You will love these creative classroom decor ideas for social studies teachers or history teachers! Check out this list of 10 different ideas for...
Update your Social Studies classroom decor cheaply and easily with fun and useful decor. Make your classroom fun and inviting for students.
Integrating art and content in the ELA classroom. Tips and resources.
Learn how to use social studies political cartoons to increase student engagement. Includes link to a free political cartoon analysis activity!
Do you need warm up ideas? I want to share 3 warm up ideas for social studies classes with you. These are engaging and easy to implement!
Wow! Is tomorrow already August? Time has flown by this summer! I have been gone the majority of the summer, hence the lack in posts... but I am back now! I have a lengthy list of things to blog about from my summer adventures! To begin with, here is one of my crafty Pinterest projects that I have completed (here is the link to the original idea): Colonial America/Revolutionary War Guess Who! I have been wanting to do this project for a while now and finally made the time this last month. It took me some time to put it all together! The old-fashioned Guess Who game is hard to come by! They have made it all fancy now, which is not what I wanted! I scoured garage sales and thrift stores until I found one! Here are my directions: 1. Find an old Guess Who game and take out the cards (you might already have one in your game cabinet.) 2. Select people from history, family, students, etc. to turn into a game. 3. Measure the game cards in your Guess Who game. (Mine were 1.75" x 1.12") 4. Using your favorite document maker, (I used Power Point) create boxes that are the measurements of your cards. 5. Find pictures of your people you want to use either on the Internet or photos you have taken. 6. Insert the photos into your document, sizing them to fit inside the boxes. 7. Insert a text box at the bottom of your boxes and type the person's name. 8. Print, laminate, cut, insert, and play! (Make sure you print an extra set to draw from.) Rules of play: 1. Open the trays by turning them upside down. 2. Each player draws a card that their opponent will be trying to guess. 3. Ask "yes" or "no" questions to narrow down the suspects. (You can ask if they are bald, wearing a hat, male, or even about something they did in history like did this person fight in a war?) 4. Narrow down the selection until you think you know who your opponent has for you. Make your guess on your next turn to see if you are correct! Bonus: If you want it to be more of a challenge, pull 2 cards to guess. Then, you can ask questions like: Is either person involved in the Revolutionary War? or Are both people female? I hope you will create your own Guess Who game now! I would love to sell my cards that I have made, but I just got the images from Google, so that wouldn't be legal. However, it really didn't take long to make. Make sure you link up pictures of yours if you make one!
March 22, 2017 Here is an infographic we created for the post we published earlier today titled ' 15 Great YouTube Channels for Social Studies Teachers'. The visual features what we think are some of the best channels on YouTube that provides educational video content relevant for social studies classes. Please check out the previous post for links to these channels. You can also download this visual in PDF format from this page. Have other suggestions to add to this list? Share with us on our Facebook page. This post originally appeared in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning ( www.educatorstechnology.com ).
Every year in July I am drawn like a kid in a candy shop to the classroom décor section of any store. I can't help myself - it's just so exciting to imagine how my classroom will look when I return to school! While I'm definitely not rushing my summer vacation away by any means, there's just something special about the beginning of the school year that makes me smile...and begin envisioning how my classroom will look when my students first walk in the door. If you teach middle school students, like me, there's just one little issue. All of those decorations are adorable...but definitely not designed for older kids. I love decorating my classroom and making it feel warm and inviting, but I also want to fill it with items not only themed to my curriculum, but that also add value to my students' academic lives. If this is a dilemma you're facing, too, here are some ideas to use in your classroom this year: 1. Flags and Bunting Summer is a great time to purchase flags and bunting in the United States because there are always Fourth of July sales! I love running to Michaels, Target or Hobby Lobby after the holiday and grabbing new decorations for my classroom when I'm teaching American History or American Government. Flags and bunting are perfect for hanging around the classroom, on bulletin boards or over windows to easily make the classroom feel "homey" and themed to your year's curriculum! You can also make your own if you want a different color or pattern to match your personal classroom style. 2. Posters Posters are a great way to decorate your classroom with your curriculum theme of the year while providing value to your students' learning. I've collected a few posters over the years like a copy of the Constitution, some motivational quotes and other history-related content. This year, I'm adding new posters to my decor. I had a ton of fun making them and I'm excited to continually reinforce these two questions: What is History? and Why Study History? There are three different sets, so if you are teaching American History, American Government / Civics or Ancient History, check them out! :) 3. Pictures I love using pictures in my classroom! A small selection of personal pictures near your desk can help students see people and places that are important to you. I also love taking photos of students learning in my classroom, on field trips, as a class, etc. and posting them around the room. It really helps students to "own" the space and makes it feel personal to us for the school year! 4. Word Walls A word wall is a portion of your classroom dedicated to showcasing the vocabulary you are teaching. The more students see and interact with content vocabulary, the better they will understand what it means and how it relates to their current studies. You can write these words on a white board or type and print them out to post in your classroom. I love using word walls that include images and definitions to reinforce what is being taught in the classroom. If you are looking for easy print-and-go resources, check out the Word Wall section of my TpT store. The word wall resources are organized by unit so you can find what you need! :) 5. Student Projects / Work I've saved the best for last! Student work is always the best "decoration" I can have in my classroom. Whenever I add new work to my walls or change a display, students are always keen to walk over at the beginning of class to see what is posted. As such, I always make sure to try and feature all the kids' art/projects/work at some point during the school year so that everyone gets the recognition they deserve! :) It also serves as a great example of what we've learned in recent units when visitors walk through our classroom. What other décor ideas do you have? I'm always on the look out for creative ideas for the classroom and I'm sure others are as well! Add your ideas to the comments - I'd love to read them! :)
Over the past few years, I have been incorporating inquiry circles into my classroom through Social Studies and Science. Inquiry circles are a lot like most research projects. I would say the main difference is how they start. NOW AVAILABLE… One Stop Teacher Memberships Our grade-level memberships provide the BIGGEST savings on ALL One […]
I love teaching Social Studies. I really love it. It's exciting to present historical concepts to students and find ways to make it interesting and engaging for them. I love hearing comments like, "Social Studies is my favorite class" and "Social Studies is really fun" because they often come from students who were wary of the subject at the start of the school year. Through our activities and the creation of a positive classroom environment, they find an appreciation for my favorite school subject and sometimes it even becomes their favorite subject of the year. How cool is that?! I also love sharing my passion for teaching Social Studies and connecting with teachers like you who share that same love of learning and bringing history to life in their classrooms! But where to begin? Hint: it involves lots of freebies which are included in a FREE Introduction to Social Studies Mini Unit - 5 complete days of lessons - all activities are included - just for you! Here are some lesson ideas for introducing the subject of social studies in your classroom: Hook Ideas A good hook activity is a great way to start a new lesson. It grabs students' attention and sets the scene for the unit or daily lesson. Here are some easy ideas: 1. True or False? Write a brief series of questions about the study of history and some key terms you plan to cover. Ask students to raise their thumbs in the air (up for yes, down for no) in response to the questions. It's an easy and fun way to assess prior knowledge. You can also use mini white boards and have students collaborate in groups of 2-3 to answer true or false. After each question, you can review the right answer. 2. YouTube Videos I love finding a great (and brief!) YouTube video to use during a lesson. Here are some of my favorites to introduce the subject of social studies: An Animated Introduction to Social Science (Soomo Publishing) Why Study History? (The Pursuit of History) Why Study History? (PragerU) recommended for older students 3. Draw It This hook is perfect for mini whiteboards. Ask students to draw or write images, words, doodles, etc. when they think of the words "social studies" or "history". These images can spark discussions about concepts that relate to social studies! A Word Wall Hold up! Do you have a word wall in your classroom? If not, it's time to start. A word wall is a place to collect the important vocabulary terms you are teaching in your unit. You can even collect and keep them up all year! Word walls give students a chance to review and interact with vocabulary daily. The more students interact with vocabulary terms, the more connections they can make between ideas and build upon those concepts to better understand and make deeper connections to curriculum content. You can make your own word wall for an Introduction to Social Studies unit or download this free resource from my TpT store! :) Introduction to Social Studies Activities Now that your students are hooked, it's time to dive into the unit. I've created some free resources in my TpT store - The Teacher's Prep - to help you in this endeavor! 1. Vocabulary Activities We've already discussed the importance of vocabulary posted in a word wall - now let's talk about some activities students can complete to interact with the vocabulary in a variety of ways! The Introduction to Social Studies Vocabulary Activities resource (it's free, too!) has three activities to use with your students. I like spreading out these activities over the course of the unit to give kids extra practice. The first activity I typically start with is the Introduction to Social Studies Vocabulary activity in which students write the definitions for each vocabulary term. As we use the terms in class during the unit, I give them time to write a sentence using each word in the chart. On subsequent days, there are two more activities to use - a matching activity and a crossword puzzle. Again, the more students interact with the words, the more opportunities they will have to understand the important concepts you are teaching in class! If that sounds like activities you'd find useful in your classroom, download it here! 2. Informational Text Ok, now it's time to dive into the heart of the unit - reading informational text! If you don't already have access to informational text or would like to supplement the resources you currently have, I've created an Introduction to Social Studies Interactive PowerPoint that is filled with informational text students can read. It also directly corresponds to a set of interactive notebook graphic organizers for student note taking. Oh! And not only is it available in PowerPoint in an interactive format, there's also TpT Easel and Google Drive versions included, too. I've got you covered! Check it out here! And yes, it's also free. (It's a theme!) :) 3. Interactive Notebooks How do students organize their notes for this unit? In an interactive notebook! I love these graphic organizers because they consolidate student notes in one place. The graphic organizers directly correlate to all the activities I've mentioned above so far and give students the opportunity to summarize the main ideas and details they learn as they are introduced to the study of history. I love interactive notebooks so much, I made complete sets for Ancient History, American History and Civics / American Government ... in both paper and digital formats. You can check them out by clicking on the links in the last sentence! And of course, this section wouldn't be complete without a paper and digital copy of the Introduction to Social Studies interactive notebooks to take with you! Click here for the digital interactive notebook and here for the paper interactive notebook. 4. Task Cards Last (for now!) but certainly not least are task cards. Task cards can be used as bell ringers, entrance tickets, exit tickets, station work and more! I alternate their use based on my class needs of the day, but they include brief writing prompts to encourage students to think critically about the content they are learning in class. If task cards seem like something you'd like to add to your Introduction to Social Studies unit, click here to download a free resource of them from my TpT store! And Finally... Thank you for all you do for your students to bring history to life in your classroom and engage students in topics that will foster a love of learning. I hope these resources make your life a bit easier and save you valuable time in the school year. I absolutely love hearing from teachers like you. If you find the resources useful in your classroom, I invite you to leave me a note in the feedback sections and let me know how you used the activities in your classroom. I read every word and your notes mean so much to me! Happy Teaching! Oh, and here's a link (click here!) directly to a page in my TpT store that lists all of these free resources in case you don't want to scroll back through the post. :)
Hey thanks for stopping by! It’s so great to meet you! I'm Mister Harms and I teach junior high and high school social studies in a small-town school. During the summer months, when I'm not teaching, I enjoy helping lead a youth camp that focuses on life transformation. My family
Learn how to use social studies stations in the Middle & High School classroom to increase student engagement. Includes link for a free station activity!
Using primary sources to teach history can be challenging. Use these valuable tips to bring more primary sources into your teaching.
I love using functional, easy-to-make anchor charts! These reusable social studies anchor charts work for any history lesson in the elementary grades!
Fun virtual field trips in the Social Studies classroom can make your lessons more engaging and content-filled! Try these suggestions!
(When you’re done here, head over to the updated version of Back to School ideas. You’ll find some sweet Geo Goodness, memes, scavenger hunts, art as history, and a handy Bootcamp unit.…
Interpreting history can seem like a daunting task for students, but with a few creative tools and ideas, teachers can bring historical events and people to life. I love providing students with an interconnection to the people who shaped our country. Our history is on-going and by studying our past, we can hopefully learn
Social Studies, first grade, centers, belonging, planning, centres, assessment
Love podcasts? Check out this post in the form of a podcast episode on The Classroom Commute Podcast :
Over the past few years, I have been incorporating inquiry circles into my classroom through Social Studies and Science. Inquiry circles are a lot like most research projects. I would say the main difference is how they start. NOW AVAILABLE… One Stop Teacher Memberships Our grade-level memberships provide the BIGGEST savings on ALL One […]
In just about a month, students around the world (or at least the northern hemisphere) will be asking their social studies teachers, “why do we have to study history?” Of course there a…
Many moons ago, as a part of my grad school endeavors I had to follow a student around from class to class for an entire day. It was the longest day of my life! BUT… I realized some pertinent things – Students SIT ALL DAY! (Except for that 3-4 minute break heading to their next… Continue reading →
I randomly came up with this idea during the last week of school. One of my reading groups had finished their book and project before any of the other groups had finished. Instead of giving them a new book (there was only one week left), I quickly created this template and told them to pick an event in history and research it. I had one boy choose the Vikings, someone else chose the atomic bomb, a girl wanted the great depression, and another student picked the Korean war. I loved that everyone had such diverse topics. After they got started, I saw some great learning take place in my classroom! Because it's an inquiry-based activity, they generated their own questions. And because they got to choose their own topic, they were excited and felt ownership over the project. I plan on using this next year as a fun fast finisher activity. This list is something I quickly generated. {I know it is not all inclusive - if I left something off that you really want me to add on, please leave me a comment.} This would be fun to hang up somewhere in the back of the classroom so fast finishers can work on a project whenever they want. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HISTORY DETECTIVES! * * * * * Want to hear some GREAT news? I am leaving next week on an 8 day history trip to Virginia where I get to study at the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute! I also get to visit Jamestown and Yorktown. I'm so excited! I plan on posting lots of the things I learn, including pictures!
As a kid in school I loved when my teachers celebrated creativity in the classroom. In fact, when I reflect on my own education, the moment...
Hands-on activities for studying world history are the best way for your kids to get a deeper understanding of the country all around us.
Resources and Ideas for teaching an Ancient Greece Interactive Notebook unit, Strategies and teaching tips for social studies or history.
These free history unit studies and lesson plans are perfect for piecing together a history curriculum based on your children’s interests.
Formative assessments in Social Studies
5 YouTube Channels that Rock!
Teaching Geography is one of the best Social Studies gigs to get! There are so many amazing resources for teaching the course, and fun strategies for teaching Geography are also unlimited. Follow this Quick Tips for Teaching Geography Series to learn those strategies for your classroom! Quick Tips #1: Quick Start Ideas Starting class in […]
Social studies for kids does not have to be boring and dry. Break away from the textbook with these ideas for engaging students with your social studies curriculum.
History simulation games for kids to role play historical figures and experience the history first hand. Great hands-on approach for kids to learn history.
Learn how to use social studies political cartoons to increase student engagement. Includes link to a free political cartoon analysis activity!
