Social Studies Integration |

How Summer School Re-kindled My Love of Teaching

For the first time in my 15 years teaching career, I decided to teach summer school. I was leery about taking on the extra work when I should be unwinding, but I could not be happier with my decision. It was a total breath of fresh air that reminded me of why I…

Sing about Martin!

A small collection of resources I’ve compiled over that deal with Martin Luther King. Call and response songs, biographical raps, read-alouds, sign language, and other videos help give students different ways to participate in this lesson. While MLK can be a somber holiday, it can also be a celebration of his life.

Tacky & the Winter Games

Tacky and his fellow penguins Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect have to work hard to get in shape so they can represent Team Nice Icy Land in the athletic competitions. After rigorous training, they’re ready – but are the games ready for Tacky? Lesson Materials Available Here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Tacky-the-Winter-Games-the-Olympics-S-Korea-3636255 The Winter Olympics! I love the spectacle…

Puerto Rico: Rhythm & Culture

Puerto Rico has been coming up in the news a lot lately. A US Territory, that has been absolutely devastated by Hurricane Maria, but there is more to the country than what we hear in the news. My school has a large Puerto Rican population and so I wanted to share and celebrate their rich and diverse…

The Anniversary of Hip Hop

On August 11, 1973, an 18-year-old, Jamaican-American DJ who went by the name of Kool Herc threw a back-to-school jam at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, New York. During his set, he decided to do something different, and thus the first iteration of Hip Hop was born. Hip Hop has done exactly what its…

Musician Reports: An Interdisciplinary Hands-on Research Project

A fantastic month long project that combines local musicians and gen-ed social studies standards in a fun and innovative way. Working with classroom teachers, together we were able to reinforce the material learned in their classes while making it relevant by tying in popular musicians the students loved. Through a detailed step by step process we researched, created,…

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day and if you’re not from Chicago it’s a big deal here! For starters we didn’t have school that day, and also the city dyes the Chicago River green! In grades K – 4th we spent the last 2 weeks focusing on not just fun Irish songs and dances, but…

Tall Tales & Rails: John Henry – a Musical History Unit

John Henry is an American Folk Legend and is the perfect entry point into topics like “Tall Tales” and “the American Railroad.” Students will love learning about these topics through musical & rhythm activities, engaging videos, and easy to use printables. So all aboard for the this amazing American tall tale!

Happy Veteran’s Day

November 11th this year is Veteran’s Day. Our school is honor it as a holiday and we have no classes, but in the days leading up to the holiday we spent some time talking about just what it meant.

Native American Heritage Month: Unit Plan

November is Native American Heritage Month and with Thanksgiving, as well as all the news stories about the pipeline protests, it’s more important than ever to include it in your classroom. This unit uses news articles, podcasts, music, and even an MTV broadcast to help discuss issues that are facing the Native American communities, while portraying them in a…