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! From picture books to primary sources, I’ve compiled lists of my favorite U.S. History teaching tools, with teaching ideas and free classroom resources.
In this post, I will list my favorite tips for using U.S. History videos with students.
Why Use Historical Videos?
In my experience, students are always excited to watch a video at school!
Not only do videos engage students, but they can also effectively teach historical concepts. Some videos (like this one) use humorous songs to help students remember important concepts. Others provide excellent visuals which help students imagine the past.
From documentaries to short video clips, videos can teach information in an engaging and meaningful way.
How to Teach with Historical Videos
There are countless ways to use videos in your history lessons. Here are a few suggestions!
- Introduce a topic – Hook student attention at the beginning of your unit or lesson with a fun video.
- Review a topic – Use a video to help students memorize details (dates, names, etc.) or review a topic for an end-of-unit test.
- Teach a difficult concept – Some historical concepts can be especially difficult to teach. But, again, videos can be beneficial, whether it is “hard history” or a topic with a lot to cover.
- Share a different perspective – It can be challenging for students to comprehend viewpoints and cultures that differ from their own. Share videos illustrating different views about various events and experiences in U.S. History.
How to Keep Kids Engaged & Accountable
Videos can be a great educational tool. But sometimes, it can feel like the second the screen turns on, students check out! So here are a few tips to help your students stay engaged and accountable while watching historical videos:
- Set the stage. Before watching the video, give a quick summary of what students can expect to see, emphasize the video’s purpose, and explain any vital background information.
- Have students take notes while watching. This free ABC graphic organizer makes for quick and easy note-taking! In this activity, students watch the history video closely and listen for key terms that fit different letters of the alphabet. Then, challenge students to fill in as many letters as they can!
- During the video, pause to discuss key concepts and ask questions to deepen student understanding.
- After the video, ask students to complete a reflection activity. Here are a few ideas!
- K-W-L Chart – Students complete the first two columns (K- What I Know; W – What I Want to Know) before watching the video. After watching, students complete the last column (L – What I Learned).
- 3-2-1 – Students write down three things they learned, two interesting facts, and 1 question they still have.
- At first, I thought / I now believe – Have students finish the following sentences. You can even do this as a class. Just change the “I” to “we!”
- At first, I thought… Because…
- Then I revised my thinking because…
- And now I think… Because…
- I Learned / I Noticed / I Wonder / I Think – Similar to the K-W-L chart, students use these phrases as sentence starters. They can choose which ones they want to use and how many times they would like to respond! For example, a student may have a lot of “wonderings” and no “notices.”
Tips for Choosing the Right Videos
Not all historical videos are equal. Before choosing a video to watch in your next history lesson, check out these tips:
- Be sure to watch the video all the way through before showing it in class. There’s nothing worse than hearing false information or unexpected swear words while watching a video with your students!
- Find an age-appropriate video. If the video is too complex (or too simple), your students will check it out.
- Use a video that is relevant and specific to the topic. Nobody wants to sit through 15 minutes of boring video just for one minute of important information.
- Make the video accessible to all students. Use closed captioning when available and print a written transcript if needed.
- Keep it short. The average attention span of middle schoolers is 10-12 minutes. So consider breaking it into smaller sections if your video is longer than 10 minutes.
Where to Find GREAT Videos
It can be painfully time-consuming to find educational videos that are engaging, historically accurate, and age-appropriate! To help get you started, here are a few of my favorite video sources.
- Crash Course U.S. History – John Green has so many fun videos digging deep into the different topics of U.S. History! Check out this video on the American Revolution.
- Crash Course Black American History – In this series, Clint Smith delves deeply into the experiences of Black people in America. His video on the Cotton Kingdom is powerful!
- Mr. Bett’s Class – Mr. Bett teaches U.S. History through hilarious (and super cringeworthy) musical parodies.
- Khan Academy – This website offers excellent resources, including instructional videos, corresponding practice exercises, articles, and more.
In addition, I have written several blog posts about my favorite U.S. history Youtube videos. Check them out below:
Click here to see all my favorite history videos in one place!
More U.S. History Resources
Are you looking for additional resources to help you teach U.S. History? As a former 5th grade teacher, I know how impossible it can feel to find high-quality and engaging resources for teaching U.S. History. That is why I have created these interactive units. With high-quality content and exciting lesson plans and activities, these all-inclusive units will help you bring history to life in your classroom!
- Geography of the Western Hemisphere
- Intro. to U.S. History / Think Like a Historian
- Native American Regions Unit
- Age of Exploration Unit
- 13 Colonies Unit
- American Revolution / Declaration of Independence Unit
- Revolutionary War Unit
- U.S. Constitution Unit
- Presidential Elections Unit
- Early Republic Unit
- Westward Expansion Unit
- Civil War Unit
U.S. History Quote of the Week Resources:
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