The Knowledge Matters Podcast

Thirteen colonies rose up, rebelled against an Empire, and won their independence. These unlikely victors built a new nation on democratic principles that inspired similar movements around the world.How should we tell the story of our nation’s founding? Guests Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, who co-directed The American Revolution with Ken Burns, explain how chronology and characters shape their longform PBS documentaries and accompanying curriculum materials, in a bonus episode of the History Matters Podcast.“We always work chronologically. We don’t work thematically. And I think when teaching history, I have been fairly convinced that that’s the way to do it,” says Botstein. “When you teach thematically, you silo things. When you work chronologically, you show the complexity, the nuance, unbelievable heroism, the ways people do great things and terrible things all at once, particularly in the story of a war.”Children are “capable of understanding these complex stories,” Schmidt says. “I think you can trust children’s intelligence a little more than we often do.”The filmmakers describe the important role that characters play in keeping learners and viewers engaged. Their series follows George Washington and other leaders, as well as a native community in the Shenandoah Valley, young soldiers who volunteered for the fight, and Betsy Ambler of Yorktown, Virginia, who ages from 10 to 18 during the war.“She lived much of her life as a refugee and her town was completely destroyed by that war. She never witnessed a battle, but she was impacted by the war every day,” Schmidt says. “These are people who are not dissimilar from you and me.”“If you are following stories of these other people, you’re worried about what George Washington might do, because you are worried about them,” Botstein says. “It makes students understand why history matters. We’re all impacted by decisions that leaders make and by world events—small, medium, and large.”They also discuss how visual artifacts like paintings and maps are especially engaging for young students and can help them understand a history story from different points of view.“It’s really important when teaching history to show a variety of perspectives,” Botstein says. “To have empathy and openness and generosity, to try to understand why people did good things and why people did bad things, and how we can be optimistic in learning about history to make a better future, and make better on the promises that the revolution tried to inspire.”This podcast is produced by the Knowledge Matters Campaign and StandardsWork, on behalf of the History Matters Campaign. Follow the History Matters Campaign on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X. Search #historymatters to join the conversation.Production by Tressa Versteeg. Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.

Laura Stam, an elementary teacher and 2024–25 Goyen Literacy Fellow from Wyoming, shares her insights on powerful history instruction. She highlights how a coherent curriculum engages second graders with lively history lessons, like the War of 1812, and connects various subjects through art and culture. Laura discusses the importance of building teachers' content knowledge and shares strategies for professional growth. Her optimism shines as she emphasizes the role of knowledge-rich education in fostering civic understanding and encouraging student agency.

In this captivating discussion, Jon Bassett and Gary Shiffman, former social studies teachers and co-founders of the Four Question Method, delve into innovative ways to teach history. They champion the 'Story First' approach, highlighting how narratives make learning engaging. The duo breaks down their method into four key questions that encourage critical thinking. From analyzing perspectives of historical figures to understanding the context of events, they argue that storytelling is essential for grasping history. Their practical insights can transform how educators connect students with the past.

Courtney Dumas, CEO of Edu20/20 and former elementary teacher, shares her insights on enhancing social studies education. She emphasizes the necessity of robust curricula and professional learning that dives deep into content knowledge. Dumas explains how immersing teachers in model lessons allows them to experience the curriculum like their students, transforming their understanding. She also advocates for a shared curriculum to create coherence across grade levels, while encouraging educators to prioritize historical knowledge to elevate instruction.

In Medway, Massachusetts, “social studies is a subject to be valued,” fifth-grade teacher Jennifer Lindsey explains in this episode. “It’s the place to teach kids how to talk to each other and negotiate conversations and digest information and form an opinion—but also listen to others’ opinions and back that up with evidence,” she says.This content-rich, inquiry-based learning is powered by Investigating History, a new, free social studies curriculum developed by Massachusetts teachers, scholars, and the state education department. It’s aligned to state standards and is available for grades 5–7; a pilot of grades 3–4 is underway.Lindsey describes the “resource gap” of the past: either textbooks from 1992 or materials from the Internet, much of which is intended for teenage students. The state-developed curriculum is designed to build knowledge and literacy and critical-thinking skills in young students and works within a daily 30-minute timeslot, she tells host Barbara Davidson.“Three core routines—a supporting question launch, an investigating sources routine, and a putting it together routine—really set kids up nicely to learn some solid informational texts and written and oral discourse skills because they are starting from a place of curiosity,” she says. “And in my literacy block, I’m teaching kids how to ask questions to keep themselves engaged and how to clarify ideas by asking questions. Those two things go hand-in-hand.”The curriculum also is designed to support teachers with their content knowledge and provide guidance for challenging questions and conversations, Lindsay says. In one lesson, fifth-grade students are tasked with advising the president on a major decision, such as whether to declare war on Great Britain in 1812. They research the options and present their advice to the class—and often disagree with what actually happened.“Fifth graders are talking about foreign policy and it will blow your mind,” she says. “Tiny humans can have the hard conversations.”This podcast is produced by the Knowledge Matters Campaign and StandardsWork, on behalf of the History Matters Campaign. Follow the History Matters Campaign on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X. Search #historymatters to join the conversation.Production by Tressa Versteeg. Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.

Ebony McKiver, a curriculum expert and former high-school social studies teacher, emphasizes the crucial need for improved elementary history education. She highlights that many ninth-graders struggle with historical concepts due to a lack of foundational knowledge. McKiver champions storytelling as an engaging method that connects students to their community. She advocates for collaboration between social studies and English Language Arts to enhance literacy, citing successful state initiatives that support integrated curricula. Hopeful for the future, she sees districts adopting high-quality materials.

In this engaging discussion, Angela Barfoot, a second-grade teacher, and Lauren Cascio, a fifth-grade teacher, share their transformative experiences using the Bayou Bridges curriculum in Louisiana classrooms. They highlight how rich, content-driven social studies enhances student engagement and inquiry. Both teachers recount thrilling moments, like students eagerly anticipating field trips to historical sites. They also discuss how integrating ELA with history boosts student reading skills and sparks a passion for learning about the past.

Teaching history involves balance: too many facts and it’s boring, too few and students don’t have enough information to make sense of what they’ve learned. In this episode, host Barbara Davidson speaks with Sean Dimond, a former middle-school teacher and Louisiana state social studies director who is now senior social studies editor at the Core Knowledge Foundation.Dimond notes that in elementary school, history is often “a random collection of holidays,” with topics presented out of sequence and scant connection from one to the next. That’s not what’s happening in Louisiana, where students and teachers are joyfully engaged in a high-quality, knowledge-building history curriculum. Dimond recalls his early struggles as a social studies teacher following vast and vague state standards. “In sixth grade, we were basically expected to cover all—and I’m not really exaggerating here—of human history,” he recalls. The standards started with the Stone Age and extended through the late Renaissance, following a “broken sequence with no narrative,” he says.That’s no longer the case: Louisiana created, adopted, and is implementing the high-quality Bayou Bridges curriculum. Now, “the material moves generally chronologically and sort of spirals, so students return again to similar topics at a deeper and deeper level,” he says. Dimond shares the example of an exciting lesson from a Civil War unit that combines expository, vocabulary-building text with a variety of primary sources, includes excerpts of presidential speeches, and culminates in a classwide debate about Lincoln’s heroism.Such curriculum and instruction build literacy and historical thinking skills, but “content is king,” Dimond asserts. “My ability to make an excellent claim about the Antebellum South is pretty predicated on my specific knowledge about the Antebellum South.”This podcast is produced by the Knowledge Matters Campaign and StandardsWork, on behalf of the History Matters Campaign. Follow the History Matters Campaign on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X. Search #historymatters to join the conversation.Production by Tressa Versteeg. Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.

Join Robert Pondiscio, author and former fifth-grade teacher, as he passionately advocates for revitalizing history education in elementary schools. He shares how his early fascination with history was stifled by educational policies that prioritize tested subjects over knowledge. Pondiscio argues that understanding history is vital for reading comprehension and civic engagement. With a call for a collective shift towards a knowledge-building curriculum, he highlights the importance of historical context in fostering informed citizens. Tune in for compelling insights!

Serena White, former chief academic officer for Monroe City Schools, discusses how effective writing instruction can enhance critical thinking skills. She shares her district's experience merging a content-rich curriculum with The Writing Revolution framework, which led to significant improvements in student writing and comprehension. White highlights the challenges students faced in expository writing and the transformative effects of structured support, particularly for those with learning disabilities. The conversation makes a compelling case for integrating writing across subjects to foster deeper understanding.