Teaching using Podcasts

President Abraham Lincoln once said, "This war is eating my life out." These words and others come to life through the PBS American Experience vidcast series. I located a podcast about the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, and the assassination of the president. Check out the PBS American Experience vidcast here!

Approaching a unit on the Civil War in my own classroom, I was looking for ways to illustrate the concepts we will discuss in the classroom. The Civil War and the presidency of Abraham Lincoln are powerful points in the social studies curriculum. This vidcast accurately and effectively conveys the most important points to reiterate concepts covered in class.

A unique part of this vidcast is that it is divided into multiple sections. I could break the class into small groups to focus on one specific component of the history of the Civil War, Lincoln, and the assassination. Students, as "professionals" on the topic, would then teach the rest of the class about their topic. These are also excellent models for social studies videocasts that could be done as an extension to this lesson.