Posts Tagged ‘social studies’

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Why Pluto Isn’t A Planet & Much More!

January 12th, 2012

Hi!  It’s Thursday, January 12, 2012 and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Spitzer/Caltech

Age Range: 9 and up (approximately, with parental supervision)
 
My son recently posted a video on his Facebook page explaining why Pluto isn’t a planet anymore. (Once a homeschooler, always a homeschooler.) It was on YouTube, but the source was The Spitzer Science Center (sponsored by NASA and CalTech). 
 
They have a series of free multi-media videos called “Ask An Astronomer” that include brief explanations to complicated stuff by scientists. The videos use animations to illustrate the explanations. Other titles inc lude:

  • Where is the center of the universe?
  • Why is the sky blue?
  • Why aren’t there any green stars?
  • Infrared: More than your eyes can see!
  • What happens when galaxies collide?
  • What’s between the stars?
  • What will happen to Earth when the Sun dies?
  • How do you discover an asteroid?
  • How can we see a black hole?
  • What is a Brown Dwarf?

And many more! 
 
If you poke around the rest of the site you’ll find other cool videos and podcasts as well.

You may wonder why I decided to feature this science resource on “Social Sciences” day at ClickSchooling. It’s because the downsizing of Pluto was historical, and I like to encourage cross-curricular connections. Sometimes students will resist a subject like science, for example, but be fascinated by an important event in history that gently leads them to an enjoyable exploration of science. The content of this website has that potential.

And while you’re exploring, you’ll be covering a variety of “subjects” including language arts, math, science, history, social studies and more. It’s all connected!  :)

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Thanksgiving Social Studies Activities!

November 17th, 2011

Hi! It’s Thursday, November 17, 2011 and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Fran’s World

Age Range:  All (with parental supervision)

Learning takes on a life of it’s own at this website created by veteran homeschool mom Fran Wisniewski who provides terrific Thanksgiving-themed activities that explore the history of the holiday and the symbols associated with it. Get ready to have some fun!

When you get to the site you’ll see the featured post of the day. You can simply scroll down the page to read the entries, or use the menu on the left side of the page that includes:

*Wild Turkeys – Trace your hands and feet to create a turkey masterpiece.

*The Three Sisters – Find out why Native Americans referred to corn, beans, and squash as the “Three Sisters” and do an art activity that combines all three!

*Squash Pumpkins – Bake a pumpkin pie right in the pumpkin shell!

*Beans – Make Bean Soup and grow a bean plant.

*Corn – Make traditional corn bread.

Not only does Fran provide the complete instructions for how to do the activities at home, but she provides pictures of her family’s efforts that clearly illustrate the results you can expect. Plus you’ll find links to more web-based resources to further your learning experience.

Fran wrote “The Three Sisters: A Native American Curriculum for Thanksgiving” that is featured for free on UniversalPreschool.com. It is chock-full of innovative ways to learn math, science, history, and art – all themed around Thanksgiving! The whole family will enjoy these educational activities.  

Fran wrote, “In my world education is interesting, the choices are endless and everyone learns at their own pace, in a way that works for them.” Her website is testament to her point of view.  Don’t miss it!

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Silver Rush Adventure Game!

November 3rd, 2011

Hi! It’s Thursday, November 3, 2011, and time for Social Studies at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
The Cobalt Adventure

Age Range: 9-14 (About grades 5-8, with parental supervision. People of all ages may enjoy aspects of this site.)

At this website you can virtually experience an early 20th century Silver Rush through interactive games and lessons that teach social studies, history and geography. When you get to the site, you’ll see a menu that includes:

*Game – Select one of three real-life characters (an old prospector, a nurse, or a young shopkeeper) and head to Cobalt in Ontario, Canada to join the Silver Rush of 1903. This multimedia adventure (available in Flash or HTML) is different for each character, and there are 28 possible endings. After you’ve seen the results of any one decision you make for your character, you can choose “previous” to go back and choose again.

At the end of each playthrough, you can click on “Actual Factual” to see what actually happened to the person you chose to be, plus plenty of other information about life in Cobalt at that time. (From the “Library” on the menu, all of the Actual Factuals are available; during gameplay, only the information pertinent to your most recent decision is available.)

*Curriculum – Get four downloadable (pdf) lessons with ideas and activities designed to enhance what you learn from playing the game. Create a facsimile of a hand-colored postcard, write your own adventure story, use visual prompts to tell a story.

*Library – Explore a photo gallery and view a collection of artifacts from the Cobalt Mining Museum that were used to create the multimedia game.

This game is available in English or French. If you want to view it in French, click “Francais” at the top of the home page.

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Videos to Explain Daylight Saving Time & More!

October 27th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Thursday, October 27, 2011, and time for Social Studies at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Grey’s Blog

Age Range: 8-18 (with parental supervision)

We don’t normally feature blogs, but you definitely don’t want to miss this one by C. G. P. Grey, an American living in England. He cheerfully shares his insights on history, politics, and more, by means of illustrated videos.

These videos are surprisingly fun to watch, well-made, and highly informative. Many have full transcripts available. They are all YouTube videos, so they are less than six minutes each. Even if you find yourself disagreeing with some of them, they are still good launching points for discussion and further study.

When you get to the site you’ll see the featured videos including one that explains Daylight Saving Time!  Just click on it and a new page opens. IMPORTANT:  Scroll down the page a little to click on the image and launch the video. The full transcript is printed below the video screen.

Once you understand Daylight Saving Time, go back to the home page. You can click on more of the featured videos that include:

  • What are Continents – A humorous look at how many continents there really are, and why.
  • The Difference Between the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and England (You may want to watch this one more than once.)
  • The True Cost of the Royal Family
  • How Scotland Joined Great Britain
  • History of the Union Jack (British flag)
  • Gerrymandering Explained
  • Coffee – Go ahead and enjoy a hot mug of “Joe.”

You’ll also find non-videos that include:

  • Various maps of the United States – graphics and commentary
  • Ayn Rand Loves Torture (for the intensely curious) – Find out the number of times each word occurs in “Atlas Shrugged,” a book by Ayn Rand.

As always, parents should preview the site and the videos to determine suitability of content, and supervise all Internet use.

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Breathtaking Exhibit About Native Cultures!

October 20th, 2011

Hi! It’s Thursday, October 20, 2011, and time for Social Studies at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Smithsonian: Beauty Surrounds Us

Age Range: 7-18 (with parental supervision; young students may enjoy looking at the photographs in this collection)

This website, brought to you by the Smithsonian, “presents an array of breathtaking and culturally significant objects made by Native peoples throughout the Western Hemisphere.” The point of this interactive presentation is to increase appreciation for the beauty with which Native peoples have always had a natural desire to surround themselves.

When you enter the site, you will see a menu of ten photographs. Each photo leads to a virtual display case full of objects. The cases available are:

*Nurturing Identity – clothing

*Containing Culture – bags for holding things

*Recreation and Pastimes – objects used for games

*Design as Identity – traditional/indigenous designs and the incorporation of new materials and art forms

*Elegance of Presentation – adornment

*Power of Transformation – masks

*Tools of Existence – knives, arrows, tools, tool cases, bowls, etc.

*Communication Through Sound – musical instruments

*Expressions of Movement – dancewear

*Honor and Respect – items designating individuals of importance

Once you have chosen a virtual display case, you can opt to navigate the site as a slideshow. Notice that in the upper right corner of the screen you can click on the arrows to move from case to case for a quick overview. You can also click on any object within a case to explore it.

While viewing an individual object you will see some information about it displayed, as well as one or more of the following:

  • Map- where the object was created and used
  • Related- photos of people actually using the item
  • Activity - something to try (it’s best to read all about the object first before attempting this)

Once you have finished exploring all of the objects in a case, such as “Design as Identity” for example, try your hand at its main activity, which in this instance would be the identification of individual objects as “Indigenous,” “Mixed” (incorporating elements from other cultures), or “New.” This is a great way to see how well you have retained what you have learned by viewing this exhibit.

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Free Lessons & Activities On Puerto Rico!

October 13th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Thursday, October 13, and time for Social Studies at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Boricua Kids

Age Range: 6-13 (Elementary grades, with parental supervision)

October 18th, 1898 was the date that Spain turned over Puerto Rico to the United States’ control, a condition of The Treaty of Paris after the Spanish-American War. At this website, you’ll find free lesson plans and activities about the history, geography, and culture of Puerto Rico.

When you get to the site, read the brief introduction.  Then use the horizontal menu at the top of the page to access:

  • A Map of Puerto Rico
  • A Fact Sheet – Includes the national flower, bird, flag, capital, government, terrain, notable people, etc.
  • Tainos – Learn about the indigenous people of Puerto Rico, the Taino Indians.
  • Puerto Rico, U.S.A. – A brief history of Puerto Rico’s history with the United States of America.

Then, use the menu on the left to explore:

*Food – Get recipes for Coconut Kisses, Plantain Chips, and more!

*Songs – Listen to Children’s songs such as “El Gato Y El Raton.”

*Coloring Pages – Print and color symbols of Puerto Rico.

*Coqui – Learn about Puerto Rico’s very tiny tree frog.

*Rain Forest – Discover Puerto Rico’s tropical rain forest, El Yunque.

*Lesson Plans – Free lessons, designed for classroom teachers, that cover Puerto Rican social studies, geography, history, and much more.  Print out quizzes, word search puzzles, coloring activities, and more!

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