What matters most here
| Rank | Practice | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cumulative low-stakes quizzing (principles 6, 7) | Evidence grade: Proven in classrooms Proven in classrooms generally; fewer high school social studies studies |
| 2 | Narrative and context taught before primary-source analysis (principles 2, 10) | Evidence grade: Strong Strong in principle |
| 3 | Model essays studied before students write (principle 3) | Evidence grade: Promising Promising |
A lesson in this room
Quiz on the causes of World War I. Teacher tells the story of the war's first year, pausing for questions. Students read a primary source with guiding questions they can answer because they know the background. Discussion, then a short written argument.
Leader look-fors
- Background taught before sources
- Earlier units on quizzes
- A model of good analytical writing visible to students
Stop doing
Source analysis "like a historian" before students know the events the sources describe.
Where the evidence runs out
High school social studies has thin trial evidence on this site. Recommendations carry over from strong findings elsewhere and are graded accordingly.