My name is Becca. I help teachers save time by creating engaging, high-quality curriculum.
I believe I was always meant to become a teacher.
When I was 9 years old, I started my own summer preschool called “Becca’s Bees”. With the help of my mom (who is also a teacher), I created my first units with themes like “ocean” and “farm animals”.
It was my first experience writing curriculum, and I ...
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Free 13 Colonies Map Worksheet and Lesson
Can your students locate the 13 Colonies on a map? In this straightforward lesson, students will learn the names and locations of the 13 colonies. They will also group the colonies into regions: New England, Middle, and Southern.
This is a great way to ...
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Age of Exploration Videos for Students
Do you need Age of Exploration videos that have been vetted for 5th grade and middle school students? Teachers don't have time for videos with false information or unexpected swear words. (We barely have time for bathroom breaks.)
In order to take one thing ...
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Civil War Timeline Worksheet (Student-Created Timeline)
A Civil War timeline will help your students connect historical events together. As teachers, we often teach events one at a time. We may assume that students are connecting the events together in their minds, but they often aren’t.
Many ...
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Civil War Primary Sources for 5th Grade and Middle School
Do you want to add Civil War primary sources to your instruction? Finding student-friendly primary sources can be painfully time-consuming. My number one goal is to save teachers time. For this reason, I've created lists of kid-friendly ...
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It can be easy to assume that students understand the meaning of the words they hear - or that they will figure them out on their own with enough exposure. But this isn’t always the case. In fact, studies show that about 80% of words are learned as a result of direct explanation (even in middle ...
Read More about Early Republic Vocabulary List (15 Key Terms for Kids)
The U.S. Constitution is full of difficult words and concepts that can be tricky for students. One of the best ways to increase student comprehension is to teach vocabulary words explicitly. In fact, studies show that about 80% of words are learned as a result of direct explanation (even in middle ...
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Have you ever included a vocabulary activity in your history lessons? While vocabulary is usually associated with Language Arts instruction, these lessons can be a powerful tool for teaching history!
But sifting through the myriad of words used in your history units to find meaningful vocabulary ...
Read More about Revolutionary War Vocabulary List (15 Key Terms for Kids)
Are your students struggling to understand the difficult words in the Declaration of Independence? I have a solution for you - vocabulary instruction! It may seem simple, but taking the time to explicitly teach vocabulary words can greatly increase comprehension and critical thinking skills.
To ...
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It can be easy to assume that students understand the meaning of the words they hear - or that they will figure them out on their own with enough exposure. But this isn’t always the case. In fact, studies show that about 80% of words are learned as a result of direct explanation (even in middle ...
Read More about 13 Colonies Vocabulary List (15 Key Words for Kids)
Do you explicitly teach history vocabulary words? While vocabulary is usually associated with Language Arts instruction, these lessons can be powerful tools when teaching history.
However, sifting through your history units to find meaningful vocabulary terms can be time-consuming. To get you ...
Read More about Age of Exploration Vocabulary List (15 Key Words for Kids)
With the numerous demands placed upon teachers, it can be easy to revert to the good ol' history textbook. But your history lessons don't have to be boring! There are many better resources out there. But, finding them? That's the tricky part.
I have spent hours researching, so you don't have to! ...
Read More about The Ultimate Guide to Teaching with Historical Videos
As a child, I loved history lessons. I relished hearing stories from the past and learning about cultures different from mine. But, looking back, I don't remember reading from a textbook—instead, the lessons that made a lasting impression involved projects, discussions, simulations, and ...
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Creating U.S. History lessons can be time-consuming and overwhelming. With the pressures of knowing what to teach, where to find reliable resources, and how to teach in an engaging way, it’s all too easy to fall into the comfortable trap of textbook reading.
Now, don’t get me wrong, textbooks ...
Read More about My Favorite Free U.S. History Lessons for Middle School
Have you ever found an amazing primary source, but when you went to use it, you weren’t sure how to include it in your lesson? Don’t worry; we’ve all been there.
The good news is that you don’t have to feel lost when it comes to primary sources! In this post, I will explain how to use primary ...
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