Native American Cultural Regions

Recently in social studies we learned about Native American cultural regions.  The kids read about the natural resources available in different regions and how the people in that area used the specific resources in their area to hunt, build housing, tools, clothing, jewelry and other daily necessities.

The kids took notes on each region including the climate, animal populations, trees/plants, and other resources that could be found in each region.

At the end of the chapter I decided to find some pictures of different artifacts from the 7 regions we studied and see if the kids could identify which region they came from using what they learned and using their notes if needed (a good incentive to take good notes!).  

I found 20 different photos from a variety of online sources, numbered each one, printed and laminated them.  I used them just like task cards.  I posted them around the room, and had the students circulate around the room trying to identify the region for each item on the photo card.

I knew this would be a good activity, but I had no idea how much deep thinking and analysis would take place!  As the kids worked I helped as needed but mostly observed and overheard so many good discussions!  Many of the artifacts in the pictures weren't the exact ones we read about in our book, so they really needed to use clues from the photos to identify the object and region.

It was fun to hear kids trying to identify what the different objects could possibly be made from, then trying to narrow down the possible regions based on which regions naturally had that material.   For example, in the coat above photo they first decided that it was some sort of cape or coat.  Then they discussed what typed of animals it was made from.  Then they had to think about which climate it would be needed in.  

The analysis of the artifacts and the critical thinking that happened during this activity was so fun!  The kids loved trying to figure each photo/artifact out.  Like I said, I thought it was a good idea for an activity, but I had no idea how much the kids would get into it and how much higher level thinking would take place during the activity.

Revolutionary War Battle Posters

Learning about the American Revolution is a big part of our 5th grade social studies curriculum.  Our textbook, however, barely even mentions the battles that took place during the Revolutionary War.

I noticed that my students were thinking that the Revolutionary War was simply one fight, and after that it was done.  Whoa!  Alright, time to delve more deeply into how long this war really lasted, how many people were involved, and how many battles actually took place during this time.

I gave my students a list of some of the battles that took place during the Revolutionary War.  I chose battles that I knew kids would be able to find information on.  Each student chose a battle and then did research to find the following information

• name of the battle
• date(s) of the battle
• location of the battle
• how many people fought on each side
• how many people were wounded or killed on each side
• how many people were captured on each side
• the weather conditions during the battle
• other information that you learn about the battle that you find interesting

I found a great website that neatly outlines most of this information.

AMERICAN REVOLUTION BATTLES DATA and INFORMATION

I let me students search a little before giving them this treasure trove of information!

Their assignment was to show the information about the battle they researched on a poster.  It had to be colorful, neat, and include all of the information I mentioned above.  

Here are some examples of the finished projects:

By researching the battles, making the posters, and sharing their posters with their classmates, my students really got a better understanding of the many people, locations, and battles that were a part of this war.

Book Project - Woods Runner

We recently finished reading the book Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen as a class.  I love reading this book as we study the American Revolution in Social Studies!  It is a great example of how the war impacted those who were not part of the main cities or those taking the side of Patriot/Loyalist.

Samuel and his family live in the woods and are pretty removed from the everyday activities taking place in the big cities in regards to the conflicts between the colonists and Britain.  Then his parents are taken and he is thrown into the world of war, danger and fear.  I really like this book because every chapter is followed by a non-fiction page that explains a topic that comes up in the story (weapons, Hessians, jails, disease and illnesses, war orphans etc...)


The kids LOVED this book! I gave the kids several projects to choose from as an end of book project.  My class loves "projects" and choices, so they loved this assignment.

Several kids made ABC books about Woods Runner.  They had to make a page for each letter of the alphabet that explained a part of the book that started with that letter.

Here is one of the examples:

 Cover

Inside the book

The books turned out so creative and I was impressed with the different ideas the kids came up with for each letter.  This project really gave them a chance to think back on many different parts of the book.

Several other kids chose to make a board game.  Requirements for this project were:  the game had to involve question cards related to parts of the book, it had to have written directions, it needed to be colorful, and they had to be able to explain it to their classmates so they could play the game.

Here are a couple of examples:

 In this game the players had to travel through the woods to try to get rescue Samuels parents.  Along the way they had to answer questions to avoid being captured by the British, the Hessians, or being delayed by weather, illness or other events.

This game had images of some famous artwork that shows events from the American Revolution (creative!).  On the red spaces they had to answer questions from the book about the British, on the blue spaces they had to answer questions from the book about the Patriots, and on the white spaces they had to answer a variety of trivia questions about the book.  I love how they connected the colors to the two sides!

One student chose to make a diorama.  

The diorama is showing Samuel in the woods as he is traveling to try to find his parents.  I love the trees!  They are made of circles of paper folded up and down then glued to real twigs.  How creative!

I like to give my kids alternative ways to show what they know or to wrap up a book or unit.  5th graders love to be creative and come up with such great ideas!

What kinds of projects have you had your class do at the end of a book?

American Revolution A to Z - Project

To wrap up our big unit on the American Revolution I had my students work on a poster showing people, places, or things related to the American Revolution for each letter of the alphabet.

I pre-drew the boxes on 11 x 17 paper and made copies ahead of time.  I wanted the kids to focus on the content, not how to successfully get enough boxes onto the paper :)

 The requirements were:
     You must have something for each letter
     You must include at least 12 images
     Each box needs to have a definition
          or description of the item
     Project must have a title
     Needs to be colorful
     Must be your best work
   

The kids were able to use their social studies textbook, non-fiction books and magazines in our class library and the internet to help them gather ideas and words for each letter.

 I was VERY impressed with the attention to detail and the quality of my students work on this project!    They were able to come up with a wide variety of ideas for each letter and I loved their illustrations!

 I really feel like this project (while it seems simple at first) gave my kids a chance to review the material they had learned about the American Revolution, learn some new facts and information and be creative (which is always a plus!).

I am always trying to come up with new,  creative projects that allow my students to show what they know in ways other than the same old assessments.

What projects have you done with your students that have been a great display of student learning?

American Revolution- Student Engagement and Note-Taking

Right now in social studies I am teaching about the many events that led up to the American Revolution.  In previous years my class has always loved learning American History, but this year....not so much. I had to do something extra to get them hooked.

As an introduction, and to grab the kids attention, I asked them to brainstorm things their parents have asked them to do.  They responded with typical things like "be quiet", "clean your room", "eat your vegetables"... We talked  about why parents give directions, and they all agreed that parents are trying to help their kids, teach them important lessons, show them the right way to do things. We talked about how as kids get older and show they are responsible parents usually give them more freedom.  I compared this to the colonists and Britain.

Ok...now they are getting interested.  My next scenario asked them how they would feel if they were 20 or 25, had a job, and living on their own and their parents were giving them the same directions.  This got a major response!  The kids were outraged by this fictional scenario and even the thought of it happening to them.

Perfect!  I got them hooked!

I moved into the content covering the French and Indian War, the Proclamation of 1763, the stamp act, the quartering act, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party and the Intolerable/Coercive Acts.  I kept relating the events to the kids lives and made connections between the colonists wanting freedom and not needing/wanting Britain's rule and guidance anymore.  I think this series of lessons finally got them interested in learning more about history!

As I planned this series of lessons I realized that this was a perfect example of cause and effect, and also a great opportunity to teach my kids some note-taking skills.
I created this cause and effect note-taking sheet for the kids and it really helped my class organize their learning and make connections between the events and the growing frustration of the colonists.

Events Leading to the American Revolution Note-taking

You can download a copy of this note-taking sheet by clicking the link above.

How do you get your kids excited to learn about history?