Watch Yohuru Williams discuss what he describes as "The Lewis Doctrine" and the gift John Lewis left for social studies teachers.

Spring 2020 was a difficult period for educators determined to keep learning going. By the end of March, it was clear that even by fall, students would not all be back in classrooms learning as usual. In conversations with groups like the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS…

By the OER Project Team
Washington, USA

Too often history is just a long list of people, places, and things to memorize. Students struggle to put them together. They might learn about Ancient Greece and Rome, the great states and empires of Africa, or the contributions of Islamic scholars, but not how these topics connect to one another. Students might focus on a single primary source and even be able to provide details…

By Bridgette Byrd O'Connor
Louisiana, USA

In the era of COVID, it is almost impossible to deny the connections that exist between humanity and the web of life and matter around us. It’s not just the virus that reminds us of these connections. It’s the wildlife that reclaim our streets and the way the air and water clear when we’re sheltering in place.

These connections are, in many ways, the foundations…

By Trevor R. Getz
San Francisco, USA

There’s a classroom problem we all face. There’s just too much history to teach, especially in a world history course covering hundreds, thousands, or even millions of years. On one level, that means we have to pick and choose. Which histories are the most important? Whose stories get told? There are all kinds of judgements to be made here about what is “world historical.” What were…

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

The world is facing a reckoning. This summer, protesters in the US, Senegal, the UK, Barbados, New Zealand, South Korea, and Belgium, among many other regions, have taken to the streets to stand against systemic racism in their justice systems. As protesters seek to dismantle racism today, many are also tearing down vestiges of our racist past. One after…

By Trevor Getz
San Francisco, USA

As we watch the upheaval that has spread across the country following the killing of George Floyd, many of us find ourselves asking: “Do protests succeed in creating lasting, meaningful change?”

Historians differ on their answer to this question, partly because different historical movements have had divergent outcomes. The 1848 uprisings in Europe yielded almost no results…

It’s summer, which means it’s time for the annual update! And wow. Do we have an update for you!

In case you’re new to the OER Project, here’s a little context: Every year, we review our content, reflect on feedback from teachers, students, and our advisory board, and then make revisions and updates based on that feedback. Unlike textbooks, which don’t change (unless of course you buy a new edition), the…

Check out these resources to learn more about our move!

The OER Project team has some exciting news to share — Big History Project (BHP) is on the move! As of June 22 at 9 am PDT, BHP has joined World History Project (WHP) on a unified platform. That’s right—as we continue to grow, we’re bringing both communities together into one big OER Project family!

So what does this mean for you? You now…

We are excited to announce our first-ever OER Project Book Club pick. This summer, Big History Project and World History Project teachers are invited to join us in reading The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. Our community discussions about the book will officially kick off on July 6^th in the OER Project Teacher Community. In the meantime, we ask that you save-the-date, grab a copy of the book (we suggest checking out…

Join us August 5, 6, and 7 for a free, virtual conference to log PD hours and keep the learning going

Calling all K–12 social studies teachers! Have your summer professional development plans been canceled? Since the pandemic took hold, the OER Project team has been working to identify ways we can help students, educators, and schools continue to teach and learn, whether in or out of the classroom. As summer approached…

By the OER Project Team

A central principle of the OER Project is the idea that history should be usable, should help orient us to the present and see what is possible in the future. Americans today—like all people who live in times of upheaval—are trying each in our own ways to make sense of the moment in which we live and to try to build a better future. To do so, we must look to our nation’s past. The United States…

It’s been quite a year for teachers globally. We hope your well-deserved break this summer gives you some time to rest, rejuvenate, or even dive into a new book! When it comes to the latter, we’ve got your back. Without further ado here’s our annual list of teacher-curated book recommendations for summer 2020.

Without further ado here’s our annual list of teacher-curated book recommendations for summer…

Click on a highlighted state to see standards alignment materials!

July 31 Update: Course plans are here! We’re excited to unveil 11 new state-specific course plans, created by talented teachers with in-depth knowledge of their state’s standards. Scroll down (or click the map) to find course plans for the following states: California, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Utah, Washington…

Bennett Sherry, OER Project Team
Maine, USA

As quarantine drags on, a lot of people have turned to bread making. Seriously, do a quick search for “sourdough starter” on Twitter or Instagram—people are getting weird about their bread.

Water, flour, and time. That’s all you need to make bread, though humans have added flourishes through history. Bread making is an old art. How old? You might think that…

Trevor Getz, OER Project Team
San Francisco, USA

What causes COVID-19?

Is 5G radio technology causing or exacerbating the epidemic of COVID-19 that is currently sweeping the globe?

Of course not. 

We know 5G isn’t the cause because we can use the scientific method to establish a chain of evidence that connects a corona-shaped virus—SARS CoV-2—to the symptoms that we experience as COVID-19. The scientific basis for establishing…

OER Project Team
Washington, USA

Note: All of us have been impacted in one way or another by the COVID-19 outbreak. We're doing everything we can to keep learning accessible throughout the pandemic. Learn more about those efforts here.

This is the eighth and final episode of our Teaching at a Distance series, in which Ian Usher will help you navigate the sometimes overwhelming roster of digital learning resources. …

While our students are focused on learning history, they are also living it. And the first few months of 2020 have proved to be quite the time to live through. We reached out to a few Big History and World History Project teachers who had asked their students to journal about their experiences with COVID-19, sheltering in place, and distance learning. The comments we received floored us, it’s clear that students are thinking…

OER Project Team
Washington, USA

Note: All of us have been impacted in one way or another by the COVID-19 outbreak. We're doing everything we can to keep learning accessible throughout the pandemic. Learn more about those efforts here.

This is the seventh episode of our Teaching at a Distance series, in which Ian Usher will help you navigate the sometimes overwhelming roster of digital learning resources. (You can read…

Bridgette Byrd O’Connor, BHP Team Member
Louisiana, USA

In the words of the ‘90s band Blur, “And it looks like we might have made it / Yes it looks like we’ve made it to the end.” It’s certainly been a strange school year. For some, it might be a more welcoming or disheartening sight than usual, considering the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this blog post, we’re going to do something different and transform…

WHP Team
Washington, USA

Everyone—from Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa to Frodo from Lord of the Rings—would likely agree: When you’re about to embark on an exciting journey into new waters, it’s good to have a map. Imagine if our fearless protagonist had a map of Middle-earth rather than having to consult the creature named Gollum for directions to Mordor. It would have been a game changer.…

By Bennett Sherry, WHP Team
Maine, USA

There’s a myth about this pandemic. You might have heard news anchors or politicians mention that COVID-19 is “the great leveler,” that it makes no distinction between rich and poor. But that’s nonsense. Evidence suggests that the poor are more likely to catch COVID-19, and they’re more likely to die of it. In the United States, people of color suffer disproportionately…

OER Team
Washington, USA

Note: All of us have been impacted in one way or another by the COVID-19 outbreak. We're doing everything we can to keep learning accessible throughout the pandemic. Learn more about those efforts here.

This is the sixth episode of our Teaching at a Distance series, in which Ian Usher will help you navigate the sometimes overwhelming roster of digital learning resources. (You can read Episode…

By Bennett Sherry, WHP Team
Maine, USA

Life under a pandemic is serious. We're all dealing with difficult times right now. The WHP blog provides plenty of serious material on COVID-19, but we also want to leave room for levity from time to time. So keep an eye out for the occasional lighter post, where we dig into the history behind some of the more surprising human reactions to the pandemic.

This pandemic is a bummer…

OER Team
Washington, USA

Note: All of us have been impacted in one way or another by the COVID-19 outbreak. We're doing everything we can to keep learning accessible throughout the pandemic. Learn more about those efforts here.

This is the fifth episode of our Teaching at a Distance series, in which Ian Usher will help you navigate the sometimes overwhelming roster of digital learning resources. (Find past episodes…

OER Project Team
Washington, USA

As we all spend more time at home, you might find yourself doing something you don’t do much as a teacher: sitting. Get up and move!

Join Mike Skomba (OER Project teacher extraordinaire and the 2020 New Jersey Strength Coach of the Year), along with other OER Project teachers and team members, for a weekly movement session. Mike is hosting a free, 4-week online fitness series for World…