Hi WHP family,
After this week, we have 2 weeks until finals. I'm exactly where I was in the course last year, so my initial plan is to focus on decolonization and the Cold War next week and then discuss international institutions and the UN Sustainability Goals as well as the world in 2050 the following week. A few years ago I ended with a "DBQ" of sorts that I created about Mars exploration potentially being the "new" new imperialism but it already feels less relevant than it did at the time it was created.
However, it's been a rough couple of days with my 9th graders and their dang phones so I feel like I want to completely shake things up 
I did the Claim Testing: Global Conflict activity yesterday and while I had to beg many kids to get off their phones and participate, there was something good about the urgency of the activity and the accountability of having to publicly share answers. I also was able to provide instant feedback because, frankly, the idea of marking papers and giving written feedback doesn't appeal to me either!
So I think I'll have better luck with something that requires students to engage and participate "on demand" rather than things that they'll tell me they'll do later so they can be on their phones in class (can you tell my school doesn't have a unified cell phone policy.......).
I'm curious if anyone else is shaking things up in their classrooms to increase engagement as the school year comes to a close.
