Project Presentations - Slice of Life

In my fifth grade social studies class, students have been working on researching a variety of topics related to Westward Expansion. The students worked in pairs based on their topic of interest. Today, groups presented on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Trail of Tears. The kids did such a great job. The group that presented on the Louisiana Purchase wrote a readers theater script that the class performed today. They included information about Madison, Livingston, Jefferson and Napoleon, how the negotiations took place, how the country changed because of the acquired land, and the effects on expanding westward. The class loved performing the reader's theater. The second group presented on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the creation of the Corps of Discovery, background information on Lewis and Clark. They informed us about the interactions with the Native Americans, the important stopping points along the way, as well as information about some of the flora and fauna they discovered, like the Lewis woodpecker. The last group that presented today taught us about the Trail of Tears. This group wrote letters from varying points of view, such as Native American children and mothers, as well as from Andrew Jackson. They did a great job including relevant information use in a persuasive form, especially when they wrote to Jackson. The class really felt for the Native Americans and their enormous loss.

As I've implemented project work in my social studies classes this year, I have discovered that with each project my students delve deeper into their chosen topic. They have become more curious, gotten better at questioning, developed their research and note-taking skills, and used more creativity in their presentations. I am looking forward to tomorrow's presentations!

My Kiddos Did Me Proud! #SOL16

You know that feeling when your kids just make you proud? Yesterday was one of those days for me. My Slice yesterday was all about the excitement of our field trip. We went to a place called American Village where there are interactive activities relating to the American Revolution. My kiddos did not disappoint.  Although we covered the topics related to this in January, they remembered everything. (Hooray!)

We began the visit on the Courthouse steps, where the "colonists" reacted to the new stamp master that arrived in town and chanted "no taxation without representation" in response to the Stamp Act. Afterwards, students visited Mount Vernon and learned how to dance appropriately for the time period. We moved from Mt. Vernon to a secret meeting in a tavern where General Gage's wife brought a secret message letting us know of the Redcoats' plan to take the armory in Concord. We debated whether we could trust her to be telling the truth since she was General Gage's wife. We then delivered the message to Paul Revere's wife, who was to get the message to her husband. Once the message was delivered, we attended the convention where Patrick Henry and others declared reasons for the colonists to declare independence. Here the students participated in a debate as Loyalists, Patriots, and Neutralists, giving reasons for and against independence. Finally, a vote to declare independence was taken. We visited the encampment, where we learned how to load a musket and march correctly. Finally, we went to Constitutional Convention, where a variety of plans, such as the Virginia and New Jersey Plans, were discussed and compromises were adopted. 

My students participated in all the activities and re-enactments that were available. They were knowledgeable and were able to add to discussion in every area we visited. They had a great time and I feel this was such a worthwhile field trip where they were able to deepen their understanding of the importance of actions taken in our history to gain independence and create a government that would protect our liberties.