ABSTRACT
Engaging With History in the Classroom is a series of American history units that focus on what it means to be a US citizen, living in a country that expects as much from its citizens as it provides. To facilitate learning that is rich, thoughtful, historically meaningful, and personally engaging, these units have been designed with several ideas in mind. Two overarching concepts, democratic citizenship and conflict, are central to the Engaging With History in the Classroom units. Specific lessons introduce the concepts and support concept formation. Two models of teaching are used to develop student deliberation and discussion skills. The structured academic controversy is a teaching model that requires students to alternately explore and argue for both sides of a controversial issue in order to acquire a balanced opinion on the issue.
