Each of these moments is covered in "History Minutes," a brief look at a time, place, or person in history. What's the Purpose of History Minutes? I created History Minute resources for a variety of
I'm back! I totally apologize to all my readers for disappearing for the last couple of months. I took my first real grad class this fall and had no time to breathe. Something had to give and unfortunately it was my blog. But, the class is over and I am back! I have so much to tell you but instead of one long post, be looking for short posts over the next week or so to catch you up! The class I took was TONS of work but also very rewarding. In Massachusetts, if you have even one student in your class who is and English Language Learner, you need to take a class called Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners (RETELL). It's basically an intro to ELL and walks you through tried and true activities that helps ELLs succeed in the classroom. Being my second year in district, I found the class to be EXTREMELY helpful and my biggest takeaway is direct vocabulary instruction. I have always felt that vocabulary is such an important part of teaching social studies and last year I just knew I wasn't cutting it. My students were just understanding vocabulary on the most superficial of levels and I knew it was because I was teaching a population I had never really experienced before. In the class they taught us a vocabulary activity called the Seven Steps to preteach vocabulary. Here is a fabulous example of Seven Steps from an elementary teacher: I knew this was exactly what I needed but I decided to tweak it for my class. Now, almost every day, my kiddos walk in and we preteach a word or term they are going to need in order to understand the upcoming content (Tier 2 and Tier 3 Words). We do it in the same order every day: Introduce word and have them pronounce it twice. Ask if they know anything about the word and identify and prefixes, suffixes, and/or base words. Have them write down a student friendly definition. Tell them how we are going to use it in content. I also like to tell them how it is used in other contexts (for the word "convention" this week, we talked about the Constitutional Convention but we also talked about ComicCon). I show the kids a YouTube video that better illustrates the word or a visual. Lastly, the students are given a sentence stem that they need to finish with the students in their table groups. We then share out as a class. This method has truly revolutionized my class! Not only are the kids truly understanding the vocabulary, it has allowed me to frontload my teaching. As an example, I taught the term Articles of Confederation three days before we really learned about the Articles of Confederation. The kids absolutely love it and have been acing their vocab quizzes like champs. They can use the words weeks later in a sentence and I really feel like it has helped me make bigger connections in my content. I showed two different videos with this term. The first clip, I explained to them, is how the British knew how to fight and the second video was how the Americans learned to fight from the native Americans. We were able to compare and contrast the two styles and this whole lesson took less than ten minutes of my class. If you're interested, I have started to gather together these vocab lessons and have made them available on Teachers Pay Teachers. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mesopotamia-and-First-Civilizations-Direct-Daily-Vocabulary-Instruction-1675580 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/American-Revolution-Direct-Daily-Vocabulary-Instruction-1672787 Head on over to TPT to check these out and look for more as I progress in the year!
Each of these moments is covered in "History Minutes," a brief look at a time, place, or person in history. What's the Purpose of History Minutes? I created History Minute resources for a variety of
I’ve been spending some serious amounts of time this summer leading conversations around the country focused on the integration of social studies and literacy. And for the last few years, I…
Hey thanks for stopping by! It’s so great to meet you! I'm Mister Harms and I teach junior high and high school social studies in a small-town school. During the summer months, when I'm not teaching, I enjoy helping lead a youth camp that focuses on life transformation. My family
Each of these moments is covered in "History Minutes," a brief look at a time, place, or person in history. What's the Purpose of History Minutes? I created History Minute resources for a variety of
Tips, tricks, and strategies for using History Stations to engage your learners. Includes step by step instructions.
This Long Ago and Today Unit scaffolds learning for students. It helps them compare artifacts as well as their lives to those who lived long ago.
Integrating language arts skills into social studies can be tricky. There is already a lot of subject matter to cover without having to teach reading and writing skills as well! If a social studies teacher did not receive much language arts training within his or her certification program, integrating these skills can be even more […]
(Glenn posted the original version of Structure Strips on his History Tech site several months ago. He loves the idea of Structure Strips so much, he’s sharing it with us here at Doing Social…
Engage your students with fun historical hoodies! Integrate social studies, art, and literacy with this great end of year review activity.
Learn a variety of strategies on how to make history class engaging for students. Check out in this blog post.
This blog post explains how to explore Australian Geography and Landmarks with your students through our new and exciting resource.
Everyone's homeschooling style is different. Being a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew , we are blessed with many products and in...
Increase your ability to teach social studies in an informative, and entertaining way through the use of Laura Candler webinars.
The Usurpation of Historical Thinking Skills
Social studies is an often-neglected subject in elementary school because it isn’t generally assessed on the state standardized tests that young children take. However, informational text comprehension IS tested… and what better way to teach non-fiction reading strategies than through interesting and relevant resources about the world students live in? This page will help you … Continued
Engage your students with fun historical hoodies! Integrate social studies, art, and literacy with this great end of year review activity.
Here are some pictures of my social studies interactive notebook where I have been using lessons from InspirEd Educators to teach how ancient civilizations developed and failed along with our ancient Egypt interdisciplinary unit. A full page graphic organizer folded and then taped into our notebook. For social studies, I chose to use a composition notebook instead of a spiral notebook. The way this is attached, students can still access the page and complete the activities. This was a flow chart from InspirEd Educators Ancient Civilizations unit on how a civilization develops. Quizzing students on what is really needed for a civilization to develop. Another lesson from InspirEd Educators based on scenarios related to survival for an ancient civilization. This is a simulation activity where students are "color" coded and have jobs to do. Some students had to draw diamonds for basically no reward while a few others got credit for completed sheets, but had to count the diamonds, while an even smaller group was "paid" just for bossing all of the others around. Students could see how different social classes came to be within a civilization. Mapping ancient Egypt. Students were enthralled with the fact that Lower Egypt is actually located "higher" than Upper Egypt. Understanding the archaeology of ancient Egypt. Learning about the gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt. Figuring out the bartering system of ancient Egypt.
Learn about the Summer Olympics with this Online Unit Study. Your family will discover the history of the Olympics, study Olympic traditions, and more!
STEM by definition is a collaborative way of bringing subjects together to introduce students to higher-order thinking. So it shouldn’t be isolated to the science or specials classes. Bring STEM into your social studies lessons with the ideas and tips below.
What are types of propaganda? Sharpen critical thinking and analysis skills. Ideal lesson for middle school. Includes a free slide show.
A Collaborative Blog for Upper Elementary (3rd-6th Grade) teachers!
Social studies is an often-neglected subject in elementary school because it isn’t generally assessed on the state standardized tests that young children take. However, informational text comprehension IS tested… and what better way to teach non-fiction reading strategies than through interesting and relevant resources about the world students live in? This page will help you … Continued
Summative Task Social Studies Heritage and Citizenship Canadian Community Project. This is a summative task for the NEW Social Studies Curriculum in Ontario on Heritage and Citizenship Canada past and present. This project is geared for the grade 6 Ontario Social Studies New Social Studies curriculum 2013 but could fit other grades and curriculums (may have to be slightly altered) This Summative task includes the following: 17 pages! -overall and specific expectations -project description -parent letter -graphic organizers for students to organize their summative tasks -due date guidelines -success criteria in student friendly language -rubric to be handed out to students (also the rubric is used to evaluate the student's presentation - it can be highlighted!) *the rubric is based on the Ontario Social Studies Achievement chart from the new curriculum *The final presentation can be on PowerPoint, Prezi, Bristol Board, pamphlet form, etc. However, because the students are doing some research as homework, it is best if the presentation is an oral one as it is a formative mark. Students can then explain orally and the teacher will get a better idea of their understanding (obviously for those who have difficulties with oral language, please accommodate!) If you are not in Ontario, you can still use most of this package and rubric as it is a project on Canadian Communities which is often relative to many provincial curriculums (you may just have to adapt it slightly).
Benefits of Art Integration in the Upper Elementary and Middle School Classroom. Includes tips and activities for Arts Integration.
This 15-page single subject lesson plan features: TWO options to create an Egyptian portrait with either paint or pastels Two original Deep Space Sparkle drawing handouts (Egyptian Profile Drawing Aid and Egyptian Faces Drawing Aids) Student Gallery Complete multi-photo tutorial This lesson is best suited for upper elementary students but would be successful with junior high as well. You will need three to four, 45-minute sessions.
Providing students with a high-quality social studies education is non-negotiable. You may have just a textbook or maybe without a curriculum in general. If you are looking for ways to go beyond lecturing or reading from a textbook, you're in luck! Here's a great way to include primary sources in your unit of study. Keep reading for your free photo analysis template.
The Geographies of Interconnection This unit “Interconnections” is suitable for students in the early to middle years of high school. It contains informational outlines, word finds, glossary lists, vocabulary, crosswords, mind-maps, cloze passages, true/false activities and extended writing or research tasks. It is a supplementary educational resource for junior high school courses on Geography, Social Geography, Demography, Human Geography, Social Studies and Social Science. It is written in a “dot point” or summary style with activities following each section. Many answers are contained on the next page. It is formatted in a “Blackline Master” PDF format, which facilitates printing. It is relevant to high school teachers or students studying alone. Pps: 76 CONTENTS Patterns and Trends in People’s Activities Tourism Impact of Activities on the Future of Places Impact of Activities on Uluru Transport Technology ICT Communications Social Media Technology Issues Impacts of Global Connectivity Connecting People Through Trade International Trade Links Spatial Patterns of Global Trade Production and Consumption CHECK OUT AND LIKE "Geography Teaching Resources" on Facebook. Updates on new releases and other materials to add to your teaching. TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Devine Educational Consultancy Services does not permit any digital products purchased from the business to be used on multiple computers or a school network without purchasing a multi-user license. Purchase and use of digital products is guided by either Copyright Laws or by permissible/allowable copying rights if the product contains Blackline Masters. However, all digital products may only be used by a single user on a single machine; any other applied use must result in the purchasing entity becoming licensed via the purchase of a multiple user license (site license). Any use other than as prescribed will be deemed unlawful and could result in legal penalties.
Explore learning the important geometry terms while working on this geometry map project that's hands-on, engaging, and integrates social studies!
Learn how to Teach with Monopoly in your history or economics class.
I love using interactive lapbooks in the classroom. They are fun to create, engaging and can be used throughout the year to review skills taught. I finally completely my Lapbook Bundle and I am happy to share the lapbooks included with you. Whether you think your learners will enjoy creating all of the lapbooks, if you
Using digital comics infused into your reading or writing curriculum is a great way to motivate your reluctant learners. Great for upper elementary students.
EDITABLE History Bell Ringer Templates and Warm-Ups for Students | Both Print and Digital (Google Slides) Versions Included! This elementary and middle school teaching resource contains slides of Bell Ringers for any history unit! Also great for classroom discussions and breakout room activities. Includes digital and print templates for: Mapping Mondays Timeline Tuesdays Word Wednesdays (Vocabulary) Thinking Thursdays (Responding to Historical Quotes) Fun Fact Friday Can be used for any history unit / curriculum! Perfect for Ancient Civilizations, US History, World History, Medieval Times, Government, and More! Includes a sample week of Bell Ringers for inspiration!
Elizabethan This is a collage project in which students need to research the traditional folk costumes or fashions of a country or culture of their choice. After choosing an outfit, they translate it into a paper collage. I usually do this project with Grades 9 and higher. Here's how we made them: I have a bunch of photocopies from an old vintage book showing traditional folk costumes and the fashions of different time periods that I let the kids look at. It's easier, though, to have students research for costumes on the internet and then print out a picture full size in black and white. Students can also choose to illustrate a time period (for example, Roman, Egyptian, or the Elizabethan period). I find maybe half the class chooses to do a costume from their own cultural background, and the other half chooses a culture they are simply interested in. But there's always a wide variety. So here's my example- I show students step-by-step as the whole process is a bit finicky. (at least the way I do it is! ha!) So here's my photo that I'll refer to in order to create my collage- it's from an old calendar- 16th century Spanish formal dress. On a white sheet of paper, re-draw the image in a very simplified manner, looking for the general shapes. I don't include super small details nor facial features. This is going to be my pattern or template, just like in sewing. Then I number each shape according to what type of paper I'm going to use. So, as you can see below, for example, there are two # 4 shapes- they will be the same paper. Once it's all numbered, I like to make a photcopy of everyone's plan, so they have a back-up sheet. During this time, I lay out an assortment of papers for the students to rifle through for ideas. I've used: painted paste papers, scrap colored paper, patterned origami paper, doilies (useful for lace), magazines, marbled papers, etc. This is a great project for using up all your saved paper scraps. Also have a few tones of skin colours. paste paper, doilies Ok- then you cut apart all the shapes, and use them as a template to trace over your chosen paper. This is the fiddly part, especially if you have really small pieces. I have to say, the kids always just seem to figure this out and learn by trial and error. Between classes, I have students save their pieces in a plastic page protector or manila envelope and paper clip pieces together if necessary. To assemble, well, it's rather like a jigsaw puzzle- re-assemble all the pieces onto a heavy sheet of colored paper. Refer to the original plan sheet. Use a glue stick for adhesive. don't lose any pieces! Here's a couple more of of the template plans... Here are some Grade 9/10 results: Ta-da! Swedish Roman: this student hot glued on a small stone to match the pose of the original photo. Japanese Elizabethan 18th century France Italy or Malta.. detail showing the various types of paper including paste paper, doily, and origami paper
Drawing off of First Nations art, sixth graders in Mary Intven Wallace's class use symbolism to represent values and virtues. Mary begins by discussing how she uses arts integration to teach about First Nations culture. The class reviews the values and virtues they learned about through reading The Seven Sacred Teachings. Mary presents her students with various pieces of art, helping her students examine how the artists used symbols to represent values and virtues. Finally, students use their knowledge of symbols to create their own symbolic art work.
Guest blogger Jessica Lura discusses the Hands of Hope project, a lesson designed to commemorate the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting while starting an ongoing national conversation about school safety.
