Once again, I have to thank National Boards for reminding me of the amazing projects I was a part of over the last 10 years in education. As I was searching for samples to include in Component 1 I found a presentation I presented with a university partner. For many years our school was partnered … Continue reading Museum Monday: Exhibiting Project Based Learning: A Collaboration Between Local Museums, University Education Students and Elementary Students – #BLOG365 Day 211 #sschat #artsed
Social Studies
Ancient Egypt UbD Unit- #BLOG365 Day 190
Last year as we worked through some curriculum mapping in social studies we made a move to add in a choice of ancient culture for one of our third grade units. We left it pretty open so that units could evolve over time and teachers could explore a variety of cultures. We all know that … Continue reading Ancient Egypt UbD Unit- #BLOG365 Day 190
Museum Monday: Ephemera Round 2-#BLOG365 Day 187
Last year my son chose the word ephemera to highlight for a vocabulary project. He's totally my kid! We collect in my household as I have mentioned before, and not just objects. We are ephemera collectors too. Printed items: ticket stubs, cards, brochures, invitations, and old credit cards. You name it, one of us … Continue reading Museum Monday: Ephemera Round 2-#BLOG365 Day 187
Using Video to Improve Instruction – #BLOG365 #sschat
Last night I was cleaning out my Google Drive and I found a video I had done for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in which I demonstrated a quick object-based learning activity. The video was only four minutes. Each day at the beginning of class we began with an object observation activity where students "read" … Continue reading Using Video to Improve Instruction – #BLOG365 #sschat
Breaking News – #BLOG365 Day 167 #sschat
I let the Ides of March pass without posting about one of my favorite social studies apps and one of my favorite history topics. I loved teaching ancient world history. One of my favorite tools for summarizing key content was the Breaking News Generator from classtools.net. It was an easy exit ticket and a simple … Continue reading Breaking News – #BLOG365 Day 167 #sschat
Mr. Nicky -#BLOG365 Day 156 #sschat
I loved teaching world history. I never thought I would. I have always been a founding era groupie. But, then I had that perfect class, the perfect team to work with, and a subject matter I adored: social studies. That's when I fell in love with teaching world history. I had so much fun with … Continue reading Mr. Nicky -#BLOG365 Day 156 #sschat
Man in the Arena-#BLOG365 Day 151
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who … Continue reading Man in the Arena-#BLOG365 Day 151
Museum Monday- Writing Museum Labels in the Classroom #BLOG365 Day 148 #sschat
One of the most fascinating discussions I ever had about museum labels was at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. A few years ago I was lucky enough to take a group of educators to DC for a week of learning in museums. We had the chance to meet with interpretative staff to learn … Continue reading Museum Monday- Writing Museum Labels in the Classroom #BLOG365 Day 148 #sschat
Museum Monday: Object-Based Engagement #BLOG365 Day 145 #sschat
Tonight I had a flashback to my social studies teaching days, to the nights when I sat up in bed searching for the perfect object to hook my students for the next day's lesson. Before I got the hang of it, it took me a lot of hunting online to find an object that would … Continue reading Museum Monday: Object-Based Engagement #BLOG365 Day 145 #sschat
Museum Monday: The Things They Carry-#BLOG365 Day 140 #sschat #museumed
I will never forget my first experience at Ellis Island many years ago. I struggled to connect. I was confused. My great-grandfather had passed through Ellis Island when he immigrated from Hungary. How could I not connect? This was my family's story. As much as I tried to put myself in his shoes, I just couldn't … Continue reading Museum Monday: The Things They Carry-#BLOG365 Day 140 #sschat #museumed
Jill Cross 