Interpreting history can seem like a daunting task, however with a few creative tools and ideas, teachers can bring historical events and people to life. I love providing students with an interconnection with the people who shaped our country. History is ongoing and by studying our past, therefore, we can hopefully learn from our successes and mistakes to better shape the future! If you are looking for engaging and fun United States History Activities you must check out the resources below!
Souvenir Great State Plates!
Cindy from Sensational Social Studies assigned her students a random US state by drawing names from a hat. Then, they completed a research assignment using the Atlas, the Internet, and other resources to find specific facts about their state. Lastly, they used the paper plate as a canvas to creatively display their research. You can find more information here!
United States History Interactive PowerPoint Activities
This video features a fast-motion screen capture of an interactive PowerPoint from the US History PowerPoint Bundle. These teaching resources are quite the virtual experience! Thankfully, the United States History PowerPoints can be used as powerful classroom presentations. Students can even learn them on their own as an independent assignment. The PowerPoint Bundle contains the following units: Ancient & Native Americans, Early Explorers & Trade Routes, Relations Between the Colonists & Native Americans, The 13 Colonies, American Revolution, and Events Leading up to the War. It also includes the Declaration of Independence & American Revolution, The Articles of Confederation – Constitutional Convention – and the Constitution. Lastly, these are United States History activities your students will love!
Native American Artwork
While studying early American History, my students learned about the Native American Nations of the Northwest. Several tribes, including the Tlingit, carved elaborate totem poles from cedar trees. These totem poles were an emblem of their family-clan. It was once an important part of the Potlatch ceremony. It was a gift-giving feast practiced by the Pacific Northwest tribes. Ms. Collins, from My Adventures in Positive Space, assigned her students to build their totem poles out of paper towel cardboard tubes. They drew each image in sharpie and added more color with cray pas. To discover more about the totem pole project, click here.
United States History Interactive Notebook Activities
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5th grade students love these interactive notebooks for our Social Studies / Early United States History curriculum. This resource is actually aligned with the US History Interactive PowerPoint Bundle. I would highly recommend using these interactive PowerPoints along with the notebooks. However, notebooks can be a stand-alone resource. Materials include: 7 units of Interactive notebooks, reading passages, answer keys, critical thinking and analysis questions, flaps, foldables, timelines, graphic organizers, and more.
Illustrated Timeline Posters
In conclusion, I am in love with this poster idea that Sensational Social Studies! Her students are learning about the events leading up to the Revolutionary War. This timeline allows her students to illustrate and compile the major events in chronological order.
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Do you have any creative United States History activities? Share in the comments section below!
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the challenges. It was really informative. Your site is very helpful.
Thank you for sharing!