Category Archives: social studies
Exploring History Through Fictional Characters
This year in ELA, we are tracing some of the major events in American history and exploring the ways in which history can be conveyed through the experiences of fictional characters, often presented as a blend of documented “truth” and … Continue reading
Posted in High School, language arts, McGuffey, Montessori method, social studies, Uncategorized
Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to celebrate with family and friends, but the history of the holiday is complicated and often misunderstood. Based on the book “1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving”, Lower Elementary had a chance to discuss what actually … Continue reading
France
We studied France in the Primary classroom for the past two weeks and ended this unit with an Art History lesson about ballet. We discussed how ballet was brought to France from Italy, where it developed into the performance art … Continue reading
Posted in art, community, guest speakers, language arts, McGuffey, pre-primary, preschool, Primary, primary unit, sensorial, social studies, Uncategorized, upper unit
Election Day
Costume Day at McGuffey is always the day after Halloween, which happened to coincide with the day before Election Day. In Lower Elementary, we combined the two subjects and held an election about candy! Based on personal preference, the class … Continue reading
Boris the Mantis
Our students discovered a visitor living on a plant that recently came into our classroom. Watching and learning about this beautiful mantis became a daily practice. The students even put democracy into action to choose a name.
1800s Day
1800s Day is a McGuffey tradition where the Primary and Lower Elementary classrooms go back in time. All modern materials are put away, leaving only items they would have in the 1800s. Other than toilets, they do not have access … Continue reading
North America, the United States, and Ohio
This week we began our exploration of the continents. This journey will take us well into spring as we discuss each continent and several countries within it. We began our discussion by talking about the seven continents and identifying the … Continue reading
Posted in Primary, social studies
Monarch Butterflies
Several classrooms have been raising monarch butterflies from eggs found in our community. Following the life cycle is a fantastic way to kick off the new school year! Once a butterfly emerges from its chrysalis, we tag it as part … Continue reading
Posted in Lower Elementary, McGuffey, science, social studies
Population Density
This semester the Upper Unit students are learning about the physical and cultural geography of Asia. We began with a look at the differences in land mass, total population, and population density between North America and Asia. Using the data … Continue reading
Posted in Middle School, social studies, Upper Elementary, upper unit
Science and Social Studies in a mixed grade classroom
Since McGuffey has mixed-age classes, we often get asked how we teach subjects to a wide range of ages and abilities. In subjects such as language and math, children have an individualized curriculum. However, in science and social studies, we … Continue reading
Posted in Lower Elementary, McGuffey, science, social studies
