Short on Time for Social Studies?
It feels like the minutes teachers are being given for Social Studies lessons are becoming shorter and shorter. As a LOVER of Social Studies myself, I refused to let these time cuts limit my ability to provide my students with impactful and engaging Social Studies lessons. Even when my time was cut down to only 25 minutes per day.
My Recipe for a 25 Minute Social Studies Lesson…
First 5 Minutes: get your students into it! Show a Brainpop, a snippet of a youtube video, or my personal favorite - give them a teaser to draw them in!
One of my favorite teasers when teaching the Battle of Antietam to 5th graders was “would you believe that the entire outcome of the war was changed because of a cigar?”…(if you’re not familiar with this awesome story from history, I highly recommend you pause to Google it).
Minutes 5-15: Story time! There should be no writing or notetaking during story time!
Social Studies should be taught like a story…because it is! Have your students put everything out of their hands, sit back, and relax while you tell the story that goes along with that day’s lesson. What happened? Who was involved? If you’re into it, they will be into it!
*Side note: when I taught 4th grade I did the same with regions. I used storytime to talk about life in that region with its geography, resources, culture, traditions, foods, etc!
Minutes 15-24: Note taking time!
Now that you have laid the informational groundwork with “story time”, your students will have a much easier time with their note taking. They will understand what their notes mean and have the stories in their heads to back them up!
To help note taking to be as PAINLESS as possible, I highly recommend making them clear, concise, scaffolded, and differentiated. I cannot tell you the hours I spent trying to make notes that met all of this criteria in my own classroom, which is why I became PASSIONATE about making them usable for all teachers!
4th Grade U.S. Regions Units
Guided Notes are ready to use and differentiated - such a time saver!
5th Grade U.S. History Units
“Story time” is SO much fun in 5th grade Social Studies - and Guided Notes that are scaffolded bring it all home!
6th Grade Ancient Civilizations Units
Content and information is really ‘kicked up’ in 6th grade. Organized, concise notes are critical to help students keep it all straight!
Minute 25: Bring it all Home!
The last minute is your recap. Here are a few ideas on how to use this final minute!
Create a parking lot in which students post one thing thing that surprised, confused, or intrigued them during the lesson
Have students write down a question they still have, and encourage them to research it that evening at home
Ask a controversial question about the lesson like “do you think the north would have still won the war if Grant’s men hadn’t found Lee’s plans written around the cigar?” and have them do an eyes closed vote!
Let’s Wrap it Up!
As a lover of Social Studies, the fact that minutes are being taken away from it is super disappointing. Less time does NOT have to mean less engagement or interest. You just need to have a plan, watch your time, and make it MEANINGFUL!
Need some guided notes to get you started? I’ve got you covered!
