Training Students to be Jeopardy contestants

I was recently helping one of my children study for a history test. While reviewing questions and answers with her it became quite evident that the items being studied were very trivial. The topic was the Revolutionary War. There were many great teaching points that could have been brought out in this series of lessons but yet the subject matter being tested didn't challenge her to examine the causes of the war, what was at stake by those participating, or what were the results. All that I can say is the items on the study guide focused on the more trivial aspects. For example, Crispus Attucks, the great man he was, is still a very trivial aspect to the Revolutionary War. This was just one example of a study guide filled with trivial items. My daughter was able to quickly regurgitate the answers with ease but couldn't even tell you anything about the war outside of the study guide. Today, she probably can remember very few events due to the way the lesson was presented and the assessment of knowledge that was administered. I feel that real learning could have taken place if the students had been challenged to dig deeper and to analyze the various aspects of the Revolutionary War. Yes I hear this all the time, "...but NCLB...". That isn't the case in this situation. NCLB could have been satisfied and the students still could have learned more. The teacher is the one to blame in this situation. Just because you have certain objectives to meet doesn't mean that is all that you should teach. You say time doesn't allow for more. Well then find a better way to teach it. Allow the kids to do group research, make presentations, make a video rather than doing the same lesson each year and never stimulating your student's brain. It is important to you, your school, your students, parents and most importantly, our country, that our students are taught to think instead of becoming gameshow contestants.