If you have ever had a crazy day in your classroom, you are not alone. Just this past week in my field experience, my students were getting ready for PARCC testing--however, something went wrong with the computers, so we had a few minutes of down time. This was a perfect opportunity for a read-aloud. My third graders loved it!
But, what better way to use down time, than to do a read-aloud using a social studies book! Sometimes I feel like I have to be sneaky to incorporate social studies in the classroom. I want my students to get the most out of my class! So I have provided a link here to a great PDF about social studies books to use in your classroom. They are on an assortment of topics and grade levels (from lower elementary to high school). The list of topics is broad--from biography, to environment, to folktales, culture, social relationships and more! Check it out and maybe you would like to add some of these books to your class library!
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Interactive Whiteboards
Starting my field experience for my block class has been a whirlwind! I have so much to do in so little time. Like other teachers, I need fun and engaging ways to incorporate social studies into my teaching.
This is where interactive whiteboards come into play. SmartBoard, Promethean, Mimio and more can all be utilized for social studies. I found this really great part of the Scholastic website that utilizes interactive whiteboards here. This site has cool games and resources for students and teachers. Some of them are about: Ellis Island, World War II, The First Thanksgiving, and the Underground Railroad.
I also found this other website that has a multitude of interactive whiteboard resources here. There really is something out there for every subject. We as teachers just need to be creative in our incorporation of social studies into the classroom. This particular activity is where students use the whiteboard to put the states back together in the U.S. This could be a center activity or a reward to play with the interactive whiteboard. I like this activity because I love puzzles and geography--best of both worlds!
This is where interactive whiteboards come into play. SmartBoard, Promethean, Mimio and more can all be utilized for social studies. I found this really great part of the Scholastic website that utilizes interactive whiteboards here. This site has cool games and resources for students and teachers. Some of them are about: Ellis Island, World War II, The First Thanksgiving, and the Underground Railroad.
I also found this other website that has a multitude of interactive whiteboard resources here. There really is something out there for every subject. We as teachers just need to be creative in our incorporation of social studies into the classroom. This particular activity is where students use the whiteboard to put the states back together in the U.S. This could be a center activity or a reward to play with the interactive whiteboard. I like this activity because I love puzzles and geography--best of both worlds!
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Socratic Cirlces
How can we incorporate more speaking and listening into the curriculum AND integrate social studies? Socratic Circles!
If you have never heard of this before, at the bottom is a list of professional resources that you can use to learn about Socratic Circles. The basic principle is this: students get a chance to express their opinions about a certain topic/article (preferably about social studies) and a chance to critique their peers conversation in a Socratic Circle. Those in the inside circle discuss the material. Those on the outside circle critique the inside circle and give feedback. Pretty simple.
This would be a great addition to any classroom. How many times do you give students homework to "read" and they come back having not read? This would force them to do the reading because they will have to use the information to contribute in conversation. I hope this sparks and interest and some courage for you to try this in your classroom!
Professional Resources:
This link gives a presentation on Socratic Circles and how to use them in a classroom. It is mainly for teachers, but I think it would be beneficial for students to understand the guidelines. (Target Grade: 5-8) https://prezi.com/8rhncy5szgie/socratic-seminars-in-the-ss-classroom/
If you have never heard of this before, at the bottom is a list of professional resources that you can use to learn about Socratic Circles. The basic principle is this: students get a chance to express their opinions about a certain topic/article (preferably about social studies) and a chance to critique their peers conversation in a Socratic Circle. Those in the inside circle discuss the material. Those on the outside circle critique the inside circle and give feedback. Pretty simple.
This would be a great addition to any classroom. How many times do you give students homework to "read" and they come back having not read? This would force them to do the reading because they will have to use the information to contribute in conversation. I hope this sparks and interest and some courage for you to try this in your classroom!
Professional Resources:
This link gives a presentation on Socratic Circles and how to use them in a classroom. It is mainly for teachers, but I think it would be beneficial for students to understand the guidelines. (Target Grade: 5-8) https://prezi.com/8rhncy5szgie/socratic-seminars-in-the-ss-classroom/
This site has a concise description of how to run a Socratic Seminar. If you follow other links on the site, there are resources and tons of things to give ideas for topics. (Target Grade: 3-6) https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources/teaching-strategies/socratic-seminar
This is a PDF of a PowerPoint presentation. It has really great explanations and examples to use with middle and high school students. Every content area is addressed. (Target Grade: 7) http://intc.education.illinois.edu/events/btc2013/shad_skarzynski
This link provides an actual lesson plan for Socratic Circles. The topic is the Enlightenment in World History. (Target Grade: 7-9) http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/ghgonline/units/5/documents/LearningExpU5.pdf
This is a PDF of a PowerPoint presentation. It explains why Socratic circles are such a crucial part of 21st Century Skills. (Target Grade: application to any) http://www.mtagate.org/uploads/1/1/7/4/11741428/walker_socratic_seminar.pdf
This is a lesson plan for high school on Human Rights. I think the format is important here. (Target Grade: 9-12) https://www.uww.edu/Documents/colleges/coeps/cni/social%20studies/lesson%20plans/2008-2009/UN_Hum_Rights_SS.pdf
This site is a great way to form Socratic Questions to ask your students. (Target Grade: application to any) http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/socratic_questions.htm
This is a PDF that further explains Socratic Circles and how they work. There are some good example handouts. (Target Grade: 4-8) https://www.nwabr.org/sites/default/files/SocSem.pdf
On this site, under "Find lesson plans in your subject area:" there is a History section, and if you click on the topics it will bring up lesson plans. (Target Grade: varies) http://www.paideia.org/teachers/seminar-lesson-plans/
This is a PDF of a free lesson plan. It is mostly a template that can be used to Socratic Circle Lessons. (Target Grade: application to any) http://www.liketoread.com/Resources/Socratic%20Lesson%20Plan%20Template.pdf
This is a resource on Teachers Pay Teachers for Socratic Circle math cards. (Target Grade: 7-10) https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Socratic-Circles-Number-Cards-227692
Geography Games
What better way to teach Geography than a game? Geography is of utmost importance in classrooms today. Children need to know where they are in relation to the world! I would like to share a few games that I would use to teach Geography.
I have a particular interest in English Language Learners. I would use these two games to support any diverse learners in my classroom.
Landscapes This site is and elementary introduction of different types of landscapes. It would be great for English Language Learners because it shows the word and speaks the name. (Target Grade: K-2)
The Sea This site would be perfect for English Language Learners. It shows pictures of different things pertaining to the sea--showing the word and orally pronouncing it. (Target Grade: K-2)
These are just a few of my favorites. Below are more, that I hope to inspire you to search for your own Geography games. Happy Hunting!
Geography Glossary This site has an interactive glossary of geography words that would be a great review for students. (Target Grade: 4-6)
World Continents and Oceans This is a beginner’s website to learn the continents and oceans. In the sidebar, information about the continent/ocean is given. (Target Grade: 1-3)
What’s It Like Where You Live? In this site, students can explore different types of climates and environments that are found in the world. It also answers common questions about certain climates. (Target Grade: 2-4)
The Traveler IQ Challenge is probably going to be just about the most difficult map game you’ll ever play. Players have to click where they think a certain city or landmark is in a particular continent/region. It is hard because it is timed and points are deducted for how far off you are from the actual answer. (Target Grade: 5-6)
The View From Above This is a guessing game that uses satellite images. Players have to guess the country that is pictured. Note: be sure to scroll down--the adds take up a lot of space. (Target Grade: 4-6)
Brainpop Geography This site has tons of cool games that students can play whenever you reach a certain topic. Note: username and password needed to play (Target Grade: 2-4)
Latitude and Longitude This site has an interactive game where students use latitude and longitude to find the character Hannah. (Target Grade: 2-4)
Flat Stanley
Have you ever heard of Flat Stanley? Flat Stanley is a book about a flat boy who travels the world by being mailed. It is super cute and relevant to social studies. For my BLOCK class, I created my own Flat Stanley to be mailed to different places. I tried emailing it to a few friends in Scotland, Swaziland in South Africa, and Washington state in the US. However, she only came back from Africa.
A friend of mine's mother works in Swaziland with an orphanage. In this picture are her two children (holding my Flat Stanley and the puppy) and some natives eating fresh mangoes.
Flat Stanley is a great tool for teaching social studies. Children in your classroom can color their own and mail it to different places you are learning about. Children can write journal prompts about the adventures their flat person has taken in their travels. Math and science can be incorporated in distances and regional differences. And most importantly, Flat Stanley can give an account of the people, life, culture and other traditions from the places he has been.
I hope you enjoy this great idea for incorporating social studies!
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