This FREE Oral History resource makes it easy for teachers to implement an engaging Middle School Social Studies Project.
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
I hear it all the time from teachers just like you, “I want something different ,” or “I need something to make this less boring”. Most of the time, teachers turn to projects! Projects are a great way for students to synthesize knowledge from multiple standards into one product.
Making geography fun for tweens. Lots of easy middle school geography ideas - games, scavenger hunts, art projects, regional foods & more.
Use this one simple question to help bring inquiry and historical thinking into your Middle School Social Studies classroom.
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...
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!
Last year I started utilizing notebooks like the one pictured here in my U.S. History and Geography and World Cultures classes. The impetus ...
A Plan a Roadtrip Project is engaging and memorial end-of-the-year project for Middle School Social Studies.
You will love these creative classroom decor ideas for social studies teachers or history teachers! Check out this list of 10 different ideas for...
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 educators, we are constantly on the lookout for engaging activities that promote critical thinking and deeper understanding among our stu...
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! :)
Engage your kids in Social Studies with these hands-on teaching ideas. Make your own GEODOUGH to teach geography with these simple ideas and recipe.
Essential topics for an Ancient Greece Unit - key topics to cover on Ancient Greece for middle school or upper elementary.
Life doesn't come with a manual, we write our own with experience and wisdom from lessons learned!
Learn how music benefits social studies students
Prehistory unit activities for upper elementary and middle school history and social studies classes with reading passages and activities.
