Tuesday, April 22, 2008

American History through Media

The last project that I will be requiring is to choose an American War that has impacted the world.

The students have already determined which war they want to research.

Revolutionary War- April 30th-May 2nd
Civil War- May 5th-May 7th
WWI- May 8th- May 9th
WWII- May 12th- May16th
Korean- May19th-May 28th
Vietnam
Desert
Iraqi

The purpose of this assignment is to understand the impact that America has had on the world's development.
The more media that the students use to represent their war the better their grade will be.


Examples of media- movies, speeches, newspapers, books, TV, radio, artifacts, interviews, internet, pictures, music. . . . .

They can choose to do a paper, poster, powerpoint, 3-d project or ALL of THEM!

Friday, February 22, 2008

My Ideas for the Famiy Tree Project

These are my ideas about our coming up family tree project. Let me now what you think are the best or if you have any better please let me know!
We will take a vote as a class and on-line if you parents want to get in on this action :) on which activities we will do.
Be thinking. . .
I am excited to see which route we will take in learning, just like our ancestors had to choose their route!

Maps and Geography
It is rare to find a family tree which doesn't include any immigrants, though some people may have to go back hundreds of years to find them. Turn history into a fun detective project by working with students to seek out the real-life adventures of their ancestors, and plot their travels on a map.
Master map can be created for the classroom which highlights all countries which students discover in their family trees.

MUST DO TO PASS: Need to flag our current events map with pin and name
bonus: Mini Maps can be created to show family migration or immigration

-Another fun project entails having the children construct a fictional journey to visit all of their living relatives. Trace epic journey through America or the world on world map.
Including the names and locations of their fictional hometowns, and one major event.
Can include the logistics and cost of making the trip to visit.
This can be associated with time- introducing the ideas of ecomony. . . the great depression. . . poverty.

Science/ Genetics
-Genealogy can be used to teach science and health through a genetics or family health history project. Students can look for genetic features, such as eye color or nose shape, that have been passed down in their family; research any common health problems or genetic disorders which are prevalent in their family tree;

-Or we could study the methods in which genetics can be used to trace a person's origin. Introduce Mendell's Pea Pods . . . Connect with Middle Ages Technology

-Since health can be a touchy subject in some families, you can also approach this lesson with a well-documented family from history, such as a royality, presidential family, famous peoples through time and their impact on how there personalities help shape history.

Health/Social studies class double up kids?
-A visit to the cemetery to envoke emotions about ancestors- talk about the past and connect with society? not sure about this idea? any parent volunteers to help to take class?
BONUS to visit family grave sites and pay respect?


Literature Arts
-Family tree projects should always begin at home, by interviewing and recording the recollections and stories of living relatives before they are lost forever.
Ask any genealogist, and you will be hard-pressed to find one who doesn't regret spending more time talking to relatives while they were still alive.
Teach students the proper techniques and proprieties of conducting an interview, and work with them to come up with a list of questions that go beyond names and dates and, instead, pull out the stories that will never be found in written records.

-Oral histories can be collected not only from family members, but also from neighbors, friends, and community members. If you live in a small community, you could even work with students to create a book of collected stories from the area. I would love to do this one.

Encourage students to talk to any living relatives who may still have immigration stories to tell. Or visit sites like ellisislandrecords.com to view real life immigration records, and ship histories. Discuss the possible motivations for a family's migration, including how to connect events in history with the movement of ancestors.

Must Do to Pass:Every student must conduct an interview, get one real story, beef it up, and help create our class book.

Math/Keyboarding double up kids
Graph the demographics of your classroom. Create a survey for entire school and graph that. Use Spreadsheet application to incorporate workshop.
We will do this one as a class when they have given their report and flag which country they are from.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

What a success !!!

Thank you so much for everyones help with the Knight to Remember!
I have seriously had so many emails thanking me for putting together that night.

I coudn't have done it without the hard work and effort the kids put into their learning.
Their high energy and willingness to participate made the night a complete success.

If you click on the link to the right that says- PICS of the Knight to Remember there are about forty pictures that I captured. I only wish I would have taken more.

The password is springcreek if you want any of the pictures. I suggest just right clicking on the pictures you want and saving to your computer or email for free. . . :)

Thanks again for all of you wonderful parents at home who helped! I look forward to doing this project again next year.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Welcome to Social Studies

Listen to your assignment. . . Due Feb. 10-Feb.15

Your report needs to consist of the 4 P's

Paper- 2 or more pages double spaced 12" font Times New Roman
Poster- NO POWERPOINT
Presentation
3-d Project

I want to know what Middle Ages topic you want to become an expert in... that means we need to research today.
Write on your top three topics and why you want to learn about them. The most persuasive will get that topic. Be creative!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Interactive Scavenger Hunt

Click on the link -social studies games under Ms. Nanna's Link List.
On that website you will see tons of educational games for every subject!

Search: Interactive Scavenger Hunt...

You may play this game that we played yesterday in class. You will write out the questions in complete sentences, in Microsoft Word, and print it out. This is one of the last scores that will be added to your semester grade.

YOU MAY LOOK FOR CURRENT EVENTS at Cnn. com.