ABSTRACT
We pointed out in the last chapter that world history can be a challenging subject to teach to young students. Transnational patterns of trade, comparative civilizations, the development of world religions-these are abstract topics whose appeal may not always be obvious. Moreover, students in the United States grow up on a steady diet of U.S. history, but they usually have little exposure to that of the rest of the world, which they may regard with apathy or even suspicion. Introducing these topics requires that teachers carefully consider how they can best motivate and engage their students. In the last chapter, we emphasized the importance of selecting compelling case studies, such as the Columbian encounter or apartheid in South Africa, to illustrate broader patterns in the global past. In this chapter we focus on the kinds of activities that students find interesting-especially those involving creativity, choice, and variety. We also examine how
teachers can support students’ learning by using a variety of media, and through their scaffolding of students’ performance.
