I have been working on my industrial revolution unit, creating it for my eighth graders. Now, I have some fantastic ideas that I think may really work. But I thought I should write them out first.
1. Hold class with no lights, except for candles. This may be a problem, solution = electric candles. Boom! My students will totally respond and understand the importance of light bulbs. Second problem? Getting electric candles.
2. Morse code activity. Learn morse code for some sentence or phrase. Give my kids a sheet with morse code letters with their morse code code, then tap it out on the desk. First student to get the phrase wins a prize. Then have student learn to do their names, friends' names, etc.
3. Inventor day: have students come in with a prepared presentation, they are the inventor (can dress up) and at the end we all guess who it is. This will involve fun times and will teach my kids how to research.
4. Menlo Park day: students will pick one of Edison's numerous inventions, draw it, and we will create Menlo Park on a wall in the class.
HOW FUN ARE MY IDEAS????!!!!!!!! I am so super excited to be able to work with kids that are younger. I think they will appreciate all my ideas and learn at the same time. I have never been more excited about being a teacher, than I am at this exact moment. Woot!
My AP US History teacher did things like this in High School. Example when discussing slavery he arranged the desks in such a way there was only a small gap for all of us, he then tied all 35 students ankles together and we had to take notes tied together, on the floor and all with in that small space. Or for world war 1 he arranged the desks into 2 trenches had war sounds loud in the background and gave us paper bags with holes in them for gas masks and periodically he would yell gas, gas, gas and we had to put them on and continue taking notes. He did similar things for Constitutional Convention the Aaron Burr duel, etc. Great ideas your students will love it.
ReplyDeleteI just re-read this post. Holy crap, I inspired myself with my own ideas. I feel great.
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