Virginia Studies SOL Review and a FREEBIE

Would you like some resources to teach and/or review your Virginia Studies content?  Then this post if for you!  I'm sharing my favorite resources for the following:  SOL review, the Civil War, the American Revolution, and a FREEBIE that focuses on abolitionists and the formation of West Virginia.

To read the full post, go to the Virginia is for Teachers blog.
Virginia Studies SOL Review and Grammar Correction

Major Civil War Battles of Virginia Map

Patrick Henry Readers Theater

FREEBIE: Abolitionists and Formation of West Virginia PDF and Cloze Activity

To read the full post, go to the Virginia is for Teachers blog.

What are your go-to review activities for the Virginia Studies SOL?  I'd love to hear about them!

Teaching/Reviewing The American Revolution: Can't You Make Them Behave, King George

Would you like to teach or review the conflict between King George and the American colonists, while incorporating Language Arts?  If so, then check out my Question Packet for "Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?"!



I'm always trying to find ways to incorporate reading into other subjects.  I especially like it as introduction to a concept or unit.  Jean Fritz's books are fantastic for this purpose in history!  I really love the book, "Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?" for this purpose!

After using it for read-aloud for a couple of years, I knew I wanted to take it to the next level.  So, I created a comprehension sheet to go along with the reading. 

There are a couple of different ways I've used this sheet:

Option 1: have students read the book.  I've used pairs/trios and independent, depending on the level of challenge the student needs.  After reading it all the way through, I have them go back and answer the questions in the packet together or independently.  

Option 2:  Work with your small reading groups to read the book together and answer the question packet.  Again, I've decided whether to have students answer the questions as a group or independently to differentiate instruction.

In addition to a reading comprehension tool, it also serves as a great review when placed in your Virginia Studies/ U.S. History binder.  It reviews the difficulty the American colonists had with coming to the decision to declare war on King George, including:
~ French and Indian War
~ Taxation without representation
~ Intolerable Acts
~ The Boston Tea Party

It also includes an answer key, so important to make the activity self-checking!

You can pick up a copy of my packet at my TpT store by clicking here.

Do you have any other great books to use for the American Revolution?  I'd love to hear about them!

Virginia Studies and Grammar

Are you looking for some interdisciplinary end of year review activities involving writing and Virginia Studies?  Then this Virginia Studies grammar correction activity may be what you're looking for!

This activity uses the language of the SOLs and turns it into questions.  Each question has several grammar mistakes that need to be corrected.  There are a couple of different options for how to use this:

Option 1:  Have students rewrite the sentence/question correctly for a grammar/writing assessment.

Option 2:  Have students answer the question for a Virginia Studies assessment.

Either way, it gets them practicing and reviewing key concepts in both subjects.

It includes an answer key to make the activity self-checking, which is yet another way to have students practice with the information.

You can pick up a copy by clicking here.




Do you do any activities that help with the integration of Language Arts and Virginia Studies?  I'd love to hear about them!

Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?

Are you searching for a way to teach or review the conflict between King George and the American colonists?  Do you love it when Language Arts and History play well together?  If you answered yes to either of these questions, then this post is for you!

I'm always trying to find ways to incorporate reading into other subjects.  I especially like it as introduction to a concept or unit.  Jean Fritz's books are fantastic for this purpose in history!  I really love "Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?" for this purpose!

After using it for read-aloud for a couple of years, I knew I wanted to take it to the next level.  So, I created a comprehension sheet to go along with the reading.

There are a couple of different ways I've used this sheet:

Option 1: have students read the book.  I've used pairs/trios and independent, depending on the level of challenge the student needs.  After reading it all the way through, I have them go back and answer the questions in the packet together or independently.  

Option 2:  Work with your small reading groups to read the book together and answer the question packet.  Again, I've decided whether to have students answer the questions as a group or independently to differentiate instruction.

In addition to a reading comprehension tool, it also serves as a great review when placed in your Virginia Studies/ U.S. History binder.  It reviews the difficulty the American colonists had with coming to the decision to declare war on King George, including:
~ French and Indian War
~ Taxation without representation
~ Intolerable Acts
~ The Boston Tea Party

It also includes an answer key, so important to make the activity self-checking!

You can pick up a copy of my packet at my TpT store by clicking here.

Do you have any other great books to use for the American Revolution?  I'd love to hear about them!

Patrick Henry Readers Theater

Are you teaching about the American Revolution and/or reviewing for your history SOL? Here's an activity that incorporates reading, cooperative learning, and Virginia Studies/U.S. History!

When I searched for readers theater for history, I found very little. So, I decided to make my own resource. 

This readers theater includes many of the famous founding fathers who wrote the declaration of independence, as well as key players.  It focuses on Patrick Henry's famous speech at St. John's Church in Richmond.

This Readers Theater will help students to:
~ Become familiar with Patrick Henry's famous speech at St. John's Church that called his countrymen to arms. 

It also reviews the difficulty George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had with coming to the decision to declare war on King George, including:
~ French and Indian War
~ Taxation without representation
~ Intolerable Acts
~ The Boston Tea Party
~ Bacon's Rebellion
~ Burgesses 

It works well as either an introduction or a review. 

You can pick up a copy by clicking here.


How do you teach/review the Revolutionary War?  I'd love to hear how!

Virginia Studies Foldable of the Week: Roles of Virginians During the American Revolution

I just love foldables.  It's kind of like getting to do a craft or art project while still learning the core information.  The students love them, too.  So I try to use them as often as time will allow.

The one that I'm excited about this week was created by Susie Orr for Fairfax County Schools.  It's on a website I've mentioned in a previous post:  STAR (Suffolk Teaching Activities & Resources).  It covers the VS.5 SOL about roles of Virginians during the Revolutionary War.

Here's the first page of the foldable:

There's a total of 3 pages, but when cut out and made with flaps, it ends up being two in the students' notebooks.  You can browse the site or go directly to the foldable by clicking here.


Other websites that give you great foldables and activities:
VA Studies-Cool Stuff: The activities are organized by tabs at the top of the screen that include the VS SOL numbers. 

United States History: This one's more for 5th Grade U.S. History, but I like seeing what students will have to know next year and how it connects to what I'm teaching.

History on Tap:  Includes numerous review activities, including refrigerator magnets.

How about you?  Do you use foldables in social studies?

Social Studies Review and Practice Stations

A visitor to my blog recently asked if I had any methods for memorization of facts in Social Studies.  Even though I do, it got me thinking about how I can make it better. 

First, I want to share some websites that have everything from foldables to practice websites.  I want to point out that many of these sites are Virginia specific, but many of the activities will work with any state's standards.  I like to have the entire class complete the review activities on our computer lab day.  I also have two desktop computers on which students can practice.

The first site actually has ALL subjects available.  It. Is. AWESOME!  The main site can be accessed here.  The Virginia Studies site can be accessed here.

Another way I review and extend key concepts is through my Word of the Day.  Social Studies is full of higher-level vocabulary that students need to understand before they can get the big picture.  You can read more about it in my "Polka Dot Word of the Day" post.  For example, I used to think that the word "economic" was fairly simple because we used it to death in class, but it's not simple for students.  So, we might take a few days and complete the activities listed under Word of the Day.

At the end of each unit, we take the major events of that time period and create a timeline.  Our textbook does a fantastic job of listing the major events at the end of each chapter (see below).  I assign pairs of students different dates on the timeline.  They have to write the date and description as it's listed on the timeline and then draw their own picture of what it means.  After everyone is finished, we stand up as a class in order of date and explain what's happening in each of the pictures.

ReadWriteThink has a great timeline app that allows students to fill in labels of an online timeline.  This is great for an extension or review of this information later on.

Do you have any go-to review activities for Social Studies?  I'm always looking for more, so please share!

Patrick Henry Readers Theater

I love to use Readers Theater whenever I can in all subjects.  The problem is that once you get into the upper grades, there aren't too many scripts that are on grade level.  I also find that there aren't too many Social Studies scripts.  So, I made one of my own.

This Readers Theater will help students to become familiar with Patrick Henry's famous speech at St. John's Church that called his countrymen to arms. It works well as either an introduction or a review. It also reviews the difficulty George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had with coming to the decision to declare war on King George. Other concepts mentioned/reviewed: French and Indian War, taxation without representation, Intolerable Acts, The Boston Tea Party, Bacon's Rebellion, burgesses.

You can pick up a free copy at my TpT store by clicking here.

Do you have any Readers Theater scripts you've created?  I'd love for you to share!

Jamestown Charters Cloze Activity

My students were having a hard time understanding what the charters that established the colony of Jamestown meant.  We read about them, we discussed them, and... still couldn't explain them in our own words.  Then I remembered an activity I had tried a few years ago. 

The complete document has the three charters written by King James I for the Virginia Company of London.  One set has blanks for students to fill in, and the second set has the answers filled in.  I use the second set not only as an answer key, but also to differentiate for students that are unable to copy notes from the board.  If you teach Virginia Studies or World History, these will really help students remember the details of these historical documents that were the basis for the establishment of Jamestown.

You can pick up a FREE copy at my TpT store by clicking here.

Do you teach Virginia Studies or World History?  How about the charters?  What do you use for this?

Read Alouds that Compliment Curriculum

Amanda is hosting a "Fiction Friday Link-Up" at her very cool blog: The Teaching Thief.  This is a great opportunity to share some of the fiction books we all love to use because, let's be honest, no one can tolerate ONLY nonfiction books all the time!

I chose to stick to Virginia Studies and Science for my read-aloud books this time.  I could do an entire post on nothing but Language Arts books, but I'll save that for another day ;)

Historical Fiction

A Friendship For Today by McKissack, Patricia

This is a chapter book about integration in the 1950s and a friendship between two girls that overcomes prejudice.

A Good Night For Freedom by Morrow, Barbara Olenyik

This is a picture book about a family of Quakers that house runaway slaves and describes the resulting danger in which they find themselves.

Freedom On The Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins by Weatherford, Carole B.

This is a picture book about the integration/desegregation period and passive resistance. 

Sounder by William H. Armstrong

This is a chapter book about a sharecropping family that is torn apart when the father is imprisoned for stealing food.

Science

Ecosystems/Habitats

The Great Kapok Tree by Cherry, Lynne

Not only is this great for discussing ecosystems (rainforest in this case), but it also has a great tie-in to writing.  The animals are trying to convince the human not to cut down their home.  I use this to discuss persuasive language and which styles/phrases are most effective and human impact on ecosystems.


What fiction books do you use for read-aloud?  Come join the link-up and share your favorites!

The Secret Soldier by Ann McGovern

We are getting ready to do our unit on the American Revolution.  As part of our studies, we will learn the various roles Virginians played.  I was inspired by a post on http://4theloveofteaching.blogspot.com/ about how she uses The Secret Soldier for read aloud and literature circles.  I've thought about using this book, but haven't gotten around to it. 

So I popped on down to Teachers pay Teachers to have a look at some of the things teachers are doing with this book.  It just so happens that the first thing I found was a freebie, and it fit my literature circle needs perfectly!  Go check it out for yourself:  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Secret-Soldier-by-Ann-McGovern.  You might have to create an account if you haven't already, but it's free and totally worth it.

While I'm on the subject, http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/ is a gold mine!  Many of the lessons and activities on this site are free or incredibly cheap.