I would like to learn about how to add an activity to an existing plan - for example I'm using the base plan, but want to add in one of the science lessons. I am not sure how to do that.

I would also like to focus on how to incorporate current world news and events into the structure of the class because my students always bring it up. I don't want to get off track, but many of the things they want to discuss are important and benefit from the structure of academic discussion rather than just rumor spreading.

Hi Melissa Bialowas ! These are great questions!  We have two incredible Track Talks that may help with incorporating current events.

The first is Keeping It Fresh, Keeping It Current  in our Really Current Events Track. Hope Teague Bowling provides some great advice on how to incorporate current events into your class discussions.

Discussion Forum

The other one is Content Creation and Critical Conversations in The Power of Media Track. John Arthur takes current events to a whole new level with his students.

Discussion Forum

I linked the Discussion Forum for each Track Talk group so you can share your thoughts after viewing. Let us know how you can use these in your class, or post any questions you have in the forum.

I would like to learn about ways to support special education students.

I'd like to know why, ever since Big History was taken over by OER, whatever that is, that there is a complete lack of customer support.  Big History was great, I used it all the time.  OER is a DISASTER, I can't find anything I used from Big History on there, and nobody at OER is interested in helping me out at all.

Mr. Epperson, Bob Regan here. Director of the OER Project. Feel free to reach out directly. If you have specific assets you can't find, let us know and we can help. Thanks. 

Hi Eric Schulz ! Thanks for asking such a great question. The Track Talk What Are You Reading? in the Literacy Track provides some great strategies you could use to support special needs students (actually all students). Another one that may provide a unique way to reach special needs students is The Importance of Teaching With Comics and Sharing Your Passion. There are some fun suggestions on ways to connect with students found here. This one is also in the Literacy Track.

Once you've had a chance to view, we'd love to have you share your thoughts in the Discussion Forum linked here.

One more Track Talk that might be helpful is How to be the GOAT at Evidence and Reasoning . The strategies Nate Otey provides for helping students make connections in their writing is fantastic. It's so logical and easy for students of all abilities to understand.

Again, here's the link to the Discussion Forum so you can post comments after you watch.  

We'll have more Track Talks up shortly so be on the lookout. I'm sure you will find many more ideas for supporting special needs students. 

Every time I've tried, and you or Michael Weisensel I wind up wasting time chasing my tail.  I needed HELP with whatever OER is when it was first forced on us.

I am looking forward to learning about different assessment strategies! This past year I moved away from traditional tests & quizzes but would love to find new ways to assess students' historical thinking. 

I also struggle with incorporating current events! They are so important and I want to spend time on them, especially when students show an interest. I've been trying to incorporate contextualization into my discussions on current events. It is a skill students often struggle with and I think it helps when I provide them with more context (and content!) to help them understand the current status of the world.

Andrea Wong , it's always great to learn new assessment strategies, especially after the challenges from last year. Be sure to check out the Monkee-ing Around with Historical Assessment Talk from the Assessing Historical Thinking Track. This provides such a fun and creative way to assess student understanding, and it can be modified to fit multiple time periods. 

Be sure to share your thoughts or questions after watching the video in the Discussion Forum.