Kansas History
Having taught history for a number of years, I thought I knew about
Bleeding Kansas and most of the people involved in making Kansas a state. When
Kansas history became a component of the state’s social studies assessment, I
realized I needed to know more, as well as, how much students needed to know to
successfully complete the test. For a time there was not a Kansas history
textbook for high school students. Now resources abound, materials are readily
available and the Internet provides many links.
I found students were interested in the history of their state; when I
added local history, it became a good way to hook students. Because my mother’s
family included some of the earliest settlers in my home town I did have access
to family history, and several books have been written about this part of the
state. One of my colleagues, Mark Coder, had his freshmen do a scavenger hunt
all over town. They enjoyed the activity and got a good dose of local history
about which they were not familiar.
While I do not consider myself to be an authority on state or local
history, I am thankful the state assessments reminded me teachers have to
continue growing knowledge just as our students do.
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