Social Studies Toolbox

Hexagonal thinking is a powerful strategy that has transformed my teaching practice. I first learned about hexagonal thinking after attending a professional development conference in 2018 . Only recently being used in education, the practice originated in the business world . This approach, which visually organizes students' thinking, not only facilitates content organization but also encourages deep thinking and the establishment of connections between ideas.  Implementing Hexagonal Thinking: As a formative assessment during my Holocaust unit, I introduced hexagonal thinking to gauge my students' retention of content and their ability to identify connections among the various individuals, places, and events covered in the unit. Working in groups, students received envelopes containing hexagonal cards with names, dates, events, and vocabulary printed on them. After sorting the cards into categories, students began building connections and engaging in meaningful discussions abou...

I Created "Ladder of Prejudice" cards to use with my students when I introduce the Holocaust in my history courses. I use these cards at the beginning of the unit, as one of my first lessons.  When I use the cards, I put my students in small groups of 3 or 4. I instruct students to arrange the cards in bold print vertically (As if on a ladder) with the top rung representing the worst form of prejudice and the bottom rung, the “least” worst form of prejudice. ( Extermination is on the top rung, then physical attack, then discrimination, then avoidance, then speech.) After we arrange our cards, we focus on categorizing our remaining cards. These cards include examples of each category/level of prejudice based on topics we've discussed in class over the course of the school year . I’ve also included some cards containing vocabulary and images from the Holocaust. Once students have sorted their cards,  I ask them to share examples from their small group discussion...