Amazing History Worksheets for Middle School Teachers!

Middle school history teachers are always on the lookout for engaging and effective ways to teach their students about the past!

History worksheets, when done right, can be an excellent tool to supplement lessons and help students understand and retain information about important historical events, people, and concepts. Whether you are teaching American history, world history, or specific social studies topics like Ancient Rome, the New England Colonies, the U.S. Constitution, Industrial Revolution, or perhaps World War II, the right worksheet can help you get your students interested and invested in the material.

Why Worksheets are so VALUABLE!

In no specific order, here are six key benefits of using high-quality, well-curated worksheets with your middle schoolers:

 Reinforcement of Concepts: Worksheets can be used to reinforce and review new concepts and information learned in class, ensuring that students have a clear understanding of the material. They may also be used to review information from prior lessons, or to assess student understanding. This helps to reinforce learning and solidify knowledge in the students' minds.

Assessment of Understanding: Worksheets can be used to assess student understanding of historical events and concepts, providing teachers with valuable feedback on student progress.

Engagement and Motivation: History worksheets can be designed to be engaging and entertaining for middle school students. This can help motivate students and get them interested in the material, making learning more enjoyable and effective.

Customization: Another key benefit of worksheets is that they can be easily customized to meet the needs of individual students, allowing for differentiation and personalized learning. This can help to ensure that all students are challenged at the appropriate level.

Supplement to Lesson Plans: Lastly, worksheets can be used as a supplement to lesson plans, allowing students to explore specific topics in more depth and at their own pace. This can be especially helpful in ensuring that all students have a solid understanding of the material, regardless of the pace of the class.

Variety of Formats: Somewhat similar to customization, but different enough to warrant it's own category is that worksheets can be found in a variety of formats. From digital and printable worksheets, to a crossword puzzle, word searches, multiple choice worksheets, vocabulary and reading comprehension worksheets and various other printable activities such as a printable map, the possibilities are literally endless!

Download a FREE WEEK of lesson plans HERE!

Primary & Secondary Sources

One important aspect of using history worksheets is to make sure they are based on accurate and reliable information. This is especially important when it comes to American history and U.S. history. You want to be sure your students are learning the correct information and not being exposed to inaccurate or misleading information. One way to ensure the accuracy of the information in your worksheets is to make use of primary sources, like the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution, as well as secondary sources, like textbooks or articles about historical events and people, that'll help provide students with a more in-depth understanding of the material you're going over with them. One of my favorite ways to incorporate the use of primary sources of information is by incorporating data visualization tools, like graphs or charts, which can help students understand complex information in a more visual and engaging way (the U.S. Census is a wealth of such data for some awesome worksheets!).

Engaging Worksheets

Another important aspect of using history worksheets is to make sure they are engaging and entertaining for your middle school students. This can be achieved by incorporating creative writing, bulletin board ideas, and other interactive activities into your worksheets. You can also encourage students to write about the historical events and people in their own words, helping them to connect with the material on a personal level. A great way to incorporate engaging history worksheets into your classroom is to use them as part of a series of questions focusing on specific topics like the American Revolution, the American Civil War, the Underground Railroad, or the Civil Rights Movement. This can help students understand the context and significance of each event and person and make connections between them. Whether it's online databases, Google Docs, or other educational resources, having a wealth of resources at your fingertips will help you create engaging and effective history worksheets for your students.

Below are two of the several worksheets in which students read about Civil War generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee and then complete a Venn diagram worksheet comparing and contrasting the two men! Part of my 8th Grade U.S. History Curriculum!

Other Important Factors to Remember

Grade Level

Another important factor to consider when using history worksheets is the grade level of your students. It should go without saying that using appropriate grade level worksheets for your history class is important because it affects the difficulty of the material and helps ensure they are grade level appropriate. For example, if you are teaching a group of 8th grade students, you would want to assign worksheets that are at an 8th grade level of difficulty NOT a level of difficulty better suited for say high school students. This would include worksheets that are challenging enough to engage students and help them to learn, but not so difficult that they become discouraged or overwhelmed.

Alignment with Learning Objectives

It is also important to choose worksheets that are appropriate for middle school students and aligned with the standards your district follows (Common Core standards, TEKS, etc.) for social studies and US history. This refers to the extent to which the worksheets support the learning objectives of the lesson and help students to achieve these objectives. When selecting history worksheets, it's important to consider the specific learning objectives of the lesson and choose worksheets that will help students meet these objectives. For example, if the learning objective is for students to understand the causes of the Cold War, you could choose a worksheet that asks students to analyze primary sources related to one of the many events that transpired during the Civil Rights Movement or some of the key historical figures associated with it. This could be anything from the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to influential figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. By using and creating worksheets that align with the learning objectives of the lesson, teachers can help to ensure that students are able to achieve these objectives, and that they are able to understand and retain the material. This can help increase students' understanding of the material and make the learning experience more meaningful and memorable.

Accessibility and Inclusivity

It's always important to remember that no two humans (and thus, students) are alike! As such, whatever worksheets you decide to use in your history classroom should be accessible and inclusive, taking into account the diverse needs of middle school students. This means that worksheets should be designed to be accessible to all of your students, regardless of their abilities, disabilities, special needs, and/or English language learners. For example, this could include using clear, simple language, and providing images and visual aids to support comprehension. For students with visual impairments, the worksheets could be designed to be accessible using assistive technology, such as screen readers. It's also important to consider cultural diversity and ensure that the worksheets are inclusive of different perspectives and experiences. This could involve incorporating primary sources from a variety of cultural and historical perspectives, or asking students to reflect on their own experiences and cultural background in relation to the material being studied. By taking these steps, teachers can help to ensure that all students are able to engage with the material and make connections between history and their own lives. This can help to make the learning experience more meaningful and memorable, and increase students' understanding of the material.

Political Cartoon analysis worksheet from my lesson on the National Bank Debate ("Age of Jackson" Unit) - included as part of my 8th Grade U.S. History Curriculum!

Relevance

Relevance is an important factor as well when choosing or creating a social studies worksheet for middle schoolers! By "relevance," I'm specifically referring to the extent to which the worksheets are related to the historical topics and events covered in class. By assigning worksheets that are relevant to the material, teachers can help to ensure that students are able to apply what they learn to real-life situations. This can help increase students' understanding of the material and make it more memorable. For example, if you are teaching about the American Revolution, you could assign a worksheet that asks students to analyze primary sources related to the event, such as the Founding Fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence or a letter from a soldier on the front lines. When choosing history worksheets, it's important to consider the relevance of the material to the students as well as the relevance of the worksheets to the learning objectives of the lesson. By ensuring that the worksheets are relevant and meaningful, teachers can help keep students engaged!

History worksheets can be an excellent tool for middle school history teachers looking to supplement their lessons and help students understand and retain information about important historical events, people, and concepts!

Have a look at my curriculum bundles HERE!

Imagine...

• Spending more time on teaching and less on lesson plans

• More time on nights and weekends to share with friends and loved ones

• No longer endlessly searching for amazing lesson plans and resource

   

I hope you've been inspired by this article! Thank you so much for reading,

-Jillian (a.k.a. the "Lesson Plan Guru")