The following collection features Digital Choice Boards and other interactive learning materials for use by K-12 and college teachers and students for history, social studies, civics, and mathematics/science learning. The collection has been developed by College of Education faculty members Robert W. Maloy, Torrey Trust, and Sharon Edwards along with undergraduate and graduate students from their classes.
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National Hispanic Heritage Month Digital Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board invites students and teachers to:
- Write a diary of Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo's explorations and encounters with Native peoples in California.
- Create an interactive timeline of Sylvia Mendez and the struggle for equal education for Latinx children.
- Design a 3D monument celebrating Roberto Clemente's accomplishments as an athlete and activist.
- And explore more topics in Latinx history.
Go here to make your own Google Doc copy of this choice board to remix.
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Science & Technology in U.S.History Digital Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board invites students to:
- Construct an augmented reality exhibit of First American cities.
- Write an interactive digital story about automobile innovation from the Duryea brothers to self-driving cars.
- Create 3D digital artifacts representing the work of 19th century African American inventors.
- And explore many more topics presented in resourcesforhistoryteachers wiki & Building Democracy for All eBook.
Go here to make your own Google Doc copy of this choice board to remix.
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Student Legal Rights in School Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board invites students to:
- Create a stop motion animation about the landmark Mendez v. Westminster case.
- Design a game about the influence Supreme Court decisions have on students' lives.
- Write a paper in praise or protest of their school's dress code along with suggested improvements and changes.
- Create a mosaic expressing one of the rights outlined in the Student Bill of Rights.
- And explore many more topics that are covered in Building Democracy for All "Student Rights" Learning Pathway.
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The 2021 Inauguration Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board explores how to:
- Analyze how various media outlets covered the 2021 Presidential Inauguration.
- Design a replica of the 2021 Inaugural Platform using a 3D modeling tool or recycled materials.
- Review the Oath of Office for the President and Vice President and think about things to add or change.
- Review historical Inaugural poems and write a poem about the 2021 Inauguration.
- And explore many other topics that are covered in Building Democracy for All "The Roles of Congress, the President, and the Courts" Topic.
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The Americas in Global History Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board invites students to:
- Create a virtual world about First American homes and ways of living.
- Create an edible book entry using only foods from the Americas that spread throughout the world.
- Develop an interactive story about biodiversity along the Amazon River and rainforest.
- And explore many more topics that are presented in the resoourcesforhistoryteachers wiki.
Go here to make your own Google Doc copy of this choice board to remix
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The Congress in U.S. Government Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board explores how to:
- Explore the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 and propose legislation to improve the school experiences of every student.
- Design a game that explores Congress's role in the checks and balances of the U.S. government.
- Explore the websites of various Congress members and design their own Congressional websites.
- Propose a new amendment to the Constitution.
- And explore many other topics that are covered in Building Democracy for All "The Roles of the Congress, the President, and the Courts" Topic.
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The Constitution, Amendments, and Supreme Court Decisions Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board invites students to:
- Create a movie trailer for a film about the separation of powers between the branches of the U.S. government.
- Write a press release about a Presidential Impeachment.
- Critically evaluate
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The Development of the U.S. Government Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board explores how to:
- Critically analyze the accuracy, credibility, relevance, and presentation of the songs in Hamilton.
- Design a social media campaign for one of the Declarations of Independence written throughout U.S. history.
- Connect decisions made during the Constitutional Convention to how Black Americans are portrayed in the media today.
- Explore how Black content creators on various social media platforms portray Black American identity.
- And explore many more topics that are presented in Critical Media Literacy and Civic Learning "The Development of the U.S. Government Choice Board" Topic.
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The Presidency in U.S. History and Politics Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board invites students to:
- Create a sketchnote about what role each branch of government should play in making decisions about a social issue.
- Rewrite Article II of the Constitution using kid-friendly language.
- Write a children's book about women who have run for President.
- Propose presidential actions to address an environmental issue, the COVID-19 pandemic, or another topic of their choosing.
- And explore many other topics that are covered in Building Democracy for All "The Roles of the Congress, the President, and the Courts" Topic.
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The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board invites students to:
- Design a game that will influence students' thinking about voting and/or civic engagement.
- Design a video or podcast that will combat misinformation about COVID-19.
- Write a script for a movie or TV show with a transgender main character.
- Evaluate how immigrants have been portrayed in films and the news.
- And explore many more topics that are part of Critical Media Literacy and Civic Learning "The Rights and Responsibilites of Citizens" Topics.
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The Structure of State and Local Government Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board invites students to:
- Design a logo for a local or state government committee.
- Explore the privacy policies of various websites and propose a Constitutional Amendment about the right to privacy in digital settings.
- Analyze how female and male politicians are described in the media.
- Design a social media campaign in support of an environmental policy.
- And explore many more topics presented in Critical Media Literacy and Civic Learning "The Structure of State and Local Government" Topic.
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Time Travels for K-12 Students Digital Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board invites students to:
- Build a model of a spacecraft to explore the universe.
- Create a stop-motion animation about how children played in the past and will play in the future.
- Write a Hollywood movie script about a world where people achieve any of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
- And explore many more activities where students build the future from understanding the past.
Go here to make your own Google Doc copy of this choice board to remix.
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U.S. Women and the Wars Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board explores how to:
- Write and draw a picture book about women's many roles during the American Revolution.
- Create an interactive StoryMap about the all-Black Women's 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion in World War II.
- Design a TV series about Anna Strong and other women in espionage during wartimes.
- Code a story in Scratch about the life of Jeanette Rankin who worked for peace during war.
- Compare and contrast the roles of women during the American Revolution, the Civil War, World Wars I & II, the Cold War, and the American War in Vietnam.
- And explore many more topics that are included in Building Democracy for All "Influential Women" Learning Pathway.
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Women Discoverers Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board invites students to:
- Use an augmented reality app to design a replica of a fossil discovered by Mary Anning.
- Code a story about the life of computer pioneer Grace Hopper.
- Write a script for a TED Talk about Elizabeth Smith Friedman, the U.S. first cryptanalyst.
- Design a Google Doodle about the Mercury 13 women astronauts.
- Explore more hidden histories and untold stories about women trailblazers in STEM.
- And explore many more topics that are covered in Building Democracy for All "Influential Women" Learning Pathway.
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Women's History Month Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board invites students to:
- Design an interactive story about the Lowell Mill Girls or Clara Lemlich and the Uprising of the 20,000.
- Write an outline of a TV series about women fighting for the right to vote.
- Make a 3D artifact celebrating the accomplishments of pioneering women in math and science fields.
- Investigate a social issue like journalist Nellie Bly.
- Summarize hidden histories and untold stories about women's history.
- And explore many more topics that are presented in Building Democracy for All "Influential Women" Learning Pathway.
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World Cup 2022 Qatar Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board invites students to:
- Design a World Cup coin for the 2022 competition.
- Analyze media coverage of the women's and men's World Cups.
- Investigate freedom of the press in the countries participating in the Cup.
- And many more activities.
Go here to make your own Google Doc copy of the choice board to remix.
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Writing Stories and Poems with OERs Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board invites teachers and students to:
- Remake a scene from the 1910 silent movie Frankenstein.
- Curate public domain resources by poets and writers of the Harlem Renaissance.
- Create a stop motion video of a public domain audiobook.
- And explore many more writing ideas using open educational resources.
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Youth Activists and Change Makers Digital Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
This choice board invites students to:
- Explore the role of Clara Lemlich and the impacts of the 1909 Uprising of the 20,000.
- Learn about Sylvia Mendez and the 1947 Mendez v. Westminster court case and Claudette Colvin and the 1955 Browder v. Gayle court case.
- Assess the impacts of the 1960 Greensboro Sit-Ins and the Greensboro Four on the Civil Rights Movement.
- And learn many more actions by Youth Activists and Change Makers in the Building Democracy for All eBook.
Go here to make your own Google Doc copy of this choice board to remix.
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Events in United States Foreign Policy Digital Choice Board
Robert W. Maloy, Torrey Trust, and Ana Paula Dornelles Schantz
This choice board invites students to:
- Create a news evaluation tool to evaluate social media posts about U.S. policy and the War in Ukraine.
- Make a digital slideshow about the history and impacts of U.S. policy toward nations in the Americas.
- Create a graphic history of the Barbary Pirates and the Barbary Wars.
- And explore many more foreign policy topics that are presented in the resourcesforhistoryteachers wiki.
Go here to make your own Google doc copy of this choice board to remix.
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Olympics 2022 Digital Choice Board
Torrey Trust and Robert W. Maloy
This choice board invites students to:
- Sketch a gold medal for the 2024, 2026, 2028, or 2030 games representing the host country's history and culture.
- Create a political cartoon about the freedom of the press rankings for the upcoming and previous host countries of the winter and summer games.
- write a song about how and why athletes have engaged in political protests throughout Olympics history.
- And explore many more activities where studetns students explore the history and impacts of the Olympics throughout the world.
Go here to make your own Google Doc copy of this choice board to remix.
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Women Discoverers: A STEM History Digital Choice Board
Torrey Trust and Robert W. Maloy
This choice board invites students and teachers to:
- Design an interactive timeline about Emmy Noether's achievements in STEM.
- Code a story about Grace Hopper with Scratch or Pencil Code.
- Compose a tweet about Mae Jemison's impact on women in STEM.
- Complete many more activities about women, STEM and change.
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Ukraine-Russia Conflict 2022 Digital Choice Board
Torrey Trust, Robert W. Maloy, and Allison Butler
This choice board invites students to:
- Design a Social Media News Evaluation Tool to examine how Russia create propaganda
- Investigate freedom of the press rankings for Ukraine, Russia, and other countries around the world.
- Evaluate its coverage of the Ukraine-Russia conflict by different TV news stations or networks.
- And explore more media literacy topics raised by the war in Ukraine and the book Critical Media Literacy and Civic Learning.
Go here to make your own Google Doc copy of this choice board to remix.
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Building Democracy for All: Interactive Explorations of Government and Civic Life
Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust
Designed as a core or supplementary text for upper elementary, middle and high school teachers and students, Building Democracy for All offers instructional ideas, interactive resources, links to primary sources, multicultural materials, and multimodal learning materials for interest-building explorations of United States government as well as students’ roles as citizens in a democratic society. It focuses on the importance of community engagement and social responsibility as understood and acted upon by middle and high school students—core themes in the 2018 Massachusetts 8th Grade Curriculum Framework, and which are found in many state history and social studies curriculum frameworks around the country. Building Democracy for All has been developed by a collaborative writing team of higher education faculty, public school teachers, educational librarians, and college students who are preparing to become history and social studies teachers. The primary editors and curators are from the University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Education. Contributing teachers come from school districts in the Connecticut River valley region of western Massachusetts (Amherst, Gateway, Westfield, Hampshire Regional, and Springfield). As an open resource, the book is being revised constantly by the members of the writing team to ensure timely inclusion of online resources and information.
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Teaching with Digital Tools and Apps
Torrey Trust
With the abundance in education technology (edtech) tools and apps currently available, and new ones popping up in app stores daily, how do you find the right ones for your practice? How do you ensure the digital tools and apps that you select for use in your classroom will enrich and extend your teaching, provide an accessible learning experience, and protect students' privacy? What should you look for when evaluating the user experience of apps and tools?
This free, open access eBook highlights the key steps and considerations for finding, evaluating, and teaching with digital tools and apps.
The book was designed as part of a class project for the Teaching & Learning with Technology course at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The following undergraduate and graduate students contributed to the book: Michelle Barrett, Matthew Checrallah, Jacob Desgres, Alyssa Federico, Kiel Maurath, Madeleine Olson, Shaunak Shah, Khizar Shaikh, Alexander Shum, Caroline Sonnett, Isabelle Manrong Wang, Chenyang Xu, Chrystal Zajchowski, and Fred Zinn.