I’ve built history simulations for years, first as massive PowerPoints and now as interactive web pages. This post explains what I look for in a good simulation, its limits, and how my students live through the Reformation as a prince, peasant, printer, nun, or priest.
AP World History Modern
AP World History is one of my favorite classes to teach. The content is exciting, and the historical thinking skills are always front and center.
Finding AP World Primary Sources While Exploring Xi’an
I did not expect much from a museum famous for its 8,000 horse tethering posts. But tucked inside its relocated Ming and Qing buildings were a 1910 calligraphy piece criticizing the examination system and a wall of Cultural Revolution plaques quoting Mao, both with real potential for AP World lessons.
Unplugging Note-Taking in AP World
My strongest students have organized their notes on their own for years. Many of them were already using analog notebooks even though I provide everything digitally. That told me something.
Enhancing Historical Thinking: The Role of Agency
Teaching historical agency means helping students see history as a series of choices, not inevitabilities. Through primary sources on figures like Richelieu and Louis XIV, students explore how power, structure, and context shape what individuals and groups can—and cannot—do, revealing the complexity behind seemingly inevitable historical outcomes.
Choose Your Own Adventure: The English Civil War
Lectures have their place, but sometimes students need to step into history themselves. This Choose-Your-Own-Adventure activity on the English Civil War let my AP Euro students explore turning points through roleplay, choices, and consequences—making the conflict between Charles I and Parliament more engaging and memorable.
Negotiating History: A Classroom Simulation of the Treaty of Westphalia
Simulations bring history alive, even if students don’t always land on the “right” outcome. My Treaty of Westphalia simulation in AP European History pushed students to negotiate, compromise, and reflect, skills as valuable as the history itself.
Cards on the Table: Starting AP Euro with a game
I designed a custom strategy game called Institutions and Ideologies, themed around the Renaissance through Enlightenment. The game introduces students to major ideas and institutions of early modern Europe through unique decks, influence mechanics, and competitive play. Check it out, and try it in your own classroom.
AP World Released DBQs & LEQs by Topic & Year (Updated 2025)
Quick Reference charts for the AP World DBQ and LEQ released topics from past exams. Includes links to the College Board PDFs. Files are in doc and excel format.
Searching for Depth in AP World
This reflection explores strategies for deepening historical thinking in AP World History despite limited seat time. It highlights resources like Deadly Companions, Istanbul, and Gallagher’s “Imperialism of Free Trade,” while advocating for historiography, Harkness discussions, and thematic integration to enhance student engagement, critical thinking, and skill development across the course.
Teaching the Silk Roads with Primary Sources
I like to slow down in the first two units of AP World and take advantage of the time and lighter content to unpack skills, particularly primary source comprehension and analysis. This post includes several activities and resources I have used over the years to do this.