Critical Challenges in Social Studies for Junior High Students
This collection includes 18 challenges in five areas: Asia, the European middle ages, the Renaissance, North American exploration, and conflict and resolution. Activities include rewriting a textbook account of the Battle of Bunker Hill; deciding upon the root causes of witch hunts during the Renaissance; and judging the characters of Columbus, Cromwell, Malinche and more. (174 pp.)
ISBN 978-0-86491-143-8
Price: $19.50
This publication is only available in digital (PDF) format.
“I was really nervous trying critical thinking out but I shouldn’t have been: the lesson practically ran itself. I guess you hear this from people all the time but the kids got so interested in the question: principled death or crazed suicide, that it was no trouble at allfor me to keep them on track. Instead of me directing their learning, I felt almost like I was following them, responding to their insights.
What’s more, the kids really enjoyed the lesson and I can tell that their learning was real because we have returned to these ideas throughout the unit and they are able to use them in other contexts. But best of all, the kids were so excited by the ideas that they asked me if we could organize and hold a debate on the topic. This was the first time I’ve seen kids take initiative like this and it felt great.”
-Pre-service high school teacher, Simon Fraser University
Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years’ War
Three extended challenges are set within the Hundred Years’ War. In the first challenge, students explore the “true” character of Joan of Arc by examining primary documents from competing perspectives. The second challenge is a re-enactment of Joan’s trial as a heretic and traitor. In the final challenge, students compare the personal, economic, political and social devastation of the Black Death with the modern-day HIV/AIDs epidemic. (125 pp.)
Download a sample critical challenge from Joan of Arc & The Hundred Years’ War
ISBN 978-0-86491-264-0
Price: $27.95
(Subsidized in British Columbia: $16.95)
Early Contact and Settlement in New France
This collection of six challenges deals with New France from early contact to the late 17th century. Challenges include examining drawings depicting early contact between Aboriginal peoples and Europeans; assessing the steroetyping and cultural relativism in accounts of New France; and examining the roles of fur traders and Church missionaries. (162 pp.)
Download a sample critical challenge from Early Contact & Settlement in New France
ISBN 978-0-86491-242-8
Price: $19.50
This publication is only available in digital (PDF) format.
1 response so far ↓
1 Aaron Harris // Sep 15, 2009 at 6:39 pm
I love the critical challenge series, but I would love to see some examples of what the authors had in mind when writing the lessons and creating the BLMs. A couple of samples of completed BLMs posted on the website would be nice.
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