I would love for you to join our exclusive Facebook group just for 5th grade social studies teachers! Our community is helpful and supportive. You’ll get lots of great ideas and tips, promise! Follow this link to join the group. Be sure to answer the 2 quick membership questions! If you’d like to keep this post for later, simply save this pin to your teacher Pinterest board! The post 5th Grade Social Studies Facebook Group appeared first on Thrive in Grade Five ..read more

There’s so much going on in the world right now. We could spend entire class periods going over current events and relating news stories to students’ lives. However, most upper elementary teachers don’t have a ton of time to discuss current events. So, I’ve created three awesome, quick sources to help you give students an overview of the big news stories around the world. These sources are ones that I’ve used in my classroom at one time or another. I usually don’t stick with just one source because I like to bounce around and see which one offers the best current event coverage in the little t ..read more

History Book Clubs are a fantastic way to get your students reading and engaging with history! Do you love teaching history? Do you try to integrate history into your reading block? If yes, I have a stellar idea for you! I started using Literature Circles during my reading block several years ago. My circles worked well and helped to give my students some ownership in their reading. As a plus, students were discussing what they’d read and I noticed they were digging deeper into their books. One Saturday morning, I was at a Scholastic Warehouse Sale and I discovered a full shelf of history-base ..read more

The 17th Century Salem Witch Trials are not in my state’s curriculum. However, I have found that teaching about this unfortunate time gives students insight into the strict, oppressive beliefs of the Puritans. Most people are aware of the Salem Witch Trials that took place in Massachusetts from 1692 to 1693. We’ve all heard the stories of the numerous people accused of witchcraft. Although many men, women, and children were suspected of witchcraft, we know that there was nothing evil going on. Everyone watched their neighbors and acquaintances with suspicion. Even small actions could lead to a ..read more

Do you speak meme? Our students certainly do! I find myself browsing memes more often than I should. I even have a small (but growing) stash of them saved on my phone. A meme is defined as a cultural item in the form of an image, video, phrase, etc., that is spread via the Internet and often altered in a creative or humorous way. My students LOVE creating and sharing memes. So, I started to consider how I could bring meme-making into my classroom in a meaningful, educational way. One day, I was browsing Facebook and saw a short video, obviously made by high school students, making fun of Parli ..read more

Combine Literacy and Social Studies in a Meaningful Way! Biography deep dives are an engaging way to quickly introduce a historical person and allow students to sharpen their online investigation skills. My students love learning about the interesting historical people and events that shaped our nation but will never show up in a history textbook. One of my favorite historical ladies to introduce during my American Revolution unit is Lucy Knox! This is an example of my introduction to students: Have you heard of Lucy Knox? If you haven’t, you’re not alone. Mrs. Lucy Knox is a lesser-known, but ..read more

If you’ve visited my blog, you know that social studies is my first love. With that being said, I also enjoy teaching writing and I’m constantly looking for ways to combine writing and social studies. I’ve created some fantastic journal prompts over the years that led to engaging discussions among my students. However, I often failed to write them down and I forgot them by the next year. So, this blog post was born. I will add journal prompts to this post periodically, so be sure to check back. If you scroll to the end, you’ll be able to grab a pdf copy of my 50 favorite social studies journal ..read more

I grew up mostly in Oklahoma and I’ve always lived around Native people and influences. My precious grandma told colorful stories of her family’s interactions with Native Americans in the early to mid 1900’s. Her family lived in rural Oklahoma and had multiple encounters with Native Americans, many of them negative. It was clear from her stories that there was no understanding between them. Something I’ve noticed is that most states have standards requiring students to learn about Native Americans, both pre-contact cultures and modern citizens. However, there’s not much guidance for teachers o ..read more

Having a little time at the end of class is something my students look forward to because they have an opportunity to do fun five minute social studies activities. If you find yourself with a few extra minutes of class, you definitely don’t want students to have a free-for-all! That’s a classroom management nightmare. ? Use those precious extra minutes for purposeful, engaging review! Idea #1: Mix ‘n Match Vocabulary No copies needed… Just use the whiteboard! Write three vocabulary words or words important to the lesson on the whiteboard. Then, write three words/short phrases that relate to th ..read more

If you’ve been looking for guidance on how to teach the Lost Colony of Roanoke, I’ve got a helpful teacher’s guide for you! In this guide, you’ll find background information for teachers, a pacing guide, and my best tips/resources for teaching the Lost Colony. You may save this guide in your Google Drive or you may download a PDF version to keep on your desktop. If you’d like to keep this blog post for later, simply save this image to your teacher Pinterest board! The post How to Teach the Lost Colony of Roanoke – A Guide for Teachers appeared first on Thrive in Grade Five ..read more