Treasure Box

I did my lesson on Constitution Day. I developed the lesson into a grade level go around. Each teacher took a topic and taught a lesson then we circulated the classes so each 2nd grade class would have an opportunity to explore each lesson.

The biggest benefit of the treasure box is it gives you tools to use with the students. I included many of the items that were supplied to us in June. The students really enjoyed all the hands-on activities such as looking at the tea bars. I also supplied the students with feathers so they could understand how difficult it is to use. I had the students write one sentence about why freedom is important to them and sign their name. The students had made numerous comments about how difficult it must have been to write items like the constitution using a quill. I also had the play games from colonial times and they really enjoyed that.

I would say my biggest obstacle with treasure boxes is spacing. I don't have a lot of space to store things so that is a challenge. I think you could use them in many subjects but, I would be afraid of not having any place to keep them.

When I read excerpts from books like Signing their Lives Away and Signing their Rights Away, I tried to emphasize the fact that many of the men who were involved with these moments were just average men. They were not perfect and they had flaws. I do believe that many children think that major impacts on the world were created by perfect human beings. It gave my students an opportunity to have some connection with these men. Since I teach 2nd grade I was very careful what information I gave to the students. For example, I did tell the students that Benjamin Franklin was the son of a candlestick maker however, I did not point out his experience with women. There were many topics that were not suitable for a second grader however, there was also a lot of information that was suitable and I used that.

The National Archives site was interesting even though I found it difficult to use with this age. Much of the information was above them and the writing from Colonial times was difficult for them to understand. The pictures were very helpful and I did use many pictures in the presentation.

Finally, I would have to say that I felt the lessons helped the students connect with a time that has been long gone. I do think it gave them connections and allowed them to feel like they were part of that timeframe, if even for just a little while.

Woods - Chapter 4

This chapter discusses how The Constitution was established and how the government of the United States was set up. The nice part of this book is how Wood gives not just the facts but, includes interesting facts about how this country ran. For example, Wood discusses on page 84 why George Washington was picked as commander in chief. He discussed how Washington's military abilities was not what got him to that position. It was his character. I found that to be a very interesting part and it gives us some insight on what truly mattered. It also explained that keeping the states linked was vital for true success. The chapter also discussed the process of starting a war and the thought before the war takes place. As with the other book,  I found this author did an excellent job of not just writing facts but, taking us back to the colonial time and helped us understand that time. I do feel that is a sign of a great author.

The American Revolution Reflection

When I was reading this book, I was amazed how the author addressed most if not all learning styles. This book is designed for children even though I found it interesting as an adult. Th pictures were beautiful. I found it to b very engaging by having things to do like Reading letters that they would pull out of envelopes. It was very interactive.  It started by discussing the life of a colonist. I liked how the author wrote the book in a way that the child could understand not just when something happen but gave them a visual to understand the time frame. As the book progressed through the Revolutionary War, it gave interesting facts about people who were involved with the war. For instance, information about Crispus Attucks. I think one of an author's most difficult challenges is keeping the attention of the audience and children need many things to keep their interest like pictures and hands-on activities. I think this book was well done by being informative and interesting.

The American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood

I read the chapter on equality. I guess I find this so interesting because even today we fight with this issue. In a country that is suppose to be open to every one's dreams and goals then why do we have so many levels in society? It is no surprise that coming from an affluent family is an enormous help in reaching your goals. Many have to work much harder than any one else to achieve the same goal. I guess today as well as colonial times, equality is not fair. Even in colnial times when we were in the birth of a new nation, there were exceptions made to equality. I believe this is still an area where our will always have to work on.

US History 1735-1791

As I read the book, A History of US by Joy Hakim, I thought why didn't we make history books like this before. As young person I never liked history. I always thought it was boring. It just seemed like random facts and dates that we were to memorize. It wasn't until college that I realized my love for history. As far as I am concerned that was way too late. We need to provide history in a manner that is interesting as well as informative. Some of the examples from Joy Hakims book was the fact that George Washington had slaves and James Madison was only 27 when he helped write the Virginia Constitution. I also liked how she wrote things from a historical perspective without trying to place her view on others. In order for our students to appreciate and understand history we need to provide them  all aspects. Just because she reported that George Washington had slaves does not imply that he is a bad man. It does, however, explain the time frame and the need for change which many people of that time realized. As educators our job is to inform our students about everything and help them understand how we can learn from the mistakes of others.

I must say I also liked the layout of the book. It was easy to read. The pictures kept your interest. I also liked the maps and time lines. It was laid out in a manner that was easy to follow. We need interesting facts and quality pictures if you want to keep the attention of a 21st Century student.

The Brain and Historical Lessons

There were many things that went through my mind as I read about the differences between the right brain and the left brain. I must say that I found myself thinking more as I read Teaching for Historical Literacy. I must say that presentation to all types of learners is key to a successful lesson. What I worried about more was the fact that so much has been removed from education. Social Studies and Science are being squeezed in and in many schools Art, Music, Physical Education and Library have been removed completely for many school districts. I guess what many are forgetting is that being educated goes beyond just reading, writing and arithmetic. Those are key parts of learning but, it is also our job to create well-rounded students. They need to be able to understand many aspects of the world. If we want our students to be productive in the world they need to understand the world. If our students don't understand the past then they won't understand what needs to be done in the future so those same mistakes are not repeated. 

Culminating Activities

In second grade we needed to read to stories in our reading unit that had a similar topic - vegetables and fruits. So we decided to spice the lesson up by having the students watch and be part of the complete process of growing fruits and vegetables. We started with having the students sprout a lima bean and then grow their own lima bean plant. After we completed that activity we finished the unit by having a vegetable and fruit show and tell day and then a tasting day. On show and tell the students brought one fruit or vegetable to show the classes. They needed to give a few facts about the item. It was a great way for the students to learn about new fruits and vegetables. The tasting day was amazing. I couldn't believe the items that came in and how many students were willing to try new things. I think the most unique was chocolate pudding made with avocados. The unit really showed us how to expand on the lesson and see the benefits of hands on activities.