SHOEBOX ACTIVITY

For one class we were to bring in a shoebox and act as if you had only ten minutes to put objects in to take with you if you had to leave to go somewhere or if your house was on fire. In my shoebox I had a Bible, some pictures, a letter from my dad, a picture of a knife, a picture of a gun, and some bullet casings. I picked these objects because they all mean something to me. The Bible is everything that I live by and the pictures would help me remember my family and what they looked like. I would take the knife, gun, and bullets for protection. During class we got into groups and showed other people what was in our boxes. It was interesting to see what people would bring and what was important to them. For some it was pictures and objects from their childhood. For others they packed survival things such as medicine, food, and bandages. Everyone's shoebox contained something different and showed what people value, possession wise, and what they would bring with them if they only had a few minutes to pack.

ANCHOR CHART

There are many different ways to teach history to students that are creative and fun. One way to help students understand what you are trying to teach to them is through an anchor char. Anchor charts can be very helpful because they can have quick facts about a topic that the students may have trouble remembering. This way they can look at the chart and get the information they need whenever they need it. For the class, our group decided to make an anchor chart for the fifth grade about the Boston Tea Party. This was fun because we did researched and found out information about the Boston Tea Party that I did not know about before doing this project. I also liked the fact that we could make our chart as colorful and fun as we wanted. I love color, and coloring the anchor chart so that even the pictures resembled what happened during the Boston Tea Party was fun. I could definitely see myself using the idea of an anchor chart in my classroom for any grade and not only to help teach history, but also for other subjects that my students may need a reference for.

 TRADE FAIR

In class we did a project called the "Trade Fair" and during this class everyone brought in something in that they made, bought, or found around their house to trade for something else. I made two lizard key chains but not everyone made something. Some people brought in books, white boards, and chocolate. There were many people that brought food, and I traded one of my key chains for two Russian pastry's with poppy seeds in the the middle. They were very good and I had never tasted anything like them before. I traded the other key chain for painting of a picture of an elephant. I personally love elephants, and am so happy that I was able to get the picture. The purpose of this activity was to show how people in history may have traded things they had for what they needed or wanted. Though most of the things we traded were materialistic objects, in the past people may have traded for things such as flour, cloth the make clothes, soap, and other things people needed to live their lives. I thought this project was very beneficial and I would love to do this with my students when I become a teacher.