By Trevor R. Getz, OER Project TeamCalifornia, USA Is the world getting more democratic? Or is democracy in trouble? That’s an important question today. Big History Project and World History Project are meant to help students build a usabl...

By the OER Project Team  We’ve freshened up the look of the OER Project Online Teacher Community homepage, and added some shiny new sections related to professional development, events, and onboarding! We think it’s pretty intuitive,...

By Bennett Sherry and Bridgette Byrd O’Connor, OER Project TeamMaine, USA / Louisiana, USA  As you’re settling into the flow of a new school year, laying the foundation of literacy is probably at the front of your mind. OER Project c...

By Erik Christensen, OER Project TeacherCalifornia, US I like reading. No, wait. I LOVE reading! Hard-boiled crime novels, science fiction, atlases, encyclopedias and almanacs (remember those?), biographies, research reports from academic journals. H...

By the OER Project Team With the start of the school year quickly approaching—or, for some, already in full swing—we thought it would be fun to look back on your first years of teaching. We reached out to you and you certainly delivered, ...

By Bennett Sherry, OER Project TeamMaine, USA The United States celebrates Labor Day on the first Monday in September. It marks the end of summer—one last chance to enjoy picnics and warm weather. If you’re lucky, you might take advantage...

By Bridgette Byrd O’Connor It’s that time of year again: We’re all getting super excited about the first day of school. You’re probably reading this while taking a break from organizing your classroom and prepping for some exh...

By Sharon Cohen and Trevor R. Getz Last year, a global pandemic, a transformational election, and ongoing movements for racial justice all made their mark on your social studies classroom. What will this year bring? Hopefully, you’re imagining ...

By the OER Project Team Whether you’re spending the summer resting and relaxing after an unprecedented year, catching up with family, reading a new book, or diving into some July excitement, we hope it’s treating you well! The OER Project...

By the OER Project Team As you may have seen, the OER Project is releasing a whole new World History Project (WHP) course—WHP 1200 to the Present—as part of our summer update. But that’s not where the WHP updates stop! From new vide...

By the OER Project Team Every year, we strive to make the Big History Project course even better. This year is no different, and thanks to some great ideas from teachers like you, we’ve got some exciting updates to share. We’re extremely ...

By the OER Project Team The OER Project already has an Origins and a 1750 to the Present version of the World History Project course, so why do we need another version? After a deep dive into each state’s world history standards, we realized ab...

By the OER Project Team Calling all Clever users: We have an exciting announcement for you! Starting on July 7, 2021, you will be able to connect your OER Project and Clever accounts. Once you make the link between your OER Project account and your C...

By the OER Project Team At last, the Sun is shining, the birds are singing, and summer is fast approaching (at least over here in the Northern Hemisphere). We find ourselves daydreaming about summer vacations and al fresco meals. Whether you’re...

By the OER Project Team  Note: These updates are now live! Read more about our BHP updates, new 1200 course and 1750 and Origins updates. As you all wrap up another year of hard work (and in the case of the 2020–21 school year, a year...

By the OER Project Team Happy June to you! As you prepare to close the door on another school year, here are a few discussions from our OER Project Online Teacher Community to keep you moving towards the finish line!But first, consider this your head...

By Tony Yeboah, OER Project ContributorNew Haven, USA Each of the holidays we celebrate has its own history. Governments and other important institutions are responsible for the declaration of many of the holidays we celebrate—usually the ones ...

By the OER Project Team Finally! Summer is near after a whirlwind year, and we’re looking forward to some relaxation: perhaps on the beach (though the lawn or fire escape will do!), with a refreshing drink nearby and a book in hand! Need a new ...

By the OER Project Team

While the majority of conversations in the OER Project Community center around all things teaching, it’s nice to get a glimpse into your nonteaching lives, and to learn about the kinds of things you love to do outside the classroom. We’ve learned about your favorite books, sports teams, and now, we’re talking music!

You shared with us an all-time favorite song or album, and thanks…

By Trevor Getz, OER Project Team
California, USA

Like most “world” historians, I was trained as an area studies specialist. In my case, I’m a historian of Africa. Although most of the courses I now offer are about the global past, history education, and comics, I still teach a course on modern African history pretty much every spring. For 20 years, however, I have struggled with how to end this course. Having spent 14…

By Bob Bain, OER Project Expert
Michigan, USA

“There are two questions you must ask your students to evaluate your courses,”or so Mortimer Adler, the philosopher and founder of the Great Books Program, told me as I drove him to the Cleveland airport in 1988.

The drive to the airport ended my 24 hours hosting Dr. Adler's visit to Cleveland and my high school. And it happened after he and I co-taught one of my…

As you start to ramp up for the final weeks of the school year, a great place to turn to for fresh ideas is the OER Project teacher community. Whether you’re a frequent flyer in this free online space or you’re just checking things out for the first time, these discussions are sure to give you some new ideas for your classroom. Take a look at these popular May discussions to help get you started:

Mentor …

By the OER Project Team

In the OER Project courses, students are presented with, and asked to make sense of, a lot of very big ideas. In the process, they’re doing a ton of reading and writing. Students read some pretty challenging texts from contemporary scholars, as well as older primary source material. They’re also asked to write. A lot. For many students, the OER Project courses provide a foundation of the skills…

By Bridgette Byrd O’Connor, OER Project Team
Louisiana, USA

Happy National Teacher Appreciation Week! In pre-COVID times, the teachers’ lounge would be filled with delicious treats from the parent club to say thanks for educating—and tolerating—their darling children. Most of us will miss the banners with words of encouragement and trays of mini-muffins, but not as much as we miss having students in our classrooms…

By Trevor Getz, OER Project Team
San Francisco, USA

In his keynote talk for the 2020 OC for SS conference, historian Dr. Yohuru Williams reminded an eager audience of educators about the importance of scale. He asked us to think about how our students encounter history, and how they learn to “think about how the past influences our family, our community, our nation, and our world.” Williams then gave an example of how…