Social Studies Lessons and Units

Famous Americans-

Paul Revere

Elenore Roosevelt

Frederick Douglas

Maps and Globes Unit

Unit Lesson Plans

Map Take Home Project in Word

Rubric for Grading Map Take Home Project

Ideas

These are all ideas I have cut and pasted from the chat boards I visit. They are NOT my ideas

Unit Idea from Ms. Snodgrass (3rd)

A great book is Great Map Games (Grades 3-6). They are all map games and they are pretty good. There is a landform bingo the kids love and another one with longitude and latitude. Another book is Great Map Mysteries: 18 Stories and Maps to Build Geography and Map Skills (Grades 3-6), but students have to do a lot of reading of a story to complete the activity (not such a bad thing...but hard for some). I use this as enrichment or centers.

All of these poems were written by Cherry Carl, a retired language arts teacher. Click here to visit her amazing website.

A Sense of Place
By Cherry Carl

Maps outline a special space
And always give us a sense of place.
Where are we going and where have we been?
How will we get there and when, when, when?

How many miles will we have to drive?
How will we know when we finally arrive?!
We follow the key, the key on the map,
That’s always there on somebody’s lap!

Will we pass through towns that are very small?
Will we get to see any places at all?
Look at the map and you can see
Just where we are and where we’ll be!

A Key With No Lock
By Cherry Carl

Every map has a special key
So you know what is earth and what is the sea.
Oceans and rivers and lakes are blue,
But I know that and so do you!

Trees and grass are usually green,
On every map that I’ve ever seen!
Roads and freeways are easy signs . . .
They’re usually marked with big black lines.

Every map has a special key,
So, when you look, you’ll always see
Symbols and signs that help you read

The View from Above
By Cherry Carl

A map is a picture that holds the key
To finding our way from sea to sea,
With symbols and signs, colors and lines,
And all of the mapmaker’s special designs.

A Rose That Has No Smell
By Cherry Carl

Have you heard of a rose that has no smell?
I’ll tell you about it, so listen well!
This rose is a special design that shows
Every pirate and sailor which way that he goes.

“Am I going the way to the treasure chest?”
Is it north or south or east or west!
Without a compass rose on a map,
My sailors might easily fall for a trap!”

Exploration and Explorers

Unit Lesson Plans

Unit Test

Study Guide

Graphic Organizers:

Encounter Letter Organizer in Word

Encounter Letter Organizer in PDF

The Good and the Bad Organizer

Explorer Chart

Link needed to research information about the Explorers (this site is very old. I am not at this school any longer so please make sure to check the links first!)

Act It Out in Word

This is an idea I got from a wonderful workshop from the History Alive! Program. Students are shown a color picture/ painting from the time period you are studying. Usually the picture has people doing something from this time period. Students are divided into small groups are are assigned one person they will act out/ be. Students literally ACT IT OUT and create props and have to answer questions LIKE a person from that time period. Small groups are given time to rehearse, figure out what to say, and create props. Then call on one person from the groups to actually pose in the position from painting person (we were given the tip NOT to let the students choose, but instead choose one random person from the group so ALL students are prepared because they don't know who will be called!). After students "pose" they teacher interviews each person in the "painting" by asking them at least one question they were assigned to discuss.

Letter Project Graphic Organizer in Word

Read aloud the story Encounter by Jane Yolen. This is an AWESOME story about Columbus' landing form the point of view of a Native American boy. I have students write a letter to a friend or relative pretending they were there and witnessed the landing as well.

Ideas- These are all ideas I have cut and pasted from the chat boards I visit. They are NOT my ideas.

Explorer Links and Resources

Creating and Explorer Graveyard

Discover of the Americas Readers Theater/ Play

http://teachers.teach-nology.com/themes/social/explorers/

http://www.state.sd.us/deca/DDN4Learning/ThemeUnits/Explorers/lesson.htm

http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/explorer.html

http://www.lessonplansearch.com/Thematic_Units/Social_Studies/Explorers/more2.html

http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson162.shtml

http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/textonly/teachers/exploremaps_ex.htm

Colonization: The New England Colonies, Middle Colonies and Southern Colonies

The First Settlers: Jamestown and the Pilgrims Click here to read my Thanksgiving page which as some ties into the Pilgrims and Jamestown settlers.

Worksheet that asks comprehension questions to Ann McGoverns If You Sailed on the Mayflower.

After students read this book, they can answer these reading comprehension questions. These questions rely heavily on the use of the table of contents.

Information about the Thirteen Colonies Divided by Region

New England Colonies Bulletin Board Information

Middle Colonies Bulletin Board Information

Southern Colonies Bulletin Board Information

Southern and Middle Colony Comparison Book

Middle Colonies Crossword

Southern Colonies Crossword

Colonies Study Guide

Colonies Test

Creating a Timeline Worksheet

I used this worksheet as an assessment to see if students could independently create a time line with a title, correct labels and correct intervals. If gives students the dates colonies were founded and they must create the timeline from this information.

Thirteen Colonies Brain Pop Worksheet

This is a worksheet that goes along with this website.

Your school needs to be a member of www.brainpop.com in order for several students to watch the videos more than once. However, it is well worth the money. They have great social studies and science videos that the kids enjoy.

Colonies Research Project in Word

Each student drew the name of a colony from a hat and then researched the colony at school. After a week of research students were asked to complete an at home project. Students had to draw a map of the colony and write a research paper. We did not write a letter (like I have written on the assignment sheet) because of time. The projects ended up wonderful!

Parent Permission Slip for Project

My example of a report

Rubric for Grading Colony Project

Ideas

These are all ideas I have cut and pasted from the chat boards I visit. They are NOT my ideas.

The Road to the Revolutionary War

Unit Lesson Plans

Dominoes/ Chain Reaction worksheet

Cause and Effect Worksheet

Revolutionary War Battles Sheet

Brain Pop! Causes of the Revolutionary War

This is a worksheet that goes along with this website.

Sam The Minuteman reading comprehension worksheet

This is a worksheet that asks basic comprehension questions about the plot and story. I like it however, because it is an easy book and most students can read the story. Our school has one class set. Click here to read about this story on Amazon.

Washington Facts

I have bulletin board in my room. I tell students that the goal is to find as many facts about George Washington as possible. I check out several books from the library about George and have a browsing box of these books in my room. Facts are written on index cards and and are stapled around a picture of George. I challenge the students to cover the entire board with different facts (no doubles) and I buy each student an ice cream. Here are the fact cards that I start them with. Students can do this in their spare time.

Revolutionary Riddles

This worksheet is a sheet of riddles that asks students to remember important people and vocabulary. When I used this sheet I put one copy on the overhead and had students answer on notebook paper as a sponge activity before beginning the Social Studies lesson.

Boston Massacre Reader's Theater

Road to Revolution Jeopardy Game (power point)

Revolutionary War Cheat Sheet

Study Guide

Test

Ideas

These are all ideas I have cut and pasted from the chat boards I visit. They are NOT my ideas.

The Revolutionary War

Unit Lesson Plans

You will need to use this website to complete the project below. The Rubric is on the site as well.

http://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/CentervilleES/mholland/reference_rev_war.html

Revolutionary War Figures Project

Battles of the American Revolution PowerPoint Presentation

ABC's of the American Revolution

This is a project that I asked students to do after we finished our study of the American Revolution. I gave each student a white sheet of 18X 11 drawing paper. I had prefolded the paper so it had the correct number of boxes. However, looking back, I should have asked the students to do this since it would be a good measurement and estimation review! Students drew over the folds to create a huge grid. They labeled each box with a letter of the alphabet and brainstormed a person, place, vocabulary word or event that began with this letter. This was a great challenge for these students. Then they illustrated at least 10 of the boxes and colored the other boxes so it was colorful. It was a great display and assessment.

Government

Unit Lesson Plans

Constitution Quiz

If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution worksheet in Word

We have a class set of this book by Elizabeth Levy. I had students take notes over the Great Compromise.

If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution worksheet answer key in Word

Three Branches of Government Tri-Fold (Click to see teacher made example)

I had students fold their paper into thirds. Then they opened i t up and drew a long vertical line on the left side of the paper to create a table. On the left side they wrote the name of the branch, who was in charge and drew a symbol to help remind them. On the right side of the table they listed the jobs the branch does. They did this for homework after we set the paper up in class.

Bill of Rights Song- Sung to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas (From a Melanie Griffith movie but I can't find the title anywhere!!!)

Bill of Rights Comic Strip: The First Amendment (Click here to see a teacher made example)

We sing the Bill of Rights song so students are aware of the ten Amendments. However, students only need to know their first Amendment Rights. We read a page in our books about it and then we create the comic strips. I give students a sheet of computer paper. We fold the paper in thirds and then in half. When students open the page they have six boxes. The first box is the title box (Bill of Rights Comic Strip: The First Amendment). In each box they write down one right, for example freedom of speech, and then draw a picture or symbol. They then complete the paper.

3 Branches 3 Corners

This is a game I created to help students learn the jobs of each of the three branches. It is played like the game Four Corners. I labeled three corners of the room. One corner was the Legislative corner, another was the Judicial corner and the other was the Executive corner. I had written all the jobs (straight from a chart in our Social Studies book) on index cards. I would count to ten and students would find a corner to stand in. I was draw a card and announce the job. For example, "Passes laws." Students would have to decide what branch that was and pint to it (instant check to see who is getting it). The branch that was drawn (in this case Legislative) was out and had to sit in their seats. We would keep going to we had the Three Branches Champion!

Westward Expansion

Unit Lesson Plans

Create an Oregon Trail Mural

This is an activity that goes with a reader's theater. Students will perform the readers theater The Sagar Children. This is a script based on a true account in which the mother and father died while moving west and the brother and sisters sister pushed westward. Click here to see the Reader's Theater book with this script.

I divide the class into two parts: readers and artists. I work with the readers on perfecting the readers theater. The artists create murals (with the above guidelines) of the Oregon Trail. Students use books as resources to create the mural and also take notes while playing the game "Oregon Trail II."

Create An Oregon Trail Family Project

I got this idea from a poster on T-net (Michael M, I believe) . He had pictures of scrapbooks his students made in Social Studies. One of the pictures was a pioneer scrapbook. I took his idea and created guidelines.

Westward Expansion Links

http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Physical_Education/Games/GAM0003.html

These are all pioneer games to play with your students.

http://www.thepotters.com/puzzles/pioneers.html

Pioneer Word Search

http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/Westward.htm

A pioneer unit for primary grades.

http://education.educ.indiana.edu/cas/tt/v2i2/manifest.html

Simulation of crowding problems in Texas/ Dealing with Manifest Destiny

http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/22K_War_1812.pdf

Outline for a lesson for teaching the War of 1813 (for second grade)

http://socialstudies.com/c/@fE5TltLZBGqRo/Pages/article.html?article@SHL175