Sarah Cooper, 8th grade US History teacher and Dean of Studies, has published her second book, Creating Citizens: Teaching Civics and Current Evens in the History Classroom, Grades 6-9 (Routledge, 2017).
Cooper believes in discussing the news in her classrooms with a combination of research, perspective and empathy, creating kids who are engaged, empowered and thoughtful.
“A strong grounding in the news leads to a desire for active citizenship,” she writes. “Just raising questions gives students a basis for deeper understanding, supporting their desire to be knowledgeable about the world.”
History teachers—and students—have the opportunity to talk about everything going on in the world, past and present, she says. Middle schoolers, according to Cooper, thrive with an active civics and history curriculum that takes in current events, mirroring their always-changing personalities and inviting knowledge.
“Do not underestimate middle schoolers,” Cooper advises. “Even if the content is unfamiliar and challenging, their ability to understand it is often formidable.”
Students participate in lively and engaging current events and civics discussions. As Cooper models civilized conversation about the news, she creates social connections—even among those who hold opposing views—enabling her students to form solid opinions on adult topics.
“How we teach is as important as what we teach. Often I’m teaching not just current events, but also curiosity and conversation,” says Cooper. To model thoughtful discourse, she counsels, “Step back from emotion to reason, from embroilment to analysis.” Be sure not to judge, and look for the event’s long-term impact. “Ask the students as you ask yourself, ‘How does this news affect others, even someone I might know?’”
“It always astonishes me how far and fast students can rise to the occasion if we give them the forum to do so. If we ask them to be responsible citizens and give them the tools and support to go beyond black-and-white thinking, if we make our classrooms comfortable spaces and illuminate that small steps can have large consequences, that opinions can change, then we will have set the stage for them to become passionate writers and thinkers and involved citizens.”
Sarah Cooper is also the author of Making History Mine (Stenhouse, 2009) and a contributor to the blogs MiddleWeb, Edutopia, CommonLit and Zocalo Public Square.
