Giant Social Studies Timeline Project

When I prepare my 5 U.S. Regions units, I start the year prepared for our giant social studies timeline project. 

I have index cards hanging above the windows with every decade starting as far back as I have the space for.  It gets the kids wondering from the beginning, "Why are those numbers hanging?"

In choosing which region to start teaching, I start with my students' most familiar region, and that's the Northeast.  I know they are coming to me having studied bits of its history, including regional Native American tribes and Pilgrims.  

 As a warm up to get them interested in history, I start with a comic I drew of colonial American life.  Because fourth graders love coloring too, it's a great hook before delving into our social studies timeline project.
 

Researching for our Social Studies Timeline Project

Next, since research is new to students, we move on to take a "book walk."  We preview the text by skimming and scanning for dates.  To easily manage this activity, split up the reading in advance.  For example, I have students in groups of 4, so I need 4 dates per group.  As you can see in the photo, if a page has 3 dates, write the page number 3 times.  If it has none, omit it.  Pages 226 and 227 were so full of dates, students couldn't miss them, so they needed no further supports.    

I use the task of selecting sentences as a way to practice teamwork.  Depending on the students, there may be disagreements or tantrums about who gets to write "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue."  It's the perfect opportunity to rehearse our strategies for working in groups.  We can vote, use rock paper scissors, draw straws, make a deal (I pick this time, you pick next time), go by birthdays so the youngest chooses this time, and so on.  If the group can't decide fairly, I intervene, and make a note about students who are still learning to work cooperatively as evidence for progress reports.  

Once students have their sentence with a date, they copy and draw a picture.  As the year goes on, students learn to paraphrase for clarity.  For example, the sentence, "It happened in 1620." may be the sentence straight out of the book, but it fails to capture the main idea.  We go back and reread the paragraph to see how we can summarize what the event was, as well as include the year.  

Students trace the text and drawings with a fine tipped Sharpie, because I want them visible on our social studies timeline project from some distance. 

Growing our Social Studies Timeline Project

These are later hung on the giant social studies timeline project that hangs along one entire wall of our classroom.  We start with blue for the Northeast, then when we begin the Southeast we have a green border, yellow for the Midwest, orange for the Southwest and Red for the West.  As we near the end of the year, we look for patterns.  What decades have more color?  Following the yellow, we notice when westward expansion was at its peak.  By focusing on the blue, we also notice that most of our earliest recorded history was in the Northeast region.  

I love this project because it's a relaxing routine for the start of each unit, but the result is a visual tool we can refer back to again and again throughout the year.  We further analyze history towards the end of each chapter, once we become more familiar with the region, but that's a post for another day.  You can head over to my next blog post on how these units integrate note taking skills with social studies content.

Or get see how it all comes together here in my Regions Unit Bundle. Click to preview it in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

Your Social Studies Professional Development (Regions of the U.S. Edition)

Why do I love teaching the subjects I liked the least as a student?  Maybe because I'm trying to save my students from feeling the boredom I felt.  Now that I'm teaching, social studies one of my favorites! 

Since our district doesn't provide much social studies professional development, I just don't feel the same pressure teaching it as I feel with Math, Reading, Writing, and now even Science.  In Massachusetts in fourth grade, there is no standardized Social Studies test.  No Common Core Social Studies Standards.  And our text books are over 30 years old, so the attitude in my district is "Just do the best you can."  So although I have content to cover, I pretty much have creative freedom when it comes to how I teach it!

Why isn't Social Studies Professional Development a priority?

The downside to there being so much accountability in other subjects is that there has been very little social studies professional development.  It's nice to have the pressure off, but it got me wondering, "Besides those of us in my district, how many other teachers are troubled by this deficit?  How many other teachers are on their own to find creative new ways to teach Social Studies?"  So that's why I decided to start a mini series of blog posts on how I teach Social Studies, and more specifically, the U. S. regions.  Here are some of the topics I'll be exploring in greater detail:

Your Social Studies Professional Development

1.      Although there are different ways to split up the U.S., we teach 5 regions (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West).  

2.      Cover the concepts of Natural Resources, Products, Landforms, Landmarks, historic roots, and forms of recreation for each region.  As the year goes on we introduce related concepts such as bodies of water, economy, climate, conservation (here is a sneak peak of how I cover these concepts my Southeast Region unit).

3.      Integrate research with content information.  Since we have such a short school day, we are always encouraged to have use an ELA standard and content area standard in the development of our units.

4.      Integrate the arts.  Visual art and performance art make learning fun and help information stick with the kids!

5.      Use games to review information.  I love to use Memory/Concentration games for students to match states with continents.  

6.      Make real world connections between information researched and what students have observed in your region with projects. 

Am I right?  Have you received social studies professional development in any of these topics other than #3?  If you teach the regions, what are your favorite and least favorite topics? 

Need more Social Studies professional development? 

Click any of the links above to explore these topics in greater detail.  Or save time and check out the preview on my U.S. regions bundle.  It includes fun, hands on activities for all 5 regions. 

How to Talk to Students About the Election Results

Like many others, I woke up this morning having a hard time processing the results of the presidential election. 

Just yesterday, I saw a colleague copying an article for her class and asked her if I could grab a copy.  I scanned the 3 pages:  "Donald Trump.  Hillary Clinton.  Who Will America Choose?" 

Even that made me feel a knot in my stomach.  So yesterday I read them excerpts from "So You Want to Be President." I taught about the electoral process, and I gave them a writing prompt that I tend to save for President's Day:  "If I Were President..."  and we spent time sharing those sentiments.  But in the end, I didn't even copy the booklet my colleague used.  I didn't mention the candidates by name in my classroom. 

So this morning I felt a stress headache from not just trying to come to terms with the future of my country/the world, but also from the pressure of figuring out what to say to my students.  I knew I could not have a Morning Meeting with my class and ignore it.  It WOULD come out at some point, and I needed to steer the conversation in the best direction possible so that they had some common ground and normalcy to refer to. 

So during Share Time, I showed them my sticker.  I told them, "I voted yesterday, and I got this sticker.  And so did my husband.  It was his first vote as an American citizen.  Raise your hand if you voted yesterday too. 

Does anyone have any questions?"

 

Of course the kids started talking all at once.  When alluding to the hot topic but not preaching about it, kids in classes who feel safe will always name the elephant in the room better than adults.  In that regard, the pressure is off me.  I take time to listen to what they already know.

Some said they voted for Trump.  Others said that Donald Trump won.  One quiet voice beside me (let's call him Chris) said no, Hillary won.  I stopped them and reminded them to raise their hands with questions and comments.  Here are some of our discussion points:

Chris said, "We don't talk about politics in school."  I said, "Actually, the nice thing about being in a free country is we are ALLOWED to talk about politics in school.  But also, we can not be FORCED to talk about politics in school."

Another student asked me who I voted for.  And I answered the way I always do.  I said that although we are allowed to share that information, I choose not to.  I explain it's because I don't want to influence them about a single person, because they won't be voting for that person when they turn 18 anyway.  I'd rather teach them to think about what it means to be a great leader and make their own choices. 

Then Chris raised his hand.  "So who won the election?"  And I answered, "Donald Trump won."  And there were cheers and chants and connections made between him and a famous duck with the same given name.  All while he curled up in a ball and fought back tears. 

Then a girl raised her hand and said, "Donald Trump makes fun of girls." 

That was definitely my most challenging moment to endure with my students.  I nodded, and let the comment hang in the air for a moment while I collected my thoughts.  I reminded myself, "Teach ideals.  Not people."  And I took a deep breath.

"Did any of you write yesterday, 'If I were president, I would make fun of people?'"

Of course not.

"What did you write about?"

"Share money with people who are hungry."

"Be a leader."

"Be kind." 

And then I reminded them of something we talk about a lot.

"We all make mistakes.  And every time we make a mistake, I tell you, try to do better.  Hopefully Donald Trump will try to do better, and do some of those great things you wrote about."

The kids looked more convinced than I felt, so I decided it was time to gently steer the conversation away from Trump's character.  I asked, "So who knows who the president is now?"  And they all said, "Donald Trump!"

"No!"

"Huhh?!?!"

"It's Barack Obama!"  I explained that he is the "president elect" so he WILL be president, but not until January.  "Remember in the book we read, there will be a big ceremony, and he will have to promise to do his best to lead our country." 

"Oh yeah!" 

Then one of the kids asked, "So does Donald Trump have to learn to be president now?"

"He sure does.  And he's got 2 months to do it."

My Top 5 Tips for Open House Night Ideas

Open House can be stressful for teachers.  I don't know about you, but we have our Open House Night around the 5th week of school, on a Thursday. Think of it this way:  your students are still getting to know your expectations and you're still getting a feel for the group dynamic.  Your stamina is back after the beginning of the year exhaustion, but then suddenly you have to stay late in the middle of the week.  You have heard stories about "those parents" and although you're very used to speaking to a room of children, adults are a different ballgame.  Yup, stressful.

So how do you make your Open House Night preparation easier, and better your chances of success the evening of?

My Top 5 Tips to a Successful Open House Night

1.  Think about materials that parents don't usually get to see.  Along with work on bulletin boards, think about the in-class materials students interact with regularly.  For example, there have been some years that I never send home the math textbook for homework; only the workbook.  Or maybe you hold back journals or writing folders.  If the kids are using it weekly the parents will benefit from getting to see it.  This will not only help conversations such as "What did you do in school today?" flow a little easier, it will also help parents understand later on if you refer to those items on the progress report.

2.  Organize what you want to say, and provide handouts.  I know some people like to go paperless, but I always give presenters a better grade if they provide handouts (even if it's like Whose Line and the points don't matter).  You can see how I organize my own handouts on this product description page for my Open House Night Packet.  
3.  Have a blank copy of the report card to hand out.  Write "SAMPLE" across it if you like, but it's important for parents to know what is expected of their child at the very beginning.  Finding out about it after it's been assessed can feel frustrating for the person being graded as well as their parents.

4.  Feed them.  Popcorn, mints, or other "no prep" finger foods are easy for you and is always a nice ice breaker when you "have guests over."

5.  Have an "official" sign up sheet for parents who want to discuss their child's progress.  There's one in every crowd.  Even though the principal reminds parents that Open House Night is different from Conference Night, parents are naturally more interested in THEIR CHILD than they are in YOUR CURRICULUM.  Don't try to fight it; acknowledge it, but have that sheet ready.  Adhering to the idea that Open House is not the same as a conference shows your respect for the time of other parents in the room and protect the privacy of the children.  It also shows parents that not only are you available but you've anticipated their needs if you are ready to make appointments then and there.  And honestly, when I do this, I only have around 2 per year who actually follow through with needing a conference before the first progress report comes out 2 weeks later.

Bonus Open House Night Tip

Keep it clean.  Your classroom should be as tidy and clean as you and your students can get it.  Of course, if you're working on a project that's half finished there's no shame leaving that as a "learning artifact."  But if your desk looks like mine (crazy) sort the mad piles of papers into folder and stack them.  Hide stuff in drawers if you must.  Threaten bribe remind students to clean the floor and work areas.  I don't actually make them clean inside their desks (I want parents to see the real deal if organization is something their child needs to improve and I mention it to them later on).

If you'd like an editable packet for your open house, you can check out my Open House Packet here.  Or read below for some project ideas! 

I also want to thank everyone for their continued support (in regards to the last Teachers Pay Teacher Sale).  My gift to you during this latest sale (August 22 only) is a product I revamped over summer vacation:  Back to School Survey for Parents and Students.  This product will help you get to know your new students from their perspectives as well as their parents' perspectives.  I've found both of these surveys helpful over the years!

And if you are looking for more surveys and first week activities, I also have a new bundle of all my old favorites:

This includes the above product, a reading survey, writing survey, Multiple Intelligences inventory, and the original Figure Me Out math activity.  Figure Me Out 6-in-1 Surveys Bundle.  It's a great way to get to know your quieter students, as well as aspects of your students that you may not see in the classroom.  Enjoy!

Top 10 Back to School Tasks to Delegate

 

This back to school season will present a new challenge for me.  Due to a major construction project at my school, I’ll have less time than ever to set up my classroom.  We had one day to pack things up once the kids left (obviously I pre-packed what I could prior to that day).  And we’ll have about one week to get everything set back up again, if things go according to plan.  So although that means I get to enjoy more summer vacation time, it means crunch time once the building is finished! 

As a result, I have to work smarter than ever before.  I already have a Back to School to do List  in place to be as efficient as possible (It's a free, editable download if you'd like).  But this year more than ever I feel the need to recruit help. 

Do you have family, friends, or former students who come help you set up?  If not, is it something you’ve considered, but you’re not sure how to delegate?  Here are my top ten tips for delegating those back to school tasks.

Top Ten Back to School Tasks to Delegate

1.  Clean desks.  Usually I like to do this before my vacation starts, because it’s nice to walk into a clean classroom.  But this year once they unlock the doors, my husband and I will be there.  He will scrub down the adhesive from the old name tags, Magic Eraser the surface, and Dustbuster the insides. 

2.  Staple bulletin board trim.  You’ll want to use your helper as a second pair of hands with this task; some non-teachers may feel intimidated if you ask them to do this on their own.  But you’ll still get it done in half the time with help. I have directions in this post.

3.  Sharpen pencils.  Sharpen at least 100 and hide all but 50 of them.  I’m not even joking; if you start this habit early, you will not bat an eye next time you hear "I don't have a pencil" or even "There are no more pencils in the cup." 

4.  Distribute textbooks, notebooks, folders, and so on to students’ desks.  If you’re like me, you number your students and books, and print off labels so names are already on notebooks and workbooks.  If this is the case, you will need to set out name plates and stick on name labels prior to assigning this task.  If you don’t have numbered materials, and/or you have students write their own names on items, this is even easier. 

5.  Sort the classroom library.  Now, of course, the organization of the classroom library is so individual to different teachers.  I have to take all the books out of the bins but I keep the labels on (I have my Book Bin and Basket Labels available for you).  Each book has a sticker to code which bin it goes into so the kids know where to put them, so my husband is able to sort them as well.  And of course, they are in neat piles so it’s sorting of piles as opposed to one book at a time. 

6.  Remove plastic (if you've covered shelves) and dust the shelves. 

7.  Wipe down the sinks and counter tops.

8.  Clean the whiteboards.  If you’ve never tried the toothpaste trick, check it out!  It really works!  Just be sure to use cheap toothpaste that is the white paste kind with NO GEL.  The gel smears and discolors, but using a damp cloth with a little toothpaste works great, smells fresh, and you have one less chemical to inhale. 

9.  Distribute supplies into caddies:  Crayons, 4 pairs of scissors, 4 glue sticks, and a box of colored pencils work for my students. 

10.  Set up the computers.  We tend to unplug, wrap cords, and cover the computer peripherals.  My husband plugs everything in and sets up everything where it belongs for use, and even checks to make sure the networks are either set, or at least lets me know that the tech guys need to be called in if it’s not working.

I’ve tried delegating a few other Back to School tasks, but it depends on the organization of your classroom as well as the comfort level of your helper.

Other Back to School Tasks to Consider

1.  Make copies.  If your helper knows how to run the copier, be specific.  Write on a sticky note for each page the number of copies you need, and which should be double sided, stapled, and so on. 
2. Sort crayons.  I like to have a spot in my room where “old” crayons live in tribes.  If someone needs a red crayon, they go to the cup of red crayons and grabs one quickly instead of fishing or fighting for one. 
3. Recycle extras.  I usually end up with extra copies in my files that are meant to have a single original.  If you have a little extra time, direct your helper to go through and get rid of all but one of each.  

While your helper starts in on these tasks, you will be free to set up and fine tune all those other things you need to do to get your classroom in order.  As you work, write down other tasks that come to mind that you can delegate once your helper is finished and asks, "Is there anything else you need?"  Prioritize your Back to School tasks.  You might find that some of the tasks that are less important could be done by your students later in the year.  If you already have this list started, you'll be able to explain your needs more clearly later on, and it will make your job easier in the future.
 

To get you, or more to the point, your helper(s) started, I've created a task list of the top 10 back to school tasks to delegate.  It's free and editable since everyone has different needs when it comes to back to school setup.  You can download this checklist here.  Then, while your helper is working, carry on with your own to do list here.

An Introverted Teacher-preneur

I’ve been reading Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in preparation for the Teachers Pay Teachers conference.  This book is not what I was expecting.  I was sort of expecting it to help me (an introvert) use my strengths when out in social settings.  So far, after 3 chapters, it’s not really about that.  But I’m still enjoying it because it makes me feel empowered.

Although the book cover tells you that it's about introverts living in a society that celebrates extroverts, it’s not just a book dedicated to building up introverts at the expense of tearing down the extroverts.  For example, it starts out explaining how a certain partnership was more powerful because it was comprised of one introvert (Rosa Parks) and one extrovert (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.).  Introverts and extroverts shine in different contexts, so both traits are valuable. 

The book goes on to talk about the history of social expectations and the rise of the “big personalities” (because loud and bold were not always socially acceptable traits).  It gives examples in colleges and churches of how introverts today feel marginalized.  How introverts have made major contributions in law, literature, art, science, math and technology, but in modern times feel in some ways lesser than their extroverted colleagues.  I could relate to feeling "guilty" about my shy feelings and difficulty in certain social settings, and it's nice to know I'm not alone; at least a third of the population in America and Europe is with me on this.  But not only will there be lots of others with the same feelings as me at the conference; these feelings might not be because of personality, but may be because of societal values that are less than 100 years old.  That's pretty freeing!   

Another thing I loved about this book is it justifies what I have long known (since at least 6th grade) to be true:  not everyone learns best by working and talking in a group.  In my experience it is expected for teachers to seat students in groups for most of the day.  Some administrators are understanding, but some believe that students need to learn how to work in groups because that will prepare them for the real world.  This book calls out those administrators.  I felt like the author was saying, “Yeah, and if the business world told you to jump off a bridge, would you do that too?”  The book shares research and examples of times when group work STIFLES CREATIVITY.  Times when the open floor concept in a business setting has LOWERED PRODUCTIVITY. 

I spend a good amount of time socializing my students.  I know that regardless of where you are on the introvert/extrovert continuum, you need to learn how to communicate with others.  You need to learn and practice good citizenship and character.  I want that for my students, absolutely.  But I also know that there comes a time during math that some kids need to think in peace.  So this year, in the second half of the year, I did exactly what this blog proclaims.  I shut the door and taught.

After the 5 minute math mini-lesson, after the 15 minute group practice time, I handed out the privacy partitions that we use for testing.  I reassured the kids that this wasn’t a pop quiz, but the rules of testing applied.  No talking.  Questions are allowed, but I would be giving minimal help because I wanted them to take the time and make the effort to try to work through the problems on their own.  The first day was rough, but I told them this too, was practice.  Tomorrow we’ll try again, and tomorrow, practice good listening during the mini-lesson.  Use the 15 minute group work time to ask a LOT of questions.  And once the partitions go up, try out those new strategies during the quiet working time. 

That second day many of the kids LOVED it.  It was classic “I do, we do, you do.”  But the “you do” wasn’t “you kids working together,” it was “each of you, try this on your own.”  And they thanked me for it.  They felt empowered being able to work on their own.  Some realized they needed extra help, and were more focused when the time came for remediation, while others mastered the concept and moved on to focus on other math activities.  Some chose to work with a partner and some asked if they could keep working alone.  They were trying out different ways to learn to find out what works best for them, and isn't that equally as valuable as learning to work in a team? 

Now, this book has not made me look forward to the conference any less.  The book doesn’t say that introverts will learn nothing from a conference, haha.  In fact, it talks about how introverts make great ONLINE COLLABORATORS even when face to face collaborating is draining for us.  It has made me feel confident that I have a lot to offer, even though I will probably feel exhausted instead of exhilarated by meeting new people.  I will need to recharge afterwards and go over my notes on my own, but still reap just as much benefit from attending. 

So if you are an introverted teacher too, and you feel as though the system isn't working for you, know, at least, there isn't something wrong with you.  And at best, look for ways to bring your style back into your classroom, even if it's for small amounts of time.  Because some of your students are going to continue to benefit from the way things have been, but some are really going to benefit from a teacher who teaches for the introverts.