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 Post subject: Need some fun ideas for high school American history
PostPosted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 5:42 pm 
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I'm teaching twelve 8th graders and am looking for some fun ideas. They are "too old" for silly stuff. LOL. So what ideas do you have? Thanks!

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 Post subject: Re: Need some fun ideas for high school American history
PostPosted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 9:42 pm 
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Any particular part of American history? When you ask the question, all I can think of is the Revolutionary War - but if you're asking about the Great Depression - my ideas (that is if any pop to mind) would be entirely different!

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 Post subject: Re: Need some fun ideas for high school American history
PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 12:21 am 
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Martha R. wrote:
I'm teaching twelve 8th graders and am looking for some fun ideas. They are "too old" for silly stuff. LOL. So what ideas do you have? Thanks!



Do you mean fun ideas in teaching American History? They could re-enact by doing a play (dressing in costumes, saying/learning lines, etc). They could build a website for others to enjoy. Or they could produce a video/movie about a certain part of history. They would need to do a lot of research into the topic before taping.

Interview some older folks who are extremely knowledgeable in the topic. Create a board game?

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 Post subject: Re: Need some fun ideas for high school American history
PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:45 am 
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We're doing the first presidents up to the War of 1812 right now.

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 Post subject: Re: Need some fun ideas for high school American history
PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:42 am 
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Martha R. wrote:
We're doing the first presidents up to the War of 1812 right now.



http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/unit ... g-you-need I googled and found these resources.

They could create a "Jeopardy" game and you can be the host or one of them can be "Alex Trubeck." Have some kind of special prize to be awarded to the winner. Create this as a "round robin" tournament with different questions for each game. Then, a final set of questions for the last round. Maybe invite the student body to participate in it, too.

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 Post subject: Re: Need some fun ideas for high school American history
PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 12:44 pm 
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Studying some local color from the period might make it more interesting. Reading an Abigail & John Adams letter or two, perusing a colonial cookbook & making a recipe, or writing their own "letter home from the war of 1812" for boys, or "letter to my spouse on the frontlines" for girls might make the kids delve into the realities of the time a little. Also, the history of Dolly Madison escaping the burning White House with the Washington portrait makes it come alive a bit.

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 Post subject: Re: Need some fun ideas for high school American history
PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 1:51 pm 
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Two words: FIELD TRIPS!!!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

One of the things *I* find most interesting, AND helpful, is to learn other things going on at the time we're learning about. What was happening in medicine, music, art, who was leading major areas of the world like Russia, England, ... etc. When you talk about George Washington, which states were formed that he would preside over? (Not WA state!) hehe

What movies and/or books were written during that time or about that time? For example, Little House on the Prairie stories as well as Gone With the Wind were happening during the Civil War period. Did they have electricity anywhere? Indoor plumbing? What music was "popular"? Did *everybody* wear hooped skirts or just those at city/county parties? Maybe that sounds like a bit much and all of it doesn't need to be included every time but I would definitely try to find some historical fiction choices for the students to read about the time period being studied.


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 Post subject: Re: Need some fun ideas for high school American history
PostPosted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 8:55 am 
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Martha R. wrote:
I'm teaching twelve 8th graders and am looking for some fun ideas. They are "too old" for silly stuff. LOL. So what ideas do you have? Thanks!



http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Prod ... ion-743867 I just saw this on Pinterest. Maybe you could have your class create their own "CSI" with the topics you are trying to teach?

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 Post subject: Re: Need some fun ideas for high school American history
PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2014 5:57 pm 
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Martha R. wrote:
I'm teaching twelve 8th graders and am looking for some fun ideas. They are "too old" for silly stuff. LOL. So what ideas do you have? Thanks!



So what did you decide?

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 Post subject: Re: Need some fun ideas for high school American history
PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 8:14 am 
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Well, unfortunately, my hands are tied on many things. However, I did an incentive with a pizza party and some of the kids reached the goal. (My purpose was to get them ALL to meet it.) SIGH. I am going to work on the Jeopardy idea as I got the school to buy a buzzer system. :0)

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