How the hell do I teach sixth grade social studies?
August 16, 2012 11:36 AM Subscribe
How the hell do I teach sixth grade social studies?
This year I'll be teaching sixth grade social studies. The problem is that I have NO IDEA how to do this. The scope and sequence (list of what you do in each unit and how they are ordered) has not yet been published but even beyond that I don't even know where to begin. Last year I had a single second grade class teaching every subject while this year I will have four different sixth grades all doing social studies. Please please please give me advice!
Things I would appreciate:
This year I'll be teaching sixth grade social studies. The problem is that I have NO IDEA how to do this. The scope and sequence (list of what you do in each unit and how they are ordered) has not yet been published but even beyond that I don't even know where to begin. Last year I had a single second grade class teaching every subject while this year I will have four different sixth grades all doing social studies. Please please please give me advice!
Things I would appreciate:
- Suggestions on how to decorate my classroom (specific posters, &c. would be GREAT -- I've googled "sixth grade social studies posters" but that hasn't been very helpful)
- Ideas for general structure -- should every Friday be "writing day"? What should each week look like? How can I structure my overall academic routines? Should every student have a binder or a composition book to hold their materials? Where should we keep those? How should I keep track of participation/grades?
- Ideas for great projects/stuff you really enjoyed when YOU did sixth grade social studies
- Organizational ideas -- if I have different students coming in and out of my room (up to thirty in a class) what's the best way to keep track of all their stuff?
- Any general curricula or outlines you might have -- obviously once I have the scope and sequence I'll plan based on that but for now I don't even know where to begin! There are process standards but so far I don't know the content standards. Do I just pick some civilizations I like and teach about those? What do I actually DO?
We didn't have 6th grade social studies, but we had really, really good 2nd grade social studies--to the extent that I actually recall having 2nd grade social studies. If I were the ruler of the 6th grade social studies world, this is what I think would be good to cover:
Government - overview of how it works from all the way up at the top to all the way down at the most basic community level
Geography - countries, where they are, and how our country works (or doesn't) with them
Religion - some sort of overview of these-are-some-world-religions, please be nice to everybody
Culture - obviously heavily tied in with geography and religion, but this would be a nice opportunity to have the kids share or write about their family traditions
Economics - basic financial competency, maybe explain how businesses work, explain taxes, jobs, what it means to them
History - specifically political, talk about wars, how certain wars got started, how world geography has reorganized based on them
Environment - why it's important to care about the earth
LOCAL stuff and current events - always, always, always as you're teaching these things try to find ways to bring it in to something they can see going on at home and in their community
posted by phunniemee at 11:47 AM on August 16, 2012 [4 favorites]
Government - overview of how it works from all the way up at the top to all the way down at the most basic community level
Geography - countries, where they are, and how our country works (or doesn't) with them
Religion - some sort of overview of these-are-some-world-religions, please be nice to everybody
Culture - obviously heavily tied in with geography and religion, but this would be a nice opportunity to have the kids share or write about their family traditions
Economics - basic financial competency, maybe explain how businesses work, explain taxes, jobs, what it means to them
History - specifically political, talk about wars, how certain wars got started, how world geography has reorganized based on them
Environment - why it's important to care about the earth
LOCAL stuff and current events - always, always, always as you're teaching these things try to find ways to bring it in to something they can see going on at home and in their community
posted by phunniemee at 11:47 AM on August 16, 2012 [4 favorites]
Also, I really see "social studies" as being that catchall course of things that you SHOULD learn in school. Stuff that is useful in the real world. Yes, math is useful, being able to read and write is useful, having a basic understanding of science is useful...but when you're watching the news, those things don't really matter.
Take it as an opportunity to show the kids the world that they live in now and how it got to the place it is, with the goal of helping them understand it, appreciate it, and want to change it for the better.
posted by phunniemee at 11:50 AM on August 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
Take it as an opportunity to show the kids the world that they live in now and how it got to the place it is, with the goal of helping them understand it, appreciate it, and want to change it for the better.
posted by phunniemee at 11:50 AM on August 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
One of the only cool social-studies experiences in my memory was the time we spent in 6th grade specifically learning about the history/geography/government/population of our own town and state. It was neat because by 6th grade, we were starting to have the perspective to understand that different people live in different places, have different histories, etc.; but it was also the last chance to do anything very personalized like that before the broader junior-high-school curriculum kicked in.
I don't remember doing any specific units on local current-events issues or whatever-- just general stuff like government structure, ethnic composition, etc.-- but if there are any interesting developments going on in your area, then I'd imagine researching them/writing about them/possibly getting involved in them could make for an interesting multimedia unit.
posted by Bardolph at 11:50 AM on August 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
I don't remember doing any specific units on local current-events issues or whatever-- just general stuff like government structure, ethnic composition, etc.-- but if there are any interesting developments going on in your area, then I'd imagine researching them/writing about them/possibly getting involved in them could make for an interesting multimedia unit.
posted by Bardolph at 11:50 AM on August 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
Oh sorry, and civil rights. Not just the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s, but how all people (men, women, black, white, gay, straight, atheist, evangelical, poor, wealthy, whatever) deserve equal treatment, respect, and opportunity.
posted by phunniemee at 11:52 AM on August 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by phunniemee at 11:52 AM on August 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks guys -- I think I might not have been clear. I'm looking for specific stuff especially regarding classroom setup, organization, and specific content. I know how to address the subjects once I know what they are and I know what social studies is (and I do have the process standards), I'm just not sure how to structure my class as a whole.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 11:54 AM on August 16, 2012
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 11:54 AM on August 16, 2012
What I remember of 6th grade social studies:
--Lots of maps on the wall
--Maybe some posters like this (How a bill becomes a law) or branches of gov't or those posters with the president's faces and years in order
--Quizzes with outlines of the states where we had to fill in names of states/state capitals (I think we did this regionally, like Western states, Southern states, etc. and Canadian provinces -- maybe also Europe, can't remember)
--I think we did a geography quiz every Friday (as mentioned above)
--We just handled our own materials -- I think most students had a textbook and a folder where we kept our social studies handouts/worksheets/homework
--Also make sure you plan well enough to get through the whole textbook, I managed to make it through high school and college and never once have a lesson on anything later than WWII. (Vietnam, huh?)
posted by jabes at 12:05 PM on August 16, 2012
--Lots of maps on the wall
--Maybe some posters like this (How a bill becomes a law) or branches of gov't or those posters with the president's faces and years in order
--Quizzes with outlines of the states where we had to fill in names of states/state capitals (I think we did this regionally, like Western states, Southern states, etc. and Canadian provinces -- maybe also Europe, can't remember)
--I think we did a geography quiz every Friday (as mentioned above)
--We just handled our own materials -- I think most students had a textbook and a folder where we kept our social studies handouts/worksheets/homework
--Also make sure you plan well enough to get through the whole textbook, I managed to make it through high school and college and never once have a lesson on anything later than WWII. (Vietnam, huh?)
posted by jabes at 12:05 PM on August 16, 2012
Best answer: I can address how to handle Writing Day!
Get those plastic milk crates and some hanging folders. Give each kid a manilla folder. You will give a writing assignment once per week. You will return the assignment, graded to the kid in his/her folder weekly. The first day of class have them identify and decorate their folder. Easy, fun, gives them something to do.
It's up to each kid to get his/her stuff out of the bin. They can do this at the beginning of class, or at the end.
Make this loose leaf. Kids are terrible at keeping track of notebooks, they are heavy if you want to schlep them home to grade them.
I used to LOVE reading social studies books. It's history, sociology, all rolled up into one interesting subject.
Do you have your text book? Structure your lesson plans around that.
If you can, get the kids seated in groups. I had tables in my classroom, but you can make tables out of 4 desks arranged together.
If you have an hour per day, start with a Do Now on the board, referencing the previous day's class and homework. This is something that gets the kids seated and working immediately, it's a daily assignment AND it's easy to grade.
DO NOW Example: , If you lived in 1930, what item that you currently have in your house would you have to live without? What do you think you'd do instead.
I liked to do predictable stuff,
Monday is the day we discuss the unit we're doing for the week. I line up the expectations, discuss the assignments and start the reading.
Tuesday, we do a group activity, building on the reading and homework from the previous day. I liked to use a lot of art supplies, hitting those artistic kids. Perhaps make up a song or anthem (musical), a dance...you get where I'm going with this.
Wednesday, perhaps something from the a/v department. A documentary, some music, something about 30 minutes long, so you have 10 or 15 minutes to lead a discussion about the importance about what was seen.
Thursday, review of the material, presentation from group activity, and a quiz/test.
Friday, writing day. Newspapers in the classroom would be AWESOME for this. First have them start with an essay on a topic relevant to the week's unit/lesson. When that's done, do some work out of the newspaper (schools can ask the local newspaper for a delivery for free, I lived on these things!) I taught English so I could do Cause/Effect until the cows came home, but social studies is perfect. Have them find an article pertaining to something that relates back to the lesson. Civil rights, law, groups, whatever.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:08 PM on August 16, 2012 [3 favorites]
Get those plastic milk crates and some hanging folders. Give each kid a manilla folder. You will give a writing assignment once per week. You will return the assignment, graded to the kid in his/her folder weekly. The first day of class have them identify and decorate their folder. Easy, fun, gives them something to do.
It's up to each kid to get his/her stuff out of the bin. They can do this at the beginning of class, or at the end.
Make this loose leaf. Kids are terrible at keeping track of notebooks, they are heavy if you want to schlep them home to grade them.
I used to LOVE reading social studies books. It's history, sociology, all rolled up into one interesting subject.
Do you have your text book? Structure your lesson plans around that.
If you can, get the kids seated in groups. I had tables in my classroom, but you can make tables out of 4 desks arranged together.
If you have an hour per day, start with a Do Now on the board, referencing the previous day's class and homework. This is something that gets the kids seated and working immediately, it's a daily assignment AND it's easy to grade.
DO NOW Example: , If you lived in 1930, what item that you currently have in your house would you have to live without? What do you think you'd do instead.
I liked to do predictable stuff,
Monday is the day we discuss the unit we're doing for the week. I line up the expectations, discuss the assignments and start the reading.
Tuesday, we do a group activity, building on the reading and homework from the previous day. I liked to use a lot of art supplies, hitting those artistic kids. Perhaps make up a song or anthem (musical), a dance...you get where I'm going with this.
Wednesday, perhaps something from the a/v department. A documentary, some music, something about 30 minutes long, so you have 10 or 15 minutes to lead a discussion about the importance about what was seen.
Thursday, review of the material, presentation from group activity, and a quiz/test.
Friday, writing day. Newspapers in the classroom would be AWESOME for this. First have them start with an essay on a topic relevant to the week's unit/lesson. When that's done, do some work out of the newspaper (schools can ask the local newspaper for a delivery for free, I lived on these things!) I taught English so I could do Cause/Effect until the cows came home, but social studies is perfect. Have them find an article pertaining to something that relates back to the lesson. Civil rights, law, groups, whatever.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:08 PM on August 16, 2012 [3 favorites]
Oh man, my 6th grade social studies course was AMAZING. Sort of combination of study skills for research projects with the history of humanity, touching on the evolutionary development through to Greco-Roman concepts.
Best projects: Design and create something from the Egyptian world, complete with a paper about it. I did Egyptian makeup and jewelry and made various pieces + decked out Barbie and Ken in kohl and linen shoes/outfits.
Greek Day, Sumer Day. Included games, writing tasks, building an irrigation system, making cuneiform tablets, bricks, etc.
Most complicated and fretted-over project that has actually really helped me: creation of a complete timeline to match what we learned. I feel like we did unit-specific ones as well, with pictures and maps. Having to actually create them from memory for tests and identify geographic areas has been a huge boon to understanding not only ancient geography but also modern issues around the Near East.
Math tie-in: worked with math teachers to create grids for drawing and painting figures of Egyptian gods, then recreating those grids for large-scale figures to decorate the cafeteria. This kind of grid design is an interesting bit of Egyptian art design and also a good way of doing multiplication and whatnot.
Study skills: This was immensely helpful later in terms of developing a solid research background and a lot was done in conjunction with our librarians. The internet wasn't really a thing, but we did learn our library's software for looking up titles. How to create index cards with notes. How to create bibliographies. Assessing sources. How to link notes with precise bibliographic details. There are a lot of good online resources now for teaching this kind of thing with respect to online sources.
I would add this: I work with kids a lot in a museum setting, many of them around this age. They have usually done a unit on Egypt by the point they come to the program, and while they rarely remember exact details, they usually LOVE EGYPT. SO MUCH. THEY LOVE MUMMIES SO MUCH. I think this is in part because there is a lot of excellent material for kids on Egypt, but it's also because Egypt is just fascinating. However, they seem to have been introduced to the past in very haphazard ways-- they don't understand the timeline of events, they don't really know the geography, they just have these islands of knowledge. I am obviously biased towards studying civilizations, but if you do, it might be helpful to really work to make connections between them. How does archaeology work? Do the Greeks and the Egyptians overlap? Who does what and where and when? I recently taught a class to sixth-graders about archaeology in general and the Roman Empire, and I tried to really focus on how their world is reflected by the past, and how little things like garbage tell us a lot. I wrote a little about it in this Ask Me and there were some great suggestions. The kids were amazing and had great questions.
Also, museum websites often have great resources for teachers, even if you don't have a local museum or historical society to work with directly. If you would be interested in anything Roman-based, I have a list of books on teaching Greco-Roman periods/engineering to kids that I would be happy to send to you.
posted by jetlagaddict at 12:09 PM on August 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
Best projects: Design and create something from the Egyptian world, complete with a paper about it. I did Egyptian makeup and jewelry and made various pieces + decked out Barbie and Ken in kohl and linen shoes/outfits.
Greek Day, Sumer Day. Included games, writing tasks, building an irrigation system, making cuneiform tablets, bricks, etc.
Most complicated and fretted-over project that has actually really helped me: creation of a complete timeline to match what we learned. I feel like we did unit-specific ones as well, with pictures and maps. Having to actually create them from memory for tests and identify geographic areas has been a huge boon to understanding not only ancient geography but also modern issues around the Near East.
Math tie-in: worked with math teachers to create grids for drawing and painting figures of Egyptian gods, then recreating those grids for large-scale figures to decorate the cafeteria. This kind of grid design is an interesting bit of Egyptian art design and also a good way of doing multiplication and whatnot.
Study skills: This was immensely helpful later in terms of developing a solid research background and a lot was done in conjunction with our librarians. The internet wasn't really a thing, but we did learn our library's software for looking up titles. How to create index cards with notes. How to create bibliographies. Assessing sources. How to link notes with precise bibliographic details. There are a lot of good online resources now for teaching this kind of thing with respect to online sources.
I would add this: I work with kids a lot in a museum setting, many of them around this age. They have usually done a unit on Egypt by the point they come to the program, and while they rarely remember exact details, they usually LOVE EGYPT. SO MUCH. THEY LOVE MUMMIES SO MUCH. I think this is in part because there is a lot of excellent material for kids on Egypt, but it's also because Egypt is just fascinating. However, they seem to have been introduced to the past in very haphazard ways-- they don't understand the timeline of events, they don't really know the geography, they just have these islands of knowledge. I am obviously biased towards studying civilizations, but if you do, it might be helpful to really work to make connections between them. How does archaeology work? Do the Greeks and the Egyptians overlap? Who does what and where and when? I recently taught a class to sixth-graders about archaeology in general and the Roman Empire, and I tried to really focus on how their world is reflected by the past, and how little things like garbage tell us a lot. I wrote a little about it in this Ask Me and there were some great suggestions. The kids were amazing and had great questions.
Also, museum websites often have great resources for teachers, even if you don't have a local museum or historical society to work with directly. If you would be interested in anything Roman-based, I have a list of books on teaching Greco-Roman periods/engineering to kids that I would be happy to send to you.
posted by jetlagaddict at 12:09 PM on August 16, 2012 [2 favorites]
You live in DC, so you are super lucky. The National Geographic Society is there, the Smithsonian is there. They have tons of resources for this stuff for free.
Visual Aids and Lesson Plans:
I'm not an education expert but I suspect that timelines would be a useful visual for the walls of a classroom. Helps give a sense of not only when things happened but where they happened in relation to other things. Ditto maps.
When I was in school and NatGeo still had their ZipUSA feature (profiled a different zipcode each month) one of my teachers structured a unit around us writing our own ZipUSA article about our own zipcode.
posted by Wretch729 at 12:25 PM on August 16, 2012 [3 favorites]
Visual Aids and Lesson Plans:
- I like the What's Up South? world map, just for forcing people to confront their assumptions about the world.
- The National Geographic website has a big education section, look under "mapping" to find huge downloadable maps you can print out and use for free.
- There are more NatGeo resources (including lesson plans!) here, including a section specifically focused on grades 6-8. Or maybe look for a bunch of old NatGeo magazines at a yardsale/used book store/whatever and see if they still have the map poster inserts.
- Smithsonian educators' resources (including lesson plans) here.
- Lots of free stuff for teachers here.
- The USGS has educator resources here.
I'm not an education expert but I suspect that timelines would be a useful visual for the walls of a classroom. Helps give a sense of not only when things happened but where they happened in relation to other things. Ditto maps.
When I was in school and NatGeo still had their ZipUSA feature (profiled a different zipcode each month) one of my teachers structured a unit around us writing our own ZipUSA article about our own zipcode.
posted by Wretch729 at 12:25 PM on August 16, 2012 [3 favorites]
So I've only been a lowly student teacher, but I spent my placement in a middle school classroom of 6th through 8th graders teaching social studies. Here are some of my observations and hints:
Decorations: Hanging world and US map that you can reference as you teach lessons. Otherwise, my teacher just had posters of inspirational leaders, like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Or how about having your students make flags from their countries of origin and hang those around the room? My teacher gave students extra credit for making flags. Oh, and a Word Wall for every unit's vocabulary terms.
Classroom setup: The classroom had a presentation station (overhead projector and laptop) in the middle where the teacher would usually stand, and then desks were arranged in two groups facing the station. Students were mostly responsible for selecting and keeping track of their own materials. If they had worksheet packets, sometimes these were handed out at the start of each class and collected at the end. Social studies classes have a lot of worksheets, I think that it would have been nice to have baskets where students could just throw in their completed worksheets.
Units: It's an election year, so I know that teachers in my school were going to start this year with a unit teaching students about the presidential election. While I was there, we taught units on Africa, the Revolutionary War, the three branches of government, and the Constitution. I think they started the year with Early American History (settlement of 13 colonies). I really liked the Revolutionary War unit because we incorporated a great YA novel about a slave girl's experience during the war. It's called Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson. In past years, my school taught units on Asia, Europe, social justice movements (civil rights).
Structure: Every unit was structured a little differently, especially depending on whether the final assessment would be a project or test. But generally, we'd start the unit with some kind of hook, introduce vocab words, then complete worksheets or sometimes have them take notes on a lecture, watch videos or movies, and have class time to work on projects or review for the unit test.
I feel like I've written a lot, so please feel free to memail me if you need more specifics!
posted by annie_oakley at 12:26 PM on August 16, 2012
Decorations: Hanging world and US map that you can reference as you teach lessons. Otherwise, my teacher just had posters of inspirational leaders, like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Or how about having your students make flags from their countries of origin and hang those around the room? My teacher gave students extra credit for making flags. Oh, and a Word Wall for every unit's vocabulary terms.
Classroom setup: The classroom had a presentation station (overhead projector and laptop) in the middle where the teacher would usually stand, and then desks were arranged in two groups facing the station. Students were mostly responsible for selecting and keeping track of their own materials. If they had worksheet packets, sometimes these were handed out at the start of each class and collected at the end. Social studies classes have a lot of worksheets, I think that it would have been nice to have baskets where students could just throw in their completed worksheets.
Units: It's an election year, so I know that teachers in my school were going to start this year with a unit teaching students about the presidential election. While I was there, we taught units on Africa, the Revolutionary War, the three branches of government, and the Constitution. I think they started the year with Early American History (settlement of 13 colonies). I really liked the Revolutionary War unit because we incorporated a great YA novel about a slave girl's experience during the war. It's called Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson. In past years, my school taught units on Asia, Europe, social justice movements (civil rights).
Structure: Every unit was structured a little differently, especially depending on whether the final assessment would be a project or test. But generally, we'd start the unit with some kind of hook, introduce vocab words, then complete worksheets or sometimes have them take notes on a lecture, watch videos or movies, and have class time to work on projects or review for the unit test.
I feel like I've written a lot, so please feel free to memail me if you need more specifics!
posted by annie_oakley at 12:26 PM on August 16, 2012
OH, also I forgot to add there are some quality Youtube videos out there. Not that Youtube can replace great teaching, but the CrashCourse world history videos John Green is doing or some of the C.G.P Grey videos on less complex topics (What Are Continents would probably work well for 6th graders) are short and fun and good for igniting kids' interest.
posted by Wretch729 at 12:30 PM on August 16, 2012
posted by Wretch729 at 12:30 PM on August 16, 2012
One thing that I loved in my sixth grade social studies class (which was also my primary classroom that year, for all "non-major" subjects) was that the teacher had interesting bulletin boards that were jam-packed with information and a good library in the back of the room. I don't remember if it was every week or every month, but we'd have reading time, when for a few minutes we were allowed to either read from our textbooks at our desks, or read the bulletin boards and then we'd tell the teacher a topic that we'd found and either use the library in the back of the room or go to the school library to find a related book to read during reading time the rest of the week/month.
Now that I think about it, I think a major thrust of the way that class worked was to get us used to the idea of research.
posted by ocherdraco at 12:40 PM on August 16, 2012
Now that I think about it, I think a major thrust of the way that class worked was to get us used to the idea of research.
posted by ocherdraco at 12:40 PM on August 16, 2012
There should be a published curriculum or list of learning outcomes for the course that is published by your province/state/territory. Even if this year's isn't published yet, last years should be almost identical unless the entire course is being over-hauled. You need to use that as your guide, not people on the Internet. As great as any of our examples will be (writing days, current event days, etc), you need to be, in general, following the established curriculum throughout the year. If you aren't sure what that is, you should talk to the school admin. If you are not comfortable doing that, find a mentor teacher or someone experienced in social studies and ask how they plan their course. Using our advice to plan your year is a recipe for trouble.
posted by Nightman at 12:42 PM on August 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Nightman at 12:42 PM on August 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: There should be a published curriculum or list of learning outcomes for the course that is published by your province/state/territory. Even if this year's isn't published yet, last years should be almost identical unless the entire course is being over-hauled.
This is what's happening. I don't yet have access to resources beyond the sixth grade ELA curriculum, the eighth grade social studies curriculum, and the common core social studies standards. Ruthless Bunny's suggestions on how to organize my week are very helpful. I will do my best to be clear: what I really want is
Suggestions on how to organize my room
Suggestions on how to structure a middle-school social studies class
I apologize for my lack of clarity in the question itself. I am finding the situation frustrating and am doing my best with the resources I currently have to prepare as well as possible.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 12:56 PM on August 16, 2012
This is what's happening. I don't yet have access to resources beyond the sixth grade ELA curriculum, the eighth grade social studies curriculum, and the common core social studies standards. Ruthless Bunny's suggestions on how to organize my week are very helpful. I will do my best to be clear: what I really want is
Suggestions on how to organize my room
Suggestions on how to structure a middle-school social studies class
I apologize for my lack of clarity in the question itself. I am finding the situation frustrating and am doing my best with the resources I currently have to prepare as well as possible.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 12:56 PM on August 16, 2012
Ideas for great projects/stuff you really enjoyed when YOU did sixth grade social studies
My 7th grade social studies class was one of the best classes I ever took in middle school, because the format was basically- a week of reading/lectures on a region, followed by a week of class presentations with visual aids. But the awesome part was, the presentations were on WHATEVER YOU WANTED, as long as it was related to the region. I did a project on African poachers with a little diorama; I did one on Australian food; one guy always studied the military; for the units on India and Vietnam, our Indian and Vietnamese classmates just went up and talked about their lives and experiences. It was amazing.
Granted, we were a year older and we were also a 'gifted' class. You might add more structure, etc. But the idea of "hey kids, go research whatever the hell you want and come tell us about it" was just so valuable to all of us. I wish more of school worked that way.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:56 PM on August 16, 2012
My 7th grade social studies class was one of the best classes I ever took in middle school, because the format was basically- a week of reading/lectures on a region, followed by a week of class presentations with visual aids. But the awesome part was, the presentations were on WHATEVER YOU WANTED, as long as it was related to the region. I did a project on African poachers with a little diorama; I did one on Australian food; one guy always studied the military; for the units on India and Vietnam, our Indian and Vietnamese classmates just went up and talked about their lives and experiences. It was amazing.
Granted, we were a year older and we were also a 'gifted' class. You might add more structure, etc. But the idea of "hey kids, go research whatever the hell you want and come tell us about it" was just so valuable to all of us. I wish more of school worked that way.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:56 PM on August 16, 2012
It sounds like you could really benefit from reading Fred Jones' Tools for Teaching and The First Days of School. These books are like bibles, and they both deal in-depth with setting up the classroom. Memail me if you can't find these resources in your local library.
posted by danceswithlight at 1:07 PM on August 16, 2012
posted by danceswithlight at 1:07 PM on August 16, 2012
In my 6th grade social studies class (1998, I believe), the teacher would give handout with photocopy of about 1 square inch of a road map, and we would have to figure out where it had been copied from. No internet, just lots of road maps in the back of the room. The idea was that you could figure it out using interstate numbers, border shapes, straight vs curvy roads, population density etc. I think we would do this at the end of class if we finished the reading early., very free form. I think the first person to find it would get a piece of candy. I was not very good at this but it was still fun.
Also, memorizing a map of Africa is something was asked to learn in 7th grade social studies and never again and it has served me well.
posted by fbo at 1:20 PM on August 16, 2012
Also, memorizing a map of Africa is something was asked to learn in 7th grade social studies and never again and it has served me well.
posted by fbo at 1:20 PM on August 16, 2012
Response by poster: Thank you everyone -- I would especially appreciate concrete suggestions e.g. "here is a link to a poster for your classroom" and "here is a great organizational system for keeping track of student work when you have multiple classes".
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 1:40 PM on August 16, 2012
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 1:40 PM on August 16, 2012
Best answer: My mom did the crates-for-different-classes thing when it came to writing books and the like. 6th grade is right at the boundary where kids start being expected to manage their own stuff; my own teacher made us bring the notebooks for history/whatever on the relevant days, with rewards/penalties for compliance. Realistically, you don't usually use the older work you did all that much (as far as I can remember.)
When my mom taught these grades, she tried to squish people a little bit more towards the front of the room than they "had" to be, and put resources (games, books, etc.) on the back wall. The walls were divided thematically - basically like having maps on one wall, inspirational quotes/photos on one wall, and student work on a third wall. The bigger kids didn't seem to need anything lining the top of the classroom walls (like you do with the alphabet and numbers with little kids) but I personally have been in other middle-school classrooms which lined the walls with the presidents of the US, or flags of either states or nations. Having the students make such decorations is totally an option.
There are lots of bulletin board sets for social studies. I think this phrase "bulletin board set" - will turn up much more useful stuff than "posters" (though these are hilarious.) I also strongly recommend that you search for specific words, like "president" or "geography" instead of "social studies."
I highly recommend that you figure out now how big your large-scale projects can be. It'd actually be really neat if you could have one big project that the four different groups all worked together on (4 classes of 30 kids each should be able to make a very decent paper mache relief map of the US, over the course of a semester.) One of the teachers in my elementary school (which went to sixth grade) had her kids build huge dinosaurs and stuff, but it meant committing early on to an odd arrangement of desks, because it took forever.
posted by SMPA at 2:24 PM on August 16, 2012
When my mom taught these grades, she tried to squish people a little bit more towards the front of the room than they "had" to be, and put resources (games, books, etc.) on the back wall. The walls were divided thematically - basically like having maps on one wall, inspirational quotes/photos on one wall, and student work on a third wall. The bigger kids didn't seem to need anything lining the top of the classroom walls (like you do with the alphabet and numbers with little kids) but I personally have been in other middle-school classrooms which lined the walls with the presidents of the US, or flags of either states or nations. Having the students make such decorations is totally an option.
There are lots of bulletin board sets for social studies. I think this phrase "bulletin board set" - will turn up much more useful stuff than "posters" (though these are hilarious.) I also strongly recommend that you search for specific words, like "president" or "geography" instead of "social studies."
I highly recommend that you figure out now how big your large-scale projects can be. It'd actually be really neat if you could have one big project that the four different groups all worked together on (4 classes of 30 kids each should be able to make a very decent paper mache relief map of the US, over the course of a semester.) One of the teachers in my elementary school (which went to sixth grade) had her kids build huge dinosaurs and stuff, but it meant committing early on to an odd arrangement of desks, because it took forever.
posted by SMPA at 2:24 PM on August 16, 2012
Best answer: I haven't taught middle school, but I've substitute taught a lot of it.
Yes to crates for folders and binders. Subject to your budget, color code as much as you can. It will help the kids keep everything in order. Divide a section of your board into 4 squares, one for each period. In each square write each period's agenda and homework, so you can keep track and so the kids can keep track. When you are planning what your general daily routine will be (bellwork, lecture/reading, group work, etc.) start with the period that's divided by lunch and map that routine onto your other periods. This will help you keep all of your classes together, which is important.
You will want to have an easy way for students to put together and turn in their work. Make a space on your counter with trays of blank paper, staplers/paperclips/etc, and trays or drawers for each period. I'd color code them! Also, drill into them starting on day one that THEY MUST PUT THE PERIOD NUMBER ON THEIR PAPER. It will be so much easier for you once they get it, but as sixth graders they will need tons of reminding. I've seen some teachers also assign each student a number, so like 17-4 would be the 17th kid in your fourth hour class.
Decide where you want to keep text books, if they are shared. I think under the desk is best if you can do it, but a lot of teachers use shelves. A couple teachers I've subbed for have 2-3 students pass out binders and books while the other kids are doing bellwork, which really cuts down on chaos.
Current events are perfect for social studies classes, required or as extra credit. You have a presidential election this year, use it!
posted by that's how you get ants at 4:36 PM on August 16, 2012
Yes to crates for folders and binders. Subject to your budget, color code as much as you can. It will help the kids keep everything in order. Divide a section of your board into 4 squares, one for each period. In each square write each period's agenda and homework, so you can keep track and so the kids can keep track. When you are planning what your general daily routine will be (bellwork, lecture/reading, group work, etc.) start with the period that's divided by lunch and map that routine onto your other periods. This will help you keep all of your classes together, which is important.
You will want to have an easy way for students to put together and turn in their work. Make a space on your counter with trays of blank paper, staplers/paperclips/etc, and trays or drawers for each period. I'd color code them! Also, drill into them starting on day one that THEY MUST PUT THE PERIOD NUMBER ON THEIR PAPER. It will be so much easier for you once they get it, but as sixth graders they will need tons of reminding. I've seen some teachers also assign each student a number, so like 17-4 would be the 17th kid in your fourth hour class.
Decide where you want to keep text books, if they are shared. I think under the desk is best if you can do it, but a lot of teachers use shelves. A couple teachers I've subbed for have 2-3 students pass out binders and books while the other kids are doing bellwork, which really cuts down on chaos.
Current events are perfect for social studies classes, required or as extra credit. You have a presidential election this year, use it!
posted by that's how you get ants at 4:36 PM on August 16, 2012
Although this was an 8th grade civics class, we did short presentations on a local news article - basically read it, get up and tell everyone about it, discuss. I think this happened every week, but the time period could be altered so all kids get the chance to do at least one article throughout the year. I remember having really great discussions about what was going on in our community and how it effected us or how we could respond as kids.
Another thing we did was to have a mock congress where we got to make a couple of classroom rules using the procedure for making a bill law.
Also blank-ish maps of the US that we colored or drew on as we learned about each state and their state animals, mottos, songs etc. This could fall in line with SMPA's suggestion of a large scale project that all four classes could work on, and then could be displayed elsewhere in the school.
My favorite social studies / history teacher used to sell apples between periods. He had one of those corers that clamped to the table and peeled the apples as it cut them into spirals. He also sold cans of pop on Fridays. The money he made went to funding trips and supplies as needed. It also helped him become more approachable than other teachers, or it seemed that way at least.
posted by youngergirl44 at 10:03 PM on August 16, 2012
Another thing we did was to have a mock congress where we got to make a couple of classroom rules using the procedure for making a bill law.
Also blank-ish maps of the US that we colored or drew on as we learned about each state and their state animals, mottos, songs etc. This could fall in line with SMPA's suggestion of a large scale project that all four classes could work on, and then could be displayed elsewhere in the school.
My favorite social studies / history teacher used to sell apples between periods. He had one of those corers that clamped to the table and peeled the apples as it cut them into spirals. He also sold cans of pop on Fridays. The money he made went to funding trips and supplies as needed. It also helped him become more approachable than other teachers, or it seemed that way at least.
posted by youngergirl44 at 10:03 PM on August 16, 2012
Best answer: I teach science but I think a lot of my organizational stuff could be relevant for social studies, as well. 6th graders are just getting to the point where they are starting to organize things for themselves and have textbooks/binders/all sorts of stuff for different classes to keep track of, so the more you can do organizationally to help them, the better.
I have 2 boards in my room, one that I use as a regular board and one that I keep a rotating calendar on. This is really, really helpful for kids that have trouble using a planner...I use different colored markers for different preps and put the due dates of major homework assignments, tests, and quizzes. I use the other half of the board as a list of assignments that need to be kept in their notebooks- they keep a detailed table of contents and any classwork/homework/assignments need to be filed in the proper spot as soon as they get them back. I have the kids switch notebooks once every 2 weeks and grade someone else's notebook, then record the notebook grade. I pick up 3-4 of them from each class and grade them myself to make sure the student grade matches up with my grade- this keeps the kids accountable and I have never had a problem with the grades they give me.
I use the crates and hanging folders as a way to pass back assignments. Each student has a number associated with their name, and each class has a separate crate with numbered folders. I return work into the folders, and it's the students' responsibility to clean out their work. The numbers make it really easy to have other students file the work away...if Susie finishes her assignment early or has a detention, I can give her a stack of papers and she can file them away for me. I almost never file away my own papers. I write the grade at the bottom of each paper and fold the bottom up so it can't be seen to avoid any privacy concerns, doesn't take any extra time.
I give my students a bell-ringer at the beginning of every class. By the time the bell rings, they must be seated in their seat working and their homework must be sitting in the middle of their table group (groups of 3, usually). They have a half sheet that they have to fill out if they don't have their assignment saying why they didn't and with a signature, so that none of them can tell me that I lost an assignment they turned in. It's very easy for me to take attendance this way- I walk around to each group and make sure that I'm getting 3 sheets of paper from each group, and if not it's easy to identify who isn't there.
Also, students LOVE classrooms that are personalized, even in middle and high school. Instead of buying/printing out generic posters, have your kids create the decorations for the room. One of the first activities we do every year is making lab safety posters, and the students love decorating them and seeing them up in the room. I obviously don't have enough space to display 150 posters, so I put up 30ish at a time and rotate them throughout the year- it amazes me how excited my freshmen get to come into the room and see their stuff on the walls, even as they try to play it off. We also work on a lot of foldables and posters throughout the year, which all go up on the wall. It's a little crazy looking by the end of the year, but students really do put more work into assignments if they know they'll be hung up for everyone to see.
I think the hardest thing about teaching multiple classes is getting used to the sheer volume of STUFF that comes from having that many students. Get your organizational strategies in place NOW or you'll be overwhelmed really quickly. Most of my organizational tendencies take almost no time to implement but save me a ton of time- I spend maybe 5 minutes on my calendar every week but it saves me from students constantly asking me when assignments are do/complaining about tests and quizzes/asking about tests and quizzes. The little bit of time I spend filing saves me from 10 minutes of passing back papers every period.
Good luck! I've done some subbing and student teaching in elementary schools and it's radically different from middle school, but middle schoolers are a ton of fun and I love having multiple classes every day.
posted by kro at 5:53 AM on August 17, 2012
I have 2 boards in my room, one that I use as a regular board and one that I keep a rotating calendar on. This is really, really helpful for kids that have trouble using a planner...I use different colored markers for different preps and put the due dates of major homework assignments, tests, and quizzes. I use the other half of the board as a list of assignments that need to be kept in their notebooks- they keep a detailed table of contents and any classwork/homework/assignments need to be filed in the proper spot as soon as they get them back. I have the kids switch notebooks once every 2 weeks and grade someone else's notebook, then record the notebook grade. I pick up 3-4 of them from each class and grade them myself to make sure the student grade matches up with my grade- this keeps the kids accountable and I have never had a problem with the grades they give me.
I use the crates and hanging folders as a way to pass back assignments. Each student has a number associated with their name, and each class has a separate crate with numbered folders. I return work into the folders, and it's the students' responsibility to clean out their work. The numbers make it really easy to have other students file the work away...if Susie finishes her assignment early or has a detention, I can give her a stack of papers and she can file them away for me. I almost never file away my own papers. I write the grade at the bottom of each paper and fold the bottom up so it can't be seen to avoid any privacy concerns, doesn't take any extra time.
I give my students a bell-ringer at the beginning of every class. By the time the bell rings, they must be seated in their seat working and their homework must be sitting in the middle of their table group (groups of 3, usually). They have a half sheet that they have to fill out if they don't have their assignment saying why they didn't and with a signature, so that none of them can tell me that I lost an assignment they turned in. It's very easy for me to take attendance this way- I walk around to each group and make sure that I'm getting 3 sheets of paper from each group, and if not it's easy to identify who isn't there.
Also, students LOVE classrooms that are personalized, even in middle and high school. Instead of buying/printing out generic posters, have your kids create the decorations for the room. One of the first activities we do every year is making lab safety posters, and the students love decorating them and seeing them up in the room. I obviously don't have enough space to display 150 posters, so I put up 30ish at a time and rotate them throughout the year- it amazes me how excited my freshmen get to come into the room and see their stuff on the walls, even as they try to play it off. We also work on a lot of foldables and posters throughout the year, which all go up on the wall. It's a little crazy looking by the end of the year, but students really do put more work into assignments if they know they'll be hung up for everyone to see.
I think the hardest thing about teaching multiple classes is getting used to the sheer volume of STUFF that comes from having that many students. Get your organizational strategies in place NOW or you'll be overwhelmed really quickly. Most of my organizational tendencies take almost no time to implement but save me a ton of time- I spend maybe 5 minutes on my calendar every week but it saves me from students constantly asking me when assignments are do/complaining about tests and quizzes/asking about tests and quizzes. The little bit of time I spend filing saves me from 10 minutes of passing back papers every period.
Good luck! I've done some subbing and student teaching in elementary schools and it's radically different from middle school, but middle schoolers are a ton of fun and I love having multiple classes every day.
posted by kro at 5:53 AM on August 17, 2012
Yes, maps maps maps, as well as charts and graphs and tons of visual aids. I swear these kids can hardly make sense of the written word. Teach them how to read a graph, please, as well as how graphs can distort reality.
Have them map everything, from the rooms in the White House to their town and capitol city--where's the courthouse, the chamber of commerce, the gym, etc. There's a website that illustrates how big Africa is compared to the other continents of the world that I'm sure you could take a printout from. Please teach them that Africa is diverse, and there are many different countries with differing world views and governing systems, not just one amorphous thing called Africa. Make sure they really understand different governments, how they work and why they're both good and bad, in theory and in practice. Google free maps for teachers and free stuff for teachers. Here's one resource: Maps in the mail. Try free.ed.gov/ under US and world studies for freebies. Give your kids plenty of art materials and have them make their own posters and put them up as visuals. There's nothing to make a kid prouder, plus you can rotate your wall coverings and kids keep looking at the immediate subject material. Oh, having the kids watch gaspricewatch.com and their local power company's website, and keep a poster graph on the wall. Talk about energy price drives our country's politics.
Heres another one Try travel agencies in your town and online for posters for added color.
posted by BlueHorse at 11:17 AM on August 17, 2012
Have them map everything, from the rooms in the White House to their town and capitol city--where's the courthouse, the chamber of commerce, the gym, etc. There's a website that illustrates how big Africa is compared to the other continents of the world that I'm sure you could take a printout from. Please teach them that Africa is diverse, and there are many different countries with differing world views and governing systems, not just one amorphous thing called Africa. Make sure they really understand different governments, how they work and why they're both good and bad, in theory and in practice. Google free maps for teachers and free stuff for teachers. Here's one resource: Maps in the mail. Try free.ed.gov/ under US and world studies for freebies. Give your kids plenty of art materials and have them make their own posters and put them up as visuals. There's nothing to make a kid prouder, plus you can rotate your wall coverings and kids keep looking at the immediate subject material. Oh, having the kids watch gaspricewatch.com and their local power company's website, and keep a poster graph on the wall. Talk about energy price drives our country's politics.
Heres another one Try travel agencies in your town and online for posters for added color.
posted by BlueHorse at 11:17 AM on August 17, 2012
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posted by Rock Steady at 11:46 AM on August 16, 2012 [6 favorites]