The end of 2010 is upon us. Students have spent this week wrapping up semester tests and projects. I enjoy seeing a student's sense of accomplishment when they hand in a finished semester test or wrap up a semester project presentation. There have been some really cool educational happenings in Newell-Fonda Social Studies over the last couple of weeks.
In World Geography, students studied the people, places, ideas, and issues of Latin America. Each student prepared a project on a specific Latin American country. They were allowed to do the project any way they wanted to. Some chose videos and other chose to make Keynote presentations. We got a glimpse of each country as the students took turns presenting.
In United States history, the students have been studying the American Civil War and the reconstruction period following it. On one of our days, we took a Civil War battle tour. Using Google Earth and green screen technology, I created a 10 minute video where students were able to virtually visit real Civil War battle sites and see real pictures as they learned the information about each site. Students completed a tour guide as they watched the video. They were also able to download to their Macbooks and watch it with headphones at their own pace.
In World History, we have been studying the spread of the Muslim Empire in the ancient world. Islam contributed to many advancements in math, science, astronomy, medicine, and literature. In the Ancient Arabic world, a ruler created a House of Wisdom where scholars could study their chosen subject. Students got to participate in their own House of Wisdom day and compete against other groups in the class in various subjects to see who was the wisest of all.
As the calendar rolls over to 2011, I am excited to study new topics and help students experience new levels of understanding in Social Studies. Have a great winter break!
