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Blerds – the Beauty of Nerdism
“Blackness isn’t just one thing” – Dr. Sheena Howard After a long day of presenting and attending panels at New York Comic Con, my wife met me at the hotel after taking the train up from Philly. We...
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I just had a mom email me and ask for help – a mom who is beyond frustrated and is looking for any means to help her autistic child find success in school. We have all felt this way – with our own...
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Twilight Zone and Textual Evidence
Time Enough At Last I used the above Twilight Zone episode to tie into my Cold War Unit. We were discussing the impact of mass media on culture – more tvs, transistor radios, etc. I remembered...
View ArticleSpreading the Nerd Word at GMercyU
I completed my MS Reading Specialist degree requirements at Gwynedd Mercy University in 2008. I had a unique perspective in being the only male and almost only secondary student in the program. One...
View ArticleTeacher Wars
Can we agree to end the teacher wars? I am a huge proponent of using social media as an educator who has been inspired by so many around the world. However, Twitter only gives us so many characters...
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Watchmen, Dylan, Counter Culture, and Close Reading
When reading through the class textbook (McGraw-Hill’s United States History and Geography 2016) and planning ahead on a new section, I came across an aside box on Bob Dylan that got me thinking. I...
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Star Wars and Totalitarianism/WWII
_________________________________________________________________________________ Most of us Star Wars nerds know that it is, in part, based off of real events – including WWII. The book, Star...
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A Human Humanities Course
When I first began as a teacher, the advice I was given was to not let the students see me smile until Christmas and to not divulge any personal information. Now in my fifteenth year of teaching, I...
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Social Studies is Complicated
I saw a Twitter post today that had been reTweeted more than 18,000 times and liked more than 17,000 times, with more than 400 comments. The post was about how King Leopold killed more Africans than...
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Importance of Imagination
I teach high school social studies and firmly believe in the importance of rigor and high expectations for myself and my students. We do a lot of analytical reading in writing in the course as I want...
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NeaterIsBetter?
My son has been on my mind a lot, as he is most days. I have written about him before (http://historycomics.edublogs.org/2017/04/09/a-human-humanities-course/) and the obstacles that he has to overcome...
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Jerry Craft Author Visit
5/10/18 – Today was awesome! Members from two of our high school clubs – Comic Book Club and CASA (Celebrating All Students’ Achievements) – came together for a Skype session with author and artist...
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Laurie Halse Anderson, poetry, and WWII
4/11/19 I am lucky enough to have gotten to know Laurie Halse Anderson over the years, both in person and by reading her emotionally brave and honest writings. My wife and I wrote the teacher’s guide...
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Excellence In Graphic Literature Awards 2019
EXCELLENCE in GRAPHIC LITERATURE – the name of this award speaks volumes to where we are with comics as a medium and its acceptance as literature. In the late summer of 2018, I was asked by several...
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Representation In Comics
On 7/21/2019, Marvel announced, at San Diego Comic Con, that a new Thor movie would be released in 2021, starring Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Thor. Not only would there be a female Thor, but...
View ArticleAvatar and Star Wars in Social Studies
Using Avatar and Star Wars in Social Studies By Tim Smyth @historycomics historycomics.net In my social studies class, we often discuss how pop culture mirrors events in society and that comics, tv...
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Speak and Project Lit
How do we get our students to read? How do we create a culture of reading? How do we increase empathy and human connection in an increasingly disconnected world? Project Lit has proven to do exactly...
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Making History Relevant
My students are currently researching and presenting revolutions across Latin America, think: Miguel Hidalgo, Jose Maria Morelos, Simon Bolivar, Jose de San Martin, Toussaint Louverture, Jean-Jacques...
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I Believe In Second Chances
I believe in second chances. And third. And fourth. And more. I believe in this for my children, for my students, and for myself. I am not a hopeless optimist, and I can’t always “just be happy,” nor...
View ArticleWar of the Worlds and Media Literacy
As we discuss the stresses and fears of the late 1930s, the War of the Worlds broadcast provides a great vehicle to discuss how media can impact society. I first ask the students to discuss the...
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