History on Tap

According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  They host a summer institute for teachers every year in Cleveland where they show you how to incorporate music into your lesson plans.  Unfortunately I am not posting to tell you how to apply for an all expenses paid trip to the summer institute. 

I am posting to tell you that they have many lesson plans on line from previous institute participants.  There are 47 total, many of which could be used in the Social Studies classroom.  Lesson 1 for example, is entitled “Keep on Pushing:  Popular Music and the Civil Rights Movement.”  Lesson 19?  “Runaway Slaves.”  Lesson 41?  “Teaching Economics Through Rock and Roll:  Unemployment.” 

The lessons are very detailed and they all are very interesting and something I think students would enjoy.  You might want to share with the English teachers in your building as well.  There are several lessons incorporating music and particular authors or stories. 

I encourage you to check it out.  And although you may not be able to fit these ideas in right now, they might be fun projects to do after SOL’s!  Rock on!

Here is a great website put together by PBS.  It’s the PBS Teachers Vote 2008:  Access, Analyze, Act:  A Blueprint for 21st Century Civic Engagement. 

The site includes lots of free lesson plans for elementary and secondary, which are organized by topic (such as the campaign trail, political parties, Congress, etc) as well as interactive quizzes and games for students.  (There’s a political personality quiz, and a budget game as well as other web based tools.) 

You can also subscribe to podcasts or watch videos on the lastest issues so that you’ll be up to date.  Take a few minutes to check it out, there’s lots of great things you could use in your classroom.  Especially when the election is only about 43 days away! 

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/vote2008/

Constitution Day this year will be on September 17.  Check out the link below for a little more information as well as lesson plans for grades K-12.

Constitution Day Info

Here are the websites for the lesson plans that Sarah and I talked about at today’s in-service.

A Celebration Timeline:

http://www.eduplace.com/ss/act/celtime.html

My Piece of History: 

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=325

Technology Components for Marzano Strategies:

http://gets.gc.k12.va.us/VSTE/2008/

History of the Olympics: 

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/SSHistoryOfTheOlympicsFullPlan25.htm

The Olympics: 

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/SSPEOOlympicsAndCountriesBackgroundsGoodIdea35.htm

Photo:  Bob Martin, Sports Illustrated

I found a neat idea by a teacher in Alberta, Canada.  Their class built a tipi!  This could work for grades 3-6.  It doesn’t require too many materials (and what you do need you could ask parents to donate.)  It looks like a lot of fun!

http://www.worsleyschool.net/socialarts/tipi/page.html