Social Studies Toolbox

Create a poster that outlines key components of the U.S. Constitution. Your poster should include: The Preamble : This is the introduction to the Constitution, starting with "We the People," and it outlines the goals of the new government. Articles 1-7 : These articles explain the structure and powers of the three branches of government, along with other important rules. Article I, for example, focuses on the legislative branch and contains multiple sections. The Bill of Rights : Added in 1791, these first ten amendments protect individual freedoms and were important in getting the Constitution ratified. Amendments 11-27 : These amendments were added over time to address various changes and needs in society, including the Civil War Amendments (13, 14, 15), which abolished slavery and expanded rights, and the Voting Amendments (15, 19, 26), which expanded voting rights. To create an exemplary poster , follow these key criteria: Clear Layout : Organize sections with clear hea...

NPR (Thriller) http://www.npr.org/2011/10/28/141803346/the-thriller-dance-a-halloween-tradition

Visit the link below: 7 Wonders of the Natural World http://www.new7wonders.com/28-finalists 1. Have you heard of any of the 28 finalists? If so which ones? 2. One continent does not have any finalists. Which one? 3. Which continent has the most finalists? 4. Which finalist is the biggest single structure made by living creatures and can be seen from outer space? (Hint: it is in the  Eastern Hemisphere . ) 5. How many finalists are located within the " low latitude belt "? 6. Which of the finalists is/are an  archipelago of volcanic islands  distributed around the equator (Hint: you can find this finalist in the  Western Hemisphere .) 7. Which of the finalists is 420 metres below sea level, its shores are the  lowest point on Earth  that are on dry land and  with 30 percent salinity, it is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. 8. Which of the finalists is the highest  waterfall  in the world? It is more than 19 times ...

Project: Create a poster informing your audience about the conflict mineral issue and what can be done about this problem. Your poster must include: A Title: Information about the issue (Facts, statistics, graphs, charts, maps, etc. taken from the videos and packet we read in class. 1. Map 2. 3. 4. 5. Solutions (Taken from the videos and packet read in class.) 1. 2. A minimum of two images (found on the internet) You may use maps, charts, graphs, pictures, etc.

Read Chapter 6 from A Young People's History of the United States . "The Women of Early America" List ten examples of how women's lives were different from men's in the ninteenth century. List five examples of how some courageous women tried to improve the condition on women in the United States. Why was the World Anti-Slavery Society Convention of 1840 the birthplace of the women's rights movement? Give the date and location for the first women's rights convention in the world. What was Sojourner Truth's message? Which two states were the first to grant women's suffrage? http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072424362/student_view0/chapter21/interactive_maps.html When did Wisconsin women win full suffrage? Women's Suffrage Scripted Play: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/woman-suffrage/script.html

Teen Pregnancy Highest in the South: ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WellnessNews/south-leads-nation-teen-birth-rate/story?id=11926293 Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/10/20/us-usa-births-teens-idUSTRE69J4AE20101020 CDC Report: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db46.htm Suggestions for preventing teen pregnancy: http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/pdf/2011-04-vitalsigns.pdf Opinions (Why is teen pregnancy rate high in the South?) Austin Chronicle: http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2011-10-28/just-say-no/

Giant Lego Man Washes Ashore: http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/giant-lego-man-appears-florida-beach-214642517.html

http://constitutioncenter.org/foundersquiz/

I'm ashamed I haven't read this book sooner. It's always been on my "must read" list...just never seemed to get around to it. I finally picked up a copy at Bramble Books in downtown Viroqua Saturday morning. I'm half-way through. I'd probably be finished if I didn't stop after every chapter to do a little online research about various details of the book. I have to admit I've had a grin plastered on my face through most of the book. It's pretty cool when you read a book and you know exactly what the author is talking about.. the sights, sounds smells of the land. I grew up only a few miles from his "Seldom Seen Farm" in Gays Mills, Wisconsin. I've driven past his farm as an adult. I wish I wouldn't have missed the guided tour/hike of his farm yesterday. It would have been the perfect day to visit the farm. It was a beautiful fall day in southwest Wisconsin. Maybe next time. Bramble Books Facebook Page: http://www.faceboo...

Visit the link below: 7 Wonders of the Natural World http://www.new7wonders.com/28-finalists 1. Have you heard of any of the 28 finalists? If so which ones? 2. One continent does not have any finalists. Which one? 3. Which continent has the most finalists? 4. Which finalist is the biggest single structure made by living creatures and can be seen from outer space? (Hint: it is in the Eastern Hemisphere . ) 5. How many finalists are located within the " low latitude belt "? 6. Which of the finalists is/are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator (Hint: you can find this finalist in the Western Hemisphere .) 7. Which of the finalists is 420 metres below sea level, its shores are the lowest point on Earth that are on dry land and  with 30 percent salinity, it is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. 8. Which of the finalists is the highest waterfall in the world? It is more than 19 times higher than Niagara Falls. 9. How many finalists are i...

Conflict Minerals Project Watch 60 Minutes video: As you watch, write down three new facts you learned about the issue of conflict minerals. (10 points) http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/25/60minutes/main5774127.shtml Watch Time Magazine Video: As you watch, write down two new facts you learned about conflict minerals. (10 points) Is There Blood on Your Laptop? Read, highlight, and discuss: http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/content/initiatives/conflict-minerals http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1912594,00.html?xid=rss-topstories Create a poster  informing your audience about the conflict mineral issue and what can be done about this problem. Your poster must include: A  Title: Information  about the issue (Facts, statistics, graphs, charts, maps, etc. taken from the videos and packet we read in class. 1. Map 2. 3. 4. 5. Solutions  (Taken from the videos and packet read in class.) 1. 2. A minimum of  two   images  (fo...

Visit the wall display located in the hall outside my classroom. Take a few moments to look at the display.  Choose three posters to study. What are the three posters about? Look for a poster or posters defining "domestic violence." What is domestic violence? How prevalent is domestic violence? Find information about what to do, where to go, who to talk to, etc. if you are a victim or you know a victim of domestic violence.  What are two things you can do if you are a victim or you know a victim of domestic violence? What do the purple ribbons symbolize?  What did you learn about domestic violence that you did not know before visiting this wall display?

Take the Quiz....How much do you know about World Hunger? NY Times Lesson: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/14/world-food-day-addressing-hunger-around-the-globe/ Map: http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/communications/wfp229328.pdf Meet the children: http://www.wfp.org/dreams Hunger in the United States: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/helping-the-hungry-researching-the-causes-of-hunger-and-related-charities/ Statistics: http://www.stopthehunger.com/ Causes: http://www.wfp.org/hunger/causes Assignment #1: 1.  What causes hunger?  2.  List five African countries with a very high number of undernourished people. 3.  List three Asian countries with a moderately high number of undernourished people. 4.  What is the total number of undernourished people worldwide? 5.  2 out of 3 of the world's hungry live in 7 countries. List them. 6.  Of the 19 million people suffering from hunger...

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~George Eliot Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold, Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. Robert Frost Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. Carol Bishop Hipps

New York Times Lesson: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/mapping-happiness-analyzing-an-interactive-about-a-nations-well-being/ Ten Happiest Countries: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/mapping-happiness-analyzing-an-interactive-about-a-nations-well-being/

"One percent of the nation owns a third of the wealth. The rest of the wealth is distributed in such a way as to turn those in the 99 percent against one another : small property owners against the propertyless, black against white, native-born against foreign-born, intellectuals and professionals against the uneducated and the unskilled. These groups have resented one another and warred against one another with such vehemence and violence as to obscure their common position as sharers of leftovers in a very wealthy country." -Howard Zinn

The issue of domestic violence has been in the news a lot lately...and for good reason. Although the number of domestic violence-related deaths are down slightly in Wisconsin, the past two years have seen record high numbers in domestic violence-related deaths.   Wisconsin loses an average of one person every week due to domestic violence. Another important fact to consider is that firearms were used in 61% of those homicides. November 1 is just around the corner. As the number of people who carry concealed weapons in the state increases, I worry the number of domestic violence-related deaths will also increase. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Raising awareness is one step we must take as a society to eradicate this problem. We also must support victims.The news is filled with stories of states and  municipalities cutting programs which aid victims of domestic violence. I'm most alarmed by the recent decision by the city council of Topeka, Kansas to decriminali...

For Children: http://www.thehideout.org.uk/under10/default.aspa For Young People: http://www.thehideout.org.uk/over10/default.aspa

NPR: http://www.npr.org/2011/10/12/141287214/topeka-repeals-domestic-violence-law Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/topeka-kan-repeals-city-law-against-domestic-violence-to-save-money/2011/10/12/gIQAZTgVfL_blog.html New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/us/topeka-moves-to-decriminalize-domestic-violence.html Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2011/1012/Why-Topeka-Kan.-repealed-its-ban-on-domestic-violence Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/10/12/topeka-kansas-has-decriminalized-domestic-violence/ Kansas City Star: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/10/11/3202008/topeka-repeals-law-against-misdemeanor.html AP: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iSUqqT9rApShhVH7iJLNnaR_kp4g?docId=545ce83738e04e82b080b9a94a66b63e CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/13/ap/business/main20120110.shtml Center for Disease Control Study on the Costs of Domestic Violence (2003) http...

Assignment: Find a quote that illustrates one of the themes in Freedom Writers. Create poster which includes both the quote and pictures relating to the quote. You may also incorporate art (illustrations, photographs, painting, etc.) into your poster. Themes: Tolerance Courage Peace Making a Difference "Don't think you're on the right road just because it’s a well-beaten path." ~Author Unknown “The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.” Ralph W. Sockman “I have learned silence from the talkative, tolerance from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strangely, I am ungrateful to these teachers” Kahlil Gibran The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character. - Margaret Chase Smith Knowledge is no guarantee of good behavior, but ignorance is a virtual guarantee of bad behav...

http://www.time.com/time/interactive/0,31813,2019756,00.html

http://www.time.com/time/interactive/0,31813,1619206,00.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/jun/15/gender-afghanistan

Flashcards: Choose a Study Mode Scatter Learn Flashcards Study these flash cards

Reflecting on your own reading history: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/learning/pdf/2010/20100304readinghistory.pdf NPR Series (You Must Read This) http://www.npr.org/series/you-must-read-this/ 1001 Books to Read Before You Die: http://www.listology.com/list/1001-books-you-must-read-you-die

NY Times Interactive Map: http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/explorer?ref=us America by the Numbers: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/01/07/us/CENSUS.html

NY Times Lesson: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/08/data-visualized-more-on-teaching-with-infographics/ List of Great Infographic Sources: http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2010/01/04/the-best-sources-for-interactive-infographics/

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/04/where-children-sleep/

Crossword: http://www.proprofs.com/games/crossword/geography-terms/ Trivia Game: http://www.actionquiz.com/quiz.php?trivia=geography