Kristi Barnes engaged her sixth-grade world history students in an exploration of reading and writing around the world. By supplementing a unit on ancient Japan with haiku writing exercises and the novel Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, she helped students make personal connections to the material. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Exploring History Through Reading and Writing
During the 19th Century, more than 1.6 million square kilometers (a million square miles) of land west of the Mississippi River was acquired by the United States federal government. This led to a widespread migration west, referred to as Westward Expansion. A variety of factors contributed to Westward Expansion, including population growth and economic opportunities on what was presented to be available land. Manifest Destiny … Continue reading What is Westward Expansion?
Ralph Covino combined a lesson on map-reading skills with a lesson on the Byzantine and Mongol Empires. By creating backstories for the maps of fantastical lands in Martin O’Leary’s “Uncharted Atlas,” students explored the many reasons behind borders throughout history. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Considering the ‘Why’ Behind Fantasy Maps
July 4th has always been one of my favorite holidays. What’s not to love about sunny weather, backyard barbecues, parades, national spirit and—of course—fireworks?! FIREWORKS! While fireworks have long been a hallmark of Independence Day celebrations in the United States—the first was in Philadelphia in 1777—the explosive concoction is much older than our nation! The first fireworks probably originated in China nearly 2,000 years ago. … Continue reading Fireworks! Fun, Facts and lots of Photos for the Fourth
Kaitlyn Purvis designed a third-grade unit that helped students make personal connections to the lives of Canada’s early settlers and indigenous people. Students explored their own heritage and mapped the resulting data, learning how their classmates’ families came to Canada. After researching what life was like for both settlers and indigenous people, students created puppet videos to share what they learned. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Chronicling Ancestral Stories with Puppets
