Let's Talk Politics...

In 8th grade U.S. History, we dive into the U.S. government and all of the ins and outs of how to comprehend how our government system works. No this is not easy. I will say that students do tend to have many questions on the topics, which makes the process more interactive. 

government also seems to be a topic that many students are able to relate to due to the fact that they hear lots of information outside of school about politics. We had a to make a rule in our class:

If you don't research it, you don't talk about it. 

Instructing the concept of how the government works in our country is a huge undertaking for teachers. Here are a couple of tools I have found to be helpful. 

First, one of the best websites out there on government is icivics. Click on the link to go directly to the website. They have teacher tools, students worksheets, and even games for the students to play to practice their skills. 

When you first get to the site, this is what you should see:

You can choose from here if you would like to check out the games fir the students to play or the teaching tools. Both very beneficial. 

As thr students play the game, you will here lots of commentary. 'Oh Man' 'You want what kind of law?' 'They want to go to war again!'

Very fun for the teacher. 

The next day, I had my students complete the following graphic organizer. 

When following the link below, you will also find a Constitution Summative Study Guide as well as a Branches of Government short quiz. 

Constitution Study Guide - Branches Quiz

These products will give your students the opportunity to practice skills and give the teacher an opportunity to see what concepts should re-taught or have reached mastery.
Have fun with government!

Enjoy,

Emily 

The exciting world of Ancient World Civilization!

As a resource special education teacher, it is clear that many different hats will be worn each and everyday. A few of my hats this school year are Resource Ancient Civilization teacher, Resource US History teacher, Support teacher (more information about that in a later post), as well as a CT teacher in 7th grade Science, 8th grade US History, and 6th grade Geography. Yes, the feeling of being overwhelmed comes quite often. 

I have enjoyed history as a student for many years, and being able to pass on some of the powerful events in history to my students in order for them to understand how they came to be in our powerful nation is exciting. Ancient World Civilization can sometimes be difficult for the students to relate to due to the major differences we see from the beginning of civilizations to our world today. Some connections can be early farming techniques to how we get our food today, or the fact the Egyptians explored so much about the body that they were able to teach us about anatomy. It is true...I have gone as far as to say "If you would like to be a professional football player, you are going to need to know how your body structure works." It's OK to stretch a little. 

The bottom line is...working some technology into what we are learning can be a powerful tool to solidify the understanding of a concept. I want to share a resource that I have to be engaging for my 7th graders. Another great plug for this site: It's FREE. Below in the logo for the site and the link, so you can find yourself in the right place. 

The Children's University of Manchester

This site has so many opportunities for active and engaging learning. I, so far, have been able to use the Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece sections of the resource, but there is so much more to offer. Language, Art & Design, and Science also have active learning resources here too. 

Below is an image from the site that shows a the beginning of the interactive game when teaching the Ancient Egyptians gods and goddess. 

I hope you are able to explore all that this site has too offer. We have enjoyed it in 1st hour AWC!

Enjoy, 

Emily