Reliving History

Have you ever heard of a simulation unit?

Well that is what we talked about in class last week. And let me just say, I wish history was taught this way to me--maybe then I would like it. A simulation unit is a series of lessons based on a time period in history (say, the Revolutionary War) and the students role play as people during that time. The students really get to feel how historical figures felt long ago.

For a brief example, our teacher used the Revolutionary War example as a simulation unit with our BLOCK class. One student would be a king/queen of England and have a certain amount of Parliament advisors, the rest of the class would be colonists in America. There would also be a tax collector. Using M&Ms as currency, everyone in the class should get an even amount. The king needs money from taxes to do what he wants to do in England. Where, you ask, does he get money? The colonies. So in your class, you start assigning M&M values of tax to certain items that every student has. 1 M&M per pencil/pen, 5 per notebook, 10 per textbook, 3 per pair of shoes, etc. Once all the tax values have been sorted, the tax collector goes around collecting taxes (note: the colonists probably won't be left with much) and brings it back to the king. At this point, students will probably complain that the king has most of the M&Ms and its not fair! And this is where you--the teacher--can teach history!! But hopefully, you won't have the Boston Tea Party explode in your classroom….

Isn't it beautiful? Not the Boston Tea Party---simulation units! I really wish that history was taught to me this way. History seems so much more interesting when presented like this.

When I am a teacher, I think it would be super cool to do a unit like this and integrate different subjects. However, it might take a few tries before I get the execution down pat. A down side to simulation units is that they cost $$. But, I might be able to overlook the cost because it is a great resource.

Do your own digging and find some good simulation units for you!

Until next time.
"Give me simulation units or give me death!"

The Magic of Blogging

Let me tell you how great blogging is…

Blogs do not take super long to set up and it can be one of the greatest tools you can have in your classroom. For real, just search "blogs" or "teaching blogs" on Pinterest and there are tons of resources to aid you in starting a blog.

For my social studies BLOCK class, we are required to post to a blog. To be honest, this is new and uncomfortable for me, but I am slowly getting more comfortable with blogging. Usually, I like to hand-write my feelings in a journal where only my eyes can read. But with blogging, you can express your feelings and other things in just a few minutes. Blogging can be a great resource for teachers as well as for parents. The work that children do in your class can be posted at lightning speed (depending on your internet connection). And of course, what is a blog without pictures?

Blogging can be a great way to keep the parents up to date on the fun activities going on in your class. I have never observed a class where blogs are used. However, I think it would be great to keep a blog for your classroom. And these people think so too….

Here is a link to the top 25 Elementary School Teacher blogs of 2012: http://www.topmastersineducation.com/top-elementary-school-teacher-blogs-of-2012/ 


Because I am still a college student, the most useful way I can blog, is about super cool teaching strategies so that I won't forget them when it comes to real-life teaching. Once I get a job, I can start blogging about cool things I have done in my classroom. But, I might want to save that for the second year of teaching--we have all heard those horror stories of first year teachers.

But anyways, feel free to post comments of your favorite teaching blog or strategy.

Until next time.
Keep Blogging!!!

Welcome!

My name is Jenna Petrel and I am a senior Elementary Education major at Mississippi University for Women! I will graduate in December 2015…praise God!
This is going to be my exciting new blog for my Social Studies BLOCK class.

But first….

Here is a little about me:
I am born and raised in Eldersville, Pennsylvania--a small town about 45 minutes from Pittsburgh (depending on traffic). I moved to Mississippi when I was in 9th grade and have been here ever since. I have always loved learning and I could be classified as a nerd. I love telling people random facts. I love Narnia, movies, laughing, board games, running, and food.

This is a picture of my timeline and museum display that I did last week for class. As you can see, I do like Angry Birds, hula hoops, books, pictures, coffee and more. 

I learned from this project that no matter how simple your assignments for children may be, you will always have an over-achiever (like me). It took me hours to pick out at least five items that describe me.  [Some students may not have five small items, so this activity could be changed to fewer, or only things that fit in a brown paper bag.] I also learned that it is a lot of work to make a straight line for a timeline. My boyfriend helped me draw and measure each space exactly an inch apart. A project like this would definitely get families involved--especially with pulling out old photos and sharing special times with the class. 

Take Away: 

1. Do this activity at the beginning of the year or during open house to learn more about your students.

2. Get the families involved! 

3. Give adequate time for students to complete the project. 

4. To mix it up, have the students guess what each of the items mean for one of their classmates. 

That's all for now!