The Explore programs are specially designed to enable students to access history and social science content. Students develop a basic historical foundation by reading and interacting with the student textbook. They build upon that foundation by reading more detailed descriptions of people, places, events, and topics in the historical anthology and also in these interactive lectures. In this way, all students, including English learners and students reading below grade level, are able to access and master the grade-level content standards.

These "Explore More—Listen and Learn" interactive lectures cover topics emanating from the chapter content. They include activities that give students an opportunity to extend and apply their learning, and should be presented during PART 3 of each chapter lesson. You may present these "Explore More—Listen and Learn" interactive lectures to students in one of two ways:

• Print a copy of the lecture sheet for each student and have students follow along as you read aloud. Students can circle words they don't understand, underline key concepts, and make notes in the margin. Each lecture sheet also includes activities associated with the topic. Review students' answers with the class and have students include their completed work in their portfolios. NOTE: Be sure to give students an opportunity to ask questions about concepts they don't understand. Show students how to look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary.
• Have students view the lecture on screen and follow along as you read aloud. On their own papers, students can take notes about the key concepts that are covered. Encourage students to write down any words or concepts they don't understand. Have students complete the activities associated with the topic on a separate piece of paper, and review students' answers with the class. Have students include their completed work in their portfolios. NOTE: Be sure to give students an opportunity to ask questions about concepts they don't understand. Show students how to look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary.

• Preview more difficult words before you begin the lecture.
• Show students how to highlight key concepts in the text. In this way, demonstrate to students how to distinguish relevant from irrelevant information and essential from incidental information.
• Point out information that is verifiable and information that is unverifiable. Help students understand how the information can or cannot be proved.
• Have students discuss and complete the questions in pairs or small groups.
• Ask student pairs or small groups to read their answers to the questions.

• Ask students to highlight key concepts in the text, which demonstrate their ability to distinguish relevant from irrelevant information and essential from incidental information.
• Ask students to point out information that is verifiable and information that is unverifiable. Ask students to explain how the information can or cannot be proved.
• Ask students to frame questions that can be answered by historical study and research.
• Ask students to conduct such study and historical research on the questions they have framed and to present their findings to the class.

Most of the questions associated with the readings are comprehension questions. Students should be able to find the answers to these questions in the lecture text. In some cases, they also will use the textbook and historical anthology to help them synthesize the information needed to answer a particular question. The development of an answer key for each set of questions should be a student-centered activity. In this way, students will further develop and refine their metacognitive skills. The following steps are recommended:

1. Have students answer the questions (independently, in pairs, or in small groups). Make sure students put their names and the date on their papers. Remind students to put the answers in their own words.
2. Make an overhead transparency of the lecture and the associated questions.
3. Read the first question aloud or call on a student volunteer to read the question. Then ask students to identify the information in the lecture (or in other resources) that answers the question. Underline the text in the lecture that students identify. This will model for students how to reread a text for information. Remind students that when completing a chart, they may have to reread the text several times in order to identify the information that goes in each cell.
4. Encourage discussion to determine whether all students agree that this information answers the question asked. Point out key words that signal that this is the answer to the particular question.
5. Write the answer to the question on the overhead transparency. Continue in this way until all the comprehension questions have been answered.
6. When students come to a critical thinking question (i.e., a question for which there is not a specific answer in the text), remind students that these questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. Instead, they ask students to draw from their own experiences or present and support their opinions. Encourage students to identify critical information they can use to support a position. Show them how to array this information in a response.
7. Ask students to check their own work against the answer key the class has created. Allow them a few minutes to make any corrections or changes to their work.

Explore America
Explore More—Listen and Learn
Lecture Titles