Few classroom strategies are as successful as this simple approach: make learning fun! That, or course, is easier said than done, but when it comes to teaching American history content, the YouTube series Crash Course U.S. History is a fantastic place to start.
The script of each episode is packed with humorous observations about life and culture -- ones that help to make strong points about the history being communicated. Just as importantly, the host, John Green, has what it takes to keep students' interest: enthusiasm about the topics, a quirky way with props, and a funny, sometimes deadpan delivery of content. Students like watching the series, which means they pay attention to it and learn!
Where to Find Crash Course U.S. History
Each episode of Crash Course contains about 10 minutes of content plus a brief time for the credits. Episodes are available for free on YouTube at the following playlist:
If you are new to Crash Course, I encourage you to watch a few videos as soon as you can. I expect you'll be just as enthusiastic about the classroom possibilities as I am!
ABOUT THESE CRASH COURSE U.S. HISTORY WORKSHEETS
Time stamps are provided for each and every question to help students zero in on the answers. If you do not care to provide your students with time stamp information, however, the packet also includes a "questions only" worksheet for each episode.
Each worksheet focuses on a single episode of Crash Course U.S. History and typically contains between 10 and 20 items for students to complete. Worksheets are formatted to fit on one page for easy copying and a detailed answer key is provided for each episode!
QUESTION TYPES INCLUDED:
Some worksheets are free answer.
Some are true/false -- and in the answer key, all false answers are annotated to give additional information.
Some are fill-in-the-blank or cloze format.
This resource includes a worksheet, a time-stamped worksheet, and a detailed answer key for episodes 11 - 15 of Crash Course U.S. History:
• The War of 1812
• The Market Revolution -- The Early Industrial Revolution
• Slavery
• The Age of Andrew Jackson
• 19th-Century Reform Movements
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