Teaching world history is like trying to drink from a fire hose. There’s so much of it, and it’s all important, but guess what? We are only human. I like to focus on teaching skills. Skills and content, if you’ve got the time. But time’s always laughing at you, isn’t it? Still, here I am, reading book after book, trying to find new ways to make a lesson click. Last week, it was A New World Begins by Jeremy D. Popkin. Great stuff. Even if you don’t know much about the French Revolution, you’ll get it. I finished it, then tore into my lesson plans with a fresh perspective. Now it’s time to hunt for a World War I or Imperialism book. How often do you find yourself reading whole books just for one or two lessons?
