1. Simulations in the History Classroom Creative Teaching in an Age of Accountability

2.  Promote active learning in the classroom  Provide students with emotional connections to content  Makes concepts more engaging and meaningful  Unique opportunities for kinesthetic/visual learners Why Simulations?

3.  Sacrificing time to teach content  Student behavior during simulations  Are simulations effective/appropriate?  What elements of simulations should be graded? Common Concerns of Teachers

4.  Supreme Court Case Simulations  Students are assigned positions & must prepare their cases, jury uses this evidence to come to a verdict  Ellis Island Immigration  Students impersonate early immigrants & are asked questions immigrants were asked upon arriving at Ellis Island  Stock Market Exchange  Students buy & sell ‘stocks’ and experience a ‘crash’ Examples of Effective Simulations ( As presented in “Using Simulations to Teach Middle Grades U.S. History in an Age of Accountability”)

5.  10 th grade World History  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4CUAPBicfA Slave Trade Simulation

6.  Ambitious teachers who know their content well can use creative tactics to teach content  Common Core should not impede with teacher creativity  Learning is more important than standardized tests  Learning can take place through simulations  Simulations are a creative channel in which students receive instruction Summary