Valarie Rapp is an Ohio middle school teacher who has taught social studies for 21 years. She knows it can be hard to teach complex subjects to middle schoolers, so she’s looking for a program that is both aligned to standards and helps her students build aha moments.
History Alive! The Ancient World is a K-12 curriculum designed by the Teachers’ Curriculum Institute (TCI) to make social studies engaging through interactive lessons and inquiry-based projects.
We chose History Alive! The Ancient World as a Teacher Pick because the program emphasizes student-driven exploration, encouraging research and evidence-based arguments. It integrates reading and writing skills by incorporating primary sources, biographies, and diverse perspectives. Covering topics like geography, history, economics, and civics, the program provides content for all grade levels. Additionally, TCI offers a digital platform with interactive activities, assessments, and teacher resources for blended learning.
Here’s what Valarie wants other teachers to know about the TCI History Alive! The Ancient World curriculum.
What grade levels and subject areas do you think TCI History Alive! The Ancient World is best suited for?
I think that TCI History Alive! The Ancient World is best suited for the middle grades because the concept of ancient history is hard to grasp. Students need to be able to connect to the material. I feel like TCI really does a great job of incorporating different methods of learning to help middle grade students learn.
Does this product align with any specific standards or curriculum guidelines that you know of?
The TCI website promotes their programs as being fully aligned to state and national standards. I was able to find a “Social Studies Standards Correlations” page within the TCI website. I filled in the grade level, state, and content information for my area of teaching. The system then generated a report of Ohio standards for my chosen grade level and told me which TCI product and lesson connected to every standard. This is a handy resource because it is not teaching the lesson for me, but it is guiding me to the lessons that will best convey the information. The database has the lessons and standards connected, and that eliminates some of the menial work we can sometimes get lost in before we get started.
How did you use this product in your classroom?
In my classroom we are currently learning about Ancient Rome and Rome’s enduring impact on the world. I supplemented what we were already learning in class with the materials provided by TCI. We also compare Greek culture to Roman culture, and I was able to use some of the Greek placards with my students.
How did your students react to the product?
The students liked being able to basically hold artifacts in their hands. The placards that supplement the lessons are so vivid. Some of the items we would normally Google to get a better understanding of were brought to life using the placards and resources in the lesson. Of course, the review games got them excited to test their knowledge.
How would you sum up your overall experience?
Overall, I was able to navigate through most of the materials without a need for assistance. Once you get a chance to get acclimated, this program is user-friendly and easy to search. TCI offers a variety of online methods for gaining assistance. Even the placards are clearly labeled and numbered in case they get out of order. Because I can’t go back in time or visit all of the museums out there, I feel that this program offers a lot in the way of connecting with the ancient world.
On a scale of 1 to 5, how easy was it to use TCI?
I would give this a 4.5/5. I think that initially, like all good tools, it can take a while to learn how the program works. But after spending time working with the print and online materials, I found them to be very user-friendly. I think this program allows teachers to make each lesson their very own without too much extra prep. The plethora of valuable resources outweighs any initial feelings of being overwhelmed. So much detail is packed into the videos. Once teachers figure out how to navigate the program, the value is definitely obvious.
What makes TCI special or unique compared to other programs you’ve used?
I would say the organization of the teacher website is top-notch. Upon logging in, I was able to choose a unit, a lesson, and then see activities. I could see the videos, materials, and games available. These materials are easy to assign with the click of a button. I also think there is a good variety of activities, differentiation, and a nice change of pace in each lesson. There are so many options, including options for students at different levels and paces.
TCI is very versatile. The reading voice in this program was easy to understand. I am also a sucker for games. Students love review games and competitions. The whole program sets out to turn students into history detectives and solve the mystery. The review games align well with the material and can be used by students independently or as a group for review. I was especially fond of “Matrix of Knowledge.” It is very similar to Jeopardy. I used this with my class. As a whole, they really liked that it was similar to Jeopardy but with multiple-choice options. All of the games offer one point for a correct answer on the first try and half a point for a second-try correct guess. On a third miss, the students are given the answer. The students enjoyed this because if they did not get it on the first two tries, they were ready to talk about the correct answer.
How will TCI save you time or make teaching easier?
As with all programs, there is an initial learning curve. There are both print and online resources available to teachers to help with planning in order to best meet the needs of students. The Teacher’s Guide is amazing in that it lays out each lesson and the materials needed, along with differentiation activities that involve meeting all students at the necessary level. There are flexible options with a variety of ideas available. That is so important in a world where we have students of different abilities and cultural backgrounds. I think the program does a nice job of showing teachers what students will be seeing. They also combine materials into one spot, so teachers aren’t opening a lot of books and flipping through pages. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Unit 1, Lesson 2, is on page 17 in the student notebook and that page number is also listed in the Teacher’s Guide. It’s page 33 in the Teacher’s Guide, but both pages are listed.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
When I first started teaching in 2004, this was the first social studies program I used. That was before schools were 1:1 with technology. I always felt that my 6th graders back then were able to grasp the big ideas of the ancient world due to the materials and placards. This many years later, it is wonderful to see that TCI has kept the integrity of the program and expanded resources and ideas to meet the needs of the present and future. We still have teachers who have years of wisdom who are nervous about adding more technology to the curriculum. This program provides middle ground, so it’s not intimidating to teachers, no matter what the experience level.
Teacher Picks is a sponsored program available from We Are Teachers. All opinions shared in the review are honest and based on the teacher’s direct experience. To learn more about our guidelines and review process, click here.
