Creative Teaching » Social Studies http://www.fascinate-educate.com Useful tips and suggestions from Fascinate-Educate. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:51:21 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 March 2011: Ideas for Every Day of the Month! http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2011/02/22/march-2011-teaching-ideas-for-every-day-of-the-month/ http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2011/02/22/march-2011-teaching-ideas-for-every-day-of-the-month/#comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:21:51 +0000 Jo http://www.fascinate-educate.com/?p=6042
  • September Story Starters I met a new friend this year at school! This...
  • Writing Ideas for Kites Make a kite book with your child. It can be...
    • ]]>     March 2011

    These calendars are designed to give you tons of information about March 2011. I have left weekends out so you can enjoy your family .

    March themed student-made books, games, and activities will be on my next blog.

    March Calendars:

    1. Holidaysmart
    2. Brownielocks
    3. Fun-odd-march-holidays-to-celebrate-with-kids
    4. About.com
    5. The People History (to change the date, click on the calendar on left side of the page)
    6. Info please

    March 1st: (Tuesday)

    March 2nd:  (Wednesday)

    March 3rd:   (Thursday)

    March 4th:  (Friday)

    March 7th:  (Monday)

    March 8th: (Tuesday)

    March 9th:  (Wednesday)

    March 10th: (Thursday)

    March 11th:  (Friday)

    March 13th: Sunday) Daylight Savings Time

    March 14th: (Monday)

    March 15th:  (Tuesday)

    March 16th:  (Wednesday)

    March 17th:  (Thursday)

    March 18th:  (Friday)

    • Birthday of Sparky the Fire Dog (Official mascot of the National Fire Protection Association)
    • Sparky

    March 20th: (Sunday) First Day of Spring

    March 21st:  (Monday)

    • Spring games and activities

    March 22nd:  (Tuesday)

    March 23th:  (Wednesday)

    • Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” Speech, 1775
    • Almanack/people

    March 24th:  (Thursday)

    March 25th:  (Friday)

    March 28th:  (Monday)

    March 29th:  (Tuesday)

    March 30th:  (Wednesday)

    March 31th:  (Thursday)


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    ]]>     http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2011/02/22/march-2011-teaching-ideas-for-every-day-of-the-month/feed/ 1     Black History Timeline and Famous People http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2009/02/09/black-history-timeline-and-famous-people/ http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2009/02/09/black-history-timeline-and-famous-people/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:51:56 +0000 Jo http://www.fascinate-educate.com/?p=5544 February is Black History Month, so my 10-year-old son is going to make an African-American book.

    Below are the people we are going to study:

    Groups:

    This is the timeline that we are using for our African-American unit:

    African-American Web sites for kids:

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    ]]>     http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2009/02/09/black-history-timeline-and-famous-people/feed/ 0     Write a Letter to President Obama http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2009/01/30/write-a-letter-to-president-obama/ http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2009/01/30/write-a-letter-to-president-obama/#comments Fri, 30 Jan 2009 07:32:14 +0000 Jo http://www.fascinate-educate.com/?p=5530 My son is going to write a letter to President Obama using a formal letter format (ReadWriteThink: Letter Generator).

    He will begin his letter introducing himself (and his age) and continue the letter by writing about one issue that is important to him. The letter will be written in cursive handwriting (very neatly) and will be edited by me before it is mailed.

    We may never hear back from the White House, but wouldn’t it be thrilling for a child to receive some kind of response?

    Mailing Address:

    The White House
    1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
    Washington, DC 20500

    Email Address:

    http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

    Phone Numbers:

    Comments: 202-456-1111
    Switchboard: 202-456-1414
    FAX: 202-456-2461

    TTY/TDD:

    Comments: 202-456-6213
    Visitors Office: 202-456-2121

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    ]]>     http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2009/01/30/write-a-letter-to-president-obama/feed/ 0     American Indian Unit http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/10/29/american-indian-unit/ http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/10/29/american-indian-unit/#comments Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:10:52 +0000 Jo http://www.fascinate-educate.com/?p=4034 November is National American Indian Heritage Month. I am going to help my son make an American Indian book as he works his way through this fifth-grade unit. I will use a three-ring binder, and each Indian tribe will be a separate chapter. I am going to use some of the pages for his book from Easy File Folder Reports (Evan-Moor Publishing).

    For each group of Indians, my son will research and note their language, religion, diet, dwelling, clothing, transportation, and areas they lived. He will also list the sources for his information.

    Below are the Indians and Indian-related facts that my son will be learning about (due to time limitations, we won’t cover every Indian tribe in the US):

    I will be using the book What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know (edited by E. D. Hirsch, Jr. / Delta Education), which has the following topics (additional information is available at the listed Web sites):

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    ]]>     http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/10/29/american-indian-unit/feed/ 1     Encyclopedia of Explorers http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/10/17/encyclopedia-of-explorers/ http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/10/17/encyclopedia-of-explorers/#comments Sat, 18 Oct 2008 05:56:01 +0000 Jo http://www.fascinate-educate.com/?p=3585 My son is going to make his own encyclopedia of explorers. Before he begins, he is going to look at real encyclopedias and read the definition of an encyclopedia.

    For each explorer, he will print out interesting facts along with their picture and write a summary.

    The following explorers are going to be in our encyclopedia:

    1. Wikipedia: Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.
    2. Wikipedia: Neil A. Armstrong
    3. Wikipedia: Lucas Vasquez de Ayllón
    4. Wikipedia: William Baffin
    5. Wikipedia: Vasco Núñez de Balboa
    6. Wikipedia: Robert Bartlett
    7. Wikipedia: Charles William Beebe
    8. Wikipedia: Vitus Bering
    9. Wikipedia: Daniel Boone
    10. Wikipedia: James Bowie
    11. Wikipedia: James Bridger
    12. Wikipedia: James Bruce
    13. Wikipedia: Robert O’Hara Burke
    14. Wikipedia: Sir Richard Francis Burton
    15. Wikipedia: Richard E. Byrd
    16. Wikipedia: John Cabot
    17. Wikipedia: Pedro Álvares Cabral
    18. San Diego Historical Society: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo
    19. Wikipedia: René Auguste Caillié
    20. Wikipedia: Kit Carson
    21. Wikipedia: Jacques Cartier
    22. Wikipedia: Samuel de Champlain
    23. Wikipedia: Hugh Clapperton
    24. Wikipedia: Christopher Columbus (In 1492 Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue)
    25. Wikipedia: James Cook
    26. Wikipedia: Francisco Vázquez de Coronado
    27. Wikipedia: Hernán Cortés
    28. Wikipedia: Jacques-Yves Cousteau
    29. Wikipedia: William Dampier
    30. Enchanted Learning: Hernando de Soto
    31. Wikipedia: Bartholomeu Dias
    32. Wikipedia: Sir Francis Drake
    33. HighBeam Encyclopedia: Daniel Greysolon Duluth, sieur
    34. Wikipedia: Leif Ericson
    35. Wikipedia: Edward John Eyre
    36. Wikipedia: Sir John Franklin
    37. Wikipedia: John C. Frémont
    38. Wikipedia: Sir Martin Frobisher
    39. Wikipedia: Yuri Gagarin
    40. Wikipedia: Vasco da Gama
    41. Wikipedia: Louis Hennepin
    42. Wikipedia: Sir Edmund Hillary
    43. Wikipedia: Henry Hudson
    44. Wikipedia: Louis Jolliet
    45. Wikipedia: Sieur de La Salle
    46. Wikipedia: Alexey Leonov
    47. Wikipedia: Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
    48. Wikipedia: David Livingstone
    49. Wikipedia: James A. Lovell, Jr.
    50. Wikipedia: Ferdinand Magellan
    51. Wikipedia: Jacques Marquette
    52. Zegrahm & Eco Expeditions: Shirley Metz
    53. BBC News: Victoria Murden
    54. Wikipedia: Tenzing Norgay
    55. Wikipedia: Mungo Park
    56. Wikipedia: Robert E. Peary
    57. Wikipedia: Zebulon Pike
    58. Wikipedia: Francisco Pizarro
    59. Wikipedia: John Wesley Powell
    60. Wikipedia: Sir Walter Raleigh
    61. Wikipedia: Robert Falcon Scott
    62. Wikipedia: Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton
    63. Wikipedia: Jedediah Strong Smith
    64. Wikipedia: Hernando de Soto
    65. Wikipedia: John Hanning Speke
    66. Wikipedia: Sir Henry Morton Stanley
    67. Wikipedia: John McDouall Stuart
    68. Wikipedia: Charles Sturt
    69. Wikipedia: Abel Janszoon Tasman
    70. Wikipedia: David Thompson
    71. Wikipedia: Henri de Tonti
    72. Wikipedia: Giovanni da Verrazzano
    73. Wikipedia: Amerigo Vespucci
    74. Wikipedia: Peter Egerton Warburton
    75. Wikipedia: Charles Wilkes
    76. Wikipedia: William John Wills

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    ]]>     http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/10/17/encyclopedia-of-explorers/feed/ 0     The Standing-in-Line Game http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/30/the-standing-in-line-game/ http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/30/the-standing-in-line-game/#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:21:51 +0000 Jo http://www.fascinate-educate.com/?p=2900
  • March 2011: Ideas for Every Day of the Month! March 2011 These calendars are designed to give you tons...
    • ]]>     It seems like my first graders and I were always standing in line: going to the bathroom, waiting for specials (PE, art, music, etc.), going to lunch, getting our pictures taken, and on and on and on. So I invented games to play that my children loved and kept them well-behaved while standing in line.

    For example, I used spelling games (usually the words on our spelling list or in our unit). I would say something like, “I’m thinking of a word that is spelled ‘w-o-u-l-d’. Who knows the word?”

    For a phonics game I would say, “Which letter says, ‘wa-wa-wa?’”

    If a child knew the answer, he/she would raise his/her hand and quietly say the answer. I would carry little stickers with me everywhere and give the child with the right answer a sticker on the forehead, hand or arm.

    If a child yelled out an answer or didn’t raise his/her hand to be called on, he/she was not a winner at that particular moment. However, I always gave children who made mistakes opportunities to try again for a sticker.

    I would also ask math, science and social studies questions with our standing-in-line game. In addition, I tweaked this game by asking the children, “I wonder who can stand in line the neatest, quietest, and standing up the tallest?” or “I wonder if the boys or girls can do a better job standing in line?”

    I would always use a child who was doing a great job following directions as an example. I would say, “I like the way (child’s name) is standing so still and patiently in line. Great job (child’s name)!”

    This game has worked for me time and again. Not only did my class always get compliments for their good behavior in line, but it was also a great way to review material that we were learning in class.

    I hope this game works as well for you as it did for me!

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    ]]>     http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/30/the-standing-in-line-game/feed/ 1     Apple Theme Unit http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/23/apple-theme-unit/ http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/23/apple-theme-unit/#comments Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:19:07 +0000 Jo http://www.fascinate-educate.com/?p=2533
  • March 2011: Ideas for Every Day of the Month! March 2011 These calendars are designed to give you tons...
    • ]]>     Here are a few ideas for an apple theme unit. Our son will be making his own apple book, which will be used as a reference. More pictures to come!

    Science:

    Language/Reading:

    Math:

    Child-made Crafts:

    Writing:

    Here is a hand-made cover for my son’s book called Apples

    Hand-Made Apple Book Cover (Big Book)

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    ]]>     http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/23/apple-theme-unit/feed/ 1     Political Election Theme Outline http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/20/political-election-theme-outline/ http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/20/political-election-theme-outline/#comments Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:11:47 +0000 Jo http://www.fascinate-educate.com/?p=2531 Below is a rough outline I am using to teach this year’s political election to my ten-year-old son. He is asking a lot of great questions, some of which I have a hard time answering. For example, today he asked if the Republicans or Democrats will raise taxes next year and which candidate is more honest. I wish I had a crystal ball.

    God bless us all and best of luck in teaching your children about politics, taxes, honesty and all the hoopla that comes with a presidential election year!

    Here is the outline:

    1. How do we elect the US President?
    2. Review past Presidents (using the game “Guess the President” in our handmade big book).
    3. Who is our current President and Vice President?
    4. Who is running for President and Vice President?
    5. What are the major political issues?
    6. What is the job of the President?
    7. What is the role of the First Lady?
    8. What do you think it would be like to be a First Kid?
    9. How do you think the First Pets are treated?
    10. Who can run for President?
    11. What is a running mate?
    12. Who can vote?
    13. Who does vote?
    14. What is an Electoral College?
    15. Is the Electoral College better than the popular vote? Why or why not?
    16. What are the differences between Democrats and Republicans?
    17. What are campaigns and why do politicians run them?
    18. Should we believe the political ads we see on TV?  Why or why not?
    19. What are taxes and how are they (or how should they be) used?
    20. What are some important events in past politics?
    21. What are modern campaigns like?
    22. When is Election Day?
    23. What do voters do on Election Day?
    24. What is the Inauguration Day?
    25. How do you think we can improve how we elect Presidents in the future?
    26. What and where is the White House?
    27. What is the White House used for?
    28. What is Air Force One?
    29. What is the Constitution?
    30. Review American history (I’m not sure if I’m going to make this a whole new unit)

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    ]]>     http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/20/political-election-theme-outline/feed/ 0     Handmade Presidential Election Big Book http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/09/handmade-presidential-election-big-book/ http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/09/handmade-presidential-election-big-book/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:01:44 +0000 Jo http://www.fascinate-educate.com/?p=2456 I’ve decided to turn my interactive bulletin board into an ongoing “Handmade Presidential Election Big Book”. This book includes pictures of the candidates and their running mates, mini-books on how presidents are elected, information on the US Constitution, the history of the US, “hands-on” games about past presidents, and much more. The book will not be complete until after the election because we have a section under past presidents called, “Who Will be Next?”

    The worksheets my 5th grader completes about the election will also go into this big book. In the end, it will be an excellent reference book for my child to refer back to when needed. (I hate it when worksheets are tossed in the garbage!)

    I’m using my scrapbooking skills to make it look a little more interesting. My son already loves the way his big book looks, and it is motivating him to learn more about presidents and current events.

    ***Update *** Here is my Political Election Theme Outline.

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    ]]>     http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/09/handmade-presidential-election-big-book/feed/ 0     Election Day Theme Unit http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/04/election-day-theme-unit/ http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/04/election-day-theme-unit/#comments Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:56:08 +0000 Jo http://www.fascinate-educate.com/?p=2442 I’m creating an Election Day theme unit for my fifth-grade son. I found an outstanding Web site that you need to check out if you’re also teaching presidential elections. The Web site is Electing a President for Kids.

    I’m also creating an interactive bulletin board that has a book about the presidents (which is something that my child put together last year), a timeline about the history of our country, and other books about electing a president.

    If anyone has other ideas for an Election Day theme unit I’d love to hear from you!

    ***Update*** I’ve decided to turn my interactive bulletin board into an ongoing “Handmade Presidential Election Big Book”.

    ***Update 2*** Here is my Political Election Theme Outline.

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    ]]>     http://www.fascinate-educate.com/2008/09/04/election-day-theme-unit/feed/ 0