MYTH BRAINSTORMING MACHINE

If you follow this blog, you know that one of my favorite sites is Scholastic.com. Today I’m featuring their Myth Brainstorming Machine.

This nifty tool allows the user to click through and choose different characters (monsters, goddesses) and scenery to create a visual map of a myth. Then, students can click over to the idea outline tab and see a graphic organizer of the myth they have mapped. It is really fun for kids and it is sure to [read more…]

American Revolution video games

Be careful! Mission US can take up a lot of your time if you don’t watch the clock. These games focused on the American Revolution and slavery are both engaging and information-packed.

These games will not only be fun in the classroom but will work well as a fun homework option (imagine having students who won’t stop doing their assignments). Your tech-minded students will love [read more…]

Let them fight it out!

Are your students learning about the Constitution? What better way to do so than to argue “real” court cases? Argument Wars at icivics.org offers students the chance to become a lawyer and argue a case before a judge. They will learn about the case, then choose among the various amendments to find the best [read more…]

Social studies alive

The last post of the month brings us to an older post from a blog that is new to me, Bring Social Studies Alive! I just could not resist sharing this description of a unit that culminates in the sharing of products, a little dramatic flair and a celebration.

Students in blogger Paul Aleckson’s school select a topic area of ancient Greece or Rome and conduct short research projects. As part of the project, each learner creates a product (e.g., diagram, piece of art, model) to deepen understanding of their selected topic. Their projects are then used to create an [read more…]

Nine ways to learn about Virginia

Are you a 4th grade teacher looking for a new way to teach about your state or region? Look no further than this learning menu featured on Polka Dot Lesson Plans. Courtney, the creative mind behind this site, seems to have used a [read more…]

Rain forest poems & pictures

Teaching Channel is such a fantastic resource. They have high quality videos on so many topics including differentiation. The clip I am featuring today is a geography lesson and it’s really unique in that the teacher uses a multi-sensory/multiple intelligences approach in the middle school classroom. The topic is rain forests and students in this five minute clip use images, graphs, poetry and [read more…]

Social studies and the common core

Some of us involved in inclusive schooling are nervous that new initiatives and programs will be excuses to exclude diverse learners. The literature on the Common Core, however, is really promising. There is a clear focus on raising expectations for learners and on differentiation. So that is the good news.

The bad news? This is all new and many of us are scrambling to figuring out how to teach the Common Core and integrate it into lessons. Enter Glenn at History Tech. In this recent post, he provides great [read more…]

Even more resources for teaching about veterans

The History Channel is one of the best sites out there when it comes to providing resources for vibrant and exciting history lessons. Visit today to get speeches, pictures, videos, and articles that can be used [read more…]

Resources for Veterans Day

As you pause to honor veterans this week, consider one new way to teach students about their work. Stop by Larry Ferlazzo’s website for a great collection of resources that can be [read more…]

Social studies enrichment

As a former special education teacher, I tend to blog mostly about students who need more support, but differentiating instruction is about meeting the needs of all learners including those needing enrichment. The post I am highlighting today covers this exact topic-enhancing instruction for those needing more [read more…]