It’s Thursday, December 5, 2019, and time for Social Sciences. As I prepare Charlie’s lessons I wanted to share the following Recommended Websites: with you. If you have used them leave me a comment and let me know what you liked or disliked about them and why.
Age Range: 8-13 (Grades 3-8, with parental supervision) The Antarctic Treaty was signed on December 1, 1959 assuring peaceful use of the continent by all nations. At this website by the Australian Antarctic Division, you can access free lessons about Antarctica to stimulate interest in Social Studies, Science, and Math through real world applications.
When you get to the site you can choose the grade level on the left side of the screen, or pick a topic from the right side. Since we review Social Studies topics on Thursdays, we looked at Geography, History, and Humanities and Social Sciences. Some of the topics include:
- Antarctica: Twilight zone
- Living in Antarctica
- Who owns Antarctica?
- Traveling to Antarctica in the 20th century
- Naming the new icebreaker
Click on any topic and a new page opens with a series of lessons about it. The lessons include links to pictures, videos, downloadable PDFs, illustrations, and more. There is so much to learn here about Antarctica!
Recommended Website:
Thanksgiving Interactive: You are the Historian
Age Range: 6-13 (Grades 1-8, with parental supervision) Interested in learning about the history of Thanksgiving? Look no further than this award-winning website produced by Plimoth Plantation (the spelling is correct). Here, kids and their families can discover what really happened at the first Thanksgiving and separate the myths from the facts.
When you get to the site you will see a brief introduction. Click on “Begin Your Adventure” and a new page opens to a multi-media extravaganza with beautiful sights and sounds. Your hosts invite you to use clues to unearth the real history behind the Thanksgiving feast. Notice the Teacher’s Guide icon in the bottom right corner – you may want to click on that if you prefer a more lesson-structured approach and guideline to exploring this website. You may also access the guide within the investigation presentation.
Eager learners can also jump right in and begin their investigation by clicking “Enter to begin your investigation!” A new page opens with a menu that includes:
- Fact or Myth – What’s true and what’s not about the people and events surrounding the first Thanksgiving? Did the guests eat cranberries and turkey? What you discover may surprise you.
- The Evidence – View and read a primary source document – the only existing written, first-hand-account of the feast. A terrific introduction to exploring primary source documents – don’t miss it!
- The Wampanoag People – Learn about the Native People who were at the first Thanksgiving, and how they celebrate the different seasons of the year.
- The English Colonists – Take a trip back in time to the home of a Pilgrim and find out how they prepared for the Thanksgiving feast.
- The Path to 1621 – Find out about the events that led up to the First Thanksgiving.
This is an engaging website presenting historically accurate evidence of the first Thanksgiving or harvest celebration in colonial America that kids of all ages are certain to enjoy.
Recommended Website: Geography Awareness Week
Age Range: 6-18 (Grades 1-12, with parental supervision) Did you know there is a Geography Awareness Week!? It begins on November 10th and continues through November 16th – it’s held during the 3rd week in November annually.
This website is celebrating with lots of fun geography-themed activities for kids and teens to promote the importance of geography education.
When you get to the site, you’ll find a selection of fun lessons and activities including:
- Atlas Letter Game
- Teaching Latitute and Longitude
- Geographic IQ Game
- Geography Concentration
- Country Cards
- And more!
There are also links to more sites where you can make a compass, find out what time it is around the world, and more.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
