Why Teach Social Studies?

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Learning about origination, culture, and the progress of time are traits that are so valued in the subject of history. 

Teaching history in the classroom is more than just teaching dates and battles, it is about teaching humankind. 

History dictates our triumphs, our failures, and our progress as a people and it is essential that we pass down this knowledge to the upcoming generation. 

Math, science, reading, and writing are all important, but while we are busy building brains in our classrooms, let us not forget to emphasize the importance of building citizens. 

Field Trip Ideas

1. Nathan Hale Homestead

www.trekearth.com

Grades: 3 - 6

Standards this trip would address: 
HIST 3.2 Compare life in specific historical time periods to life today.

HIST 3.3 Generate questions about individuals who have shaped significant historical changes and continuities.

2. Mystic Seaport

cheshirelibraryblog.com

Grades: 3-6

Standards this trip would address: 

GEO 4.7 Explain how human settlements and movements relate to the locations and use of various natural resources.

3. Gillette Castle State Park

http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=325204&deepNav_GID=1650%20#activities

Grades: 4 - 6

Standards this trip would address:

HIST 5.9 Explain probable causes and effects of events and developments.

HIST 5.10 Use evidence to develop a claim about the past.

4. Old Lighthouse Museum

http://www.stoningtonhistory.org/index.php?id=7

Grades: 4 - 6

Standards this trip would address:

GEO 4.7 Explain how human settlements and movements relate to the locations and use of various natural resources.

5. Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center

www.tripadvisor.com

Grades: 3 - 6

Standards this trip would address: 

HIST 5.2 Compare life in specific historical periods to life today.

HIST 5.3 Use information about a historical source, including the 

Effective Media You Need in Your Classroom

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1. Liberty Kids Series
Activities on Liberty Kids
Travel back in time to Revolutionary America and see the revolution through the eyes of children.
Connection to the Common Core:
HIST 3.1 Create and use a chronological sequence of related events to compare developments that happened at the same time.
HIST 3.2 Compare life in specific historical time periods to life today.
HIST 3.3 Generate questions about individuals who have shaped significant historical changes and continuities
HIST 3.4 Explain connections among historical contexts and people’s perspectives at the time.

HIST 3.5 Describe how people’s perspectives shaped the historical sources they created.

2. "When is Thanksgiving?: Colonizing America: Crash Course US History #2"
John Green Thanksgiving
This is a John Greene video from the CrashCourse channel on YouTube that discusses Thanksgiving. It can be a useful video to pull up toward the end of November to give the students some background knowledge on the meal feast they'll be having.
Connection to the Common Core:
GEO 4.4 Explain how the cultural and environmental characteristics of places change over time.
GEO 4.5 Describe how environmental and cultural characteristics influence population distribution in specific places or regions.

3. "The Constitution, the Articles, and Federalism: Crash Course US History #8"
John Green Constitution
This is a John Greene video from the CrashCourse channel on YouTube that discusses the various  documents that governed and are currently governing America. The content is great but my only disclaimer is that Greene makes a beer joke.
Connection to the Common Core:
CIV 5.1 Explain how groups of people make rules to create responsibilities and protect freedoms.
CIV 5.4 Explain how policies are developed to address public problems.

4. "The Civil War, Part I: Crash Course US History #20"
John Green Civil War
This is a John Greene video from the CrashCourse channel on YouTube that discusses the Civil War.
Connection to the Common Core:
HIST 5.4 Explain why individuals and groups during the same historical period differed in their perspectives.
HIST 5.5 Explain connections among historical contexts and people’s perspectives at the time.

5. "The Progressive Era: Crash Course US History #27"
John Green Progressive Era
This is a John Greene video from the CrashCourse channel on YouTube that discusses the Progressive Area, what it was and why it existed.
Connection to the Common Core:
ECO 6–7.1 Explain how economic decisions affect the well-being of individuals, businesses, and society.
ECO 6–7.2 Evaluate alternative approaches or solutions to current economic issues in terms of benefits and costs
for different groups and society as a whole.
ECO 6–7.5 Describe the roles of institutions such as corporations, nonprofits, and labor unions in a market economy.

6. "America in World War I: Crash Course US History #30"
John Green WWI
This is a John Greene video from the CrashCourse channel on YouTube that discusses America's involvement in WWI.
Connection to the Common Core:
ECO 4.1 Compare the benefits and costs of individual choices.

ECO 4.2 Identify positive and negative incentives that influence the decisions people make.
HIST 4.2 Explain probable causes and effects of events and developments

7. "Women's Suffrage: Crash Course US History #31"
John Green Suffrage
This is a John Greene video from the CrashCourse channel on YouTube that discusses the involvement of women in the Progressive Era.
Connection to the Common Core:
CIV 5.1 Explain how groups of people make rules to create responsibilities and protect freedoms.

CIV 5.4 Explain how policies are developed to address public problems.

8. Native Americans - National Geographic
National Geographic
This is a video from National Geographic video that discusses Native Americans in North America.
Connection to the Common Core:
HIST 5.1 Create and use a chronological sequence of related events to compare developments that happened at the same time.

HIST 5.2 Compare life in specific historical periods to life today

9. "Civil Rights and the 1950s: Crash Course US History #39"
John Green Civil Rights
This is a John Greene video from the CrashCourse channel on YouTube that discusses the Civil Right's movement and some advocates less well-known.
Connection to the Common Core:
CIV 5.1 Explain how groups of people make rules to create responsibilities and protect freedoms.

CIV 5.4 Explain how policies are developed to address public problems.

10. "Obamanation: Crash Course US History #47"
Obamanation
This is a John Greene video from the CrashCourse channel on YouTube that discusses current events taking place in America under President Obama.
Connection to the Common Core:
HIST 5.9 Explain probable causes and effects of events and developments.
CIV 5.4 Explain how policies are developed to address public problems.

Technology You Need in Your Classroom

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All of the technology listed below has free versions for your educational and financial enjoyment. 

1. Padlet
https://padlet.com/
This app allows students to use their mobile devices to post statements on a main page. It's kind of like having students all write what they are thinking on the whiteboard in the front of the class, but this saves time and traffic. This can be used to get responses from students or to gather opinions. 

2. Bitstrip
https://www.bitstrips.com/
This programs lets you make your own comic strips online. It comes with characters, locations, and much more. You can choose how many scenes you want your comic to be. This can be used for students reading and writing projects to convey events that took place in a story. This can also be a way for students to illustrate their stories. 

3. Pictochart
https://piktochart.com/
This cite lets you make your very own infographics to display whatever information you may choose. There already are templates on the website for your convenience. This can be used for students to display their own work and research (it's a much more inviting format than a report). It's new and innovative and I'm sure your students will love it. 

4. Kahoot!
https://kahoot.it/#/
This program takes assessment to a whole new level. It is a quiz game that records everyone's score and operates over a mobile device. It's a new age version of jeopardy and will make you and your kids cringe less when you think about assessment. This can be used to get a feel for background knowledge, see how much students have learned over the unit, or to take vocabulary quizzes! 

5. Blabberize
http://blabberize.com/
This web program may freak you out at first, it's alright. It lets you take images, make the mouth move, and add a voice to it. It's guaranteed to please kids, especially if you get creative and have a penguin read them a story about Antarctica. This can be used as a lesson initiation, a class mascot, or the students can make them to showcase their papers!

Strategies for Teaching History

1. Holidays


www.artefactgroup.com

Holidays are the perfect time to dive into history and culture. People experience such a wide variety of holidays, and being able to integrate those different life experiences into the classroom would be a benefit to all involved. A few holidays I would recommend integrating into the classroom as lessons would be Labor Day (discuss unions and what working is like), Veterans Day (discuss the military and wars), Thanksgiving (discuss early settlement, Native Americans, and pilgrim life), and winter holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa (discuss how these holidays began and how people celebrate them all over the world),

2. Political Events


www.nami.org

Teach students about current events taking place in their community, state, and nation. It is important for all citizens to be tuned into current political events. Hold classroom elections, pay attention to current events, and teach the students about how the government functions (different branches).

3. Integration of History Books into ELA lessons


www.pinterest.com

Reading is a HUGE part of the elementary school curriculum. History books can easily be integrated into ELA lessons. By teaching ELA with history books it is essentially like "killing two birds with one stone", you get to teach history and reading without sacrificing time from other subject areas.

4. Author Investigations


science-all.com

When reading texts, have the students research the author. They can learn about where the author came from, what the culture is/was like in that location, and if there were any events taking place in that time that could have inspired the writing. This can translate into the students in the class using events taking place in their neighborhood to inspire their writing.

5. Biography Studies


www.drakemusic.com

Many elementary school students write biography reports on different people. Rather than getting 6 Justin Bieber biography reports, ask students to research someone from history to expand upon their writing and research skills, and also their historical knowledge.