Mary Farmar, Middle School History Lesson Plans
Mary Farmar, 1989 Golden Apple Fellow
July’s Best Practice is for all history teachers, especially new teachers who need a simple effective process for motivating students to do research. The attached lessons can be used by Language Arts as well as Social Studies teachers to develop their students’ creativity and research skills.
Mary says:
Recent studies have shown, sadly, that our students have a very minimal knowledge of the history of the United States and especially the working of the federal government. A rite of passage in 8th Grade is the Constitution Test. Too often, the study of the Constitution is merely a 2-3 week boring rote memorization of this amazing document. You can make the study of the Constitution challenging, interesting, and memorable. 8th Graders like “real,” active learning, so make the Constitution come alive, be meaningful, and relevant.
The following 2 assignments—one is a long term, and the other will take a night or two—are going to require the student to use higher level thinking skills, deepen the understanding of specific aspects of the Presidency, and analyze historical data.
So try one or both of the lessons. You will be amazed at your students’ interest and real abilities that may have been hidden thus far.
Download the Presidential Roles U.S. Constitution Project >
Download the Albert Einstein Letter to FDR and Handout >
Mary Farmar is a 1989 Golden Apple Fellow and has taught for 34 years in parochial (St. Luke and St. Vincent in River Forest and St. Ferdinand in Chicago) and Percy Julian Middle School in Oak Park, Illinois. The majority of her teaching focused on Middle School History. Her excellent teaching won her The Heart of the School Award, Outstanding Young Educator Award, and the African- American Parent Organization Award.
Mary established a service learning program at Percy Julian, which won the Illinois Service Learning Program Award. Mary also coordinated our Golden Apple Scholars’ participation to work with Percy Julian Middle School students to prepare houses in which adults with disabilities could live. In 2009, this effort was awarded the Seguin Services Volunteers of the Year Award.
Mary graduated from Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa, and she received a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis.