Super-Engaging Social Studies Lesson & Activity Set:
Features of a Civilization
Social studies teachers would agree that our goal is not just to teach the subject of a particular lesson, but it’s also important that we teach the skills needed for learning ABOUT Social Studies. If you can create (or find!) a lesson that does both, then you’re in luck! On top of that, we also need lessons that are user-friendly for both the students and the teacher! If you’re looking for those types of lessons and activities for your Social Studies class, this 2-part blog series will give you the resources you’ve been looking for! Today’s post will focus on Features of a Civilization, and my next post will target the American Revolution.
If you’re in search of a Social Studies lesson that’s fabulous for teaching the required standards (and all-important skills that every student needs for Social Studies!), then this Activity Set on Features of a Civilization is just the ticket! Take a look at the Social Studies Standards and skills that students can learn and practice with this activity set:
· Interpret history through artifacts, arts, and media
· Transfer information from one medium to another such as written to visual and statistical to written
· Draw conclusions.
· Interpret graphs and charts
· Analyze primary sources
Let’s Move!: Another phenomenal element of any lesson is that it gets kids moving! This set includes a gallery walk activity that does just that—the kids are required to move around, interpret what they read and see, take notes, and then transfer their facts into another format (a graphic organizer). This kind of active learning goes a long way toward improving comprehension AND retention because of its movement. Movement = engagement! We all know that kinesthetic lessons are so much more engaging than teacher-centered lectures!
A Learning Game: A memory game is included in the activity set—another element that makes this set so appealing and helpful for holding students’ attention as they learn Social Studies!
Teacher-Friendly: Included in the set is a complete lesson plan with everything explained simply, and in detail, for the teacher who’s got no time to wade through complex lesson directions!
Hint: If you need to do a comprehension check, the Features of Civilization Lesson & Activity set can also function as an informal assessment! This is especially helpful if you have ELL students, who truly benefit from the many visual elements within the set!
Let’s walk through what’s included in this set…
-a detailed lesson plan
-a presentation with directions for the activity
-placards for the gallery walk
-a graphic organizer
-a memory game
Stay tuned for my next blog post, which will include another fantastic Social Studies resource that teaches about the American Revolution–while also teaching & reinforcing essential Social Studies skills too!