The First Thanksgiving
Within my social studies portfolio, I have included a lesson plan that focuses on teaching children about the First Thanksgiving. Accompanying the lesson plan are pictures of the bulletin board Jen and I created for the lesson, suggestions for books to read to students, a story for students to read, and a worksheet to test comprehension. Additionally, I created Thanksgiving menus to compare and contrast Thanksgiving foods served at the First Thanksgiving versus modern Thanksgiving celebrations and an invitation for students to complete describing the First Thanksgiving. However, because I created these files on Publisher, I cannot upload them to this blog. Let me know if you would like them, and I would be happy to send them on to you. I hope you will find this lesson to be beneficial!
The First Thanksgiving Lesson Plan
The First Thanksgiving bulletin board
The First Thanksgiving picture
Carriage Hill Field Trip
Using a trip to carriage hill as a basis, I have created a curriculum unit about life on a farm in the late 1800s.
Within the unit, I have included the 5-day lesson plan, the format for a student dictionary to define unfamiliar terms, and a journal entry rubric. Additionally, I developed a worksheet that has students identify and place which items were brought from a farm to the market and which items were taken home from the market. I also created a graphic organizer titled “Life on My 19th Century Farm” and a letter to parents describing the unit. The worksheet, graphic organizer, and letter to parents are all files from Publisher, so I could not upload them to this blog. Again, I would be happy to send them to you if you would like. Feel free to use and adapt anything I have posted. Enjoy!
Melanie Platfoot
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
The following are the pieces that comprise my social studies portfolio. Feel free to use them in any way you see fit and adapt them to your needs. In order to download the pieces, click on the link following each description. I hope you find something that sparks your interest!
1.) Where in the World Are We?: A Thematic Unit for Second Grade
This piece revolves around geography. Students will learn about maps and their uses. They will use maps to aid in understanding other places. They will also participate in a pen-pal activity. The ideas in this piece serve as a starting point for fully designing the lessons.
2.) How Do We Get From Here to There? A Lesson Plan for Second Grade
This piece was adapted from a lesson plan found on the National Geographic website. Students will learn about different forms of transportation and make judgments on the best way to get a package across the country.
Link to original lesson: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/11/gk2/
3.) Curriculum Unit: Understanding the President’s Roles (for second grade)
This written piece includes the modifications I made to the original unit found on the Edsitement website. Students will learn about the different roles a president performs and how the president communicates with the nation.
Letter to Parents for President Unit
Original units found on these websites:
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=383
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=385
4.) Curriculum Unit: Primary Sources (for fifth grade)
This written piece includes modifications to the original unit I found on the Library of Congress website. The unit introduces students to the importance of using primary documents in research and culminates in a project on immigration using primary documents to complete the assignment.
Parent Letter for Primary Source Unit
Original unit found on this website:
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/97/firsthand/main.html
5.) Curriculum Unit: Carriage Hill (for second graders)
This unit was designed by me to complement a field trip to Carriage Hill MetroPark. The unit includes a discussion of diversity, a reading lesson from the late 19th/early 20th century, the field trip, a comparison of schools from the 1800s to today, the use of photos to examine children’s lives in the 1800s, and a economics lesson using farm products.
6.) Mini-unit: Washington and Lincoln
This mini-unit was developed based around a lesson my cooperating teacher did on the Washington Monument and Lincoln memorial. I expanded her lesson into a three day unit, adding more information about both presidents lives and ending the unit with a compare/contrast writing prompt.
7.) Children’s Book Rubric
This piece is a rubric teachers can use to evaluate a children’s book for use in their classes. It also includes a description of the qualities in a book I used my rubric with, If I Were President. The end of the piece gives an activity that could be used to assess student learning after reading the book I used.
8.) Creative Project: A Celebration of Love (for second grade)
A Celebration of Love is two days worth of lessons involving weddings and love. The creative portion is a bulletin board that is used to facilitate learning throughout the lesson. Students will use the bulletin board to further their understanding on these subjects and also will include work they develop throughout the lessons. I came up with this idea because during the month of December, my cooperating teacher wants me to teach about different kinds of celebrations. One of my friends, Dustin (or, as my sister jokingly says, my only male friend
), is getting married during this time, so I thought that since a wedding is a celebration, it would be a perfect connection to make since I could discuss with the students the experience of attending this wedding.
Photos of the bulletin board I created for the project

Love is...when all of you is with another. At this moment, their worries, hurts, and concerns become your own and yours cease to exist. ~ Mr. Webb
These are some example shots. I’ve thought of many more things I could include since constructing the board you see here. If you’d like to see more pictures, let me know
I hope you find these pieces useful. Many hours of hard work and labor, and lots of love went into creating what I’ve posted. If you’d like more information on anything seen here, please leave a comment or let me know and I will do my best to answer any questions you have.
Greg
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Carriage Hill Metro Park Five Day Lesson Plan by Emily Ferris-Gilliam
I am very proud of this five day unit. It took a lot of time and thought, but I really like the way that it turned out. I have not carried out the unit in a classroom. If you do, let me know how it goes!
Enjoy! Emily ![]()
Lesson Title: Carriage Hill Metro Park Five Day Lesson Plan
Grade Level: 3
Goals/Objectives: Students will use materials to experience and interpret history. Students will use historical artifacts to answer questions about daily life in the past. Students will develop their writing skills by being involved with the different stages of writing. Students will: generate writing ideas, use organizational strategies, organize writing with a beginning middle and ending, proofread, apply tools, and rewrite and illustrate for publication.
Ohio Content Standards:
Standard: History-Students use materials drawn from the diversity of human experience to analyze and interpret significant events, patterns and themes in the history of Ohio, the United States and the world.
Benchmark: C. Compare daily life in the past and present demonstrating an understanding that while basic human needs remain the same, they are met in different ways in different times and places.
Indicator: 4. Use historical artifacts, photographs, biographies, maps, diaries, and folklore to answer questions about daily life in the past.
Standard: Writing Process Standard
Benchmarks: A.Generate ideas for written compositons. C. Use organizers to clarify ideas for writing assignments. F. Apply tools to judge the quality of writing.
G. Publish writing samples for display or sharing with others.
Indicators: 1. Generate writing ideas through discussions with others. 4. Use organizational strategies (brainstorming, lists, webs and Venn diagrams) to plan writing. 5. Organize writing with a developed beginning, middle and end. 13. Proofread writing to improve conventions (grammar, spelling, punctuation and capitalization). 14. Apply tools (rubric, checklist, feedback) to judge the quality of writing. 15. Rewrite and illustrate writing samples for display and for sharing with others.
Essential Questions:
How did westward moving families, during the 1800’s, decide what to take with them?
What rationales would have to be given to take something westward?
How would a student use persuasive methods to be able tosway an audience?
What was the life of a child in 1890 like?
What was the difference between a child who lived on a farm and one that lived in a town setting?
Assessment:
Students will have five days of lessons to provide different evidences of their learning.
On day one, students will be responsible for thinking of different household items that a family in the 1800’s would need to take with them, if they we moving west. The students will present their findings in a persuasive paper.
On day two, students will have to use persuasive writing to justify what they would take if they were moving westward. The students will present a persuasive paper, including pros and cons for each item chosen.
On day three, the students will have to choose one artifact at Carriage Hill farm, research the artifact, and report on it. This report can be in the form of a paper, a graphic organizer, a poster, or a student invented project.
On day four, the students will study the lives of children in 1890. This will include dress, mannerisms, chores, school, and past-times. This information can be presented in the form of a paper, a poster, a graphic organizer, a short skit, or a student invented project.
On day five, students will take on the character of either a child during the 1890’s that lived on a farm or in town. Students will be required to research and write about the different aspects of the respective child. This research can be presented in the form of a paper, a poster, a graphic organizer, a short skit, or a student invented project.
Learning Activities:
Day 1:
Students will be given information on the westward movement betweent the years of 1790 and 1820. The class will discuss that the Arnold family, the founding family of Carriage Hill, had to make a westward move from Virginia to Ohio. The students will learn and understand that everything that they were going to take with them had to fit within a Conestoga wagon. The students will research what some of the important household items were during that time period. The students will have to then choose what would be the most important items to take. The students will be instructed to write their findings down in a persuasive text fashion, citing reasons why they think each chosen item is important to the family.
Day 2:
As an extension activity to day one, students will be posed with a scenario. The students’ families are moving and each family member is only allowed to take as many items that will fit into an apple box. The students must list what they will take, give the reasons why they are taking it, and they will also have to include pros and cons for taking each item.
Day 3:
During the visit to Carriage Hill farm, each student will have to choose an artifact that they see, and are interested in, to research and present to the class. The students will have time in class to research using many different resources. There will also need to be time spent outside of class on this project. Once the students have completed their research, they will present it to the class. This presentation can be in the form of a paper, a graphic organizer, or a student invented project
Day 4:
The students will study the lives of children living in the 1890’s. The study will have to include aspects such as: dress, mannerism, chores, family values, school, and past-times. The student will present their findings in the form of a paper, a graphic organizer, a short skit, or other student invented project.
Day 5:
As an extension activity to day four, students will take on the persona of a child living on a farm during the 1890’s or living in a town. The student can present their findings in the form of a paper, a graphic organizer, a short skit, or other student invented project.
Teaching Strategies:
Day 1:
Students will be instructed in a whole group at first. The students will be prepared for the lesson by explaining that the field trip to Carriage Hill is quickly approaching. The students need to know some background information about Carriage Hill, so it is important to discuss the Arnold family. The students need to know about the origins of the Arnold family and that leads students to wonder how they came to be in Ohio. Explain to students that many people decided to move west, to claim the valuable farm land that was here, and to begin new. Students need to understand that families did not have access to large vehicles to move all of their posessions. The families had to choose what needed to be taken with them. Introduce what needed to be taken, like cooking instruments. The families needed those to eat on the way to their destination. Have students talk about what they think is needed for basic survival, and then present the focus of the lesson.
Day 2:
Students will continue their exploration of the lesson from day one. In a whole group the students will be presented with the following scenerio: Each of their families has decided to move, but each member in the family is only allowed to take an apple box with them. Inside of this apple box, students would have to put what they wanted to take with them. Explain that their belongings that couldn’t fit would have to stay behind. Students will have to think about what they will put into their box and justify why they are taking it with them.
Day 3:
The day before the field trip, as a whole group, students will be presented with the task of finding an interesting object at the farm that they would enjoy researching. Students will be given all requirements for the project before the field trip.
Day 4:
In a whole group, students will discuss what they saw at the farm. The students will then be asked what they think it might be like to have lived in that house during 1890. Students would list the things that they might do the same and the things that were done differently. The students would then be presented with the project. The students could have class time to think about and research the project.
Day 5:
During a whole class instruction, the students will be presented with the extension activity to day four’s lesson. Students will be asked to compare and contrast the lives of farm children and town children.
Accommodations:
These activities are mostly individual tasks. If a student is having difficulty with a particular lesson, a group project will be acceptable. Students with diverse learning needs will be able to present their findings in a way that they find most comfortable.
Materials/Resources:
Information on the Arnold Family and Carriage Hill Metro Park
Elements of Persuasive Texts handout
Apple Box
Carriage Hill Artifact Handout
Child in 1890 Handout
City child and Country Child Handout
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
I had an excellent time creating this lesson plan. I put myself in the place of my student and thought about what I would enjoy doing. I have not conducted the lesson in a classroom, but I will! I’m very interested in seeing how students will respond to a lesson like this.
Enjoy! Emily ![]()
Lesson Title: We’re Going on a Road Trip
Grade Level: 2-5
Goals/Objectives: Students will use economic reasoning skills and knowledge of major economic concepts. They will make informed choices as producers and consumers. Students will be able to identify different forms of money, and recognize that money facilitates the purchase of goods, services, and resources. Students will read and interpret maps by using the map title, map key, direction indicator and symbols.
Ohio Content Standards:
Standard: Geography
Benchmark: A-Use map elements or coordinates to locate physical and human features of North America
Indicator: 3.Read and Interpret maps by using the map title, map key, direction indicator and symbols to answer questions about the local community.
Standard: Economics
Benchmark: B-Explain why entrpreneurship, captial goods, technology, specialization and division of labor are important in the production of goods and services. Indicator: Identify different forms of money used over time, and recognize that money facilitates the purchase of goods, services and resources and enables savings.
Essential Questions:What will students need to know when planning a trip? How will they go about planning a trip? What would happen if there were an unexpected emergency?
Assessment:
Students will be required to give a final destination and accurate directions to their destination. Students will research the cost of taking such a trip. Certain information must be included such as cost of fuel, cost of food, cost of lodging, and cost of entertainment. Students must also determine what an appropriate emergency fund consist of.The students will hand in a detailed list of their costs along with the directions. Students must give a breif itenerary of some of the activities that are available to travelers at their final destination. Students will also hand in an evaluation of their work and the work of their group mates.
Learning Activities:
Students will research a particular place that they would like to visit. This place must have an educational value and could be related to what the class is learning about at the time of this lesson. This place could be historic Williamsburg or Conner Prairie. The students will then have to plot their course to their destination. This will first be done with maps or a road atlas. After students have plotted their course, they can then go to the internet to make sure their directions are the most efficient by using mapquest.com or some similar website.
Students will then have to find out the cost of gas, for the entire trip. They will also have to determine their budget for food, for the entire trip. Students will also need a fund for entertainment, lodging, and emergencies. This will require them to use the internet or travel resources to find out the prices of lodging,of entertainment, and restaurants.
Teaching Strategies:
Students will be instructed as a whole class in the beginning. The teacher will ask the students if they have ever been on a trip. The students will then be asked if they have ever planned a trip by themselves. The students will then be presented with the project and arranged in small groups of 3-5 students, depending upon the overall class size. The students will then collaboratively agree on a trip destination and begin plotting their course. After they have plotted their course, they will have to figure a sum of money to bring with them to be able to pay for the trip.
Accommodations:
Since this is a group activity, all students will be able to work on something. If students have special needs, they will be appropriately placed within a group and they will have a task that they can manage. If students are unable to access any of the resources for research, they will be able to ask for assistance.
If it is too difficult to find out the prices of fuel or lodging, the teacher can have a list of prices available.
Materials and Resources:
Maps for each group
Atlas if needs
Internet
Paper Pencil
Travel Brochures of Historic Places around the country
We’re going on a Road Trip!
Destination:
Total Miles:
Cost of Gas:
Where are you Eating?
Cost of Food:
Where are you staying?
Cost of Lodging:
What are some things you are going to do when you get there?
Cost of Entertainment:
Emergency Fund:
In three to four sentences, briefly describe your destination and its historical importance to the United States.
1(Not so good)
2(Should have done more)
3(Did what needed to be done, but not the best work done)
4(Pretty Good)
5(Awesome)
Did you do everything you were supposed to?
1 2 3 4 5
Did you help your other group members when they became stuck?
1 2 3 4 5
Rate each of your group members overall performance using the number ratings from above. If you have any comments, write them down.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Lesson that meets Ohio Academic Geography and Economic Standards | Leave a Comment »
ED 417 Professor No Tyler, Carla, Taylor, Amanda, and Nicole
If you were to go into a random early childhood classroom and ask each student to draw a picture of a fire fighter, how many of them do you think would draw a woman on their paper? My personal guess is that not very many, if any, would have depicted a female fire fighter. It would also be interesting to do the same experiment and ask them to draw a kindergarten teacher. Do you think they would draw a male or female?
In David A. Welton’s textbook Children and Their World, he believes that many of these stereotypes that children pick up on come from the illustrations they see in their school textbooks. Welton mentions a first grade social studies book from the 1960s. On the very first page, there is a picture of a woman standing on the front step waving goodbye to her children getting on the school bus. Within the next few pages, the illustrations include a man returning to the house with a briefcase- obviously the working father- and another where the father is sitting and reading with his feet propped up while the mother is in the kitchen preparing dinner. (Welton, 106)
Although our children’s textbooks of today do a much better job of representing a wide variety of different ethnicities and include pictures that are not quite as gender specific as books of the past, there are still subtle ways that sexism falls through the cracks. For example, think about any history textbook that you have read in the past. Is there an equal representation of historical female figures compared to the number of historical male figures? If you think that there is equal representation, ask your students to make a list of famous American women and a list of famous American men. Which list do you think would be longer.
The good news is, we as teachers have a lot of influence and control over the ways that gender roles are displayed in our own classrooms. Although we can not always control what text books we will use, there are other ways that we can show kids that they can grow up to be whatever they want. One great way to convey that message is by having classroom speakers. If you want a fire fighter to come and speak to your class, try and get a female one to come in. If you want to have a nurse come in to speak, ask a male nurse. Go against the stereotypes. It is our job as teachers to prepare our students for the world we live in, and our world is much different than it was for past generations. Let’s let each individual have a say in what they want to become, rather than steering them into the roles that people before us felt were appropriate.
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Chapter 7 discusses the importance of reading and writing and why incorporating literacy into the Social Studies curriculum is necessary. As with any subject, reading and writing can easily be intertwined into Social Studies, and chapter 7 allows us to see how these two subjects can work as a “gateway” for one another.
In a perfect classroom all students would be on the same level and would know how to read fluently. However, the reality is that no one student is alike and in several cases many students are far below their targeted reading level. In this case what should your do for the students who cannot easily read or comprehend the text? As the author, David A. Welton, states, “don’t use the book!” He suggests finding other literary tools to help guide the students. Such tools often are more interesting than the textbook and have a more effective grasp on the students.
In third grade students are becoming more independent and while using other literary tools such as picture books could be successful, we found an even more effective approach that Welton mentions. He suggests having the students rewrite portions of the text, putting it in their own words. We believe that as third graders, we should encourage them to think independently and find their own way to (with a little guidance) enhance their understanding. A great way to do this is to first read short passages of the text to them and then have them rewrite it in their own words. Another great option to intertwine Language Arts and Social Studies and meet the needs of the various reading levels in your classroom is to use Time for Kids. This is a tool that we have used in our third grade placement that has excited the students not only about Social Studies issues but reading and writing as well. It is also a piece that can easily be read and understood. Since our ultimate goal is to let both subjcects act as a “gateway” for one another it is important that we keep the students engaged, and what better way to do that than to let them have fun while learning!
There are multiple ways to help students who struggle with reading and comprehension and though it is sometimes difficult to steer away from the text it often can be more beneficial to not only you as a teacher but for the students as well.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
“For every question there is a purpose, ” according to David A. Welton in Children and Their World, teachers should have a purpose for the questions they wish to ask. It is also important to consider the answer you anticipate the children giving.
In chapter eleven, Welton describes the different types of question teachers commonly ask. Memory-recall questions can help a teacher determine whether the students in their class can recall previously leanred information. This type of question would help students understand the purpose for learning information abd to create a connection to what they learned. Descriptive-interpretive questions allow students to describe their answer in their own words. Giving the question more meaning to their own life. A third type of questioning that teachers use is evaluative- judgemental questions. These are great to test student ideas about how they feel.
As a future teacher it is helpful to understand and use some of these questions within the classroom. Welton also mentions a type of question that teachers should avoid. Queen Bee questions such as, “who can tell me the capital of Ohio?” Should never be used in the classroom. These questions suggest that whoever answers them will impress the teacher.
When asking different types of questions, it is also important to lenghten the wait time for a response. Most teachers wait only nine-tenths of a second before giving the answer. By waiting two or more seconds teachers can increase the number of students who participate.
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Strategies and Activities for Effective Teaching
“Discussions that involve twenty or more students, for example, are less likely to be successful than discussions involving groups of five-seven students, simply because participants in the larger groups must wait so long before they get a chance to speak.” (Welton, 285).
Many classrooms teach through large group discussions that include the entire class. Many classrooms have as many as 25 students. When a question is asked, students must wait their turn to answer or respond, which can take a long time with 25 children eager to talk. Some children get lost in crowd as they go unnoticed while zoning out and focusing on topics unrelated to school. Small groups allow students to receive more attention and the opportunity to be more vocal because they are not waiting for the other 24 students.
Small groups can be used in numerous ways for nearly every subject. For social studies purposes, students can be put into small groups for projects, discussions, research, or reenactments.
4 common small group purposes for social studies:
1) To discuss issues and events
2) To engage in decision making exercises
4) To provide small group instruction
4) To research or investigate problems and questions
Ways to arrange small groups:
1) Discussion groups
2) Decision-making groups
3) Tutorial
4) Research
All of the above are great ways to arrange small groups except for tutorial. This means that students are divided up in ability groups- the higher achieving students with the rest of the higher achieving students and the lower achieving students with the lower achieving students. By mixing abilities, the students have a chance to learn from each other and make discoveries that they might not have if they were grouped with people similar to them.
One small group activity observed by one of our group members in a third grade classroom is based on government. The students were divided into groups of five or six, each receiving a piece of paper describing their task. There were four different types of groups and each group had a different way of describing the task.
Each group has to construct a scarecrow:
- One group gets a leader and the instructions say “____ is in charge. Whatever he/she says goes. Use the materials provided. Have fun!”
- One group gets directions that say “Use the materials given. Majority rules. Have fun!”
- One group gets brief instructions saying “You will be making a scarecrow. Majority rules. Use the materials provided.”
- One group gets step-by-step directions on how to construct the scarecrow. Every detail is listed.
After each group makes their scarecrow, the groups come together and share their work. A discussion evolves about the difference in directions provided and the strategies used to make the scarecrows. In the end, the teacher explains that the groups simulated different types of governments. This activity and discussion introduces the government unit and many activities and lessons could branch off of this one. Using the information given above, can you name the purpose of these small groups and how they are arranged?
We think that using small group instruction is beneficial to the students and can help make social studies interactive, effective, and fun!
Nichole, Carla, Taylor, Ty, and Amanda
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Reading Between the Lines
It is important that teachers encourage 3rd graders to read between the lines and other critical thinking skills. Some different ways to teach these skills include: 1) modeling the desired behaviors, including talking out loud as you think through the problem 2) Including clear student expectations 3) Applying synthesis level questions from Bloom’s Taxonomy in your lessons.
** Something to remember when asking questions to your students is that the questions need to be relevant and have a purpose.
Understanding Maps, Globes, and Graphics
Students in the primary grades begin looking at maps, globes, and different graphics. They do not have the appropriate understanding of viewing these tools. One way to help students become familiar with looking and studying maps is to give them activity that is relevant to them. Students will be asked to map their bedroom with a bird’s-eye view. This term will have to be explained to them. They will map all of the different components to their bedroom. This activity can then be expanded to their home and their neighborhood.
Critical Thinking
Teachers should include the main elements of critical thinking in their classroom, such as analyzing, hypothesizing, evaluating, inferencing, etc. Students need to be given opportunities in the classroom to develop these critically thinking skills through fun, engaging activities. In order to encourage students to do this, teachers must model how to apply critical thinking skills in order to understand and analyze information.
One resource that teachers can use in a third grade classroom are Culture Cards. These cards have pictures cut out from magazines such Smithsonian and National Geographic. Before studying a certain culture, students will be given a set of pictures, without captions, the depict people from the specific culture. The students will use the cards to describe what the people are doing, where they are from, etc. After studying the the culture, the students can use the cards to sort them by topic, match captions with the cards, or as prompts for writing.
Metgacognition
As teachers, we need to help students become proficient thinkers. To do this, we must provide them with opportunities to process varoius types of information and experiences. The most sophisticated level of thinking is when students can control or direct their own thinking. Metacognition is the ability to think about one’s thinking process. Giving students a choice, such as allowing them to decide what topic to do for a project, will help them gain more control over their thinking. Having students paraphrase words or ideas will help them put information into a more meaningful context that they understand.
Wait TIme
When having a discussion with your third grade class over a topic, the teacher should remember that wait time is important. The teacher should give the students enough time to respond to the topic presented and not rush them. When giving the students time to respond a nice discussion in the class may develop.
Pumpkin Geography
Fall is in full swing right now. Students can use a pumpkin to learn about important geography concepts. The vertical lines can serve as lines of longitude on a globe. The teacher can cut a pumpkin into halves to represent hemispheres. Students can also draw the different continents on the pumpkin to better represent a globe. These activities give students hands-on experience and aid in their understanding by relating the concepts through different methods.
Jamie, Emily, Amanda, Emily, Greg
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »




