I'm settling in more to the idea of teaching 3rd grade next year. I actually have my long range plans ready to go. Yay for being a little productive over the summer!! So, I thought I would link up with Meg from Fourth Grade Studio for her Loved that Lesson Linky. This month, her linky is about lessons that you cannot wait to teach. This is right up my ally since I'm already preparing for the upcoming school year.
The one thing that I am most looking forward to teaching my new smarties will be South Carolina history. The one thing that I disliked about 2nd grade was our social studies curriculum. It's rather boring just learning about our community all year. We do branch out to the regions of the US which I ADORED teaching. I always made learning about our community interesting, but I cannot wait to dive in to some actual history. That's the one and only thing I missed about teaching 5th graders. Love me some history!
So, after looking through my new social studies standards. I want to talk about the Civil War. I will be teaching South Carolina's role in the Civil War. Fun, fun, fun!
I found the books below on Scholastic. I plan to be studying historical fiction in reading during our Civil War unit and this book will fit right on it. As a little girl, I loved reading books like this. {Actually, I still do!}. Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres. I read this book when I student taught in 3rd grade years ago and my students loved it. It is a great way to show my students what slaves went through during this time period through a fictional character. Of course, we will have to write journal entries as well.
Another book that will help my smarties understand the hardships during the Civil War is Pink and Say. Patricia Polacco is one of my favorite authors. Her books are amazing and full of vivid details. Love her! Pink and Say is about two teen boys who have a brief friendship during the Civil War. Such a strong message throughout this book.
Lastly, one of the field trips that we will be going on will be to a plantation. Students will get to look at life in the 19th century. They will get to till the soil and even pick some cotton. This is one field trip that I cannot wait to go on.
Look for some pictures in January as I begin to teach the Civil War! :-) Anyone have any other fun ideas for teaching the Civil War. I'm all ears!
Lots of love,
Jeannie
