One of the typical, and very specifically Californian social studies units we learn about in 4th grade is the Mission System.  Here are a few things we have done these past two years since I moved back into the grade level. In class, we learned about the mission system, how and why it was started, and how it affected the native Americans who were living there.  We spent a great deal of time on the impact the entire system had on the indigenous people while discussing the system as a whole.  This year, because of time, we went simple and to the point.  We read the social studies book, watched a few videos, and did a little research on the mission system itself.   We also did a small research report and accompanying art project on the individual missions.   Each student was assigned a mission to learn about.  I gave them this report template to help them gather their information.  This was actually rather difficult for them, which I wasn't prepared......

I am newly back in 4th grade from a very long hiatus and I am SO excited to teach state history again!  It is just something I find so interesting.  Between the actual content and the projects, I can't get enough!  So to start our year right, we did a VERY traditional and quintessential 4th grade activity, California Regions Salt Dough Maps. We started by researching the four main regions of California.  To make things a bit easier, I gave the students a few paragraphs that had all of the basic info that I wanted them to research.  The kids read the passages, filled in the organizer, and learned a bit about each region. ( you can get the research here ) Then the students got to work sculpting their CA map.  I gave them all of the ingredients to make the salt dough inside of a gallon-sized ziplock bag.  They had the following in each bag: 1/2 cup of salt 1 cup of flour 1/2 cup of water a sprinkle of cream of tartar When they got their sealed bag, the st......

There never seems to be enough time to get everything that I want to get done completed during the day.  Because of this, I have been forced to think creatively and combine different things I am doing.   Now this post here has been sitting in my drafts for 2 years.  I began writing it pre-pandemic and then....well, you know what happened next.  Things got away from me.  So here it is, 2 years after I first blogged about it.  Don't worry though, it aged well ;) Third grade has a heavy focus on community in social studies.  So we began by talking about three types of communities -- urban, suburban, and rural.  We watched some BrainPop and then read the text in our social studies book to gather information on the three types of communities.  Putting it all together, we created this class chart.  Using the chart, the kids then wrote an opinion paragraph on which type of community they would like to live in themselves. Then, to connect it to......

After learning about the three branches of government, my students were ready to move on to learning about the symbols in the United States that mean so much to us as Americans.  I took this opportunity to also get my students working collaboratively on Google Slides.   We began by pulling out our social studies books and reading about the various symbols that have made an impression on our American culture.  Things like the Statue of Liberty, the bald eagle, the White House, and even holidays such as Veteran's Day, were all symbols that featured in our reading.   I then paired my students up and assigned them one of the US Symbols.  The kids were asked to create a Google Slide in which they both were added on (basically, one student started the slide.  Then she shared the slide with her partner using the partner's email address.  That slide then showed up in the partner's Google Drive and both students could work on it at the same time.)  ......

I am a sucker for inventive publishing.  I mean, who wouldn't love taking a 5 paragraph essay and writing the final draft in a cool and different way?  I do that all the time in my class.  So when it came to publishing this year's biography writing, I just couldn't let them write a simple essay and draw a picture.   Now, if you have followed along with my in the past, you know that I have creatively published this biography before.  I LOVE doing these Hanger People biographies but I felt like this year, since we are so into Google Slides and using our chrome books (which I have a class set of thanks to DonorsChoose.org !)  we could take these biographies in a different direction.  So instead of the hanger people this year, we created magazines. To begin, we of course started with the writing.  Being 5th graders, I knew that if I just told them to write a biography, they would be lost.  So instead, I helped to scaffold the writing for......

I like to have the kids write historically from the perspective of someone who was at that event.  Meaning, when I want them to write about, say a battle of the American Revolution, I don't just have them list off facts, I like them to take on the persona of a person who witnessed the battle and is telling the story. Such was the case when I had my students learn about the battles this year.  I had them research the battle using this form here .  It was basic, just asking them to fill in the blanks on basic information about the battle itself. Then I had them create a postcard (I used this template in google slides...though if you have no access to tech you can print it off and have them handwrite it.)  They wrote a first person narrative in letter form to a relative explaining the details of the battle they researched.   I asked them to make up an address and create a stamp. This could be any sort of picture they thought would make a good stamp dur......

Social studies is my absolute favorite subject to teach.   Telling stories from the past, and finding connections to the present and future, is such a great way to reach the students and help to create scholars.  One way that I have found to effectively reach the kids in my room when it comes to social studies is through picture books.  Using text with a historical background that is written at my students' reading level is perfect for grabbing (and holding) their interest.  So I thought I would bring you 5 different books that I have found successful in my classroom for teaching social studies concepts. (The pink links are affiliate links and will take you to to Amazon to purchase the books!) The Gift of the Sacred Dog (Reading Rainbow Books) by Paul Goble Native Americans This is a great myth that tells about how the arrival of horses in North America (when European settlers came) impacted the tribes living here.  While this is a myth (and no......