Heidi's BLOG

  WHAT? In this lesson, Ms. Sandoval and I taught students about civics, focusing on government, citizenship, and how individuals can make a difference in their communities. We started by having students analyze the  Bill of Rights  as a primary source using the “I See, I Think, I Wonder” strategy. Students shared their observations, what they believed the document meant, and questions they had. After that, students learned about the three branches of government, executive, legislative, and judicial, through a read aloud, visuals, and class discussion. They then worked in groups on a sorting activity where they matched each branch to its role. Students also completed a rights versus responsibilities chart to better understand the difference between what people are allowed to do and what they are expected to do as citizens. To build on their understanding, students compared government in the past to government today using a Venn diagram. One of the most engaging parts of t...

  WHAT? In this lesson, we taught students about Rhode Island’s history, focusing on  Slater Mill  and how life has changed over time. We used primary sources, such as old and current photos, and had students compare and discuss them. We incorporated collaboration through vocabulary card games and partner discussions, where students practiced and used terms like  industry  and  cause and effect . Communication was strong during whole-class discussions and activities like the Venn diagram. One of the most engaging parts was the “hide and seek” activity, where students picked a spot in the old photo and explained their thinking. We also adapted in the moment by providing sentence starters and asking guiding questions when students struggled to explain their ideas, which helped them participate more confidently. Overall, the lesson went well, as students were highly engaged, especially during the interactive activities, and demonstrated strong observation skil...

  WHAT? For my first lesson, I taught a geography lesson focused on Rhode Island to a fourth-grade class. The goal of the lesson was to introduce students to basic map related vocabulary and help them understand how maps can change over time. The vocabulary words included terms such as  geography, legend, globe,  and other map-related terms. To support different learning styles, we used both physical maps and digital maps of Rhode Island. During the lesson, students worked collaboratively to compare and contrast two maps of Rhode Island, an older map and a more recent one. This allowed students to practice observation skills while discussing differences they noticed with their classmates. We also incorporated an  interactive memory game  to help students practice and memorize the vocabulary words. Before the game, students worked together to quiz each other on the terms, which encouraged communication and collaboration within the classroom. Social awareness and ...