Teaching Hard History to Elementary Learners

Teaching elementary students about the difficult chapters of United States history requires particular attention to the developmental appropriateness of materials and the specific pedagogy used to teach topics such as slavery and the treatment of Indigenous peoples. 

This workshop provides K-5 educators with opportunities to work with scholars, including Dr. Bethany Jay of Learning for Justice’s Teaching Hard History Podcast and engage in peer conversations about how and when to introduce these subjects to students in culturally affirming, historically accurate ways.  We will unpack the state framework, explore teaching strategies and work with a variety of resources curated to help students engage with these topics in ways that explore identity, oppression, and empowerment in meaningful and age-appropriate ways.

Standards:
[1.T3] History: unity and diversity in the United States
[2.T3] History: migrations and cultures
[3.T5] Puritans, the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Native Peoples, and Africans
[4.T4]Expansion of the United States over time and its regions today
[5.T4] Growth of the Republic
[5.T5] Slavery, the legacy of the Civil War, and the struggle for civil rights for all