Oliver Mansion

Today my social studies class at the university took a field trip and visited the Northern Indiana Center for History here in town.  Seeing that there are some awesome historical resources so close to home really allowed my classmates and I to have an idea of how we can implement authentic historical activities into our future classrooms.  The tour I decided to take led us through the Oliver Mansion.  It is located near downtown South Bend.  The mansion was beautiful (and enormous of course)!  Almost every item in the house was left by the last Oliver's who lived there.  Our tour guide took us through each room and gave us its history. 

Decades Project

My Group: The 80's

Okay, this by far is my favorite project of the semester.  In my social studies class at the University, we had to pick a group and study a decade in history.  The group I was a part of chose the 1980's. Together we researched the popular movies, music, TV shows, and fashion of that time period.   We also found historical events that were significant throughout those years.  Each group got to dress up and present their findings to our classmates and passerby's in the school lobby.  It was a blast! This would be an awesome idea to get upper elementary students engaged in learning history while having fun!  

5 Themes of Geography

The Virgin Islands

Place

One activity that we participated in was the 5 themes of geography.  This activity is an enjoyable way for students to learn, in depth, about one area in the world.  My partner and I chose the Virgin Islands because I visited there last year and have a personal connection to it.  One requirement for students could be to choose a place in the world that is connected to them in some way (other than where they live now).  This will most likely be a group activity.  Once the places are chosen, students should research the 5 themes of geography: location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region.  Then, children can pick one of the five themes that they liked best and make a presentation piece (independently or with a partner) to share with the class.  This can be some sort of technical media such as an iMovie, or it can simply be a poster board presentation about the theme.   

Human-Environment Interaction

Teaching Abstract Concepts

How can teachers educate children about concepts that they cannot see, such as democracy, citizenship, peace, and respect?  These subjects are essential for children to know and demonstrate in order to be functional citizens in society; so how do they learn them?  We discussed this during class last week and came to a few conclusions.  First and foremost, these concepts should be modeled by the teacher.  Also, an activity that can help students grasp abstract concepts is for them to create a definition of these concepts in a group.  By coming up with their own definition, students are forced to use upper level thinking and put their thoughts into words.  Discussing these definitions with a group will also allow students to see the viewpoints of others and practice collaboration skills.  Last, students can create some sort of symbol, such as a peace quilt, in order to have something tangible to view.   

Salt Dough Maps

Yay for salt dough maps! Kids love playing with and making salt dough maps, but how do we make the maps relevant to their lives?  As teachers, we have to find a way to make fun activities authentic for students.  We got a chance to create these in class and then discuss what we can do with them.  My group chose to make Costa Rica and as an educational activity, we talked about having students research each region of the island and discussing its different climates.  Then, they could compare the climates with the climates in the U.S.

Neighborhood Activity

One activity that we did in class is a great way to open a lesson for upper elementary students.  A teacher should ask the students to each bring in a picture of their neighborhood.  When the students bring them in, they should be posted randomly on a wall.  Then the class can have a discussion about the similarities and differences that they see.  Not only can this activity introduce a weather unit, a climate unit, or a geography unit, it gives the students to see how they are all alike and different.  The discussion about these pictures will help create a classroom community! I love it!

Valley Forge

In class last week, we had to create an anchor chart showing an idea for a social studies activity.  My partner and I chose to do an activity about the Battle at Valley Forge in the Revolutionary War.  The lesson is geared toward the 5th grade level, using the Indiana State standard 5.1.10.  The teacher could show students the drawing of what Valley Forge may have looked like and use the picture to create a class discussion.  Then the teacher and students can research the battle by reading books and looking online.  After spending some time on the topic, the teacher could divide students into pairs and give them each a scenario of a problem that might have occurred during the battle at Valley Forge.  For example: You are building your log huts as ordered by General Washington.  What problems might you face considering the conditions at hand?  The students would have to use their problem solving skills and brainstorm a solution.  The class would discuss the solutions together.  

5 Artifacts

One activity that we did in class was very interesting and would be a great introduction to history in the elementary classroom.  Each student had to bring in 5 artifacts that describe who they are.  Many students had the same items for this activity as they did for the shoebox activity.  The artifacts were laid out at each desk and we all walked around and viewed them.  Each person picked one item and was given a worksheet to fill out in order to make inferences about it.  Some of those inferences include what the viewer thought the story might be behind the item and how old the item was.  Then, while the rest of the class listened, the viewer had to ask the owner about the item and everyone else got to hear the story behind it.  This would be useful in the elementary classroom because it is an genuine learning activity where students can see the differences and similarities among themselves and other students.  It also gives them an authentic way to look at and discuss history. An extension would be to put all of the items together and ask what a person ten years from now might infer about this class if he/she viewed the items.

Shoebox Activity

Imagine you are leaving your home and the only belongings you can take are whatever fits in a shoebox. What would you choose? For me, that was a hard question. I began to think of the things that mean the most to me or that I use on a daily basis. In my shoebox, I put all of my family photos that I did not have digitally stored on the web. In other words, I took all of my baby pictures and pictures of my siblings and I growing up. I also took some of the essential things that one needs to stay healthy, such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, hand sanitizer, etc. My box was full before I knew it! This activity is good to incorporate into the classroom when teaching about events of the past (or present) where people are forced to leave their homes. It could be useful when talking about different wars, the great depression, the Holocaust, and other historical events.

Here are some of the things my classmates chose

Why Study History?

         In our social studies class, we have talked about how important it is to study history and incorporate it into the classroom.  However, because of the criteria that teachers have to meet, History often times gets brushed under the rug. Many people do not understand why history should be studied when we live in the present.  They don't see how history effects us today.  In our class discussions, we brought up the many reasons why history has to be a part of a classroom curriculum. 
       History shows children where they came from.  It provides identity.  Learning about family history helps people define who they are.  Learning about the history of our country does the same thing.  In order to be a patriotic citizen, children need to be able to identify themselves with their country, and that happens by learning it's history.
      Learning history also allows children to understand change and shows them that things haven't always been one way.  It gives them an idea about how societies are formed and appropriate social practices.  Learning about history also enhances children's morals. Because history repeats itself, studying it allows children to see and learn from the mistakes or the past.