ENGAGE: Teaching the Social Studies Podcast

In this episode, Justin shares how slow reveal graphs, texts, and images have transformed engagement in his social studies classroom. By revealing information piece by piece, students are encouraged to observe closely, discuss what they notice, and think critically about what the data or image represents. https://slowrevealgraphs.com/

Looking for a quick engagement move you can use tomorrow? Justin shares his go-to dice routine—an adaptable strategy for reviewing concepts, checking understanding, and giving students a fun challenge. Whether you teach government, AP courses, or anything in between, you'll walk away with ideas you can plug into your classroom right away.

In this episode, Justin shares practical strategies for bringing global citizenship into the classroom, with a strong focus on human rights education. He outlines how foundational concepts like the Bill of Rights, natural rights, and the UN Declaration of Human Rights can be powerful tools for student inquiry and critical thinking. From comparing historical documents to creating their own list of rights, students engage in meaningful discussions about justice, equity, and global responsibility. Justin also explores how themes of rights and citizenship can be tied into a wide range of topics—like war, civil rights, slavery, migration, and labor history—making global connections across social studies content. Whether you're teaching US Government, World History, or Current Events, you'll find actionable ideas to deepen your students' understanding of the world and their place in it. Past Civics-Focused Episodes Teaching the Foundations of Democracy Teaching Civil Liberties Teaching the Policymaking Systems Teaching Elections and Interest Groups Teaching Political Parties and Elections Healthy Debates and Discussions Cultivating a Civil Classroom w/ Sphere Education

It’s review season, and Justin’s favorite time of year is in full swing! In this episode of ENGAGE, we dive into two tried-and-true strategies to get students fired up about reviewing content—The Race and Trivia Showdown. Learn how to turn your classroom into a competitive, high-energy review arena using nothing more than a good set of questions, some upbeat music, and a healthy dose of team spirit. Whether you’re teaching AP or gearing up for end-of-year exams, these low-prep, high-engagement games will help your students recall, reflect, and win. Grab your dice, get your playlists ready, and let the games begin.

Fresh off the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies Conference in Madison, Justin and Alisha break down their biggest takeaways—from innovative teaching strategies to the power of professional development. They share engaging classroom activities, including gamified lessons inspired by Dungeons & Dragons and hands-on learning methods that bring history to life. Plus, they discuss how attending conferences fuels creativity, builds connections, and enhances teaching effectiveness. Whether you're looking for new ideas to implement Monday morning or inspiration to attend your next conference, this episode is packed with insights and energy!

In this episode of ENGAGE, Justin dives into using AI to create dynamic classroom simulations. From Model UN to government crisis scenarios, he shares how AI tools like ChatGPT can streamline the process, making simulations more interactive and adaptable. Learn how he designed a choose-your-own-adventure style UN Security Council simulation, where student decisions shape the evolving crisis. Plus, discover tips on leveraging AI to create engaging, real-time learning experiences without hours of prep work. Tune in for innovative strategies to enhance your social studies classroom! UN Simulation Document

In this episode of Engage, Justin continues exploring civics education, focusing on political parties, elections, polling, and voter behavior. He shares engaging classroom strategies, including a political party jersey design project, a political socialization pie chart activity, and mock elections that simulate real voting experiences. Plus, he discusses polling analysis and debates on voter turnout, voter ID laws, and election systems. Tune in for creative ways to bring civics to life in your classroom!

Join Justin as he dives into creative and engaging ways to teach civics, focusing on elections, political parties, and interest groups. From candy primaries to interest group speed dating, this episode is packed with interactive strategies to make government lessons come alive in your classroom. Stay tuned for part two, where Justin continues exploring the best ways to bring civics to life! Previous CIVICS focused episodes: 5. Foundations of Democracy 7. Civil Liberties and Citizenship 11. Policymaking Institutions 18. Civic Engagement Through Discussions and Debates

In this episode of ENGAGE: Teaching the Social Studies, Justin delves into the art of fostering healthy debates and discussions in the classroom. Amid a polarized world dominated by divisive rhetoric and online insults, educators have the power to create spaces for thoughtful, respectful dialogue. Justin shares practical strategies for building classroom culture that values listening, empathy, and nuanced thinking. From icebreaker discussions about “Is a hotdog a sandwich?” to Socratic seminars on weighty political topics like the Electoral College or human rights, this episode is packed with tools and activities to prepare students for civic engagement and critical thinking in the real world. Tune in for tips, tricks, and inspiration to transform classroom conversations! Electoral College Discussion

In this episode of ENGAGE: Teaching the Social Studies, I share a quick, engaging strategy I recently tried in my classroom: the Tier List. This activity gets students ranking, debating, and discussing content in a way that’s fun and meaningful. Hear how it worked with my AP Government class and how it set the stage for deeper argumentative writing. Looking for a new way to spark engagement? Tune in and give the Tier List a try! Adam Moler's Blog Post of Inspiration! AN AMAZING FOLLOW! Eric Curt's Blog! Another great follow!

In today’s polarized world, classrooms are often the frontline for navigating challenging conversations. How can educators create spaces where students feel safe to share, learn, and engage critically with diverse perspectives? In this episode, we dive into practical strategies for fostering civil discourse with John Snoad from Sphere Education.

Justin Glodowski dives into the power of competition in the classroom as a strategy to boost student engagement and active participation. Justin shares how he makes learning fun and interactive by incorporating competitive elements in everyday activities, from breakout rooms to quiz challenges and review games. He explains his approach to incentivizing students with unique prizes, including creative rewards like sandboxes and leaderboard standings. Justin describes how he fosters competition through classroom-wide quizzes, role-play debates, and prediction challenges—like forecasting election results—giving students a real-world connection to classroom material. He also shares his “gamified” approach for review season in AP Gov, where students compete for prizes, track their progress on a leaderboard, and see their achievements displayed alongside those of past classes.

This episode of ENGAGE covers highlights from the hosts' summer travels and professional development experiences. Alisha shares about her time with the Founding Forward program, including a trip to Ellis Island and the Tenement Museum, as well as her immersive experience at the White House Historical Association Teacher Institute. Both hosts discuss their excitement about various professional development opportunities for educators, particularly those related to history and civil discourse. They also reflect on their joint experience at the Sphere Summit in Washington, D.C., which focused on civil dialogue and teacher collaboration. https://foundingforward.org/ https://www.sphere-ed.org/sphere-summit https://www.monticello.org/research-education/for-educators/monticello-teacher-institute/ https://www.whitehousehistory.org/rubenstein-center/k-12-education-resources-and-programs/professional-development-programs/white-house-history-teacher-institute https://www.neh.gov/grants/apply-neh-funded-seminar-institute-or-workshop

Justin shares tips and strategies for teaching social studies in an interactive way during an election year. He discusses classroom environment changes, strategies for approaching the election, making the election more fun to follow for different high school age groups, and strategies for approaching AP US Government and Politics in an election year as well.

Summer has been so busy for Alisha and Justin that it took them a whole month to get this episode published. Today, they discuss their summer adventures, including Alisha's trip to Washington, DC with her middle school students, her professional development sessions at Founding Forward/Freedoms Foundation in Philadelphia and the prestigious White House History Teacher Institute. They also chat about the Sphere Summit in DC, highlighting how these experiences enrich their teaching and expand their professional networks. Founding Forward (Freedoms Foundation) White House Teacher Institute Sphere Summit Teacher PD Opportunities Facebook Page

In our third installment on civics education, we dive deep into the structures of government and the policy-making process. Join Justin as he shares innovative classroom activities, including simulations of Congress, creative visual representations of government types, and mini moot court cases. Discover effective strategies to engage students in understanding federalism, the legislative process, the Electoral College, and the powers of the presidency. First Episode on Civic Education Second Episodr on Civic Education Mock Congress Template Sample Bill from Mock Congress Sample Bill from Mock Congress 2 Electoral College Discussion Street Law Website Mini Moot Court Case Instructions WITH Cases!

Buckle up for a wild ride through review season mayhem! Justin turns pre-AP exam review into an all-out gameplay extravaganza, complete with leaderboards, calendars packed with mini-games, competitive board game battles, and short answer sprints set to classic 70s-90s rock. SCOTUS Madness Bracket Example Make Your Own Connections Puzzles Codenames Hexagon Generator Hexagonal Thinking Copy of AP Gov SPRINT Copy of AP Gov TABOO Blooket Gimkit

Delve into the intricacies of Holocaust education with Justin on this episode of Engage. With invaluable resources and innovative teaching methods, this episode equips educators with the tools to engage students deeply in understanding the Holocaust's profound impact and enduring lessons. Teaching about pre-Holocaust genocide/atrocities from the Herero to the Holodomor Holocaust and Human Behavior by Facing History Echoes and Reflections Lessons Plans and Resources Holocaust Education Resource Center https://teachholocaust.org/ Dimensions in Testimony USHMM Timeline Activity USHMM

Join us as we delve into the exciting world of integrating AI tools and strategies into social studies classrooms. Discover how these innovative resources can enhance engagement, critical thinking, and historical inquiry for students of all levels. Learn how educators can leverage AI to transform their teaching and create dynamic learning experiences. Resources: ChatPDF - Chat with any PDF! Diffit for Teachers Claude Adobe Firefly Craiyon - Your FREE AI image generator tool: Create AI art!

Today’s topic focuses, once again, on civics with a discussion of how Justin approaches teaching civil liberties, civil rights, and citizenship in his classroom. Resources described in the video can be found below. If you missed the last episode on Navigating Civic Education, find it here for Apple listeners or here for everyone else. Street Law Court Case Descriptions Landmark Cases Justin’s Civil Liberties/Rights Slides Freedom of Religion from Retro Report Campaign Finance and Citizens United from Retro Report NY Times v. US/Freedom of Press from Retro Report Ida B. Wells and the fight for federal anti-lynching laws from Retro Report Sign Up for the Amazing Retro Report Newsletter Iron Chef Civil Rights Template Iron Chef Civil Rights Example Women’s Rights Movement Lesson Plan

Join Justin in a discussion of how to utilize drama (acting, musicals, puppets, and posing) to enhance social studies learning and ENGAGEment in the classroom (sometimes with a little help from the AI). Ideas range from more teacher controlled/guided to more student controlled depending on the student involved and the subject matter. Scripted Trial

In the first episode of a series on Civics education, Justin discusses his work on the WI Civics Scope and Sequence (specifically with the HS scope and sequence) and breaks down ideas for approaching the teaching of the Foundations of Democracy and Democratic Decision Making. Great connections to AP US Government and Politics but also useful ideas and strategies for any government/civics course. WI Civics Scope and Sequence Rule of Law Lesson Plan from Street Law Justin Breaks down the Declaration of Independence Preamble Song Street Law’s Landmark Court Case Briefs https://landmarkcases.org/

Justin and Alisha discuss strategies they implement to build connections with their students and increase engagement in the classroom along the way. Strategies shared may be applicable to subjects beyond the social studies and beyond middle and high school. Resources Mentioned: Teachers These Days Kagan Strategies Flipgrid Beginning of the Year Survey Example Post-Exam Survey Example

Justin teaches a Genocide and Human Rights class at his school and, in this podcast, describes how he approaches teaching the definition of Genocide and how he utilizes teaching of the genocide of the Herero and Nama people, the Armenian Genocide, and the Holodomor to approach that topic. Future episodes in this series on Genocide Education will include Justin's teaching about human rights, the Holocaust, Cold War era genocides, and genocide today. RESOURCES 10 Stages of Genocide Armenian Genocide Resources Aurora's Sunrise by PBS Red Famine Holodomor Images (for introductory inquiry analysis) Some Great Additional Resources from Echoes and Reflections

Justin shares his experience utilizing escape room/breakout experiences for the first day of class, reviewing, and teaching/sharing content. Share your experiences or interact with the show's hosts via out new Facebook page here.

A quick introduction to Justin and Alisha with a preview of where they plan to take this podcast.

Interested in making your social studies classroom more engaging? Tune in each week where we share the strategies and tips that have worked for us as teachers from all different levels of social studies teaching.