Grammar is one subject that is difficult to teach since it is one of the few subjects that you can make "hands-on". I have found that songs and videos help fill this void. As we studied subjects and predicates this week, I broke out my favorite Schoolhouse Rock video "Mr. Morton". We also watched "Interjections" which we discussed last week. In case you need a Schoolhouse Rock fix.....here ya go!
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It was about a year and a half ago that I became hooked on the NBC television show Who Do You Think You Are? The show follows celebrities as they discover their genealogy. It rekindled my spark for discovering my own family history. I grew up knowing not much of anything about either side of my family. I knew on my mother's side there were roots in Kentucky and on my father's side we came from somewhere in Pennsylvania and there might have been a name change from "Sleighmaker" to what it currently is "Slaymaker".
So I did what I always do when I have a question I want answered.....I turn to the internet. After several hours of tracing back my family tree on my father's side, I made quite an amazing discovery! I was able to trace back my lineage all the way to the original "Slaymaker" descendant in America who was Mathias Schleiermacher. Mathias and his wife Catherine emigrated with many other Germans and French from Strasburg, Germany around the year 1710. He came for the very reason most immigrants did at the time.....they heard stories of the beautiful new land that awaited them and would allow them to have a life of freedom and prosperity. I discovered that Mathias bought land from someone by the name of William Penn (sound familiar?) and created what is now Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He, along with many other families, built up the town. He became friends with the Native Americans in the area which allowed them to live without fear of attack. The ironic part about my discovery was that I discovered all of this a week after teaching my fifth graders about William Penn, his founding of Pennsylvania, and discussing all the immigrants who came from different countries to live in this friendly territory. Little did I know, I was teaching them about my family history! I think it's liberating to discover your heritage and where you come from. I have told my last two classes this story and it sparked their interest in their family history as well. One of my colleagues had a brilliant idea this year....why don't we have the students do research into their genealogy. Not only will they discover their family heritage, which is always engaging, but we can also tie into the project some key history vocabulary that students have a hard time grasping. Historical empathy, frame of reference, point of view, primary and secondary resources.......for a fifth grader those are difficult words to make sense of and a connection with. Through this project they are able to really connect with those key words and better understand their impact. What a great educational tool! In case this has just sparked your interest in discovering more about your family heritage, I am going to link for you some amazing, FREE websites where you can begin digging into your past. Enjoy! Links: Ellis Island Passenger List United States Census Records Family Search As the beginning of the new school year approaches, I can't help but reflect on my summer vacation. Of course it never feels like much of a summer vacation, and it never feels as if it's enough time to suffice that need for relaxation, however, another school year calls! I get just as anxious as the students for the first day thinking about what my class composition will be like, what new challenges will we face, and considering all of the fun we shall have. Perhaps the hardest part, however, with starting back to school is the demand for an earlier bed time. Yes, even teachers must face this challenge. I found this cute poem online that sums up, from a parent's perspective, the night before the first day of school. Enjoy!
Twas the Night Before School Started Author: Unknown Twas the night before school started when all through the town the parents were cheering it was a riotous sound. By eight the kids were washed and tucked into bed when memories of homework filled them with dread. New pencils, new folders, new notebooks too, new teachers, new friends, the anxiety grew. The parents just giggled when they heard of this fright and shouted upstairs-GO TO BED-IT'S A SCHOOL NIGHT! |
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