Category: Social Studies
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Distance Learning Week Six: The American Revolution
For the past few weeks, we have been talking about early America, the years when what we today call the United States was first establishing itself. This week, we’re going to jump back in time again and take a look at the United States during the years while it was still governed by England and…
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Distance Learning Week Five: Early America
Hello fifth graders, and welcome to week five of distance learning! Week five! Can you believe it? What a crazy time. This week, we will be looking at the early history of our country, and specifically, at our first presidents. These men are included in our country’s list of “Founding Fathers,” the people who put…
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Distance Learning Week Four: More About the Abolitionists!
Hey fifth graders! Welcome to week four of at home learning! As always, I am suuuuuper proud of all the amazing work you’re doing, and I so badly wish we could be learning in person together. Remember how last week I said that I wished we had more time to learn about the abolitionists? Well……
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Distance Learning Week Three: Slavery, Abolition, and the Civil War
Hello fifth graders, and welcome to week three of at home learning! I am super proud of all the great work you’ve been doing the last couple weeks, and I am excited to get started on this week’s learning. This week’s topic is difficult to talk about, and it’s something that I wish we could…
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Distance Learning Week Two: Westward Expansion
Hello fifth graders, and welcome to week two! This week we are learning about Westward Expansion. Follow along with this week’s lesson plans to learn with us! Monday: What was “Westward Expansion”? So far this year, everything we have learned in US history has been working with a map that looks pretty much the…
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Distance Learning: An Exploration of Child Labor in the United States
Hello from afar to all of my Green Beans! I miss you dearly and wish we could be doing this learning face to face. For as long as we’re in our shelter in place orders, you can expect to find all of your social studies and ELA lessons here. Each week, I will post a…
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It’s all About Labor: Mexican Repatriation During The Great Depression
When did you learn about Mexican “repatriation” during the Great Depression? For me, it wasn’t until I was studying to get my master’s degree that I learned about the mass expulsion of Mexican Americans from the United States during the 1930’s. Between the years 1930-1933, up to 1,800,000 Mexicans and Mexican Americans were forcibly taken…
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A Justice Centered Approach to Teaching the Holocaust
For many teachers and students alike, the Holocaust is one of the most memorable and powerful historical units of the school year. As teachers, the way that we approach this unit is incredibly important. For those of us who teach it, why do we? And how can we use it as a springboard to talk…
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Expanding Historical Narratives Through Classroom “Meet and Greets”
Some of the most successful and engaging activities I’ve used this year have been classroom “meet and greets.” These activities have served as exciting introductions into new historical units, and each time, students have been excited to learn more and to dive deeper into the upcoming unit. The creation of these “meet and greets” was inspired…
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Challenging the Dominant Narrative of Veterans’ Day Through a Study of Navajo Code Talkers
Today is Veterans’ Day. This morning, I asked my students to take five minutes to draw a picture of a veteran. The majority of my students drew a white man, and I wasn’t surprised. When we searched “veteran” on Google Images, we saw the same thing. While many white men have served our country in…
Ms. Green's Class 