Social Studies Read Alouds for the Primary Classroom

I love including read alouds in my instruction in all subjects.  I love to do read alouds during social studies very much.  If you are looking for some great read alouds to teach social studies…you are in the right place!  I have compiled a list of 15 read alouds that are perfect to accompany your social studies lessons this year.

Why should I read social studies books to my class?

Read alouds bring student learning to life.  Students are able to see real world pictures and gain new knowledge through visuals and text.  It is very beneficial for students to be able to see places and things that they haven’t seen before.  For example, if you are teaching about landforms, you may have a student that has never seen a mountain.  By reading a book about landforms and showing real world pictures, the student is able to place a visual image with this vocabulary word.

What are some teaching strategies that are good for me to use with social studies?

1.  Use photographs

This helps student to see visual images that can help deepen their understanding of social studies content that may not be familiar to them.
Examples-pictures of famous people, rivers, families

2.  Use real world objects

This strategy allows your lessons to be hands on even during social studies.  You can bring in items to help students get a better understanding of social studies academic vocabulary. 
Examples- globes, artifacts

3.  Integrating literacy in social studies

You can read a variety of different books that give students the opportunity to use their reading comprehension skills in social studies.  You can include writing activities with your lessons to encourage your students to write about the social studies ideas you have taught. 
Examples-responding to a social studies read aloud with writing

4.  Building Background Knowledge

This allows you to gain knowledge about your students already know about different social studies topics. 
Examples- What do you already know about citizenship?

5.  Class Discussions and Accountable Talk

Encourages students to talk about their social studies learning.  They can hold conversations with partners and groups.  
Examples- You can get them started by giving them an accountable talk stem such as Rosa parks is important because ______.

6.  Reflection Activity

You should close out all lessons with reflection time.  This allows students time to process their new learning.  You can have them turn and talk with a partner and share what they learned.  You can pick a few students to share with the class. 
Examples- What did I learn today anchor chart, exit tickets, journal

What are some great read alouds for social studies?

Below you will find 15 read alouds that are perfect for social studies in the primary classroom.  For each book, I will list the title, author, an activity idea, and my social studies unit that matches well with 1 of my 15 units from my Social Studies Bundle.

1. Looking at Maps and Globes by Rebecca Olien

Activity:  Compare maps and globes for similarities and differences, labeling a map and globe freebie (you will need to download the preview)

You can view the Geography Unit here!

2. What to Wear Dressing up Around the World by Maya Ajmera, Elise Derstine, and Cynthia Pon

Activity: pebblego research and view different cultures of the world, give a presentation to the class with the information

You can view the World Culture Unit here!

3. Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland

Activity: I am thankful for ____ writing activity

You can view the Holidays Unit here!

4. School Long Ago and Today by Sally Lee                                                                                        (The other titles in this set include Food, Communication, and Transportation Long Ago and Today)

Activity: venn diagram comparing school in the past and school now

You can view the Long Ago and Today Unit here!
         

5. Living in Urban Communities by Kristin Sterling                                                                         
(The other titles in this set include Living in Rural and Suburban Communities)

Activity: foldable with headings urban, suburban, and rural and write facts for each

You can view the Living Environments Unit here!

6. I am a Good Citizen by Sharon Coan

Activity: Make a t-chart with the headers school, community, and home and have students list ways they can be a good citizen in each of these locations

You can view the Good Citizenship Unit here!

7. Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do by Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook

Activity: write their own who am I writing for a community worker and have a partner to guess

You can view the Community Workers Unit here!

8. Earth’s Landforms and Bodies of Water by Natalie Hyde

Activity: Make a t-chart with the headers land and water and have students list and talk about as many as they can name

You can view the Landforms and Water Unit here!

9. Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney

Activity: All About My World Flipbook freebie

You can view the My World Unit here!

10. What does the President Do? by Amanda Miller

Activity:  Complete writing and fill in the blanks My mayor is, My governor is, and My president is _____.

You can view the U.S. Government Unit here!

11. Families by Shelley Rotner and Shelia M. Kelly

Activity: draw and label a picture of their family

You can view the Families Unit here!

12. Lily Learns about Wants and Needs by Lisa Bullard

Activity: Using old magazines, have students cut out wants and needs and sort them

You can view the Economics Unit here!

You can download the Economics Unit Freebie here!

13. The Pledge of Allegiance by Scholastic Inc.

Activity: practice the pledge in class, draw a picture to show what the pledge means to them

You can view the American Symbols Unit here!

14. Continents in my World by Ella Cane

Activity: Using a big map, have students place a sticker on the country where they where born and talk with friends about their native country

You can view the Continents and Oceans Unit here!

15. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr? by Bonnie Bader

Activity: writing to explain why this person was important to our country

You can view the Famous Americans Unit here!


Want to learn more about my Social Studies Bundle….check out this post with a lot more information to help you get started!

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Let me know how I can help with engaging resources to help your students SOAR!

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Ipad Apps for Teachers

Hi everyone!
It is almost that time for Back to School.  I thought I would share some awesome IPAD apps for back to school.  They can also be used throughout the year as well.

 I had the honor of attending a SEE math conference for 2 weeks.  They gave us so many resources and manipulatives.  The best gift was the free IPAD I received during the training.  We learned about many apps that can be used in the classroom.  You will find my favorite 4 apps that I learned below!!!

Here is a quick example I found on youtube!



Here is a quick example I made!!!



Here is an example that I created in the training.

Here is just a quick example I did last night.

I hope these can be a big help to you this school year!!!!

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USING BOOK CRAWLER TO CATALOG YOUR CLASSROOM LIBRARY

As a teacher, my book collection can get very big.  I find it very difficult to remember the titles that I have in my collection and to keep track of all of my books.  If you have the same problem as I do....I have the perfect app for you.  It is called Book Crawler.

WHAT IS BOOK CRAWLER?

Book Crawler is a free app that you can download to your phone or tablet to catalogue your books.  It is great for teachers because you can use it to keep a list of all the books in your classroom library.

HOW DOES BOOK CRAWLER WORK?

This is a new book I just got in my latest shipment of math themed children's books.  I am going to add it to my collection so that the teachers in my school can check it out.  I am going to walk you through the process of cataloguing a book.

After you download the app, click on the app from your phone or tablet.

Click on the word Books.

Click the word New in the upper right corner.

Click ISBN Scanner.

Scan the bar code on the back of the book.

After you scan the bar code, you will see this screen.  I love how the book cover automatically pops up.  The title, author, copyright, and genre do as well.  Don't worry if a picture doesn't come up for your book.  You can easily snap a pic and add it to the book information.

Then it will take you back to the screen with a list of all of your books.  You can see below that this book has been added to my collection.

I love love love love love this app!  It really helps me to remember what I own and what I need to buy.  Look at all of these fabulous math themed children's book we just received.  This app will help me to stay organized.

Do you use something like this in your classroom?  If not, how do you keep track of the many books you own?   

Let me know below!

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Number Talks! Get your students Talking!

Do your students struggle to make sense of mathematical concepts?

Do your students solve mathematical problems using only one strategy?

Do your students struggle with mathematical coversations?

If you answered YES to any of these questions....

I have a great solution for you....

NUMBER TALKS!!!!

I introduced number talks at my school on last year and they have made a difference in many classrooms.

In this post, you will learn the 5 basic steps to conducting a number talk.  In future posts, we will explore more about number talks and resources to get you started in doing your own number talks.

What is a number talk?

A number talk is a quick classroom discussion that allows students to share their mathematical thinking.  A few of the things you can see during a number talk can include the following:

• Student Conversation
• Students simply talk about the problem and share strategies they used to solve the problem.
• Class Discussion
• Students really dig deep into a problem and begin to discuss if they agree or disagree.  They are also comparing solutions and helping each under reach understanding of the math.
• Quick Math Talk
• Students engaging in number talks lasting from 5 to 15 minutes.  Number talks are meant to be a quick way for students to solve and talk about the math.  They can serve as a great intro to the math lesson.
• Accountable Talk Stems
• Students can start their discussion with stems such as I agree with... or The strategy I used was....

How to do a Number Talk?

You can use the following 5 easy steps to get started with doing your own number talks in your classroom.

• Present a problem to the class.
• Problems can be presented in many ways.  One way is as an equation.

• Allow students to figure out the answer individually.
• When students have an answer, have them to make a thumbs up and put it on their chest.  This way students are not distracted by their classmates if they are still thinking.  After students know an answer, you can encourage them to think of another strategy they could use.  They should add more fingers to their thumbs up.

• Have a few students to share answers aloud or have students share their answer with a partner.
• Collect all the answers said or limit it to 4 answers.

• Lead students in sharing their strategies and thinking.
• As students share their strategies and thinking, record their thinking on the board and label their thinking with their name.  Students also identify the answer that they think is right and present a strategy to prove that is the correct answer. 

• As a class, agree on the correct answer based on the strategies that were shared.
• During this time, students that got an incorrect answer are able to see what went wrong in their strategy and they are able to agree with the class.  Discussing these misconceptions as a class helps students to deepen their thinking.

5 Steps to a Number Talk FREE RESOURCE

I hope you will enjoy the free resource below as you start on your number talk journey. 

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Social Studies Bundle: Get a Closer Look

Hi Pals!
I have heard from so many teacher friends around the world about the lack of having a Social Studies curriculum.  This is a big concern for me and I wanted to make a curriculum that would be easy to implement and allow teachers to incorporate social studies in their day of learning.

I am so excited to give you a closer look at my Social Studies Bundle.  It is perfect for primary students.  The target range is Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade.  In this post, you will learn about all the resources and materials that come in the bundle.  I will have a lesson freebie at the end of the post so you can try it out with your students.

This Social Studies Bundle consists of 15 units.  Each unit comes with lesson plans and resources to teach each unit.  These units are made to be flexible to fit the needs of your students.  You can decide when, how, and what works best for your kiddos.  Each lesson in the units are made to last about 30 minutes.  However, you can space them out over 1 day, 2 days, or even 3 days.  I created this Social Studies Bundle to give my teacher friends an easy low prep way to fit in Social Studies during their school day.

Check out this FREE curriculum map below to get a more in-depth look at all the lessons that come with each unit.

Each Unit includes the following:

Take a Closer Look at the Components Below!

LESSON PLANS

BUILDING BACKGROUND DISCUSSION CARDS

MINI-LESSON POWERPOINT FOR WHOLE GROUP

GUIDED PRACTICE

INDEPENDENT PRACTICE

HOMEWORK, CLOSING, AND FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS

VOCABULARY CARDS

GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

CRAFTIVITIES OR WRITING PROJECTS

GET A FREE LESSON FROM ONE OF THE SOCIAL STUDIES UNITS BELOW!!!

Just click HERE and you can try out Lesson 1 from my Economics Unit 4.

I hope you enjoyed learning more about my Social Studies Bundle.  Remember there are 15 units and a total of 59 engaging NO PREP lessons to complete throughout the year.  There are over 700 pages in this bundle.

Click Here to Purchase the money saving bundle.

or Click the links below to go to the individual units inn my TPT store.

GEOGRAPHY

MY WORLD

AMERICAN SYMBOLS

LANDFORMS AND WATER

ECONOMICS

COMMUNITY WORKERS

FAMILIES

GOOD CITIZENSHIP

US GOVERNMENT

FAMOUS AMERICANS

OCEANS AND CONTINENTS

LIVING ENVIRONMENTS

LONG AGO AND TODAY

HOLIDAYS

WORLD CULTURES

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