This year I was intentional and organized when it came to the first activity I assigned. I teach sixth, seventh, and eighth grade Social Studies and I wanted to begin the year with a soft, but meaningful project. 

I wanted to get students thinking about Social Studies ideas, AND I wanted to provide them with a way to introduce themselves.  

For the sixth graders, I chose a geography related activity. That’s because that program begins with a review of fundamental geography concepts. So, I created something called Where In the World?? Here, students had to choose one place on Earth – one place that is their favorite place to spend time. It could be a country, a region, a city, a park, a beach, or even a specific building. Students had lots of choice with this. Once the students had selected a place, they had to describe it in physical terms: what is it like? Where exactly is it? What is nearby? Finally, students had to explain why they enjoyed spending time there. When students were finished working on this, we sat together in a circle and shared our places with each other. 

For seventh graders, I came up with something called the Time Traveller Cheat Sheet! For this activity, students had to imagine that they had the ability to travel back in time. I explained that most time travel stories encourage characters to never make any changes in the past so as to not disrupt the future. But, I challenged students to ignore that rule and plan for maximum disruption. They could bring back anything with them to make the most impact. Students had to describe what they would bring back and explain why it would make a big difference. This was really neat. Students came up with some interesting ideas: bringing back medicine to plague times, and bringing back art history textbooks to inspire artists who were lacking in confidence. As with the above activity, we gathered in a group after completing our work to share our thoughts.

For the eighth grade kids (my medieval history students), I came up with a project based on heraldic devices, or family coats of arms. This was strongly connected to a topic we would be exploring later, and it was an excellent way for students to present information about themselves and their families. Here, students had to create a coat of arms for their family. The colors, symbols, and words they added to their coat of arms all had to be tied to a meaning of some kind. I provided links to websites explaining the symbols used in the past, but I gave students the option to include more modern ideas. For instance, a family that traveled a lot was able to include an airplane in their heraldic device. Once again, when finished, we gathered together to share our ideas with each other. 

By taking the time to genuinely know students and provide students with an opportunity to get to know each other better, the classroom environment transforms into a space of trust and collaboration. When students feel understood and valued, they are more inclined to engage actively in their learning journey, ask questions without hesitation, and seek guidance when needed. Likewise, teachers equipped with insights into their students’ backgrounds, interests, and challenges can tailor our approaches, ensuring a more inclusive and effective educational experience. 

As always, if you have any questions or ideas to add, do not hesitate to reach out to me. 

Ed X!