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kbfsc
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| Posted: Sept 04 2010 at 8:09pm | IP Logged
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I'm part of a two-morning-a-week curricular co-op. To start with we put the K'ers and 1st-graders together, but we're finding that we have some eager 1st-graders that really might do well with more. So, we're tinkering with the idea of pulling the first graders out for a brief history group. The older sibs are studying American history, so of course that would be a natural choice.
I haven't taught history to first graders before, so I'm looking for ideas. How would you engage 4 or 5 eager little ones with interesting stories and related activities? Which books are your favorites, and what activities have worked well in a short amount of time?
I have Alice Dalgliesh's The Fourth of July Story and Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans (by Edgerton, I think) and I like the idea of using both of them - probably the Dalgliesh book as an overview and them sprinkling stories in from Great Americans as the opportunity arises. Perhaps after that really focusing on the key players and contemporary saints?
What else would you all suggest? Thank you!
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Kiera
happy mama of ds '02, dd '03, ds '06, dd '09 and little ones in heaven
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Sept 04 2010 at 9:53pm | IP Logged
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I think I'd go with reading something from the material you have and then doing a related activity...song, dance, food, craft, game, etc. You might want to visit your local library and see if they have some activity books in their history section (might be with general U.S. history or with history in the children's section, depending on how they do things).
You could also toss in some age-appropriate read-alouds - of course the Little House books leap to mind, but there are others. You could look for some Native American crafts and foods to share, too (look for the Brown Bag series of books for ideas on this/Colonial America).
Songs are great for this age group - you could learn "Yankee Doodle" and "The World Turned Upside Down" for the Revolutionary War, for example. Our national anthem has a truly amazing tale behind it. The wonderful series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder has song lyrics...there was once a set of cassette tapes with those songs on them (I have a couple, so I know they exist). Sousa, jazz tunes, dance orchestras, etc. would be good for certain lessons, as well.
If your students love to draw, have them design colonial gardens (mazes, kitchen gardens, etc.) or clothing. Ask them to design a national capital, as L'Enfant did. Introduce the concept of memorials and ask them to create one for their family. Find out about Spanish families in Florida (St. Augustine) and create a Spanish meal.
Okay, I want to be part of your co-op! (Well...ours is heading down this same path...in another state...isn't it fun?!)
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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kbfsc
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| Posted: Sept 07 2010 at 5:44am | IP Logged
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Thanks, Nancy! Yes, it is a wonderful co-op! It has been the answer to many prayers. Hope yours is, too!
Thank you for the ideas. They all sound great. My time is limited, so I can't go crazy with crafts (sad!), but I am very interested in incorporated music and some audio books. Love the colonial gardens and family memorial ideas. We have a large Spanish mission nearby; thank you for the reminder to learn more about that part of American history!
Blessings!
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Kiera
happy mama of ds '02, dd '03, ds '06, dd '09 and little ones in heaven
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JennGM
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For music ideas, check out Smithsonian Folkways. They have recordings of colonial, revolutionary, civil war, maritime (whaling) songs. Very delightful.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
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Grace&Chaos
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I used History Pockets with my 1st grader last year to introduce history. She really enjoyed it. There really was not a lot of prep and easy to do with a small group. We're using it again this year as we cover Early American HIstory. She also is enjoying the:
D'aulaire books: Leif the Lucky, Columbus, Pocahontas, we just read Benjamin Franklin and have on our list to read this year George Washington, The Star Spangled Banner, Abraham Lincoln and Buffalo Bill.
The other series she is enjoying is David Adler with his "A Picture Book of ...".
There are many other books we're using and reading this year but these are the main two series I can think of.
Before I forget the Liberty Kids animation series (which was recommended on a different thread) has also been a hit. I have it scheduled for a couple of episodes on Friday afternoons and my 2nd grader and fifth grader are loving them. I haven't bought the Wee Sing America yet but it's on my list. 
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Jenny
Mom to dds(00,03) and dss(05,06,08,09)
Grace in Loving Chaos
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4Real Forums : Across Time and Place
Topic: American history for first graders
