2010 State of the Union Bingo Lesson Plan

Hello. President Obama will be giving his first State of the Union on Wednesday, January 27th. If you are looking for a great classroom activity for your students please check out the 2010 State of the Union Bingo lesson plan from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

This is a fun and engaging way to have your students watch the State of the Union. Check it out.

Link to 2010 State of the Union lesson plan from the National Constitution Center

Podcast #202 - Using History Alive! for Constitutional Convention Activity

Hello. Today's podcast is an update from Speaking of History Podcast #197 when I asked for suggestions on teaching the Constitutional Convention with each student representing a delegate in Philadelphia. I received some great suggestions - check out the comments from podcast #197 - and several of them pointed me in the same direction : the History Alive! United States History curriculum.

I remembered receiving a History Alive! curriculum kit a couple of years ago from a representative at a conference and am very excited about using it in my classroom in a couple of months when we cover the Constitutional Convention.

Another great idea came from Lance who suggested that my students try out the quiz from the National Constitution Center which matches you with one of the Founding Fathers based on your answers. Very cool and something I plan to do with my students during our Constitution unit.

Thanks for all the suggestions and e-mails. It is amazing that you can throw a question out there and so many people are willing to respond and contribute to the conversation. If you have any comments for this blog post - maybe you currently use the History Alive! curriculum - please leave a comment on this blog post.

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Direct link to Podcast #202 - Using History Alive! to Teach the Constitutional Convention

Podcast #197 - Brainstorming Ideas for Constitutional Convention Activity

Hello. We will be starting our unit on the Constitutional Convention in about two months and for the past two years I've had an idea that I think would work well with my students but I have yet to flesh it out. I would like to match each of my students with a delegate at the convention and then as we study about the issues and debates at the convention they would look at the issue through the eye of "their" delegate. Each student would become personally connected to that delegate during the unit.

Today's podcast discusses how this project might look in an 8th grade classroom, what resources could be used to build this activity, and (probably most importantly) does this activity already exist in some format?

After you listen to the podcast I'd love to hear what you think. If you any thoughts or suggestions please leave a comment on this blog post. Thanks.

Direct link to Podcast #197 - Constitutional Convention Activity Ideas

Podcast #163 - Using Google Video Chat to Visit the National Constitution Center

Some days you do an activity in the classroom that just works incredibly well and you walk away thinking "AWESOME". I had that experience today. Today my 8th grade history students in Liberty, Missouri were able to take a visual field trip to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and participate in a tour given by National Constitutional Center Education Director Eli Lesser. We used Google's new Video Chat feature - it was very easy to use and we had a quality picture. Eli used his laptop and a web cam to move around Signers Hall at the National Constitution Center. He told stories about the statues in the hall while showing my students specific details. He answered questions as they raised their hand in my class. It was incredible. I know this is not a ground breaking event - many classes participate in video conferences every day, but I found it amazing that all we needed to make a connection was a G-mail account, a web cam and one click. Very impressive. If this is possible with minimal effort, what else can be accomplished with this application? Wow.

I talk about today's experience in the podcast and I recorded the experience with my Flip camera from the back of the room. I have uploaded a 7 minute segment from the video experience to You Tube and have embedded it below.

I would like to thank Eli Lesser for taking time out of his day to participate in this activity with my students. I would encourage all history teachers to sign up for the National Constitution Center educator newsletter to stay informed about all upcoming activities and events.

If you have any comments or questions about the video conference please leave a comment to this blog entry. I would also love to hear about any experiences you have with connecting classes via Google Video Chat. Are you an 8th grade American history class that would like to participate in a project with us in Liberty, Missouri? If so please let me know - send an e-mail to speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Direct link to Podcast #163 - Using Google Video Chat to Visit the National Constitution Center - MP3 Audio File

Podcast #162 - Create A Word Cloud of the Constitution Using Wordle

Hello. Today's podcast is a quick one about using the application Wordle in your social studies class. Wordle is a web based application which allows you to create a word cloud from a sample of text. You can manipulate the colors, shape, font, etc. to make a really cool visual represenation of text.




Since we are studying the United States Constitution right now in class I create two "Wordles" composed of the text of the Constitution. I think they look pretty cool and my 8th graders thought they were awesome. Listen to the podcast to learn a little more about using Wordle in your social studies classroom.

Direct link to Podcast #162 - Create A Word Cloud of the Constitution Using Wordle - MP3 Audio File

State of the Union Bingo Lesson Plan

Here is a great lesson plan that you can incorporate into your classroom when teaching about the State of Union address by President Bush. It comes from Eli Lesser - Director of Teacher Education and Civic Outreach for the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Eli mentioned this over the summer when I attended a workshop at the National Constitution Center and I was thinking of it this morning just as it came across my e-mail.

You can download a PDF of the lesson plan and Bingo board so your students can play along. Great also to adapt to other events.

Thanks Eli!

2007 Constitution Day Video

Hello and Happy Constitution Day! Last night I put the finishing touches on our video for Constitution Day. For the past two years I have created a video that is shown during our student news broadcast. Last year I had segments of the preamble read by various students and teachers. This year I did a short commentary on how the Constitution impacts the lives of our students at South Valley Jr. High - examples include i-Pods, the Daily Show, a local Civil War battle, etc. I created it with PhotoStory 3 and included music from Soundzabound.

View the 2007 Constitution Video from South Valley Jr. High - as a Windows Media Video

Podcast #118 - Ideas for Constitution Day - September 17th

Hello. On September 17th schools across America will celebrate the birthday of our Constitution. According to law, each school in the country that receives federal money of any kind, is required to do some type of activity related to the Constitution.

Last year we created a short video with students and staff reading portions of the preamble. We show it on our building cable channel during student announcements on Constitution Day. We posted it on Teacher Tube and in the past year it has been viewed over 12,000 times. This year I am working on video with a slightly different theme and hope to have it completed for viewing on Monday.



Looking for ideas or lesson plans to use at your school on September 17th? In this podcast I share my favorite resources for Constitution Day ideas. We would love to hear about your plans for Constitution Day - leave a comment on this blog entry and include a Constitution link of your own.

Direct link to Podcast #118 - Ideas for Constitution Day - September 17th - MP3 Format - 11:27 Minutes

Podcast #118 Show Notes:

- National Constitution Center - Constitution Day Lesson Plan and Resource Database

- Interactive Constitution Online - National Constitution Center

- National Archives Constitution Day - Teaching with Resources

- National Archives Constitution Game - 12 paper clips and a die

- National Archives Constitution Questions / Answers and Quick Facts

- Interactive Christy painting from National Endowment for the Humanities

Podcast #109 - Interview with Eli Lesser - Director of Education for the National Constitution Center

Hello. It has been an awesome week of attending the NEH Landmarks Teacher Workshop in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center. Today I interviewed Eli Lesser, Director of Education for the National Constitution Center. The NCC is a great please to visit and take your students but you can also find a wide variety of resources on their web site. I would also suggest checking out the teacher workshops available - you could be here next year enjoying the workshop I am currently attending.

Please feel free to comment on the podcast. You can leave a comment on this blog post or e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

You can subscribe directly to the Speaking of History podcast on i-Tunes here

Don’t forget to sign up for the July 2007 book giveaway. I’m giving away copies of two books – Manhunt by James Swanson and Guerrilla Season by Pat Hughes. See Speaking of History Podcast #100 for more details. Just send me your name and the city in which you live before August 1, 2007. On August 1st my three year old daughter will draw two names and I will send them each the book they won.

Direct link to Podcast #109 - An Interview with Eli Lesser - Director of Education at the National Constitution Center - MP3 Format - 16:12 Minutes

Podcast #108 - Independence Hall, Causes of the Revolution and A Great Cuban Restaurant

Hello. Today was the second full day of the NEH Landmark Workshop “A Revolution in Government” at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. It was a full day that started with a great lecture from Richard R. Beeman of the University of Pennsylvania. He discussed the start of the American Revolution through a different lens for me. The American colonists were already enjoyed many freedoms and yet they decided to fight a war with the most powerful nation in the world at the time to gain even more freedom. This is a topic that I would like to expand upon in later podcast. We also did a tour of Carpenter’s Hall, Independence Hall and the Graff House.

Standing in the room where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed was an incredible feeling. I can remember reading about the chair with either the “setting sun” or the “rising sun” since I was in grade school so seeing it in person was a thrill. One of the great surprised for me today was a stroll through Washington Square and seeing the tomb of the Unknown Soldier for the American Revolutionary War and a statue of George Washington.

In the evening some of us ventured over to Cuba Libre – an excellent restaurant that features Cuban food. It was excellent, music was festive and the ambiance was second to none. I would definitely suggest a visit to Cuba Libre on your trip to Philadelphia. I had the “Plato Cuba Libre” which is basically a sampling of featured Cuban foods. The workshop continues to be an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Revolutionary War and the Constitution.

Please feel free to comment on the podcast. You can leave a comment on this blog post or e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Don’t forget to sign up for the July 2007 book giveaway. I’m giving away copies of two books – Manhunt by James Swanson and Guerrilla Season by Pat Hughes. Just send me your name and the city in which you live before August 1, 2007. On August 1st my three year old daughter will draw two names and I will send them each the book they won.

Direct link to Podcast #107 – Independence Hall, Causes of the American Revolution and Eating Cuban – MP3 Format - 9:43 Minutes

Podcast #107 Show Notes :

- National Constitution Center
- Richard R Beeman – University of Pennsylvania
- Independence Hall
- Cuba Libre Restuarant - Philadelphia

Podcast #107 - Constitution Workshop Day 1 - Touring the Old City, Constitution Center and City Tavern

Hello. We started our NEH Landmark Workshop today in Philadelphia - "A Revolution in Government" with the National Constitution Center. Today we met the other participants - 40 teachers from all over the United States. We did a quick tour of the Constitution Center, a mini tour of Old City in downtown Philadelphia, a lecture from John Murrin of Princeton University and a presentation on creating classroom ready lesson plans by Eli Lesser, Director of Teacher Education for the National Constitution Center. The entire staff from the Constitution Center that we will be working with this week in fantastic - Eli Lesser, Laura Keenan and Patrick Spero.

Tonight a group of us went to City Tavern - a historic eating establishment here in Philadelphia that sits on the exact location of the tavern where the Founding Fathers went to eat and drink after a hard day of debating and creating our Constitution. It was good food and even greater conversation about teaching history. It was a very full first day of the workshop and I think this group has a great energy that should make it a super week.

If you have any comments please leave a comment on the blog or email me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com Also, don't forget you have until July 31, 2007 to e-mail me your name and city to be eligible to win a copy of Manhunt or Guerrilla Season - check out episode #100 for more details.

Direct link to Podcast #107 - Constitution Workshop Day 1 - Touring Old City, Constitution Center and City Tavern - MP3 Format - 10:28 Minutes

Podcast #107 Show Notes :

- National Constitution Center

- City Tavern - Philadelphia

Teacher Tube Video - Constitution Day 2006 Video

If you're a teacher you must check out TeacherTube. The site went live just a couple of weeks ago on March 6, 2007. Think YouTube but for education. Pretty slick interface and easy to use. Teachers are currently uploading video relating to education. Yesterday I wanted to try it out so I upload my Constitution Day video from this year - we do a video each year and show it on our building student broadcast to celebrate Constitution Day. Just like YouTube, it is easy to upload video content, easy to embed in your blog, easy to send a link and collect your favorite videos.




If you haven't yet checked out TeacherTube go over and check it out.