History Matters

We got to see more from Mrs. Branch in this clip and we loved how she held students accountable to answering the WHOLE question. “I love your thinking!” “Your explanations have gotten so good!” The social studies instruction happening in @LHUSD1 at Nautilus Elementary is 🔥!

🏀March Madness is in the air!📚 What’s @mcglynn3 overall number one in her literacy instruction bracket? The text. It’s always the text. Read more from the @Standards_Work Chief Academic Officer on her Substack or the @KnowledgeMatrs Blog! knowledgematterscampaign.org/post/bracketol…

Looking forward to presenting at researchED New York on May 2. It promises to be a great event, as usual for researchED. Hope to see many others there! More info & registration here: researched.org.uk/event/new-york…

“Writing can also help students develop into strong readers, particularly when it’s tied to what they are already learning.” @ChadAldeman with a piece about @Doug_Lemov @ColleenDriggs and @EricaWoolway new book! 📢📢📢

“What do you think we might see. What’s a word we could use?” “Lewis and Clark” “Because” We saw some excellent writing instruction using learned history content on our recent school tour in @LHUSD1! Peep those #becausebutso posters on the white board! 😉@TheWritingRevol

“It’s all about good teaching.” @LHUSD1 invited us to see high-quality social studies instruction AND instructional materials in action! This small, rural district demonstrates what is possible when students are provided with a rigorous, coherent learning experience.

Two third graders at Nautilus ES critique their answers to the Big Question: Why did Native Americans move from place to place? Knowledge grows through a coherent sequence of history instruction that builds background knowledge year after year. #KnowledgeMatters #HistoryMatters

We asked students on our #SchoolTour at Nautilus ES what history lessons stayed with them. Mariah said the story of Pandora taught her to balance curiosity with consequences. She connected it to Lewis & Clark, who had to carefully consider their actions. #KnowledgeMatters

Day 2 of the #KnowledgeMatters School Tour - 1st grade at Nautilus ES with Mrs. Friesz exploring the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin. There students are already making meaningful connections to the story in 1st grade. This is what happens when classrooms build knowledge. 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

Structured writing explicitly prompts students to use ‘however’ and ‘because’ & use knowledge of Native American and Settler land conflicts. ⁦@HistoryMatrs⁩ for critical thinking!

The Knowledge Matters team has arrived at Nautilus Elementary School for the 51st stop on the #KnowledgeMattersSchoolTour. We’re excited to learn more about how Lake Havasu US #1 is prioritizing high-quality ELA and social studies instruction. #HistoryMatters #LiteracyMatters

We can’t wait!!! #historymatters

We are incredibly excited to be on the 51st #KnowledgeMatters School Tour!! #HistoryMatters

“The three factors, fluency, vocabulary, and domain knowledge, are not independent columns holding up the same roof. They are the same column, seen from different angles.” Excellent piece from @C_Hendrick. A must-read for today!

If we want students to be inquirers and thinkers, we have to be very intentional about building their knowledge through explicit instruction and retrieval practice. I’m more convinced of this now than ever. Since shifting to explicit instruction and using evidence-based practices like spaced practice when teaching challenging and nuanced global issues, I’ve noticed something important: students consistently ask more questions, and, more importantly, questions of substance. They make more relevant connections, see patterns, and better understand how systems connect, interact, and build upon each other. Because that knowledge has been strengthened through spaced and retrieval practice, students can automatically recall it from memory. It no longer occupies space in working memory, which frees them to focus on asking deeper questions and making stronger connections. This is THE path to inquiry and critical thinking. When students are explicitly taught to know a lot about a concept, and that knowledge becomes durable and automatically retrievable, they will naturally pick up the inquiry and critical-thinking baton and run with it. I see this everyday. So yes, I teach inquiry and critical thinking. I teach it by making my students very knowledgeable about important concepts and by making sure that knowledge sticks in their memory.

Elementary social studies should start with history. “We’re making a pitch that social studies at the elementary level should be about history,” — @bdavidsonKMC New @EducationWeek piece on our new @HistoryMatrs review tool ⬇️ #KnowledgeMatters edweek.org/teaching-learn…

I've been saying this for years: Reading comprehension isn't a skill you teach. It's a condition you create.

It is very hard to make any change without good and easy-to-use curricular materials. Especially in elementary. K-5 teachers teach all subjects and have very little prep.

@KnowledgeMatrs @bdavidsonKMC @educationweek @HistoryMatrs History is the key. It was the first education when cavemen sat around telling kids about the things that happen. Use a timeline in your room - all of history. And a map. It's developmental. Elementary kids are concrete. Ground them in space and time and watch them go AHA!

Elementary schools have failed to teach kids history, arguing it's too remote from their own experience. But history = stories, & kids love stories. And learning about history sets them up for success later on. Hoping the new @HistoryMatrs Review Tool sparks a new approach!