How to Impress Your History Teacher

Memorize important historical names and dates., Learn your geography., Search Netflix for historical documentaries., Participate in class., Sit at the front.

5 Steps 3 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Memorize important historical names and dates.

    History teachers are especially impressed if you know specific details like these, and they will help you keep facts straight in class.

    If you can't remember all the specific dates covered in class, at least be sure to know the order in which important events followed each other.
  2. Step 2: Learn your geography.

    Get to know countries and capitals, as well as ancient countries and capitals.

    This will definitely put you at the top of the class, because most students today know very little about geography.

    Knowing the basics will also help you avoid making silly mistakes in class discussions, or asking a question about something you should already know.

    Six months after Hurricane Katrina, 33 percent of US high school students couldn't point to Louisiana on a map, and fewer than half could find Ohio or New York.Despite US involvement in the Middle East, 63 percent of college students could not find Iraq or Saudi Arabia on a map, and 88 percent could not identify Afghanistan., Some of these are quite entertaining, and you may find you have more of a passion for the subject than you thought you did.

    Try to find an event or time period you are genuinely interested in.

    Stop by your teacher's desk about after class to ask their opinion about what you watched – it will definitely impress them.Try to find something that relates to the specific time period you are studying at the moment.

    You'll probably pick up some unusual facts to add to the discussion, that aren't covered in the textbook.

    If you can't find anything related to your current class topic that interests you, watch a biography about a historical person, or something about a different period in history.

    The trick is to find something that genuinely interests you – your teacher will be able to pick up on this. , Channel your inner Hermione, and raise your hand in class.

    If you ask a lot of questions, your teacher won't call on you as often.

    You'll come off sounding smart for being inquisitive, and you won't have to deal with too many questions that you don't know how to answer.

    You will also be guiding the conversation into interesting directions, making class discussions more interesting for everyone, including you.

    Your teacher may even give you extra credit points for helping to keep the class discussions moving along.

    At the minimum, you will at least get 100 percent on the class participation grade. , If you can choose your own seats in a class, always try to sit in the front of the room.

    History classes tend to be more lecture-heavy than other courses, and sitting at the front may help you stay awake if your professor is having a dull morning.It's a lot easier to read the board and take notes from the front Sitting in a front desk gives the impression that you are one of the serious students.

    Students who sit in the front or in the middle of the classroom tend to score higher on exams.Bonus: teachers often like to call on students in the back of the room, to make sure they are paying attention.

    In a front desk, you won't have to deal with as many surprise questions.
  3. Step 3: Search Netflix for historical documentaries.

  4. Step 4: Participate in class.

  5. Step 5: Sit at the front.

Detailed Guide

History teachers are especially impressed if you know specific details like these, and they will help you keep facts straight in class.

If you can't remember all the specific dates covered in class, at least be sure to know the order in which important events followed each other.

Get to know countries and capitals, as well as ancient countries and capitals.

This will definitely put you at the top of the class, because most students today know very little about geography.

Knowing the basics will also help you avoid making silly mistakes in class discussions, or asking a question about something you should already know.

Six months after Hurricane Katrina, 33 percent of US high school students couldn't point to Louisiana on a map, and fewer than half could find Ohio or New York.Despite US involvement in the Middle East, 63 percent of college students could not find Iraq or Saudi Arabia on a map, and 88 percent could not identify Afghanistan., Some of these are quite entertaining, and you may find you have more of a passion for the subject than you thought you did.

Try to find an event or time period you are genuinely interested in.

Stop by your teacher's desk about after class to ask their opinion about what you watched – it will definitely impress them.Try to find something that relates to the specific time period you are studying at the moment.

You'll probably pick up some unusual facts to add to the discussion, that aren't covered in the textbook.

If you can't find anything related to your current class topic that interests you, watch a biography about a historical person, or something about a different period in history.

The trick is to find something that genuinely interests you – your teacher will be able to pick up on this. , Channel your inner Hermione, and raise your hand in class.

If you ask a lot of questions, your teacher won't call on you as often.

You'll come off sounding smart for being inquisitive, and you won't have to deal with too many questions that you don't know how to answer.

You will also be guiding the conversation into interesting directions, making class discussions more interesting for everyone, including you.

Your teacher may even give you extra credit points for helping to keep the class discussions moving along.

At the minimum, you will at least get 100 percent on the class participation grade. , If you can choose your own seats in a class, always try to sit in the front of the room.

History classes tend to be more lecture-heavy than other courses, and sitting at the front may help you stay awake if your professor is having a dull morning.It's a lot easier to read the board and take notes from the front Sitting in a front desk gives the impression that you are one of the serious students.

Students who sit in the front or in the middle of the classroom tend to score higher on exams.Bonus: teachers often like to call on students in the back of the room, to make sure they are paying attention.

In a front desk, you won't have to deal with as many surprise questions.

About the Author

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Kevin Stewart

Writer and educator with a focus on practical pet care knowledge.

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