Social Studies
Authentic Experiences
The world is filled with fascinating places to be explored, cultures to be understood and captivating people to be met. I see social studies as a constant pursuit of understanding for why people do the things they do and how societies have benefited their people. Both the past and present can provide us with rich opportunities to learn, where the best experiences are the ones from real life, and if that can’t be done, then we fill in the rest with simulations, drama and technology.
We ran a living museum where students became experts on famous world leaders, dressed their part, and were ready to explain and maybe even act out their social impact on history. The whole school attended.
Simulations & Activities
A Columbian Exchange activity where the students became representatives from different countries and made trades with each other. The activity was focused on the ideas of supply,demand and conflict.
Hands On Experiences
Here we jumped back to 1776 to write our own Declarations of Independence. We made improvements where we saw fit and then dipped them in tea and displayed them for the school.
Exploring Diversity
The students gave presentations on their home cultures and to make the experience more memorable, they dressed up in clothes from their country and brought in traditional foods.
Effects of History
Here we studied the ancient civilizations of the Maya, Aztec and Inca, but more importantly, we focused on their influence on South American life.
