A Teacher's Review of Africa Trading Empires Middle Grade Lesson Bundle

If you're looking for the best ancient history lesson plans, ones that will engage and entertain your middle grade students, ones that offer informational texts without putting your students to sleep, and you happen to need something on the Ancient African Empires, then I offer this review:

Africa Trading Empires Unit: Notes & Activities Bundle Ghana, Mali, Songhai (New!)

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(More on Mr. and Mrs. P below)

What makes this bundle so unique is its triad of parts that rounds out lesson plans about the Empires of West Africa. It's a complete unit plan for 6th grade, 7th grade, and 8th grade history lessons for the Western African time period wedged between Ancient Asia and Ancient Mesopotamia in most history books or curriculum plans. This bundle offers Western African Empire history in three important parts: Lessons, Activities, and Assessment.

 You'll be sure your middle grade students learned what they needed to with the Quiz and Test set, which includes vocabulary, reading excerpts, and evidence selection from text in an easy to review format. The best part? You can easily modify it to work for your students work level because it is formatted to be editable and printable. The included answer key makes grading swift as wind blowing over the Sahara.

One of the best common core reading and writing activities in this bundle is the Mansa Musa's Great Journey activity. This student centered activity offers them the chance to read about this leader's mecca and experience it with him through pictures and a map. Then they will analyze the text and cite evidence to support Mansa's leadership claims.

Need a break from all the reading? Your middle school students will have all kinds of fun with this map scavenger hunt. (We have something similar in many of our other bundles as well as for single purchase.) They'll be engaged as they search out clues for some of Africa's most prominent natural wonders. You can up the anti by setting a time limit or offering a prize for the first student or team that finds them all the quickest.

Another included printable, interactive activity is the stations package. This 8 station reading activity offers a chance to use graphic organizers to answer questions about the Empires of West Africa. It's common core and DBQ targeted so all that reading and responding isn't wasted!

Other activities included in this bundle that make it high value are...

Africa Geography Mini Bundle with PowerPoint Satellite Map, Postcard Activity,Travel Blog 

or Instagram Geography Assignment 

Africa Vocabulary Mini-Bundle that includes a vocabulary assignment, game and FUN card matching competition!

Fantastic PowerPoint notes for all three empires with key vocabulary

Printable one pager notes for all three empires 

Printable graphic organizers for all three empires

Griot Mask Worksheet Family History Activity

Ibn Battuta Travel Blog and FACETIME Activity- 

Students read Ibn Battuta's diaries, then create a blog of his journeys or conduct an interview. Both Literacy and Writing based!

Common Core Informative Paragraph Activity with example and iPAD template. Includes a rubric.

Common Core Annotations Activity.

Printable homework worksheets based on the notes for all three civilizations 

African empires CD project with examples 

Fun Africa Empires Praise Song project with Rubric 

Three empires foldable review activity with examples! 

Linkendin Profile Page (resume) worksheet for African Leaders

Mansa Musa Common Core Instagram Selfie

Common Core Textbook Analysis Chunk up the Text!

Key Vocabulary FUN class games!

A venn diagram that compares all three civilizations with answer key!

Here is what teachers are saying about the Scientific Revolution Notes and Activity Common Core Bundle: 

"Love this bundle! These resources are GREAT for my 7th graders! They have really had fun learning about the West African Empires with your resources!" ~Danielle S.

"Such a thorough and well put together resource. Thank you for sharing!" ~Stephanie M.

"An Excellent supplemental resource. A wide range of engaging activities for my students!" ~Anonymous buy on November 28, 2015 

Want to see a complete activities list for this 24 page social studies bundle, as well as more about the creators Mr. and Mrs. P? Click the link below for all the details on their 26 years combined teaching experience and how they were literally student nominated as superheroes!

INSTRUCTOMANIA, INC.

A Teacher's Opinion on Instructomania's Scientific Revoluton Notes and Activities Bundle

Earlier this week we reviewed the Enlightenment bundle by Instructomania, which many teachers were wrapping up their unit on. Many are moving further into history, revolutionizing the classroom with the scientific method, inventions, and forward thinkers of their time during the Scientific Revolution. As the sun comes out and students get antsy being cooped up, you might consider today's product review as a way to engage students in some inventive activites and note taking with the 11 options in the...

Scientific Revolution Notes & Activities Common Core Bundle

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(More on Mr. and Mrs. P below)

This bundle has so much FUN in it! If you take a look at the reviews on the page, they can't stop talking about how much their students loved activities like the lollipop/ dum dums lab that gives a hands on way to understand the Scientific Method, or one of our favorites, the Create a playlist activity shown below. 

This one offers students the opportunity to take the accomplishments and ideas of big thinkers and doers of the Scientific Revolution such as Ptolomy, Decartes, Issac Newton, Copernicus, Keplertand and create fun track titles and playlists. Some students not musically inclined? No problem! A sample list is included, and this is a great one to split students up into teams for. Take it a step further and have them come up with some lyrics.

The Scientific Revolution notes and activities bundle recently got upgraded with this five page DBQ Historical Snapshot activity, which is great for reviewing this middle grade social studies timeline through a close reading lesson. The vocabulary and rich text meaning analysis is great for any 6th graders, 7th graders, and even 8th graders! It's the perfect interactive middle school lesson plan!

One of the major debates of the Enlightenment's transition to the Scientific Revolution was the battle between religion and science. Many were caught in the cross fires of this. The primary resource analysis of the "Was Galileo a Heretic?" project will have students' critical thinking in full swing.

Other activities included in this bundle that make it worth its word count in gold....

 Power Point Notes (Can be printed 6 slides to a sheet for easy pairing with graphic organizer)

Graphic Organizer- Fill in the blanks for Powerpoint Notes 

Build A Cut Out Scientist Activity 

A Facebook Scientist Biography Profile Page

Galileo on Trial! Common Core Reading and Common Core writing Guide Activity

Spirit of Innovation, Invention Extension Activity 

Newsela Science Article Analysis Common Core Extension Activity with printable article example

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Galileo on Trial!: A Common Core Reading and Writing Activity 

Please note, this bundle DOES NOT come with an assessment option, but we'd recommend pairing it with our Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution test and quiz, which includes vocabulary, common core literacy, common core writing, and matching key concepts to enlightenment thinkers and scientists of the revolution.

Here is what teachers are saying about the Scientific Revolution Notes and Activity Common Core Bundle: 

"Worth every penny - this will be in my teacher toolbox for many years! Students were engaged and loved the activities!" ~Susanne P.

"Thorough and easy to implement! Thanks!" ~Erika F.

"Lots to choose from and will be a great way to wrap up my year! Thanks :)" ~Jennifer P.

Want to see a complete activities list for this 30 page social studies bundle, as well as more about the creators Mr. and Mrs. P? Click the link below for all the details on their 26 years combined teaching experience and how they were literally student nominated as superheroes!

INSTRUCTOMANIA, INC.

Review of Common Core Based Enlightenment Bundle for Middle Graders

The enlightenment was a time of reason and discovery of self in Europe, and a general moving away from traditional ideas and methods. That's just want your 6th, 7th, or 8th grade students will do with this fun and engaging...

Enlightenment Thinkers Age of Reason Activity Bundle Common Core

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(More on Mr. and Mrs. P below)

If you're looking for common core related activities that stimulate your students, get them up and moving, their brains geared up, and connecting their synapses, then this is the bundle for your Enlightenment unit!

Enlightenment Thinkers Power Point & Notes

It has 13 activities, assessments, and class exams to let you be the super star teacher without all the work! 

This great middle grade lesson plan offers ideas adapted by U.S. from important figures of the Enlightenment including Baron de Montesquieu, Beccaria, John Locke, Voltaire and Hobbes.

Would your students rather be reading page after page of information that they'll have a hard time retaining come test time? NO! This bundle offers games and activities that will have them competing to show off their knowledge of important Enlightenment quotes, and engaged with important U.S. documents inspired by that time period such as the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

The best part? You'll be using graphic organizers and awesome activities that still align with common core requirements for your classroom! Your students will be learning, and you'll have fun teaching them about the Enlightenment!

Here is what teachers are saying: 

"A+++++" ~Anthony R.

"These Instructomania bundles might be the best social studies resources on TpT. They are always a hit. My kids are now masters of Enlightenment philosophy." ~Michael W.

"Great resource, really had the students thinking and analyzing the information." ~Rob C.

Want to see a complete activities list for this 30 page social studies bundle, as well as more about the creators Mr. and Mrs. P? Click the link below for all the details!

INSTRUCTOMANIA, INC.

How This Interactive Game Can Teach Your Students US History

Instructomania has made it our goal to collect resources on our Pinterest boards as well as create curriculum to help teachers present history in the best way possible. (Feel free to check out all our Pinterest Boards and follow your favorites here.) One of the resources we’ve recently discovered is Mission US. More than anything else, teachers often comment on how hard it is to get their students to engage with history. The creators of Mission US stepped up to the task with interactive “serious games” for middle grade students to be emerged into critical parts of American history.

There are currently four missions available with a fifth based on the Great Depression due to be released later this year. Here’s an excerpt from www.mission-us.org about each of the missions available:

“Mission 1: “For Crown or Colony?” puts players in the shoes of Nat Wheeler, a printer’s apprentice in 1770 Boston. They encounter both Patriots and Loyalists, and when rising tensions result in the Boston Massacre, they must choose where their loyalties lie.  

In Mission 2: “Flight to Freedom,” players take on the role of Lucy, a 14-year-old enslaved in Kentucky.  As they navigate her escape and journey to Ohio, they discover that life in the “free” North is dangerous and difficult. In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act threatens all African Americans in the North and brings new urgency to the anti-slavery movement.

In Mission 3: “A Cheyenne Odyssey,” players become Little Fox, a Northern Cheyenne boy whose life is changed by the encroachment of white settlers, railroads, and U.S. military expeditions.  As buffalo diminish and the U.S. expands westward, players experience the Cheyenne's persistence through conflict and national transformation.

In Mission 4: “City of Immigrants,” players navigate New York’s Lower East Side as Lena, a young Jewish immigrant from Russia. Trying to save money to bring her parents to America, she works long hours in a factory for little money and gets caught up in the growing labor movement.”

Our initial play led us into the American Revolution as an apprentice. It was easy to navigate and gave options that were realistic to the character. In addition, vocabulary for the era is presented in context and allows students to ask more about it within the game. Time period setting and objects are also part of the play, offering learning in a very simple and ingrained kind of way. All of this is the result of countless studies and testing by multiple universities, as well as input from teachers, parents, and students themselves.

We highly recommend pairing this interactive learning option with some of our products. Mission 1 will emerge students into the world covered in either of our American Revolution bundles or beside this power point about the events that lead to it.

For 6, 7, & 8 grades.

For 4 & 5 grades.

Mission 2 is a great peep into the unrest that eventually lead to the civil war and builds empathy for the slaves and how they were unfairly treated, so we recommend using this mission to teach with our Civil War Bundle or Worlds of North and South Pre-Civil War Bundle. 

Mission 3 offers a unique, Native American boy's perspective of the railroad and "white man's takeover" of the United States and would connect with our Westward Expansion Bundle and Indian Removal Investigative Activity.

Even if you don’t pair them up, consider adding Mission US to your classroom plan. The website offers educator guides to help spark discussion and learning post-play. Be sure to create a list of your student’s usernames and passwords so you can monitor their completion of the levels for grading.

Have you used www.mission-us.org in your classroom and had success? Would you be interested in adding this type of serious play into your class periods? Please comment below and be sure to check out their website and our offerings on Teachers Pay Teachers by clicking the button in the top right corner!

Stop Motion App Engages Students and Incorporates Common Core

I had to share a wonderful new app I found that not only engaged my students, but actually sticks to common core standards. My students loved this project! Even though we used it for Ancient Japan history unit, it can be used for any disciplines and/or grades. Thankfully, YouTube offers instructional videos you can play in classroom before grouping or pairing off your students to get started. The videos are super intuitive, and students can use their own smartphones or iPADs. (If your school has some tucked away for student use, so much the better!). The best part is that it requires every group member to participate, which is sometimes a hard thing to accomplish for these types of projects. I also had them present the video in class. Everyone was enjoying themselves. Check out our finished projects below!

The best part? We’ve bundled together everything you need for this lesson and project. You can get:

1. Teacher instructions with YouTube video links for instruction, easy format choices and tons of examples.

2. Student graphic organizers with main idea and supporting evidence/topic spaces to ensure content is analyzed and supported.

3. Student storyboard graphic organizers.

4. Rubric.

For more information or to purchase, click here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Stop-Motion-Animation-Project-for-History-Science-Math-or-Language-Arts-1810113