Getting started with OER Project

Welcome Michael Cruz ! Which course will you be teaching? Each iteration of WHP (Origins, 1200, 1750, AP) has some great intro activities in the first unit. Here's an example for causation - https://www.oerproject.com/OER-Materials/OER-Media/PDFs/Origins/Era1/Causation-Alphonse-the-Camel 

Some people like to frontload all the intro activities. Personally, I like to spread them out over the first few weeks of class. There really is a lot of flexibility here!

I am a preservice teacher looking so I am not teaching yet but will be soon. I would most likely use 1200 to the present.

Welcome Michael Cruz ! I think if you're starting 1200 and you're preservice you've got some very good luck to have stumbled across OER resources. I didn't find this suite of curricula until I was already 8 years in the classroom - and it was a real game changer.

 I agree with Anne Koschmider - I'd jump in with some of the skills based activities. Keep on coming back to the community if and when you have questions! 

Hi Michael Cruz , and welcome to the OER Project community! This is an absolutely fabulous question for both new and veteran teachers. I LOVE to start with the Draw Your History activity for a couple of reasons. First, it provides an opportunity to get to know more about your students and what's happening in their world. Knowing this information can help prepare lessons to meet the needs of students. The second reason I love to begin with this activity is it helps students to see they have a place in the historical narrative. I follow this by watching and discussing Danger of a Single Story. Once we've established why we're looking at world history, I'd jump into one of the activities as Anne Koschmider suggested. The beauty of the course is the ability to make it fit your teaching style and meet the needs of your students. 

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. We're so excited to have you join the education community. Have a wonderful teaching career.

I agree with Kathy, Draw Your History is one of my "go-to" activities for the first week of class.  You also learn a lot about your students too.  In 1200, if you scroll down to 1.1, you'll see an activity on Claim Testing.  You can use that basically any day (certainly early on).  You can even play two truths and a lie with your students and then segue right into claim testing - How do we decide what to believe?  Keep us posted on any other questions and welcome to this awesome community. 

 Michael Cruz , I agree with all the comments here and would add that choosing an “anchor” activity can help you center as you begin a new course. For me, the “Danger of a Single Story” TED Talk is my anchor activity that we return to over and over throughout the year. It helps me, and my students, remember our purpose as we add more and more content. 

I kind of just follow the Units the way they are laid out.  Skipping some assignments here and there depending on what has worked for me in the past and what has not. I do agree with starting with the Draw Your History. It is a great way to get to know more about your kids, and have them better look at spatial and temporal scales. I also make sure to use Danger of a Single Story because it gives the kids a different way of looking at history instead of just through one frame or lense.  These are both great starting points.  But figure out what is going to work best for you and your kiddos.