It has always been my dream to be a teacher. When I was ten years old, I began an in-home preschool for my younger brother and all his stuffed animals. I literally typed out lesson plans for each subject and placed them inside color-coded folders. I was all about it!
And while my typed lessons mostly stay in my digital planbook online now... not much else has changed. I still spend my summers writing curriculum.
This summer I was excited to bring to fruition an idea I had been noodling on for several months of the past school year. After four years of teaching Idaho History for our social studies lessons, I've developed many simulations and games that engage students in rich content. Year after year, students tell me these activities are some of their best memories from fourth grade.
So for the past two months, I have been compiling all of these great ideas into one beautiful bundle of 18 lessons that tie together for a year of wonderful learning. I can't wait to begin using them with my new students!
Each lesson begins with a postcard. I plan to divide up my class list and write a few students' names on each postcard as we progress throughout the year. The postcard introduces the topic and makes for a great bulletin board display! I'm excited for students to look back on past postcards and remember what we have discussed throughout the year.
Next, students can read and write about the topic of study. The engagement really kicks in with the projects, games, and simulations. What decisions would you have made if you were part of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery? Do you have what it takes to travel the Oregon Trail? What could be better when learning about the gold rush than panning for gold in a Battleship-style PowerPoint game? How do supply, demand, and shortages affect the economy in a simulated pizzeria assembly line? There are so many great things to learn about when studying the history of Idaho. #idahohistory
Finally, the fun continues as students finish each lesson with a mystery. After participating in reading and math mysteries with my students, I wanted to create some of my own escape-room style puzzles. A variety of mysteries require students to answer questions about the social studies topic, solve mazes, word searches, crossword puzzles, and more. Then, they input the codes into Google Forms to check their work. If they succeed, they can color in a mystery badge! I'm looking forward to filling in each badge on our Idaho map this school year.
If you teach 4th grade social studies and want to save loads of hours in lesson prep... check out this fantastic bundle!
What an amazing and fun idea to engage your students. Do you have similar lesson plans for
other states?