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.