Fifth Grade

One of my favorite units to study with my class has always been the American Revolution. I love the history of this time, and courage it took to break away from England. My passion is always caught by my students, but I still have to make sure that they all remain engaged. Here are some tips:

I'm Melissa! I'm WILD about reading, writing & math workshops! I blog about my classroom and I share book recommendations and organizational tips.

...the learning experiences and adventures of a God-fearing, newly married, young, fifth grade teacher...

I'm getting ready to start our first book club of the year using The Hidden Girl. It's an autobiography written by Lola Rein Kaufman, a Jewish Holocaust survivor. It's a fascinating and moving story, which makes for great book club discussions. After reading Jivey's post I was motivated to try something new. I got to school extra early Friday morning and dug out one of my favorite historical fiction books, Rose Blanche by Roberto Innocenti.

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A fifth grade teacher sharing her ideas and experiences with classroom organization, DIY, projects, and more!

Recreate the Ellis Island immigration process at home! Answer these questions that hopeful immigrants answered before being welcomed to the U.S. or sent home.

Why were the American colonies founded?  It's a great history lesson to go through with your kids, and this web-quest will get them going.

Bring your history classroom alive with Road to the Revolution Mock Trials.

This is a bingo review game that covers topics related to the causes of the American Revolution. It is a great tool to use before a test or to check for understanding during an instructional unit on the causes of the Revolutionary War.

During the 1970's when this cartoon was aired for the first time to the American people; the American society was a good society that put America first. We taught our children what it is to be an American.

Chile is a country in South America, occupying a long narrow strip of land between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It is almost 3,000 miles long, yet averages only about 100 miles wide. Northern Chile is home to the world’s driest desert, where the rain stick is believed to have originated. Rain sticks were made from long, hollow cactus tubes that were dried in the sun. Then the spikes were removed and driven back into the cactus like nails. Small pebbles were then placed inside and the ends sealed. A sound like falling rain was made as the rain stick was turned, making it useful in desert ceremonies where it was believed to bring rain.

I am the mother of two black sons, and I am always looking for ways to teach them (and my 3 other kids!) about black history. For the past year I have been getting biographies of African-Americans (and Africans) out of the library to read to my kids. Black history doesn’t have to be constrained...Read More »

This patriotic printable reviews historic battlefields and cities through an American Revolution word search.

Give your 5th grader's vocabulary a boost while deepening his U.S. history knowledge with this social studies worksheet.

Boost your fifth grader's social studies savvy with a lesson on the 13 original colonies.

Give your 5th grader's vocabulary a boost with help from the Preamble to the Constitution. This worksheet packs vocab and history practice all in one.