Civil War Traveling Trunk Inspires Learning

Traveling Trunk from Civil War Trust

There's nothing quite like engaging students in a lesson by building suspense. When our secretary came into the classroom wheeling behind her a 3' by 2' by 2' heavy plastic trunk you could hear a pin drop.  Immediately the questions started flying.  "What's in there?" "Where did it come from?" "Who sent it?"   "Is a blanket inside?" "Is it an animal?" "Are you going to open it now?"

Honestly, I wasn't sure where it was from or what was in the trunk either!   Checking out the label showed it was from the Civil War Trust.  I then remembered signing up during the summertime to receive the "Traveling Trunk"!

Opening the trunk with the students was so much fun!  The kids all gathered around as I popped it open.  The item sitting right on top was a replica uniform jacket made of wool with a matching hat.  Other items included a woman's apron and bonnet, a Union belt buckle, a container of real cotton, hardtack, replica bullets, confederate money, united states money, flags, a rag doll, and many other interesting items.

Dressing in Period Clothing

The most exciting and talked about artifact was the soldier's haversack.  Inside this antique backpack were replicas of contents carried by soldiers.  These included a comb, a wooden toothbrush, a prayerbook, a deck of cards, a tin cup & a fork, knife, spoon combined utensil.  There was a sewing kit, canteen and bowl as well as some coffee and sugar/salt.

Tin Cup & Salt from the Haversack

The Traveling Trunk also supplied a spiral bound curriculum for elementary, middle school and high school levels.  Included in the curriculum are objectives, lesson plans & worksheets.  Accompanying Powerpoints can be accessed from the Civil War Trust  (download here).  The elementary program is comprehensive and geared more for upper elementary. There are 9 lessons which are meant to be taught in 40-50 minute increments.  My class was able to get to about 3 of the lessons while the trunk was in our possession.  Fortunately, we can access the rest of them through the Trust at the above link.  

Haversack Replica

Using the contents of this trunk, my students have a greater understanding of the Civil War.  Hoping to sign up again next year (this time I'll know to allot more time for lessons!).

Thank you to the Civil War Trust for providing this fantastic resource!




 Pictures edited at Befunky.com

Skype in the Classroom - Connecting "Across the Pond"

"Picture a large can. Just before you kick it, your toe pops out of the front of your shoe to "peek" at the can. Can = Kansas. Toe + peek = Topeka. The capital city and state is Topeka, Kansas!" This Mnemonic device paired with a hand drawn picture was used to help instruct students in the United Kingdom who were studying the states and capitals of the USA.  (Here is the list of mnemonic states & capitals we used from mrsjonesroom.com)

Right before the holiday break, my grade 4 classroom connected via Skype with Mrs. Stone's class across "the Pond" just outside London, England. Each class was placed in three groups. Using 2 iPads and a laptop, the classes were able to connect simultaneously through Skype (we used 3 different accounts).  Each student in my class shared a state and capital with their overseas counterparts.  Visuals that further depicted the statement were displayed.  Mrs. Stone's students took notes and asked questions about the state and capital.

This month the learning/sharing will be reversed as Mrs. Stone's American students in the UK will teach the my students the remaining states & capitals using the same format.

A third connection is planned where the students in the UK will shared geographical information about Great Britain such as borders, climate, bodies of water, resources, landforms, major cities, famous people, attractions and animals found in nature.

Using video conferencing tools in our schools with programs such as Skype or Google Hangouts changes the way our students learn and helps them become Global Learners.

(pictures edited using befunky.com underpainting)

National Geographic Bee Competition

Our School Winner!

From November 12, 2012 to January 15, 2013 schools all across the nation are participating in the National Geographic Bee.  The Bee which has been in existence since 1989 challenges students in grades 4 - 8 on the geography of the world.  Participating schools hold Preliminary Rounds with all students and then conduct a Final Round with up to 10 finalists.  The 10 finalists compete until a School Champion is determined.

The School Champion then goes on to take a 60 question multiple choice test for entry into the State Level Competition.  The top 100 scorers compete for entry to the National Level Bee.

Questions for the Bee are rather tough.   Some are multiple choice and some are not. (Final round questions are NOT multiple choice and students must provide answers.) Some examples:

• Which state is a part of the Delmarva Peninsula? Virginia/Maryland/Georgia
• Which agent of erosion is primarily responsible for creating limestone caves?
• Angkor Wat and Cappadocia are World Heritage sites found on which continent?
• Which of the following countries has the longest coastline? Iraq/Iran/Kuwait

Our school has registered to compete in the Bee for over 15 years and yesterday the students in the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classes watched as four 5th grader Class Champions and four 4th grade Class Champions competed for the title: School Champion.  After several rounds the group of eight was whittled down to three who competed in the Championship Round until we finally have a School Winner!

Registration for participation occurs in October.  Make sure you check out the National Geographic site for information.  

Other Resources:

• Frequently Asked Questions - National Geographic Bee
• Collections to Practice/Prepare with Students  - National Geographic Bee Education
  
• Preparing for the Geo Bee - About.com 
• Study Guide - Teachtopia.com

Does your school participate?

"Shared" Field Trip Using Edmodo!

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While on Twitter one evening I mentioned to a fellow fourth grade teacher that my class was traveling to Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, MA  to learn more about the Pilgrims and Wampanoags. 

She tweeted back:  “Jealous!” 

As she is located in Indiana it made me sad to think that she and her class would never, in all likelihood, get to experience this amazing ‘living’ museum, and that’s when my “Shared Field Trip” using Edmodo was born!  

As I’m a new Edmodo user I have been looking for ways to seamlessly incorporate it into my daily lessons.  Being able to connect and collaborate on projects with classrooms around the globe makes this a valuable real world tool.  Knowing that many of my Twitter PLN also use Edmodo made me think that this would be an effective way to share our trip.

How it worked:

·      Created an Edmodo Group and Tweeted the “request to join” URL a day or two before the trip

·      Students/Classes joined the Plimoth Plantation Field Trip Group

·      Links to set prior knowledge were shared to the Group

·      Groups brainstormed and asked questions about Pilgrims/Wampanoags

·      2 iPads were utilized on the field trip to retrieve/respond to the groups’ inquiries

·      Further responses were made upon our return to our classroom.

Helpful Hints:

Screen Shot of Edmodo Page

·      Group code or “request to join” URL Code should be sent out well in advance (a week or more)

·      Questions should be made known before leaving for the trip

·      Upload Video & audio links from the trip

·      Decide ahead if it “shared field trip” will be in ‘real time’

·      Check for Wifi connections before arrival

·      Try to use more than one device

Benefits:

·      Motivating for students

·      Makes trip even more interactive

·      Gives students greater purpose

·      Many students/groups benefit from shared knowledge

·      Connecting and Collaborating Globally

Truly my students were more motivated knowing their counterparts in the Group wanted information.  It became important for them to inquire for the ‘group’ as they realized this was a way to help the students in the far away classes.   Each one of my students wanted to be able to respond and be a part of the learning.   I heard from the other teachers in the group that their students were just as excited to receive answers from us, thereby extending the learning for all.  

In May we will be going to the Museum of Fine Arts and I know Edmodo will be right there with us! 

Resources:

Edmodo

Ideas for Using Edmodo

The First Thanksgiving

Cybraryman: Thanksgiving Page

 

Mock Presidential Election

Every four years the students at our school are treated to a Mock Presidential Election.  This year the Fourth Graders were in charge of "manning the polls".  

 In preparation of the day, students created Obama/Romney posters that were to adorn the walls of the school or to be held by the campaigners during voting hours.   

Students at the "check in" table were given class lists and conducted the check in just like it would be done  an actual election. Instead of "Street Name", the poll worker asked "Teacher's Name", then Student Name.   The child's name was crossed off the voting list. 

Checking In

Next, voters were handed a ballot and then directed to the polling booths (desks with privacy screens).  

Voting in the Booth

After choosing their candidate, the voter proceeded to the "check out" station. 

Checking Out

The most exciting moment came when the ballots were entered into the antique ballot box, which was actually used for the town's Precinct 6 many, many years ago.  As each ballot was entered, poll workers cranked the handle.  As the ballot dropped into the box a  distinctive "ding" alerted all that the ballot was officially entered!  

Ballot being Counted!

At the end of the day, Poll workers tabulated the results.  A total of 458 students and staff participated in today's event.  

The final results announced at the end of the day:
264 votes for President Barak Obama and 
221 votes for Mitt Romney    
  
Our results were then added to the KidVote Result Google Doc.  Schools from all 50 states are sending in their class/school results. We will review the information at the end of the week to compare our class/school with the rest of the United States. 

This 'election' experience has given the students a better understanding of events that take place at the this special time of the year.  Hoping that this experience will remain with them not only for the next four years but for many years to come!