Using the Summer Olympics in the Classroom

 

The Olympics are such a fun way to incorporate current events into the classroom! From primary grades up to high school, there are so many fun ways to mix the Olympics into your curriculum! The 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo is the perfect way to wrap up the school year or to use as a theme for summer school.

 The Olympics can truly be used in all content areas. The summer games are an excellent way to bring current events into the classroom. The Social Studies classroom can get a definite boost from the Olympics. It is such a global current event that all of the world is watching at once. Learning about all of the events is so exciting for students. They love being able to watch the events after learning about them in school. Geography and map skills can easily be incorporated into a unit about the Olympics.

There are so many athletes and historical events that are a part of the Olympics. The Reading/Language Arts classroom can benefit from nonfiction passages about Olympic athletes and the history of the games.

 

Charts and graphs relating to the Olympics are in interactive way to add the Olympics into the Math classroom. Charts and graphs related to the medal count are easy keep track of on a daily basis. Medal count by country are updated online on a daily basis.

Check out this Olympics 2021 FREEBIE for a nonfiction text and graph relating to the Olympics! These FREE activities can be completed in the classroom OR online!

Looking for a complete no-prep unit on the 2021 Olympics? Check out the complete Tokyo 2021 Olympics Unit.

 

Teaching About the 2020 Election

Election years provide a wealth of real-life materials for your Social Studies classroom. Election years allow your students to see the election process in action. Everything that we teach our students about the government plays out in real time. While it can be exciting to watch, it’s important to remember that it can be a very divisive topic. It is CRUCIAL to remember that as an educator you must remain neutral when teaching about the election and present only facts.

What information should be covered?

·      The basic voting process of the United States

·      The two-party system

·      FACTS about each candidate

·      The Electoral College

 

Lessons should definitely continue AFTER the election. As a class you can:

·      Complete an electoral college map (incorporate into math)

·      Which states added add up to a victory?

·      How would it have been different if certain states voted a different direction?

 

Looking for a complete print AND digital unit for teaching about the election? Check out the Presidential 2020 Election No-Prep Unit. This engaging unit can be used in your Math, Reading, and Social Studies classroom!

 

 

 

Incorporating Women's History Month Into Your Classroom

Incorporating Women’s History Month into our classrooms is a great way to recognize the accomplishments and dignity of great women in history! Celebrating these women along with women in our own families and communities leads to higher self-esteem in girls and greater respect among boys. The following is a list of notable women in history to encourage classroom discussion and further research.

Women born before 1800

• ·       Joan of Arc – Peasant girl who led the French army. She was later burned at the stake for her crimes against the English.

• ·       Pocahontas – She helped establish peace between the Natives and the English colonists.

• ·       Catherine the Great – She was the empress of Russia and helped to establish Russia as a great European super power.

• ·       Sacagawea – She traveled along with Lewis and Clark as a guide and interpreter.

Women born in the first half of the 1800s

• ·       Harriet Beecher Stowe – She played an important role in the movement to end slavery.

• ·       Susan B. Anthony – She was a leader in the women’s suffrage movement to get women the right to vote.

• ·       Florence Nightingale – She was a pioneer in modern nursing.

• ·       Harriet Tubman – She was a former slave who helped others escape to freedom from slavery.

• ·       Clara Barton – She founded the American Red Cross and served as a nurse during the Civil War.

• ·       Emily Dickinson – Famous poet who wrote over 2,000 poems.

Women born in the later 1800s

• ·       Annie Oakley – Famous sharpshooter who traveled with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show

• ·       Marie Curie – Chemist and physicist who worked with radioactivity and became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.

• ·       Heler Keller – She was blind and deaf and fought for the rights of people with handicaps.

• ·       Eleanor Roosevelt – Wife of Franklin Roosevelt who fought for civil rights and women’s rights

• ·       Amelia Earhart – Famous aviator who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She mysteriously disappeared while trying to fly around the world.

 Women born in the 1900s 

•  Mother Teresa – Roman Catholic nun known around the world for her charitable acts.

• Rosa Parks – Civil rights leader whose arrest led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

• Anne Frank – Jewish girl who wrote about her experiences during the Nazi invasion.

•  Sandra Day O’ Connor – She was the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court.

• Jane Goodall – She is famous for her studies with chimpanzees.

How to study these famous women in history?

• ·       The education site Ducksters.com is a great resource that allows students to research.

• ·       You may want to do this as a class by hooking up your laptop to a projector.

• ·       I strongly suggest allowing students to choose who they would like to research. They will be much more engaged if they’re allowed to choose who they’ve selected.

• ·       Research can be done individually or in groups.

• ·       Looking of a FREE reading passage? Women's History Month FREEBIE 
  
• Don't overlook women in your community. Students can brainstorm women they know in their families and community and conduct interviews.