Reference Posters
I used these to reinforce context and foundational concepts as we
deepened our studies. They proved to be invaluable resources.
As we began to examine the need for coherent foreign policy in the Imperialist Era, I wanted students to have a reference for what the goals of US FP actually are. In the month that this poster was up, it proved an invaluable resource in understanding our country's actions abroad. (Students had a rock-paper-scissors contest for who got to draw the boat.)
This was our living world map from 2019-2020, measuring about five feet wide. It shows Imperialist Era enemy states and military operations in red, and territorial annexations in green. We went full-digital just as the map was getting interesting!
These dual posters are a product of my first class discussion in Modern U.S. History. I selected two opposing quotes from the Gilded Age and asked students to mark where on each spectrum they landed. These were my favorite posters (despite being visually lacking) because the discussions that ensued were some of the best I have ever had with students.
We spent most of a class period talking through the basics of how an economy works in preparation for studying the Great Depression. I believe that an interdisciplinary approach to history enriches students' understanding of past and present.
This is a student-made poster comparing Washington and Du Bois's approaches to advancing African American rights. It was a prelude to our discussion, "Are you a reformer or a revolutionary?"