Do Your Students Think History Is Boring? - A Few Ideas For History Teachers

Here are some writing ideas to help students become more engaged in learning history:

~ Make it about them. This can go two directions. First, it can be a personal history full of childhood memories. Second it can be the "History of My Birthday". For this I would have the student use their birth month and day and have them search what events in history happen on this day (not just year). What happened 10 years before I was born? What world event happened 50 years before I was born? What was the world like 100 years before I was born?

~ Pick an object: doughnuts, video games, the zipper, microwaves, stickers, etc. When was it first invented or discovered? Was it intentional or accidental? Who was involved? What changes and developments have been made over the years?

~ Pick an ancestor. When and where was your grandmother born? Did your great-grandfather live in one place his whole life or did he move often? How much school and education did they get? What was their occupation? What world events did they experience? Did they serve in the military or live through a war?          
Variation: Pick an author or world leader.

~ Pick an event or holiday. When was it first celebrated? Who was affected or influenced? How has it been remembered over the years?

~ Pick a song, piece of art, or artifact. When was it created? Where is the original now? How many copies have been recreated and sold over the years? Who inspired it?

~ Pick a word. When and where did it originate? How has the definition changed over the years? Are there equivalents in other languages?

The key to all this is to let the student pick the topic and then find it in history. If they pick the topic then they are already invested and are more likely to enjoy and retain the information they learn.