Curriculum+Ideas+-+Social+Studies

=Curriculum Ideas - Social Studies= What ideas do you have for integrating technology into your classroom? Please share! You can list your idea under one of the categories given or make a new category and list your idea. If you wish, you can create a new page and copy and paste your lesson plan to share or create a link in your description to a place on-line where your lesson plan is already hosted!

Blogging
Current Events Blog (Grade 11 U.S. History II) - Students will be asked to contribute weekly to a discussion blog about current events as they happen. Each student is responsible to write about one state, national, or global event and responding intelligently and in-depth to at least two postings by their classmates. Students will need one class period to get familiar with the assignment. With the teacher, they will find and read an article from the online version of //The New York Times// and create their first posting. They will also respond to two other postings by the end of the period. Student will then be responsible for creating one post each week and responding to two other posts by the end of the week. Students will be quizzed periodically on information in the blog to see if they are absorbing the information in a meaningful way.

= ** Citizenship lesson - Blogging, Issuu, Wiki, Animoto (Model United Nation Club) ** = = = For the past nine years I have been the Advisor the Model United Nations group at my school. The team is formed in September. By October, we receive the country or countries that we will be representing. Then, the research starts. The objective is to learn all that we can about the inner workings of that country, including the names of important leaders, types of government, and most importantly, how the country deals with certain political and global issues. Each student must write a one-page Position Paper before attending the conference. In that Position paper, the student must speak to the issue at hand, what their country has done about that particular issue, and what the United Nations has done for this issue in the past and present. Issues range from weapons in outer space, to combatting the use of child soldiers in war. The research is a lengthy process for students, who often need to dig though hours of reading in order to find the information they need. In this unit, I am hoping to see if using technology will make research and information sharing easier. Students were expected to use Issuu, Blogging, Wiki pages and Animoto. Issuu was a great way for students to search for UN articles. Blogging and Wiki made it possible for students to have a “virtual meeting” anytime. I even had one of my members send in Wiki comment from Cambodia! Finally, Animoto made it possible for students to explore their countries in a fun, new way. = =

Other Google Tools
Tour the U.S. with Google Earth (Grade 9 World History) - Students will have already studied and used the Five Themes of Geography. They will be given a handout descrbing the project. Students will choose a location in each of the regions of the U.S. and plan a trip using Google Earth. At each stop they will use push pins to write about the location using the Five Themes of Geography. Students will need one class period to get familiar with the Google Earth software. Then they should be able to gather information and create the Works Cited page using www.easybib.com on the second day and polish the presentation on the third day. The reflection can be worked on in class if there is time, but should be assigned as homework.

Voice Thread
African Folk Tales Project (Grade 9 World History) - This lesson is the culminating activity for a unit on the culture and geography of Africa. Students will work as a part of a team. They will read an African folktale and decide how to illustrate it using Voice Thread. Students will then research the country of origin for their folktale and analyze it using the 5 Themes of Geography previously learned. They will add audio and visual content to a Voice Thread, present it to the class (others?), and then write a 1-2 page paper, with Works Cited page, about what they have learned. Students will need one class period to sign up on and get familiar with the Voice Thread website. Then they should be able to gather information and create the Works Cited page using www.easybib.com on the second day and polish the presentation on the third & fourth days. The paper can be worked on in class if there is time, but should be assigned as homework.

Digital Storytelling
The Postwar Years Digital Album (Grade 11 Modern U.S. History) - This lesson is the culminating activity for a unit on the culture and life of the United States after the end of World War II. Students will work as a part of a team. They will analyze the time period and choose the ten things (people, events, etc.) that most represent the time period. They will add audio and visual content to a digital album created in Picasa 3, present it to the class (others?), and then write a 3 – 5 page paper, with Works Cited page, about what they have learned. Students will need one class period to sign up on and get familiar with the Picasa 3 software. Then they should be able to gather information and create the Works Cited page using www.easybib.com on the second day and polish the presentation on the third & fourth days. The paper can be worked on in class if there is time, but should be assigned as homework.