Today’s lesson focused on southern society before the civil war. I emphasized that in order to understand the causes of the Civil War, we have to first understand what was going on in the United States during the antebellum era. The antebellum era is the time from the signing of the Constitution until the start […]
Tag Archives | American History
4th of July Freebie – Declaration of Independence Mini Unit
With the 4th of July just around the corner, it seems like a great time to offer up my Declaration of Independence Freebie again. This freebie is a special project compiled from the Modern History Portfolio “classic” and the Modern History Portfolio Junior. Notebooking activities promote observation and analysis, and include notetaking, outlining, vocabulary, Latin […]
Teaching Writing Skills 1st – 8th grade – Organization is Key
Teaching writing to a multi-level group, at home or in co-op, does not have to be a challenge. Make it focus on organization, and give skills which will serve them in all areas of their lives. It may come as no surprise, but I use history as a spine on which to hang many […]
Background to the Civil War Pt. 1
This school year, we are studying the background to the Civil War through the 1990’s. We do 1 hr. of writing and 1 hr. 15 mins. of history every other week with a group of about 12 students who are between 5th and 8th grade. Between co-op times, we work on our own. The students are […]
French and Indian War, a World War, 1754-1763
The French and Indian War, in North America, began over the right to access and colonize land and to the export trade items which that land would produce. This war, between the superpowers of France and Britain, is known as the Seven Years’ War when fought outside of North America, and is considered a World […]
Middle Colonies: Picture Story
Characteristics of the Middle Colonies Use Picture Stories for discussion starters. Also, as an activity, ask your child to interpret the images, and tell a story about the Middle Colonies. Image Credits: “American Beaver” by Steve is licensed under CC BY 2.0 “American Mink” by Pdreijnder is licensed under CC BY 3.0
New England Colonies: Picture Books
Characteristics of the New England Colonies John Rolfe, in the Virginia Colony, developed an export crop of tobacco. In the New England Colonies, a colder region, tobacco could not be grown. The New Englanders created an economy based on farming grains, fishing, whaling, and logging. A perfect book to read at this point would be […]
New England Colonies: Picture Story
Characteristics of the New England Colonies Use Picture Stories for discussion starters. Also, as an activity, ask your child to interpret the images, and tell a story about the New England Colonies. Image Credits: “An Ear of Rye” by LSDSL at en.wikipedia is licensed under CC BY 3.0 “Cucurbita” by George […]
U.S. History and Immigration
Examining a map showing the “ancestry with the largest population in each state” reveals immigration patterns. This map, created with data from the most recent census, shows a wealth of information. Notice that the map shows “Ancestry with largest population in state.” Much of what was shown on the map made total sense, when I […]
Southern Colonies: Picture Story
Characteristics of the Southern Colonies Use Picture Stories for discussion starters. Also, as an activity, ask your child to interpret the images, and tell a story about the Southern Colonies. Image Credits: “The Old South” by Nimur at en.wikipedia is licensed under CC BY 3.0 “Nature of Pinar del Rio” by Gorupdebesanez via Wikimedia Commons (Own […]