foundation next week as we dive into more of the acts and continue exploring the buildup to the Revolution. The goal is to keep it fresh and interactive so that the students stay invested in the story of how these events shaped America.

AI and EduProtocols

Brain-Book-Buddy-Boss: A Winning Review Strategy

Brain-Book-Buddy-Boss-Link

If you’re anything like me, you’re always on the lookout for strategies that actually work in the classroom—ones that not only engage students but also lead to real results. On my way to school last week, I tuned into Gene Tavernetti’s podcast, Better Teaching: Only Stuff That Works, where he had Blake Harvard as a guest. Harvard shared an approach that I knew I had to try: Brain-Book-Buddy. I ended up adding a little twist—Boss. It turned out to be the perfect way to review our English Colonies unit.

Here’s how it worked, and why it was such a game-changer for my classroom.

Step 1: Brain—Retrieval Practice That Sets the Tone

I started the review by focusing on retrieval practice. Retrieval is one of the most powerful strategies for learning—it forces students to pull information from memory, strengthening their ability to recall it later. For the “Brain” part, I had students close their Chromebooks and use their brains to answer a set of questions on the English Colonies. I gave them 10 minutes to jot down everything they could remember, emphasizing that this was just about their own recall—no notes, no devices, just their memory.

This approach was a big shift for some students, but it worked wonders. Having them rely on their brains alone set the tone for the rest of the lesson and put the emphasis on thinking instead of searching. They quickly realized that they knew more than they thought—and it was great to see that confidence building.

Step 2: Book—Reviewing and Filling the Gaps

Once the 10 minutes were up, I had the students highlight any questions they couldn’t answer or were unsure about. That’s when we moved to “Book” mode. This time, the Chromebooks came back out, but I made it clear—no Googling! We’re all about using our own resources, so students had to find the information using their class notes and any EduProtocols we had already practiced, like Cyber Sandwich or Thin Slides, to review the material.

I walked around the room to make sure everyone was sticking to the task and using the notes they had created throughout the unit. This was a chance for them to practice good habits—turning to their own resources instead of the internet—and it worked! By using their own notes, they were reinforcing those study skills that will serve them far beyond this unit.

Step 3: Buddy—Collaborating to Deepen Understanding

Next, it was time for the “Buddy” step. Students paired up and discussed the questions they’d highlighted and the answers they’d found. This collaborative element allowed them to fill in any gaps they still had and bounce ideas off one another. It’s amazing how much students learn from each other when given the space to collaborate. They were actively teaching each other and, in turn, solidifying their own understanding.

Step 4: Boss—Clearing Up Misconceptions

The final step was “Boss”—and that’s where I came in. After they had a chance to work through the material with their buddies, it was time for them to bring any remaining questions or misconceptions to me. I stood at the front of the room, and they fired off their questions one by one. I loved this part because it gave me a window into what they were still unsure about. It also gave the students the chance to clarify anything they hadn’t quite nailed down yet.

I didn’t tell them upfront that we were going through a “Brain-Book-Buddy-Boss” structure—I taught it as we went along. This kept them engaged and curious, wondering what step was coming next. By the end of the lesson, they were fully onboard and loving the process.

The Results: A Massive Improvement

The proof was in the pudding—or in this case, in the scores. We wrapped up the review with a Gimkit assessment, and I was thrilled with the results: class averages came in at 92%, 88%, 87%, and 86%. This was a huge improvement from the 60%-70% range we saw last week. And the best part? I had the students put their papers away for the Gimkit, so they had to rely solely on their brains again. This kind of consistency in retrieval practice really paid off.

Why It Works: Blending Engagement and Retrieval Practice

What I love about the Brain-Book-Buddy-Boss strategy is that it hits multiple key elements of effective teaching. It combines retrieval practice, collaboration, and direct instruction all in one lesson. The structured approach makes it easy for students to stay engaged, and the different phases ensure they’re using their knowledge in multiple ways—solo, in pairs, and with teacher support.

Retrieval practice isn’t new, but finding ways to make it engaging can be challenging. This method adds layers that not only make it fun but also deepen understanding. I’ll definitely be using this strategy again, and I’m excited to see how it can be adapted for other units or subjects.

Final Thoughts

Whether it’s for a review or an introduction, Brain-Book-Buddy-Boss is a winner. It’s simple, effective, and most importantly, it helps students learn how to rely on their own knowledge and resources. After seeing the results with my English Colonies unit, I know this will become a staple in my classroom.

If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a go—your students will love the structure, and you’ll love the results.

TWTW

The Week That Was in 234

This week was all about leveraging EduProtocols to simplify learning, foster creativity, and reinforce key concepts. From using Thin Slides and Cybersandwich to explore complex topics like Bacon’s Rebellion and race-based slavery, to engaging students with retrieval-based activities like Graph and Tell and Thick Slides, the focus was on making learning more accessible and engaging. Whether students were interacting with AI chatbots or diving into historical data, these protocols helped break down challenging content into manageable, meaningful tasks. Here’s a breakdown of how we used EduProtocols to keep the momentum going this week:

Monday

Lesson Link

On Monday, I decided to try out something new and set up a free trial with Magic School. In the past, it seemed like a promising one-stop shop for classroom tools, though my previous experiences were inconsistent. But with a new school email, I created a fresh account and set up a chatbot for the 13 colonies.

My vision was to have a chatbot that would take on the persona of one of the founders of the 13 colonies. All students had to do was type, “Who founded <enter colony name>?” A few people have already asked how I set up the chatbot, so here’s how I did it: Instead of app smashing, I was AI smashing. I went to Claude AI and asked for a set of instructions for a chatbot that would take on the persona of one of the founders of the 13 colonies—geared for 8th graders. It even provided a knowledge base for each founder!

For this lesson, I didn’t think it was important for students to memorize every detail about every colony. Instead, I wanted them to understand the colony’s region, its geography, and its economy.

Starting with Gimkit: Colonial Regions Review
We kicked off with a quick Gimkit on colonial regions, a review of Friday’s lesson. The class averages ranged from 82% to 90%—pretty solid, especially for a Monday.

Frayer Model Activity
Next, I handed out paper Frayer models where students wrote a colony name in the middle and added information about its government, geography, economy, and religion. Looking back, I should’ve just aligned it with the PEGS acronym we used on Friday, but live and learn.

Introducing Magic School
I showed students how to use Magic School, where I had set up a classroom that allowed me to add AI tools. I added both the chatbot and an image generator, then shared the Magic School link with the students—super easy!

I loved this activity because it got kids asking good questions, which is such an important life skill. They could ask the chatbot about their colony and get personalized answers. For example, they could ask the founder to use simpler language or even to relate the colony’s geography to basketball! It was cool, and the students were hooked—many didn’t know AI could do this kind of stuff.

Students wrote down notes from the chatbot on their Frayer models.

Airbnb Advertisement Activity
The next step was to use those notes to create an Airbnb advertisement for their colony. I got this idea from Ditch That Textbook, and it was super easy to adapt. However, the students struggled a bit with this task. Getting them to think creatively and step outside the box is still a work in progress, but I see improvement.

Takeaway
The chatbot was a win—it allowed students to engage in inquiry-based learning and step away from the textbook. The creative thinking piece is still a challenge, but I’m confident that with practice, we’ll get there. The biggest takeaway? Learning how to ask good questions and use AI to personalize that learning was a game changer for my students.

Tuesday

Lesson Link

Tuesday, I needed a bit of an easy day, but still wanted to create a meaningful learning experience. We started the lesson by emphasizing the importance of using person-first language when discussing slavery. Instead of using terms like “slave,” we replaced them with “enslaved person,” and “master” or “owner” with “enslaver.” It’s a small shift but a crucial one, and I’ve learned it requires explicit teaching for students to fully grasp its significance.

Station Rotation Activity: The Triangular Trade and Middle Passage
The core of today’s lesson was a station rotation activity centered on the essential question: “How did Europeans exploring North America for trade, religious reasons, and competition with each other affect the history of the continent and the people who lived there?” This question has been guiding our exploration of European colonization’s impact on North America.

Students rotated through four stations, each engaging with a different aspect of the Triangular Trade and the Middle Passage:

Station 1: EdPuzzle Video
We kicked off with a 5-minute EdPuzzle video—a Ted-Ed lesson on the Middle Passage. The video was followed by questions to ensure comprehension and introduce students to the topic. The video laid the foundation for the rest of the activity.

Station 2: SlaveVoyages.org Interactive Map
At this station, students used the SlaveVoyages.org database, an incredible resource featuring a timelapse map of ships departing West Africa for the New World. The interactive map allowed students to explore individual ships, their cargo, and survival rates. It was a powerful, visual way to understand the horrific journeys endured by enslaved people. The database, built through collaborative efforts, was an invaluable resource for our class.

Station 3: Slavery Statistics
In this station, we focused on statistics related to slavery. Tying back to our previous Number Mania lesson, students saw how statistics have real historical context. They used data from the Slave Voyages database and connected it to the numbers we’ve been exploring.

Station 4: Slavery in the Northern and Southern Colonies
At the final station, students read about slavery’s presence in both the Northern and Southern colonies and how enslaved people managed to build their own culture despite their circumstances. A map illustrating the Triangular Trade routes accompanied the reading, helping students visualize the geographic connections.

Students worked in pairs at each station, discussing and answering questions. The stations ended up taking longer than expected, but seeing the students engaged and actively learning was more important than sticking to a rigid timeline.

Thick Slide Assessment
To wrap up the lesson, I posted a Thick Slide task. Students condensed the information from their station rotations into essential facts, answering the question, “How did the triangular trade and the Middle Passage transform North America?” They also used the Slave Voyages database to find a ship that traveled to North America and gather relevant statistics. As a final touch, they included a quote from Olaudah Equiano and an image with a caption.

Takeaway
This was a more laid-back day, but it was packed with meaningful content and reflection. The stations allowed for deep engagement, and the students rose to the challenge of condensing complex ideas into manageable pieces of information. Even though we didn’t stick to the exact schedule, the engagement and learning made it all worth it.

Wednesday

Lesson Link

On Wednesday, I wanted to introduce how race-based slavery came to be in North America. I started with a picture of Anthony Johnson on the board. Johnson was a Black man and former indentured servant in Jamestown who earned his freedom, owned land, and even enslaved people to work on his tobacco farm. This example illustrated that slavery wasn’t originally race-based in the colonies. But then came Bacon’s Rebellion, and things began to shift.

Graph and Tell: Analyzing Slavery Census Data
We began with a Graph and Tell activity where students analyzed census data about slavery. They made inferences based on the data, which served as a review of the colonial regions and their economies. This exercise helped students make connections between the regions and how slavery impacted their development.

Introducing Bacon’s Rebellion
Next, I introduced Bacon’s Rebellion. The textbook mentioned that the rebellion showed how the Virginia government couldn’t ignore its citizens, but I thought, “Bacon’s Rebellion goes way beyond that!” To help students understand, I used a Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then activity, giving them more practice with sequencing and comprehension. This scaffolded their understanding of the rebellion’s role in the shift toward race-based slavery.

Cybersandwich: The Start of Race-Based Slavery
After introducing Bacon’s Rebellion, we read about how race-based slavery began in Virginia as a consequence of the rebellion. I had students work through a Cybersandwich activity for this reading. They wrote down five important facts, condensed their notes, and then compared and discussed with a partner. This paired learning helped students process the material more deeply.

Struggling with Summary Writing
To wrap up, I wanted students to write a quick summary of what they had learned about the shift to race-based slavery. Oh boy—the summary writing was a struggle. I’m not sure if it was the content itself or just the act of writing, but many students found it challenging to condense their thoughts into a clear, concise summary.

Takeaway
Wednesday’s lesson introduced some complex ideas, and while the Cybersandwich activity helped students grasp the content, the summary writing showed me that we still have some work to do. I’ll need to continue working on breaking down writing skills and building confidence in expressing complex ideas in shorter formats.

Thursday

Lesson Link

Thursday was a special reward day for the students since it was the end of the quarter. With limited time and a more relaxed atmosphere, I decided to do something simple but beneficial: a Retrieval Practice Grid activity that doubled as an opportunity for extra credit.

The Retrieval Practice Grid
I created a grid of questions that covered topics from 7th grade, Unit 1, Unit 2, and our current unit. Each question on the grid was worth a different amount of points based on its difficulty. Students could work through the questions, and depending on how many points they earned, they could unlock different levels of extra credit.

To ensure this was true retrieval practice, I didn’t allow Chromebooks—it was all about what they could recall from memory. The goal was to reward students for what they’ve learned over time, and it was a great way to wrap up the quarter while still reinforcing key content.

Takeaway
This activity worked perfectly for the day’s time constraints while still keeping students engaged and focused. It also showed me how much they’ve retained from not just this year, but even last year’s content. A win for both students and teacher!

As the week comes to a close, I’m impressed with how the EduProtocols have streamlined our lessons while keeping students engaged and thinking critically. The combination of Thin Slides, Cybersandwich, and Graph and Tell not only made complex topics like race-based slavery more approachable, but also fostered deeper understanding and retention. The students are gradually getting more comfortable with creative tasks, and I can see their confidence growing as they interact with both the content and each other. Moving forward, I’m excited to keep building on this momentum with even more dynamic and student-centered activities.

AI and EduProtocols

Motivating Students to Work: How EduProtocols Can Help

Motivating students to engage deeply with their work is one of the most important goals in the classroom. Too often, students view learning as a series of tasks to complete, focusing on getting the “right answer” instead of developing critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. But motivation doesn’t have to be elusive. With EduProtocols, teachers can foster a classroom culture where students are engaged, confident, and motivated to succeed. By aligning EduProtocols with principles from Self-Determination Theory (SDT), we can tap into students’ intrinsic motivation, giving them the tools to take ownership of their learning.

Autonomy: Letting Students Control Their Learning

Self-Determination Theory emphasizes that students are more motivated when they feel autonomous in their learning. Autonomy is all about giving students the power to make choices in how they approach a task. In the classroom, this translates to offering students control over how they express their understanding.

Protocols like Iron Chef are great for fostering autonomy. In Iron Chef, students are given a set of resources and a limited time to create a collaborative presentation on a topic. They have creative freedom in how they organize and present the information. Whether they choose visuals, bullet points, or videos, students are empowered to decide how they showcase their learning. This autonomy not only makes learning more engaging but also helps students feel more connected to the material.

Similarly, 8pARTS, which asks students to analyze historical images or documents by identifying key elements like people, actions, and objects, encourages them to think critically about what they observe. Students are not just passively receiving information—they are actively interpreting and presenting it in a way that makes sense to them. This fosters a sense of ownership and personal investment in the task.

Competence: Building Confidence with Small Wins

Another crucial element of motivation, according to SDT, is the need for competence. Students are more motivated when they feel capable of achieving success and see measurable growth. This is where protocols like Fast and Curious and Thick Slides excel.

Fast and Curious involves using platforms like Gimkit or Quizizz to give students rapid, repeatable assessments on the material. Students answer questions, receive immediate feedback, and try again. With each round, they see their scores improve, reinforcing their belief that they can succeed through effort. This constant progress fosters a strong sense of competence, which keeps students motivated to continue learning.

Thick Slides, on the other hand, build competence by asking students to summarize and present their understanding of complex topics on a single slide. This might sound simple, but the depth of thought required to condense information into key points, visuals, and captions encourages deeper understanding. Students can see their knowledge grow as they complete these presentations, and that visible improvement reinforces their belief in their own abilities.

Relatedness: Fostering Connections through Collaboration

Motivation thrives when students feel connected to each other and their teacher. SDT points to the importance of relatedness, which is the feeling that we belong to a group and that our contributions matter. EduProtocols are designed to promote collaboration and shared learning, helping students feel connected and engaged.

CyberSandwich is an ideal protocol for promoting relatedness. In this activity, students work in pairs to read a text and take notes independently, then come together to compare their notes and write a joint response. The collaborative nature of CyberSandwich makes it perfect for fostering discussion, teamwork, and connection. Students are not only learning from the content but also from each other. They gain a deeper understanding of the material and develop stronger relationships with their peers in the process.

Likewise, Iron Chef promotes group collaboration as students work together to create a presentation. The shared responsibility of completing the task builds a sense of community and encourages peer learning. When students feel like they’re part of a team and that their contributions matter, they are much more likely to stay engaged and motivated.

Breaking the “Right Answer” Mindset: Encouraging Critical Thinking

One of the most significant hurdles to motivation is the “right answer” mindset, where students believe their role is to find the correct answer and move on. This mindset limits creativity and critical thinking, turning learning into a rote exercise. EduProtocols shift the focus from simply getting the right answer to exploring, analyzing, and creating.

8pARTS and Thick Slides both challenge students to go beyond surface-level answers. In 8pARTS, students examine images or documents and make inferences about their meaning. There’s no single right answer—students must think critically, ask questions, and provide reasoning for their interpretations. This kind of task deepens their engagement with the material because they are actively exploring, rather than passively consuming, content.

With Thick Slides, students synthesize their learning into a single, cohesive slide. This requires them to distill key ideas, add supporting visuals, and explain their thinking. There’s no one right way to do this, which encourages students to think critically about what they’ve learned and how to communicate it effectively.

Repetition and Reflection: Deepening Understanding

One of the key strategies for building long-term motivation is giving students opportunities for repetition and reflection. Research from The Oxford Handbook shows that people are more motivated when they have multiple chances to improve and can reflect on their progress.

Fast and Curious exemplifies this approach by giving students several chances to master content through repeated quiz rounds. Each time they take the quiz, they see their scores improve, and they get immediate feedback that helps them understand where they need to improve. This repetition solidifies their learning and motivates them to keep trying, as they can clearly see their growth.

Reflection is equally important. Thick Slides and CyberSandwich offer students opportunities to reflect on what they’ve learned and articulate their thinking. In Thick Slides, students not only present information but also explain their reasoning, which encourages them to think more deeply about the material. CyberSandwich pushes students to compare their understanding with a peer’s, fostering discussion and reflection that strengthens their grasp of the topic.

Conclusion: Motivating Students with EduProtocols

By tapping into the principles of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, EduProtocols provide a clear path to motivating students. These protocols break down learning into manageable, engaging activities that build confidence, foster collaboration, and encourage critical thinking. With EduProtocols, students move from passive participants to active learners, motivated by their own progress and the support of their peers.

Incorporating EduProtocols like Iron Chef, Fast and Curious, CyberSandwich, and Thick Slides into the classroom creates an environment where students are motivated not just to complete tasks, but to engage deeply with the material. When students feel autonomous, competent, and connected, they aren’t just learning—they’re thriving.

TWTW

The Week That Was In 234

This week, my focus was all about scaling back and simplifying. I realized I’ve been expecting too much from my students in a short amount of time. Instead of overwhelming them, I shifted to teaching them how to work efficiently, meet deadlines, and build confidence with every task. EduProtocols like Thin Slides, Iron Chef, and Sketch and Tell-O became the foundation for helping students succeed. The goal wasn’t just to cover content, but to teach them how to learn and apply skills independently. Small wins are adding up, and I’m already seeing the results in their engagement and confidence.

Monday

Lesson Link

I came into class on Monday knowing I needed to simplify and keep things engaging. I leaned into some tried-and-true strategies to break down the lesson, making it easier for students to digest.

Starting with Gimkit: Fast and Curious
We began the day with a quick 4-minute Gimkit focusing on 8 questions about Jamestown. This activity—Fast and Curious—is all about rapid retrieval and feedback. The class averages ranged between 57% and 70%, but more importantly, it set the tone for the lesson. Fast and Curious is an excellent way to boost content retention while adding a layer of competition. It was a simple but effective way to kick things off.

Breaking It Down with Thin Slides
Next, we used Justin Unruh’s Thin Slide template to chunk the reading. Jamestown can be dry, and our textbook doesn’t do it any favors. I used AI to extract the key parts of the reading and then chunked it into manageable sections. Each Thin Slide had one word and one picture, and I modeled how to provide an explanation using the keywords provided. Each slide took about 5 minutes, which kept the class moving while giving students time to process the content.

Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then Sketch and Tell
After completing the Thin Slides, I had the students combine their work into a Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then Sketch and Tell comic. This is basic reading comprehension but framed in a way that’s simple enough for everyone to grasp. The students created a visual summary of Jamestown, which reinforced the lesson’s main points while keeping it creative and interactive.

Breaking the “Right Answer” Mindset
A lot of students were still raising their hands, hoping for the “right” answer, but I’m working hard to break them out of the mindset that social studies is just about filling in blanks. I want them to engage with the content and think critically—there are no simple answers here!

Wrapping Up with Gimkit
To close out the class, we ran the same Gimkit again, and the improvement was clear. Class averages shot up to 85%-94%. This repeated retrieval practice solidified their learning, and the jump in scores showed they were starting to internalize the material.

By keeping things simple and focusing on strategies that chunked the content, I was able to make this lesson engaging and accessible. The results? The students worked through the material effectively, and I didn’t feel like I was overwhelming them. It’s a win-win.

Tuesday

Lesson Link

Tuesday’s lesson followed the same structure as Monday, and the results continued to impress. Keeping it simple, consistent, and achievable is key to building student confidence and engagement.

Starting with Gimkit: Fast and Curious on Plymouth
We kicked off the day with a custom Wordle. I made the Wordle “Religion” and asked the kids to figure it out because the word related to Plym outh. Next we did a Fast and Curious Gimkit, this time focusing solely on Plymouth. The quiz was 9 questions, and the class averages ranged from 52% to 65%. It was a great way to gauge what the students already knew and give immediate feedback.

Thin Slide: Chunking the Reading
Just like Monday, we used the Thin Slide template. The readings were chunked into smaller sections, with each slide featuring a keyword and a picture. The students had 5 minutes per slide to process the information and build their slides, using the provided keywords as a guide. The familiarity of the Thin Slide made it an achievable task for the students. There was no need to introduce new techniques or overwhelm them with too much at once.

Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then Sketch and Tell
Once the Thin Slides were complete, we wrapped up the reading with another Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then Sketch and Tell comic. This is such a simple yet effective way to summarize content. It allows the students to visually capture the key points of the lesson in a creative format, reinforcing comprehension in a way that feels both achievable and rewarding.

Ending with Gimkit: Building Confidence
We ended the class with the same Gimkit as the beginning. This time, the class averages soared to 86%-94%. The consistency in approach, combined with the immediate feedback and the opportunity to retry, boosted the students’ confidence. And despite the repetition of Monday’s format, there were no complaints. In fact, 90% of the students finished the task, which is a win in itself.

Why I’m Sticking with Thin Slides
The Thin Slide strategy is becoming a staple in my classroom for a reason: it’s simple, familiar, and helps students feel like they can finish something. Pairing that with Gimkit, which builds their confidence through repeated practice, is setting the foundation for a stronger work ethic. These small wins will add up over time, and I’m seeing the early signs of engagement taking root.

Wednesday

Inquiry Lesson Link, Questions, Funko Pop, Gimkit

On Wednesday, we switched gears and used paper for an inquiry-based lesson straight from the textbook. The lesson focused on the hardships and survival stories of colonists in Jamestown and Plymouth, but let’s be real—the textbook readings were way too much. The language was jargon-filled, dry, and not exactly something an 8th grader doesn’t give a damn about.

Simplifying Primary Sources with AI
My goal was to simplify the lesson while still helping students build confidence and learn. To do that, I took the primary sources straight out of the textbook and ran them through Claude AI with a simple prompt: “Keep the primary sourceness of these documents but make them so 8th graders can understand them.” I also had Claude add author names and context since the textbook didn’t bother to provide that crucial information.

The revised documents were a mix of Jamestown and Plymouth hardships and survival stories. With the language made accessible, the students were much more engaged. They worked in pairs, reading the sources and answering questions. This took about 35 minutes and gave them a deeper understanding without the confusion of outdated jargon.

Funko Pop Character Creation
For the final part of the lesson, I wanted to tap into their creativity, so I had them create a Funko Pop character who had journeyed to either Jamestown or Plymouth. The biography for the Funko Pop had to include why their character went to the colony (reviewing the content from Monday and Tuesday), the hardships they faced, and whether they survived—or not. This activity took 25 minutes, and it allowed the students to synthesize what they had learned in a fun, engaging way.

Combining Jamestown and Plymouth in Gimkit
We ended the day with a combined Jamestown and Plymouth Gimkit. This was a great way to reinforce everything from the week so far. The class averages ranged from 86% to 92%, showing solid retention of the material.

Takeaway
The key here was breaking down the overwhelming textbook content, making it relatable, and allowing students to demonstrate their understanding through a creative, personalized project. By the end of the day, they had a solid grasp on both the hardships of colonial life and the survival strategies of early settlers.

Thursday

Thursday was all about pivoting and simplifying—sometimes less is more. I had originally planned to pack the lesson with multiple activities, but it quickly became clear that was overambitious.

Finishing the Funko Pop Characters
We kicked off class by wrapping up the Funko Pop characters from Wednesday. The students had 15 minutes to finalize their creations, adding in the last details about their colonial hardships and survival stories. Once that was done, we shifted focus to something new.

Colonial Regions Mapping
The natural next step was to move into the colonial regions. This is where I initially tried to cram in too much. My original plan was an Iron Chef, followed by a Sketch and Tell, followed by a mapping activity—but it became obvious after the first bell that this was a disaster in the making. I scrapped the Iron Chef and Sketch and Tell, deciding to focus solely on the map and some Wordwall practice.

Using a Mnemonic Device
The map we used came from Howson History, and it featured a helpful mnemonic device for remembering the colonial regions. I explained what a mnemonic device was using examples like ROY G. BIV and DeSSert means strawberry shortcake (never miss that double ‘S’ in dessert!). After that, the students created their own mnemonic device for the colonial regions.

Mapping the Colonies
Once the mnemonic was sorted, we got down to the mapping activity. The students looked up the colonies and labeled them on the map. It was simple but effective, reinforcing both geography and historical knowledge.

Wordwall Practice and Rolling Recap
To reinforce the mapping, I had the students practice using a drag-and-drop map on Wordwall. It gave them some hands-on repetition, which helps with retention. After finishing the Wordwall, we still had some time left, so I pulled out a Rolling Recap. This is a fun retrieval practice where I roll a 20-sided dice and give the kids a prompt. They have to respond to the prompt in exactly the number of words rolled. The questions focused on Jamestown and Plymouth, and it was a creative way to review key content while keeping things engaging.

Takeaway
Thursday reminded me that sometimes, simplicity wins. The mapping activity and mnemonic device were more than enough to carry the lesson. And, as always, building in some creative retrieval like Rolling Recap kept the students engaged while reinforcing their learning.

Friday

Iron Chef with Sketch and Tell-o, Thick slide

On Friday, we continued working on our colonial regions, focusing on reinforcing knowledge and boosting confidence. Here’s how the day went.

Starting with Gimkit: Colonial Regions
We began with a quick 4-minute Gimkit on the colonial regions, which featured 12 questions. The class averages were 68% to 73%. After running the game, I gave feedback, and we quickly moved on to the next activity.

Colonial Regions Iron Chef on Padlet
For the main part of the lesson, we did an Iron Chef on Padlet. Each student received a half-page of reading about a different colonial region. They logged onto Padlet and shared four facts related to their region using the PEGS format—political, economic, geography, and social. Once their notes were posted, they used the “I can’t draw” feature on Padlet to create a picture representing their region. This visual aspect gave them a creative outlet to express their understanding.

Experimenting with Thick Slide vs. Sketch and Tell-O
After the Iron Chef, I decided to try an experiment. In two classes, I had students create a Thick Slide using the shared information from Padlet. In the other two classes, I used a Sketch and Tell-O activity instead. The results were interesting—classes that made Thick Slides had second Gimkit scores of 85% and 87%, while the Sketch and Tell-O classes scored slightly higher at 88% and 89%. While the difference wasn’t huge, it was enough to show me that both methods can be effective, depending on the class dynamic.

Finishing with Wordwall
We wrapped up with the same Wordwall practice from Thursday, this time with a twist. I challenged the students to complete the activity without any map help. Many of them surprised themselves by getting 100% on their own! It was great to see that kind of confidence and self-assurance building as we closed out the week.

Takeaway
Friday showed me that the methods we’ve been using—whether it’s Padlet, Gimkit, Thick Slides, or Sketch and Tell-O—are all helping to build both knowledge and confidence. The slight variation in results also confirmed that students respond differently to various activities, but the key is keeping things engaging and accessible.

Experimental Idea

I created a Colony Founder GPT. This GPT is designed to let students immerse themselves in history by interviewing the founders of the original 13 American colonies. Instead of reading static facts, students can interact with historical figures like William Penn, John Winthrop, or Roger Williams and ask them questions directly. It’s an engaging way to explore the personal motivations behind each colony’s founding, the challenges they faced, and their unique perspectives. Whether you’re learning about religious freedom in Rhode Island or the tobacco economy in Virginia, this tool offers a conversational approach to make research more dynamic and memorable.

Here is the link – try it out!

TWTW

The Week That Was In 234

This week, I took a hard look at my teaching approach and realized I had been falling into a pattern of overloading my lessons with too much traditional content. After reflecting and talking with Jon Corippo, I refocused my energy on using student-centered protocols that would both engage my 8th graders and keep the content academically rich yet accessible. We used a variety of strategies—starting with Fast and Curious to boost content retention, Graffiti Walls for movement and exploration, and Thick Slides for quick, meaningful summaries. By Friday, I brought everything together with a headline-driven lesson on Jamestown that sparked curiosity and used a mix of Google Maps, Wicked Hydra, and Wordwall. The result? A week that was fast-paced and engaging.

Monday

Lesson Link

Coming into class on Monday, I was tired, and I knew I needed to pull out a creative, high-engagement lesson to get both myself and my students through the day. I decided to lean into interactive strategies that would keep everyone on their toes.

Starting with Gimkit: Fast and Curious

I started the day with a Fast and Curious session on Gimkit, which is an effective way to review material and build momentum. If you’re not familiar, Fast and Curious is a quick, repeated review activity that leverages competition. I uploaded questions about Spanish explorers that we had already covered, making it a review while subtly gauging where students stood on key facts and concepts. The class average ranged from 65% to 77%, but the real value wasn’t just in the scores—it was the immediate feedback and the students’ drive to improve. For anyone trying to build retrieval practice into lessons, Gimkit makes it fun and competitive, and you can track student progress instantly.

Explorer Scavenger Hunt: Moving Around the Room

Next, I had the students participate in an explorer scavenger hunt. This wasn’t just a passive worksheet activity—students were up, moving around the room, searching for answers about different explorers posted at stations. I tweaked the scavenger hunt by dividing the questions into Part A and Part B. I assigned each student to an explorer marked with either an A or B next to their name. This meant that students weren’t overwhelmed with all the questions at once; they could focus on smaller chunks of information, which worked well for those needing more structured guidance.

For setup, I stapled the explorer profiles and questions together and posted them around the room. Each station had information about a different explorer, like Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, and more. This tactile, physical movement not only keeps students engaged, but it also serves as a way to differentiate the activity. I find that students who struggle with longer reading passages or sitting still benefit from the opportunity to physically move around while learning.

A Layered Learning Approach

This lesson wasn’t just a one-off on explorers. It was part review and part preview. Monday’s scavenger hunt focused primarily on explorers that we had already covered, like the Spanish explorers, but I also introduced a few new explorers they would be learning about in more depth in Tuesday’s lesson. This gave the students some curiosity and set the stage for the rest of the week’s lessons.

By layering content this way, I’m not just throwing new information at them; instead, students have a chance to review and master familiar material while also preparing their minds for what’s coming next. This approach helps scaffold learning and ensures students are more comfortable when we dive deeper into the new material later on.

Wrapping it Up with Thick Slides

We ended the lesson with a Thick Slide activity. For those unfamiliar, this is a powerful summarization tool that asks students to process their learning on one slide. Here’s what I had them do:

Share three or four important facts they learned during the scavenger hunt.
Compare two explorers they read about (e.g., Cabot vs. De Leon).
Add a picture related to exploration.

This structure hits several skills at once: content recall, comparison and contrast, and creative expression through visuals. The slides serve as a formative assessment, letting me see what they’ve internalized. It’s a great visual tool for students too because they synthesize what they’ve learned into something concise but meaningful.

Tuesday

Lesson Link

After a successful Monday, I kicked off Tuesday with a map activity that set the tone for another full day of exploration. The goal was to help students understand the colonies in the New World set up by Spain, Portugal, France, and the Netherlands, and how these countries played a role in shaping early America.

Map and Tell: Analyzing the New World Colonies

We began the lesson with a Map and Tell activity focused on the colonies created by Spain, Portugal, France, and the Netherlands. The students worked in pairs to analyze a map that outlined where these European powers had established their territories. Here are the questions they worked through:

Which two European countries created colonies in the New World?
What geographic trait did these colonies have in common?
Why do you think European countries created colonies?

This analysis helped students build context and draw connections between geography and colonization strategies. The discussions around why these countries set up colonies set the stage for the next part of the lesson: Mercantilism.

Frayer Model: Understanding Mercantilism

We then transitioned to a Frayer Model on Mercantilism, a concept that was new to most of my students. I asked them to first write down what they thought mercantilism meant—just their best guess. Once they were done, I had them angle their Chromebook screens.

Next, I showed a short video from Disney’s Pocahontas called “Mine, Mine, Mine.” It’s a 4-minute video that captures the essence of European greed and exploitation during colonization, which ties perfectly into mercantilism. After the video, I asked the students to revisit their definitions of mercantilism. Some students added new insights, while others completely redefined their initial thoughts, which was exactly what I was hoping for.

Sourcing Parts: Breaking Down Mercantilism Through a Cartoon

With a better understanding of mercantilism, we moved on to analyze the classic mercantilism cartoon. Using the Sourcing Parts EduProtocol, we broke the cartoon down by focusing on the following:

Sourcing: Who created this cartoon? When and why was it made? What type of source is this?
Summarize: What do you see or read in the cartoon?
Contextualize: What was happening during the time this cartoon was created?
Communicate: What is the purpose of this cartoon, and who was its intended audience?

The students dove deep into analyzing how the cartoon depicted European countries’ relentless pursuit of wealth through colonies and trade. It was great to see them apply their critical thinking skills to a visual source, reinforcing the concept of mercantilism and its connection to colonization.

Frayer Model Revisited

After the cartoon analysis, we returned to our Frayer Models to once again refine and add to our definitions of mercantilism. At this point, students had developed a far more comprehensive understanding, and their definitions were rich with historical context. The progression from initial guesses to a more nuanced definition was evident.

Socrative: Putting It All Together

To wrap it all up, I had the students share their final definitions of mercantilism on Socrative. This was a quick way for me to check for understanding and see who was still struggling with the concept. Overall, most students showed a strong grasp of how mercantilism shaped European colonization strategies in the New World.

Sketch and Tell: Essential Questions

We finished the day with a Sketch and Tell activity. The students were tasked with answering the following essential questions:

How does mercantilism relate to European colonization of the Americas?
Why did the French explore and colonize the Americas?
Why did the Dutch explore and colonize the Americas?

For each question, the students created a sketch to visually represent their answer and added a short caption. This activity gave them a creative outlet while reinforcing their learning. It also allowed me to gauge their understanding in a more visual and reflective way.

Looking back, I had originally planned to include a CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) activity as the final part of the lesson, but I quickly realized it was a bit too ambitious for the time we had. The students were already processing a lot of new information, and adding a CER would have pushed us over the edge. Instead, we focused on sketching and summarizing, which worked out well for the time we had.

Wednesday

Lesson Link, Gimkit

Wednesday was all about assessing what my students had learned throughout our unit on European exploration, but I wanted to ensure that they could see the purpose behind each activity we had done leading up to this point. The assessment was split into two parts: a Gimkit challenge and an annotated map, both designed to help students make connections between last week’s lessons and the material we had covered this week.

Part 1: Gimkit Challenge

We started the day with a Gimkit challenge, where I encouraged the students to push themselves to raise the class averages to 90% or higher. When we first began using this Gimkit last week, the class averages were sitting at 52%, 54%, 62%, and 58%. After practicing with it throughout the unit, the students were determined to hit the target.

By the end of Wednesday’s class, the final averages were 87%, 90%, 92%, and 89%. The improvement was incredible and showed how much they had retained through consistent practice and spaced repetition. More importantly, the students could see the direct results of their hard work, which motivated them to push even further.

Part 2: Annotated Map Assessment

For the second part of the assessment, I had the students work on an annotated map that pulled together everything we had studied. Each student received a large 11×17 piece of paper with a blank map of North and South America in the center. The map required them to apply their knowledge of European exploration and colonization by completing a set of detailed tasks.

Here were the instructions they followed:

Label and color the map for the territories claimed by different European countries using five different colors. They labeled both North America and South America.
Add a title to the top of the map.
Answer the following questions, referencing lessons from last week and this week:
- Question 1: What motivated Spain and France to explore and colonize the Americas? For this question, students cut out and glued three Sketch and Tell-o circles from Tuesday’s lesson. This connected the current task to earlier work, helping them see the purpose behind the activities we do.
- Question 2: What factors led to exploration? They identified and listed two factors, referring back to lessons from the previous week.
- Question 3: What were the effects of exploration and colonization? They had to identify and describe three examples, using information gathered from multiple lessons.
- Question 4: Define mercantilism. This was a concept they had explored thoroughly on Tuesday, so they returned to their Frayer models to inform their responses.

Using the Sketch and Tell-o circles from Tuesday was particularly important because it helped the students see continuity and purpose in the activities we’ve been doing. It wasn’t just a random task—it all tied together to help them form a bigger picture of the Age of Exploration.

The annotated map provided an opportunity for students to synthesize all of the information they had learned, while also allowing for creative expression. I was especially pleased with how the students used their previous lessons as a reference, connecting the dots between Spain and France’s motivations, the factors behind exploration, and the broader effects of colonization.

By having them revisit earlier lessons, they could clearly see the purpose behind the different activities we did throughout the unit. It helped them understand that each task—whether it was a Gimkit challenge, a Sketch and Tell-o, or a map activity—contributed to a deeper understanding of exploration and colonization. The process of going back to those lessons also gave them a sense of how much they’ve grown academically since the start of the unit.

Thursday

On Thursday, we dove into a brand-new unit on The English Colonies, and I knew I had to find a way to engage the students from the start. To get them moving and thinking about the topic, I started with a Graffiti Wall activity that had just the right mix of physical movement and competition.

Graffiti Wall: Gamifying Exploration of Textbooks

I placed textbooks on their desks, and right away, the students weren’t too excited. It’s a common reaction, but I was ready for it. I told them to look through pages 64-94 and find important words that could help them understand English colonization. Once they found a word, they had to raise their hand, and I called on them to come up to the whiteboard and write the word.

Here’s the catch: once a word was written on the board, it couldn’t be used again. This kept them on their toes, trying to find words that hadn’t already been claimed. The energy in the room picked up as they scrambled through the pages. And I had a “secret” word that added an extra layer of excitement. The secret word was Jamestown, and whoever wrote it down earned PBIS points. It was fun to watch as they eagerly searched for words that might give them an edge.

After about 10 minutes, the board was covered with key terms like charter, Plymouth, and middle colonies. I took a moment to give a brief summary of the upcoming unit, tying in all the words they had written on the board to help them see how these terms would fit into the bigger picture of English colonization.

The Great American Race: Teamwork and Discovery

Next, we shifted gears into a Great American Race activity, which was another chance for them to apply what they were starting to learn. I created 20 cards, each with a secret word like Jamestown, Plymouth, charter, or middle colonies. I handed out a card to each student, and their task was to create a Google Slide with four clues and one picture related to their word.

As they worked on their slides, I compiled them into a complete slide deck in order, giving feedback along the way. This allowed me to see how well they were connecting with the material and to guide them if they needed clarification on their clues or picture choices.

Once the slides were ready, I collected the cards and shared the completed slide deck with the class. The students then partnered up for the final part of the activity. Using their prior knowledge, the Graffiti Wall as a word bank, and some quick Googling, they worked together to figure out the answers to each slide. It was harder than they expected—many of the clues were tricky, and they had to really dig into their critical thinking skills to figure them out. But that was the point: this activity pushed them to apply what they had learned while collaborating and problem-solving.

It was a great day of active learning. The Graffiti Wall got them up and moving while building curiosity around the key terms for the unit. Gamifying it by making certain words off-limits and adding a secret word kept the energy high. The Great American Race followed that up by challenging their research and teamwork skills, while still keeping the fun element of discovery and competition.

The connection between the two activities—using the Graffiti Wall as a word bank for the race—reinforced the idea that everything we do in class has a purpose and that knowledge builds on itself. By the end of class, they had a strong foundation to start digging deeper into the history of the English colonies.

Friday

Lesson Link

Friday was a day of reflection and adjustment for me. Being at a new school, I’ve been feeling like I’ve fallen into a bit of a rut—relying too much on traditional methods and dry content that just wasn’t resonating with my 8th graders. After talking with Jon Corippo, I realized I had been trying to do too much, often using material that lacked the punch needed to grab the attention of middle school students. I needed something quicker, more engaging, and with just enough academic rigor to feel worthwhile but still fun. And that’s when I came across an article that completely changed my approach to Jamestown.

Hooking Them with a Shocking Headline

The headline I found was: “Jamestown Settlers Ate 14-Year-Old Girl.” I knew this would instantly grab their attention. When they walked into class, that headline was already on the board. I also had it printed on 11×17 paper at their desks, ready to go. You could feel the curiosity and the slight shock as they sat down and read it.

We began with a Wicked Hydra activity—an approach my students were already familiar with, where they had the chance to ask as many questions as they wanted about the headline. It sparked a lot of discussion right from the start, and students were eager to dive deeper. This was exactly the kind of engagement I had been missing.

Walking Through Jamestown with Google Maps

After the Wicked Hydra, we moved on to Google Maps. I had the students use Street View to explore the Jamestown site as if they were walking through it themselves. This added a layer of real-world connection to what they were reading, helping them visualize the setting where these historical events took place. They were completely absorbed in their virtual walk around Jamestown, and it set the tone for the rest of the lesson.

Exploring the Dark Side of Jamestown: Quick and Punchy Reading

Next, we dove into the one-page newspaper article that accompanied the headline. This reading was quick—just one page—but packed with bizarre details about Jamestown’s Starving Time and the unsettling choices the settlers had to make. The students were tasked with highlighting three weird facts and one crazy quote from the article. The headline had already captured their attention, and now they were digging into the details with enthusiasm.

Thick Slide: Summarizing the Starving Time

After reading, we shifted gears to a Thick Slide activity. In just 10 minutes, students had to create a summary slide that included:

Three important facts about the Starving Time
One surprising quote
A relevant image

This quick-paced summary helped them process what they had just learned while keeping the focus on critical information. The format gave them enough structure to succeed while leaving room for creativity in how they presented their findings.

Wrapping Up with Wordwall and Gimkit

To finish off the class, we switched to Wordwall, where students did a drag-and-drop activity with the 13 colonies. I timed this for 8 minutes, and the students raced against the clock to correctly place the colonies in their respective spots. It was a fun, fast-paced way to reinforce geography while still keeping the focus on the day’s theme of colonization.

If we had any time left, we reviewed vocabulary on Gimkit to round out the lesson. This gave students one last chance to test their knowledge in a competitive, interactive format, keeping the energy high right up until the end of class.

Friday’s lesson was a turning point for me. The shocking headline, quick reading, virtual exploration, and fast-paced activities all combined to create a lesson that felt engaging and easy to complete while still being academically rigorous. The Jamestown article worked wonders in sparking interest, and using Google Maps and the Thick Slide brought the lesson full circle, helping students understand the reality of life in the early colonies. By simplifying my approach and focusing on keeping things interactive and relevant, I finally felt like I was hitting the mark with my 8th graders.