Focusing on the Famous, Fabulous 40s!!!

Have you ever wanted to eat PB&Js in the 20s, dig a victory garden in the 40s, and do the Twist in the 80s all at the same time? 

Well, this past semester, I got to do all of that right in Greenlawn. 


With the significance of past events framing our design for Social Studies lessons, it has become all too apparent that students are struggling to find an interest in the subject. It's a sad fact indeed. However, a simple  activity in which the students get to choose a time period, research what they find interesting about that time, and then get to create a board and activities is an exciting way of making history fun. When we got to present our work to our fellow classmates, my group decided that no matter what, we were going to do our best and have a good time. Instilling in our students this same reasoning, I look forward to the day I get to share this activity with them :)

<-The 70s

The 80s->

<-The 20s

The 50s->

A great blog for teachers to use when discussing History:

History is Elementary

"Molding" a Great Lesson...

Flour.

Salt. 

Water.

What does this give you? 

An activity that'll get your hands messy and your brains working.

In class, I found out that probably one of the easiest methods to teach students about geography is to get their hands in the process with building land masses. They get to explore and research a selected area and be creative with their findings. However, looking into this project like we did, we, as teachers, have to be careful about not making this this some simple arts and crafts activity. Rather, we teach our students that geography is a key element to understanding our weather, our country, and our world. Salt dough maps help us to visualize what our world looks like in a 3 Dimensional understanding. This activity was a great and MESSY experience!!

Here are some links to some great Salt Dough Activity Blogs:
MAPS OF EUROPE          
SLIGHTLY NERDY, SOMETIMES COOL

Trade Fair or Fair Trade??

Excitedly waiting for the results, we sat, watching as Mrs. Lucchese rolled the giant bulletin board into the room. We caught our breath, saw what was written, and cheered: "TRADE FAIR!!!" 

At Eastwood Elementary, the 6th grade trade fair was a right of passage. All year long, the students wait until the infamous giant green bulletin board is rolled into the classroom and Mrs. Lucchese, one of the Social Studies teachers, announces that they will be putting on a trade fair for the school. When I was at Eastwood, my group spent three weeks creating a booth, making various arts and crafts, and anticipating the day we could bust out our newly learned bartering skills. 

The whole point of this activity was to make us students aware of the concepts of fair trade. Fair trade is  an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries to make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to exporters as well as higher social and environmental standards. Mrs. Lucchese decided that the students should know the importance of trade, not just in a traditional sense like we practiced earlier this year in E325, but that we knew the significance trade has in modern society.

However, thinking back on E325 this semester and my 6th grade experience, I now know how to involve my students in an activity that is both fun and educational.


Here are some links to great fair trade organizations: