Leveraging What is Already Developed - Part 1

I always have huge aspirations for developing content for my students.  However, when it comes down to it, there simply isn't enough time.  Interesting web-based content about the Constitution is hard to come by, but fortunately there are a handful of great resources that I rely on regularly.  

In this first of several posts on leveraging already developed content, I will focus on Hip Hughes History. It is treasure trove of content to enrich, flip, and engage students in the Constitution, Supreme Court cases, and current events.

What I like about Hip Hughes is that his content is created with a flipped classroom in mind.  To that end, he is very engaging and explains concepts in a manner that students understand.  He uses analogies and real-world examples to convey complex ideas.

Last summer Google added the ability to embed images and YouTube videos to Google Forms.  This capability makes it easier than ever to use video for pre-teaching and formative assessment.  It is also an effective tool for creating simple homework assignments by embedding a Hip Hughes video, and adding a couple reflection questions.  Students can watch the video and respond to the questions in the Google Form.  It works on all devises and students do not need additional resources to complete the task.  This activity follows all of the best practices for effective homework.  The image below is a sample form using an embedded Hip Hughes video on the 10th Amendment.  It includes two questions.  The first is just getting students to summarize the main idea of the video, and the second question gets at the essential understanding that I want students to gain from the activity.  These types of activities yield a 90+% completion rate from my students, whereas traditional homework assignments typically yield a 50-60% completion rate.

There are a number of ways that Hip Hughes content can be used in the classroom.  That is one of the aspects that make it such a good source for content.  Head over to Hip Hughes History and check it out for yourself.  In part 2 I will focus on the Your Weekly Constitutional podcast. Share your thoughts in the comments section.