My Social Studies Page includes a book list, films and videos, technology and apps, CT field trips, teaching strategies, and much more! Feel free to leave comments and share any other resources for Social Studies lessons below!
Book List:
·
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young
Readers 2010 (K-2)
Lexile: 500L
Review:
“I loved this book. So glad we found this to
help round our daughter's sense of history. Just as they did in Boycott Blues,
the Pinkney’s have taken an element of the event and woven it into the fabric
of the story.” –The Reading Tub
·
Trombone Shorty
Written by Troy Andrews and illustrated by
Bryan Collier
Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers
2015 (3-5)
Lexile: 840
Review:
“Employing his unmistakable mixed-media
collage images, Collier portrays the story of this living legend with energy
and style, making visible the swirling sounds of jazz. This well-told and
exquisitely illustrated story of a musician with a steep career trajectory will
inspire young readers to pursue their passions, despite the challenges.” –
Kirkus Review
·
Jars of Hope: How One Woman Helped Save 2,500
Children During the Holocaust
Written by Jennifer Roy and illustrated by
Meg Owenson
Published by Capstone Young Readers 2016
(3-6)
Lexile: 630L
Review:
“Paintlike smudges soften Owenson’s digital
illustrations, which strike some off notes (a cartoonish fox dashes in front of
Sendler while she hides in a zoo). Even so, text and art convey a strong sense
of the poor conditions within the ghetto, as well as the dangers faced by Jews
and those who tried to help them during WWII.” –Publisher’s Weekly
·
Women Who Broke the Rules: Judy Blume
Written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated
by Matt Collins
Published by Bloomsbury USA 2015 (3-5)
Lexile: 880
Review:
“Smart and animated. . . [Y]oung readers will
come away properly inspired by the examples of these admirable rule-breakers.
The author of the justly renowned What the Neighbors Thought series digs a
little deeper with these equally engaging single volumes.” – Kirkus Reviews on SACAJAWEA
·
Funny Bones
Written by Duncan Tonatiuh and illustrated
by Duncan Tonatiuh
Published by Abrams 2015 (2-5)
Review:
“Tonatiuh skillfully blends his own
distinctive style of digital collage and hand drawings not only to highlight
events in Posada’s life, but also to add whimsical elements by introducing
contemporary Calaveras.” –Kirkus Reviews
·
Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s
Most Famous Bear
Written by Lindsay Mattick and illustrated
by Sophie Blackall
Published by Litter, Brown and Company 2015
(K-3)
Lexile: AD590L
Review:
“Blackall’s watercolor-and-ink illustrations
have a peaceful stillness that’s welcome in a book that, though not about
combat, concerns the trappings of war. A photo album includes snapshots of
Winnie with her soldiers and with Christopher Robin.” –Kirkus Reviews
·
T is for Time
Written by Marie and Roland Smith and
illustrated by Renee Graef
Published by Sleeping Bear Press 2015 (3-5)
Lexile: 940L
Review:
“The content goes far beyond learning about
minutes and hours to discovering early and unique methods for measuring time
that will capture the interest of most children. The beautiful illustrations
accompanying the poems have a classical air of elegance and charm and serve as
visual support for their corresponding text. This book is sure to be a
collectable treasure for any personal or classroom library.” Reviewer: Justina
Engebreston (Editorial Review)
·
Double Happiness
Written by Nancy Tupper Ling and
illustrated by Alina Chau
Published by Chronicle Books 2015 (K-2)
Review:
“Double happiness, traditionally a wish for
newlyweds in Chinese culture, expands to key moments here: for sister and
brother, for two memory boxes, and step by step, for a former home to a new
one. Rendered in delicate watercolors and brush strokes, Chau's illustrations
and calligraphy evoke calm in the midst of Gracie’s anxieties and ethereal
playfulness with Jake’s ever present mystical dragon. A thoughtful and moving
story of memory and change.” –Kirkus Reviews
·
Mixed Me!
Written by Taye Diggs and illustrated by
Shane W. Evans
Published by Feiwel & Friends 2015
(K-2)
Lexile: AD440L
Review:
Evans' integration of rough-textured
fabrics into lively and colorful mixed-media illustrations will make readers
want to reach out and touch them.
Readers will also find this an easy book to set to music or rap, thanks to its rhyme and cadence. The takeaway message remains one that all children need to embrace: "I'm doing my thing, so don't forget it. / If you don't get it, then
you don't get it." If all kids had the confidence about who they are that Mike has, what a wonderful world this would be.” –Kirkus Reviews
Readers will also find this an easy book to set to music or rap, thanks to its rhyme and cadence. The takeaway message remains one that all children need to embrace: "I'm doing my thing, so don't forget it. / If you don't get it, then
you don't get it." If all kids had the confidence about who they are that Mike has, what a wonderful world this would be.” –Kirkus Reviews
·
Brown Girl Dreaming
Written by Jacqueline Woodson
Published Nancy Paulsen Books 2014 (6-8)
Lexile: 990
Review:
“Woodson cherishes her memories and shares
them with a graceful lyricism; her lovingly wrought vignettes of country and
city streets will linger long after the page is turned. For every dreaming girl
(and boy) with a pencil in hand (or keyboard) and a story to share.” –Kirkus
Reviews
Mommy, Mama, and Me
Written by Leslea Newman and illustrated by
Carol Thompson
Published by Tricycle Press 2008 (k-2)
Review:
“The bright colors (a green claw-foot tub has
froglike feet) and pleasing verse offer a simple lesson about love that
same-sex parents should embrace.” -Publisher’s Weekly
“Atlas for iPad Free”
“Constitution and Federalist Papers”
-This app includes a full text of the Constitution with an
explanation of each clause included. Also there is a complete text of all 85
Federalist papers. This could help students while learning about the
Constitution because they will have the text to refer to whenever they need it.
“ABC News”
Connecticut History
Field Trip Sites:
Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea
- Grades 3 and up
- Programs and exhibits encourage interaction with and among indigenous peoples, the general public, and the scholarly community.
- http://www.mysticseaport.org
Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center
- All grades
- Programs on maritime history and recreated 19th century village
- http://www.pequotmuseum.org/AboutTheMuseum.aspx
Greenwich Historical Society
- Activities for individual grades and all grades
- Programs cover topics such as colonial American history, the American Revolution, slavery in the North, the Industrial Age, and the development of American Impressionism.
- http://www.greenwichhistory.org/school
Museum of Connecticut History
- Grades 4 and up
- Programs trace the growth of Connecticut and its role in the development of the nation. The Museum focuses on Connecticut’s government, industrial and military history.
- http://museumofcthistory.org
Submarine Force Museum
- All grades
- Programs include maritime history and tours on an actual submarine
- http://www.submarinemuseum.org
Films and Videos:
Crash Course
These videos with John Green are short and to the point. He
makes clever jokes and the animations keep the students engaged. This link will
bring you to the 1st video he made on US history (there are 48
total). He also makes the videos for basically all other history topics like
world history (42 videos), economics, government, and much more.
You can find the Crash Course main page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse
Brain Pop
This website contains many animated videos that covers
topics from government, culture, law, women’s history, ancient culture, and
much more. The videos range in length, but students really enjoy watching them
and they contain loads of information.
Flocabulary
A mixture of rap and rhyme makes these videos unique and
different from the rest. The information is put into a catchy song that students
can easily sing along to and understand the content.
Dan Izzo
Dan has uploaded many videos that are no more than 5 minutes
long. Many of the videos are related to US and World history, however they are
not as appealing to students as other cartoon animated videos.
Mr. Mejia’s 5th Grade Classroom
This blog holds a full page of social studies videos that
cover a range of topics for 5th grade. Some videos are serious and
others are silly, so students can have fun with them.
Apps and Technology:
“Atlas for iPad Free”
-This app includes a world map and quick facts for students
to conveniently use in class on their iPads. Students can use this app to refer
to whenever there is an unfamiliar place they come across in their reading or
research.
“HistoryTools”
-Similar to Time Hop, this app brings students back in time
and tells them what happened on the exact day. Each day a student can look up
the past event and share with the class what happened on that day in history.
“Google Earth”
-Google Earth allows students to explore the earth from any
point of view. They can find their own communities or look at others around the
world. Also, there are real-time maps that show students city tours, flying
planes, and even earthquakes.
“Constitution and Federalist Papers”
-This app includes a full text of the Constitution with an
explanation of each clause included. Also there is a complete text of all 85
Federalist papers. This could help students while learning about the
Constitution because they will have the text to refer to whenever they need it.
-The website is an interactive globe that lets you swipe to
find updated stories. You can filter the globe to only show your favorite
topics and save important stories. In the classroom students can use this app
to update themselves on what’s going on around the world and find current
events.
Teaching Strategies:
- KWL: “Know, Want to Know, Learned” This strategy is great for students to make connections and build background on the topic being discussed
- Cooperative Learning: (Jigsaw, think-pair-share, small groups) Allowing students to work together gives them different perspectives on the material. Different sized groups, and mixing students of different levels, forces students to work together to find answers to their questions.
- Anticipation Guides: This guide/worksheet prepares and motivates students for the reading or material coming up in the lesson. It can be as simple as true and false questions about what the text contains.
- Graffiti Wall: Students can write and draw on the whiteboard or cover a wall with sticky notes that contain any facts, connections, questions, and other comments that relate to the discussion topic. After the class is done, the wall should be covered in a colorful mess of information.
- Role Play: Acting out a famous person and talking from that perspective gives students a greater understanding of not only the figure, but also why they did the things they did in the past.
- Debates: having students choose one side to represent on a controversial topic, encourages them to back up their opinions with facts. Friendly debates keep students motivated and they learn a lot of information from both sides.
- Current Events: Keeping students up to date on what is going on in the world around them is important so current events allow students to research and stay informed.
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