ROD FRANCHI

Teacher, AP US History, AP Research,

& Economics at Novi High School.

College Board Consultant, AP US History.

Co-Director, Novi AP Summer Institute.

Contributor, Pearson's By the People.

HEY, IT'S FUN TO THINK LIKE A HISTORIAN.

I help students think and write for the APUSH Exam (and beyond!).

I also help teachers help their students.

Explore historical thinking resources and more below.

Let's work together and make history extraordinary!

HISTORICAL THINKING RESOURCES

APUSH STUDENT RESOURCES

Writing Instruction Vids

Short American Histories

APUSH Study Resources

Plus . . . other stuff!

APUSH TEACHER RESOURCES

Lessons by Period

Short American Histories

Primary Sources

Professional resources for APUSH

Plus . . . other stuff!

Anchor 1

ALL ABOUT

HISTORICAL THINKING

You know that stuff in the beginning of teacher guides that no one reads? Maybe we should!

The College Board's APUSH framework flat-out tells us the premise of the course and exam, explaining that that in APUSH "Students develop and use the same skills, practices, and methods employed by historians."

This is a one reason why historical thinking is at the core of my teaching and professional development. The bigger reason is that the thinking and writing that make up the practice of history empower kids.

I have been teaching AP US History at Novi HS in Novi, MI for almost 20 years. At the core of why I teach is the belief that kids can become better thinkers and writers with a little guidance from their history teachers. Writing plays a central role in my APUSH classroom. In addition to a master's in history education, I also have a master's in English with a specialty in writing. All of my education has helped me build my version of APUSH. The key to teaching the course, I tell anyone who will listen, is to help kids think like historians. And it's fun, too!

For professional development, I share insights and lessons from my experience and the latest APUSH Reading, but--as in teaching--PD is not about blasting unsuspecting participants with info followed by more info. My chief goal as facilitator is to help teachers build their courses so their kids can be successful.

Every school year is a new season and I look forward to learning from last year in preparation for the next year. My work and projects below.

Join me in my (sometimes crazy) chase for better history!

APUSH TEACHER

(& MORE!),

NOVI HIGH SCHOOL

I am so proud to be part of what I believe to be the best high school around. The entire staff is focused on creating the best learning experience for our students. I have been part of the Novi HS family for over 20 years, including 16 years as Social Studies Department Chair and Curriculum Area Leader. Besides APUSH, I also teach AP Research and Economics.

Below you can find my syllabus, a blog about an APUSH writing project I led, and videos I've developed for (and with!) my students.

APUSH CONSULTANT

& MENTOR,

THE COLLEGE BOARD

I really enjoy conversations about teaching and learning, and the being a consultant and mentor for the College Board allows me to do more of this. Teachers at workshops and in the mentoring program walk away with plenty of historical thinking and writing materials from me (see above!) and each other. Our main focus, however, is on teachers getting the knowledge and tools they need to continue building their APUSH courses.

Work with me at College Board workshops and through the Mentoring Program!

btp_edited_edited_edited_edited_edited.p

CONTRIBUTOR,

AP EDITION OF

BY THE PEOPLE

For the 2nd Edition of By the People, I was invited to contribute as a teacher of historical thinking and writing. I developed 60 mini writing lessons and over 80 DBQs, LEQs, and SEQs--all reflecting the very latest changes to the APUSH Exam. I also wrote dozens of MC questions and revised over 100 section summaries. Dr Jim Fraser's By the People was written to tell the story of the APUSH content outline with an eye on historical thinking--and to tell it through the people who created that history. Between the content and the writing resources, this is an ideal resource for APUSH students!

July 13–17 Gwinnett County

CO-DIRECTOR,

NOVI AP

SUMMER INSTITUTE

My wife Kristin and I established the

Novi AP Summer Institute to help AP teachers and their students. Since we are teachers ourselves, we know how important it is for PD to relevant. At the Novi APSI, teachers walk away with tools and resources they need to build their courses. We also know that summer time is valuable so we do our best to provide an awesome experience all week.

SUBJECT & CO-AUTHOR, ARTICLE ON DISCIPLINARY LITERACY

What does it look like when students think like historians? An article in The Journal for Adolescent and Adult Literacy features the use of of disciplinary literacy in the classroom. I have the good fortune to the teacher in one of the two classroom studied. The lesson is about historical empathy centered around an American Indian treaty.

CONTRIBUTOR,

AP ONLINE MODULES FOR APUSH

I was invited by the College Board to play a role in a project that helps APUSH teachers. For Periods 3 and 4 I discuss and model instructional strategies. Each of the 9 online modules feature historical context, instructional strategies, and assessments. They can be accessed with your College Board account.

But What Does it Look Like?

AP Online Modules

Novi APSI

CHIEF DIGGER,

THE HISTORY DIG

One really fun part of learning APUSH is amazing primary sources, or "artifacts," as

I call them. I've begun building a website called thehistorydig.org. There students and teachers dig up artifacts to help better understand our past. Essential artifacts are there, but so are "Curiosity Artifacts," the ones you probably haven't seen but are sure to pique interest. I have close to 1000 artifacts that are ready to post, plus I have some ideas on how to help students curate some into an argument of their own. Now all I need is a 100 hours to make it a reality! #time

ATTENDING TEACHER,

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN ROUNDS PROJECT

Over ten years ago, leaders in the University of Michigan's School of Education reimagined their teacher prep program for Social Studies. They created the Rounds Project, based on the medical rounds model. Teacher interns rotate classrooms to learn about specific aspects of teaching. I am proud to have been one of the first attending teachers in the Rounds Project, where interns study literacy in history and other social studies courses.