ALL ABOUT EARTH Get ready for a month filled with so many fun activities to teach your kiddos all about our planet Earth . I teach this unit in April so it coincides with Earth Day. I’ve loaded up this blog post post with read aloud book ideas, free videos you can share with your students,
When I was young, I LIVED for DBQs! I guess I didn’t really think about it too much at the time, but I loved that there was an answer right there in front of me; I just needed to look closely at a picture. As a VERY visual learner, being able to see history through primary sources […]
Looking for fun and engaging kindergarten social studies resources? Check out the interactive notebook that your students will love!
This FREE literature-based unit study introduces students to 16 different countries and cultures around the world.
Wondering how to introduce the topic of social studies in your early elementary classroom? Here are some fun activities to try out!
Part of our social studies standards are to learn how cultures from around the world affect our culture. There's no better way to start this standard than to learn about cultures from around the world. The problem for me was how to teach the students about several cultures within the time that we had available. This is when I thought of a cultural fair. I talked my team into teaching each of their classes about a different country and some of the different cultures within that country. We had the students research: food, art, music, clothing, customs, and language. Each class put together a science board with some of the research. We also hung other research on the walls outside of our classrooms. This way the students had plenty of room to read about the different cultures. We chose to hold the fair the day before Thanksgiving break. The cultural fair was so engaging, the students were sure to learn all the way through the end of the day. We weren't so sure that would happen with our every day lessons. Each class prepared one of the more popular food or drinks from their country. I bought prepackaged food from Ikea for my country. This helps to satisfy the rule in some schools of prepackaged food. The year before we had a parent make our food at home. (I did not serve the pear drink.) Each classroom can have a quick craft inside for the students to complete. We made floral headbands for Sweden. Most countries have flowers in their culture so this is a wonderful go to craft. If you search on Pinterest, you will find a plethora of cultural crafts. We also used the folders that you see below to hold all of our research in reading and writing. Every student was given a passport with the countries listed inside. The students were to record details from every country that they visited. So we allowed students to roam the hall. They went into the rooms to enjoy food and a craft. They read information on the countries outside of the rooms. Their teachers held them accountable for details by checking their passports. We had parent volunteers to come in to assist the students in moving throughout the hall and into the appropriate rooms. If you can't do a whole grade level Culture Fair, you can set up centers in your classroom. You can have groups of students research different countries and share with each other. Putting together the materials for this unit took quite a while. If you don't have time to put them together, check out the units below in my store.
Looking for fun and engaging kindergarten social studies resources? Check out the interactive notebook that your students will love!
Sometimes, you just need a different hook to reach your students. The very same students who zone out over a worksheet or notes will become engaged when you present the activity in a new way! I love hearing about what other teachers are doing in their classrooms! Today I’m sharing comments from my Twitter, Instagram, and TeachersPayTeachers feedback of […]
When I discovered interactive notebooks a few years ago, I knew I'd found a goldmine! I finally had a place for students to keep notes, add fun foldable activities, and more. I always say that
Getting to speak with other students from all over the country was incredible! In this blog post I outline my tips for a classroom postcard exchange.
Enhance geography skills with FREE printable 7 Continents and Oceans worksheets for elementary students: maps, facts & more!
Are your students loving their social studies classroom or are they feeling that it is an extension of their ELA class? Are you wondering how to increase student engagement in the classroom so that your student cannot wait to come into your classroom and learn? Keep reading for ideas to incorporate all learning styles into ... Read more
Read a few ideas for your past and present or then and now unit. There are free lessons and activities as well as other fun hands-on, engaging ideas.
Teaching students about immigration can be fun and engaging for your students! We always kick off this unit with a study on different cultures from around the world. You can find more information about these lessons in our culture blog post. After the culture unit we learn the key points below: 1. Definition of immigration. 2. The history of Ellis Island. 3. The why's and how's of immigration. 4. The influences of immigration on American culture. Below you will find books on the topic of immigration. The documentary below is a little boring, but it does a good job of showing why people left their countries and what they found in Ellis Island. Just click on the picture for the link to youtube. While learning about immigration we learn about Ellis Island and different famous Americans who have immigrated from other countries. Students are assigned a research project for homework. They get to choose Ellis Island or a famous person who immigrated to the U.S. They can make a poster, book report, display or anything that their heart desires. They have to include: topic, birthdate, death date, key details and what the person or place was famous for. Students have a lot of fun presenting these projects in class. Everyone gets to learn about all of the people that their peers found interesting. During the unit, I use passages and task cards written on immigration, Ellis Island and Cesar Chavez. I wrote these passages to fit in perfectly with the unit. If you want to just print and teach, you can find these units by clicking below.
The connection between social studies and art includes different cultures while using art to explore history in new ways. Read more!
Over the past few years, I have been incorporating inquiry circles into my classroom through Social Studies and Science. Inquiry circles are a lot like most research projects. I would say the main difference is how they start. NOW AVAILABLE… One Stop Teacher Memberships Our grade-level memberships provide the BIGGEST savings on ALL One […]
Despite the joys of our profession (and there are so many!), there are also so many things which can drain our energies and motivations in the classroom. One
Do your students have to create timelines to meet academic standards? I'm sharing 10 engaging types of timelines that make this activity FUN for students!
5th Grade Social Studies is where it's at, my friends! In this blog post, I will share how I sequence, plan, and make social studies fun for my students. I'm fortunate to have found my niche
Proven Practices of Civic Education:The future voters and decision-makers are in our classrooms. Civic education is an important aspect of social studies that is often over-looked. But there are meaningful ways that we can bring civic education into our elementary classrooms. A mock election is one tangible way we can do this.Studies show that “a majority of America’s schools either neglect civic learning, or teach it in a minimal or superficial way…On a recent national assessment in civics, two
There are so many ways and amazing benefits for using exit slips in your classroom to engage learners.
I love teaching Social Studies. I really love it. It's exciting to present historical concepts to students and find ways to make it interesting and engaging for them. I love hearing comments like, "Social Studies is my favorite class" and "Social Studies is really fun" because they often come from students who were wary of the subject at the start of the school year. Through our activities and the creation of a positive classroom environment, they find an appreciation for my favorite school subject and sometimes it even becomes their favorite subject of the year. How cool is that?! I also love sharing my passion for teaching Social Studies and connecting with teachers like you who share that same love of learning and bringing history to life in their classrooms! But where to begin? Hint: it involves lots of freebies which are included in a FREE Introduction to Social Studies Mini Unit - 5 complete days of lessons - all activities are included - just for you! Here are some lesson ideas for introducing the subject of social studies in your classroom: Hook Ideas A good hook activity is a great way to start a new lesson. It grabs students' attention and sets the scene for the unit or daily lesson. Here are some easy ideas: 1. True or False? Write a brief series of questions about the study of history and some key terms you plan to cover. Ask students to raise their thumbs in the air (up for yes, down for no) in response to the questions. It's an easy and fun way to assess prior knowledge. You can also use mini white boards and have students collaborate in groups of 2-3 to answer true or false. After each question, you can review the right answer. 2. YouTube Videos I love finding a great (and brief!) YouTube video to use during a lesson. Here are some of my favorites to introduce the subject of social studies: An Animated Introduction to Social Science (Soomo Publishing) Why Study History? (The Pursuit of History) Why Study History? (PragerU) recommended for older students 3. Draw It This hook is perfect for mini whiteboards. Ask students to draw or write images, words, doodles, etc. when they think of the words "social studies" or "history". These images can spark discussions about concepts that relate to social studies! A Word Wall Hold up! Do you have a word wall in your classroom? If not, it's time to start. A word wall is a place to collect the important vocabulary terms you are teaching in your unit. You can even collect and keep them up all year! Word walls give students a chance to review and interact with vocabulary daily. The more students interact with vocabulary terms, the more connections they can make between ideas and build upon those concepts to better understand and make deeper connections to curriculum content. You can make your own word wall for an Introduction to Social Studies unit or download this free resource from my TpT store! :) Introduction to Social Studies Activities Now that your students are hooked, it's time to dive into the unit. I've created some free resources in my TpT store - The Teacher's Prep - to help you in this endeavor! 1. Vocabulary Activities We've already discussed the importance of vocabulary posted in a word wall - now let's talk about some activities students can complete to interact with the vocabulary in a variety of ways! The Introduction to Social Studies Vocabulary Activities resource (it's free, too!) has three activities to use with your students. I like spreading out these activities over the course of the unit to give kids extra practice. The first activity I typically start with is the Introduction to Social Studies Vocabulary activity in which students write the definitions for each vocabulary term. As we use the terms in class during the unit, I give them time to write a sentence using each word in the chart. On subsequent days, there are two more activities to use - a matching activity and a crossword puzzle. Again, the more students interact with the words, the more opportunities they will have to understand the important concepts you are teaching in class! If that sounds like activities you'd find useful in your classroom, download it here! 2. Informational Text Ok, now it's time to dive into the heart of the unit - reading informational text! If you don't already have access to informational text or would like to supplement the resources you currently have, I've created an Introduction to Social Studies Interactive PowerPoint that is filled with informational text students can read. It also directly corresponds to a set of interactive notebook graphic organizers for student note taking. Oh! And not only is it available in PowerPoint in an interactive format, there's also TpT Easel and Google Drive versions included, too. I've got you covered! Check it out here! And yes, it's also free. (It's a theme!) :) 3. Interactive Notebooks How do students organize their notes for this unit? In an interactive notebook! I love these graphic organizers because they consolidate student notes in one place. The graphic organizers directly correlate to all the activities I've mentioned above so far and give students the opportunity to summarize the main ideas and details they learn as they are introduced to the study of history. I love interactive notebooks so much, I made complete sets for Ancient History, American History and Civics / American Government ... in both paper and digital formats. You can check them out by clicking on the links in the last sentence! And of course, this section wouldn't be complete without a paper and digital copy of the Introduction to Social Studies interactive notebooks to take with you! Click here for the digital interactive notebook and here for the paper interactive notebook. 4. Task Cards Last (for now!) but certainly not least are task cards. Task cards can be used as bell ringers, entrance tickets, exit tickets, station work and more! I alternate their use based on my class needs of the day, but they include brief writing prompts to encourage students to think critically about the content they are learning in class. If task cards seem like something you'd like to add to your Introduction to Social Studies unit, click here to download a free resource of them from my TpT store! And Finally... Thank you for all you do for your students to bring history to life in your classroom and engage students in topics that will foster a love of learning. I hope these resources make your life a bit easier and save you valuable time in the school year. I absolutely love hearing from teachers like you. If you find the resources useful in your classroom, I invite you to leave me a note in the feedback sections and let me know how you used the activities in your classroom. I read every word and your notes mean so much to me! Happy Teaching! Oh, and here's a link (click here!) directly to a page in my TpT store that lists all of these free resources in case you don't want to scroll back through the post. :)
Social Studies, first grade, centers, belonging, planning, centres, assessment
Long time no see! As I hope you are doing, I’m busy enjoying my summer!I have been relaxed with the pups, gone to the aquarium, shopped with friends, binge watched How to Get Away with Murder (this show is addicting by the way), and gone to several concerts including the Oak Ridge Boys. My new […]
Sometimes, you just need a different hook to reach your students. The very same students who zone out over a worksheet or notes will become engaged when you present the activity in a new way! I love hearing about what other teachers are doing in their classrooms! Today I’m sharing comments from my Twitter, Instagram, and TeachersPayTeachers feedback of […]
Integrating art and content in the ELA classroom. Tips and resources.
Picture books are one of my all-time favorite ways to introduce content in social studies! They're perfect for bringing in higher order thinking skills.
This last week we began our geography unit in second grade. We began by learning the mapping essential vocabulary of map, globe, key, scale, grid, birds eye view. We practiced making our own maps and creating symbols for our map keys. The students love making their own maps of our neighborhood where the school is...
Make sure you cover all subjects in the special ed classroom with the help of the Science and Social Studies Adapted Work Binders!
The connection between social studies and art includes different cultures while using art to explore history in new ways. Read more!
Looking to make the 3 Branches of Government more engaging? This blog post will walk you through how to make history fun!
Read a few ideas for civics and government activities. There are free lessons and activities as well as other fun hands-on, engaging ideas.
Unlock the power of the past with this comprehensive biography brochure! This high-quality resource is a fun way for your students to research famous people. This brochure is a reusable and editable template, and students can add pictures and text either on the computer or by hand. Your students will love sharing their creations during their nonfiction reading study. I have included Google Slides templates for those who want to use Google Apps to complete the activity. ACTIVITIES INCLUDED... Title Cover and opening statement about the famous person Early Life Education Family Hardships/Obstacles Important Events Quotes Achievements Interesting Facts Character Traits Teachers love this activity because it is LOW PREP and NO HASSLE. TEACHERS LIKE YOU HAVE SAID... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "I love that these can be used both digitally, as well as hard copy. The slides were easy for my students to manipulate and add their own text. They look very nice when they're finished." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ " This resource made learning more about biographies and different influential people more engaging for my students." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "This is a great resource to use when using a Biography Unit with your students. I used with when my students read Who Was books and then completed the information." ******************************************************************* YOU MAY ALSO LIKE… → Biography - Famous Americans - Text Features and Lapbook → Biography Book Report - Digital Editable - Google Slides™ → Inventor Biographies - Famous Inventors Reading Passage - Graphic Organizers ******************************************************************* Copyright © Sweet Integrations. All rights reserved by the author. Permission to copy for one classroom only. You can purchase additional licenses if more than one classroom uses the product. © 2015 Google and the Google Apps are registered trademarks of Google Inc. ******************************************************************* Follow Me for sales, product launches, and FREE resources. ******************************************************************* Drop by my blog, Sweet Integrations for more ideas for your classroom!
5 YouTube Channels that Rock!
One of the important concepts we teach in early elementary is about the great big world we live in. Students will learn about the world beyo...
Having a little time at the end of class is something my students look forward to because they have an opportunity to do fun five minute social studies activities. If you find yourself with a
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!
Build research and writing skills with a historical travel brochure
Kick off your school year with map and globe skills ! What middle school social studies classroom doesn’t cover map skills? Since map skills are a basic concept covered in middle school social studies, you'd think it would be easy to find resources for it. However, most of the resources out there a
Social Studies is such a fun topic to teach in first grade. At this age, students are becoming more aware of the world around them, asking q...
Do your students have to create timelines to meet academic standards? I'm sharing 10 engaging types of timelines that make this activity FUN for students!
