The January Freeze
It's 5 degrees above zero right now...I haven't been out of the house in three days and I still don't have all my Christmas decorations put away... I'm spending most of my time writing January and February lessons for Dr. Martin Luther King Day and Presidents' Day.
I'm excited about my new "First Ladies Series!" What better way to learn about the personal life of a President than get to know his wife and family? First in the series is Pre-Civil War First Ladies it covers First Ladies starting Martha Washington. It concludes with Harriet Lane Johnson, the niece of bachelor President, James Buchanan.
First Ladies #2 begins with Mary Todd Lincoln and ends with Lou Henry Hoover. It covers the time periods of Civil War, World War I and the Great Depression.
I am presently working on installment #3 FDR to Present.
What you can expect to find in each installment:
- Cards: Front, a picture of the First Lady
- Back: a description of her life and contributions to America.
- Student Resources: Films, Books and on-line resources
- Directions and Materials: for using in small/cooperative groups
- Questions to think about before analyzing the First Ladies.
- Response Questions
- How to Write a Response
- Graphic organizers
- Common Core Standards
- Answer Keys
- And more....
One more new idea for Jan and/or February...
FOUR GREAT MEN
If you are looking for something different for January and February, here is an idea. My inspiration for this lesson was the 1968 song “Abraham, Martin and John” written by Dick Holler and the first recording by Dion. It is a tribute to the memory of four assassinated Americans, all icons of social change, namely Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. It was written in response to the assassinations of King and the younger Kennedy in April and June 1968.
scaffolding
DON"T FORGET to check out my Arts-Based Units! I think you will be surprised how thoroughly they teach other subjects like: writing, math, science, social studies...And the best thing about them is that they make connections with history!
