Gaynell Sones
7th grade Social Studies
Lesson #1
Title: Honoring All Who Served (Veteran&#=
8217;s
Day Lesson)
Description:
November 11, 2006 is
Veteran’s Day. The Soci=
al
Studies Department would like to honor our vets who have served and sacrifi=
ced
for the cause of liberty by having them speak to our students concerning th=
eir
service. The students will be=
asked
to write letters to those veterans who have served our country in war. The veterans will be invited to co=
me and
speak about their military service and experiences in war. The students will use digital came=
ras to
take pictures of the veterans as they speak to the class. The students will write thank you
letters to the veterans after they have visited. Then, the students will create a
newsletter profiling the different veterans who spoke to our class. This newsletter will be distribute=
d to
all students, sent to the veterans, and excerpts will be published in the l=
ocal
newspapers. This lesson follo=
ws the
national social studies framework theme of civic ideals and practices. A go=
od
site for ideas for Veterans Day is ht=
tp://www.va.gov/vetsday.
Technology Activities used:
=
1.&n=
bsp;
TSW use Mic=
rosoft
Word to write invitations and thank you letters to the veterans.
=
2.&n=
bsp;
TSW use dig=
ital
cameras to photograph the veterans.
=
3.&n=
bsp;
TSW create
newsletters on Microsoft Publisher, inserting the photos.
=
4.&n=
bsp;
TSW email
excerpts of the newsletter to local newspapers for publishing.
Lesson #2:
Title: &nb=
sp; Water, Water, Everywhere!!
Description:
The teacher will place
students in groups of five. E=
ach
group will be assigned a river civilization from the following list:
Technology Activities Used:
=
1.&n=
bsp;
TSW research
topics about their river civilization using the following:
http:=
//www.carnegiemuseums.org/cmnh/exhibits/egypt/index.htm
http://www.wsu.edu/~de=
e/ANCCHINA/YELLOW.HTM
h=
ttp://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Ancient/Indus2.html
=
2.&n=
bsp;
TSW create =
five
power point slides containing the information they found about their assign=
ed
topics.
=
3.&n=
bsp;
TSW work wi=
th
their group to compile their individual power point slides into one group p=
ower
point product.
=
4.&n=
bsp;
TSW use the=
Avery
key to connect the classroom computer to the television set to present their
power point presentations to the class.
Lesson
#3
Title: My Hero:
What is a Hero?
Description:
This is a two day les=
son.
Prior to this lesson,=
TSW
learn about Greek and Roman gods and myths. In this lesson TSW be able to desc=
ribe
the characteristics of a hero and recognize the hero in a story. TSW use computers to access the In=
ternet
to find and read stories on the MY HERO website. Information for this lesson was fo=
und at
http://m=
yhero.com/myhero/go/teachersroom/resources.asp
TTW read a selected s=
tory
from the MY HERO website, leading discussion about heroes. TSW use the traveling lab (laptops=
) to
access www.myhero.com to conduct a
scavenger hunt through the site.
TTW provide a list of questions for the scavenger hunt on the class
webpage and TSW search for the answers on the site, filling out the questio=
ns
on the class website as they go along.&nbs=
p;
TSW print out their answers.
This lesson follows the National Social Studies Standard IV of
Individual Development and Identity.
Technology Activities Used:
=
1.&n=
bsp;
TSW find out
about heroes on the MY HERO website using the traveling lab.
=
2.&n=
bsp;
TSW partici=
pate
in a scavenger hunt of the MY HERO site using the laptops.
=
3.&n=
bsp;
TSW use the
classroom printer to print out the answers to the scavenger hunt.
Lesson #4
Title: My Hero:
Who Are Heroes?
Description:
This is a continuatio=
n of the
MY HERO lesson.
In this lesson, TSW b=
e able
to name heroes in their lives and express why those people are heroes to
them. Information for this le=
sson
was found at http://myhero.com/myhero/go/teachersroom/resources.asp
TTW review the
characteristics of a hero and write these on an overhead transparency,
displaying them to the class. TSW
mention any additional characteristics not mentioned.
TSW interview someone=
whom
they consider a hero and exemplifies the traits listed on the overhead. They will video this interview or =
record
this interview on an audiotape. TSW
bring the tape of the interview to class.&=
nbsp;
TSW create a video documentary and an audio documentary of the
videos. TSW write down =
and
submit these interviews for posting on the MY HERO website. TSW create a MY HERO webpage using=
the
CREATE link on the site. This
lesson follows the National Social Studies Standard IV of Individual
Development and Identity.
Technology Activities Used:
=
4.&n=
bsp;
TTW use the
overhead to list the characteristics of a hero.
=
5.&n=
bsp;
TSW intervi=
ew a
hero and video or record them using a camcorder or a tape recorder.
=
6.&n=
bsp;
TSW use the=
VCR
and DVD player to create a video documentary.
=
7.&n=
bsp;
TSW create =
a hero
story on the MY HERO website.
Lesson #5
Title: Museum of the Gods
Description:
After a unit on the G=
reek and
Roman gods, TSW use Microsoft Publisher to create a pamphlet about the gods=
of
Technology Activities Used:
=
1.&n=
bsp;
TSW use cla=
ssroom
computers to create a pamphlet using Microsoft Publisher.
=
2.&n=
bsp;
TTW use the=
rubistar site to create a rubric.
=
3.&n=
bsp;
TSW access =
the
Internet to cut and paste items about the gods into their pamphlets.
=
4.&n=
bsp;
TSW use the
student response system and the Promethean board to complete a quiz about t=
he
gods.