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Happy Birthday Jackie Robinson!

1/31/2015

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For as long as I can remember in my teaching career, I have enjoyed quality children's literature.  This is still one of my greatest joys and an argument for why we need to be teaching history to young students.  History is one GIANT collection of amazing stories and how easy it is to discuss character, setting, problem, solution and sequence of events.  I say this now more than ever!  The fabulous books on Jackie Robinson are no exception and the diversity of formats is wide.

Below is a Youtube link to my favorite Jackie Robinson book.  It is written by his daughter, Sharon, and illustrated by the talented Kadir Nelson. Enjoy!
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The Jackie Robinson image above is featured in my History Calendar product on TPT.
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Happy Birthday FDR!

1/30/2015

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If you have not discovered the Time For Kids Biography series of books, take the time to check them out!  There are over a dozen titles easily found on Amazon or the book store. As research shows that students need to be reading 50 percent non-fiction text, these books offer valuable information in a highly engaging layout including many text features. Additionally, for those schools that participate in the Accelerated Reader program, the book has a corresponding quiz.  I often use these books on the document camera to highlight important tidbits that we are focusing on.  
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NOTE: The FDR image above is from my History Calendar packet found on TPT.
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Happy Birthday Dolly Parton!

1/19/2015

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As I have written before, I grew up listening to country music with my dad as a square dance caller.  A little over a year ago, I came across a copy of the book "Coat of Many Colors" by Dolly Parton.  At the same time, I acquired a copy of "Good Night Tennessee," part of the Good Night Our World series.  As these two books came into my library, I started reading more and then listening to the many songs written by Dolly over her amazing career.  

As an adult, I listened to the lyrics with an entire new perspective. Having gone through immense training on primary sources, her lyrics are such a storytelling gem.  I also came across her DVD from her live concert in London from 2008.  This clip below doesn't do her story justice (even though I can listen to the song over and over).  Dolly's lead in story speaks about the love she felt in her family despite the fact that the roof leaked, there could be a lack of food, her father worked endless hours and her mother was busy raising 12 children.

What makes me even more appreciative of her is her dedication to early childhood education.  Years ago, she started the Imagination Library to supply children with books from birth to age 5 so that they are ready for Kindergarten.  Her father never had the opportunity to learn how to read and she is very proud that her father lived to see her start the Imagination Library.  Kids fondly call her the "book lady." 

I love reading the "Coat of Many Colors" to my students. We spend time reading the book and then writing about their own small moments.  Today we celebrated her birthday as we learned about Tennessee.  

Happy birthday to an amazing woman and great role model!
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Happy Birthday Ben Franklin!

1/17/2015

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If you are a history teacher and have not heard of the courses offered through NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities), I highly encourage you to look the program up (see link above). Opportunities for a wide variety of topics in American history are available.  I had the good fortune to be accepted as a participant and study Benjamin Franklin for an entire week in his town, Philadelphia. The week brought educators from across the country together to learn about this amazing man and bring that back to our own classrooms.  This week changed me as a teacher.  The panel of experts that shared with us and the presentation of primary sources gave me a new appreciation of how important teaching social studies truly is.  The group of cohort teachers continues to amaze me over four years later as many of us have kept in touch.


To this day, I LOVE teaching about Ben to my first graders.  I have developed activities looking at primary sources for Ben including his invention of bifocals, political cartoons and the Declaration of Independence.  I combine these with photographs of Moffat and utilize the large collection of children's books available to bring him alive in the classroom.  The kids love it!  


Please take the time to look at the attached links.  I have included some of the resources available on Teachers Pay Teachers.  Don't forget to look up the classes offered this summer through NEH.   
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Special thanks to George and Carol for an amazing week!

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Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday!

1/15/2015

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On this date...Teddy Roosevelt uses the Antiquities Act to declare the Grand Canyon as a National Monument

1/11/2015

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Teddy Roosevelt first visited the Grand Canyon area in May 1903 on his first trip to Arizona. He was on a rigorous tour of the west stopping to give speeches along the way.  His awe of the natural wonder of the Grand Canyon is evident in this quote and he encourages the caretakers to leave it as it is for "our children's children."  

I personally have very vague memories and no personal photos of the Grand Canyon as I made a brief stop there in high school on a school band trip driving to California.  Needless to say, the beauty and wonder of the park was incredibly wasted on a teenager.  Visiting it again is high on my bucket list (although it also competes with Yellowstone)!  

The NPS Grand Canyon website is full of resources for teachers. Traveling trunks are available as well as written lesson plans.  Below you will even find a Youtube clip done in partnership with Sesame Street. 

I personally love using the book "Whose Tail On The Trail Grand Canyon" when we learn about it.  The kids love the rhyming and predictable text and it can serve as a great lesson on adjectives or as a writing prompt.
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Amazon: Whose Tail On The Trail Grand Canyon
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Happy 80th Birthday to Elvis!!!

1/8/2015

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This is one of my favorite Moffat pictures!  This very kid-friendly Elvis impersonator was of course seen in Las Vegas.  I love studying Elvis Presley through geography.  We talk about him while studying Nevada in the fall and then again in January while we study Mississippi and Tennessee.  He is one of those American icons that you learn about sooner than later and why not learn geography at the same time!

The kids have a great time. We read Ten Little Elvi, eat peanut butter banana sandwiches, wear Elvis glasses and sideburns and paint "The Gates of Graceland."
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    Christy Howard
    Author

    Passionate about photography, travel and teaching social studies to young learners.

    TeachersPayTeachers

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