FriendFeed Middle School Lesson Plans. Rockin' Teacher Materials. Teaching Channel: Videos, Lesson Plans and Other Resources for Teachers. Minibook Gallery. Free Lapbooks and Free Templates. Making a Shoebox Diorama. Use coloring pages printed from the Internet to make figures for your diorama. You can do a websearch in your favorite search engine by entering "your topic" coloring pages. Here are two really nice coloring pages sites -- Edupics and Kids Coloring Pages. Color your images and consider how you want to mount them to the diorama. Below is an example of a coloring page I printed for free from Coloring Castle. If you want to mount a figure to the bottom (as I want the flower to be), then leave a one inch tab at the bottom of the picture when you cut it out.
If you want it to hang from the top, add a one inch tab to the top. Another variation is to use string, yarn, or ribbon to suspend the objects from the top of the box. And of course, if you want a figure to come out from the side, leave a tab on the side of the image. You can also use three dimensional paper models in your dioramas. Or look in your toy chest for small figurines that would suit as well. Plan your placement of the figures. Writing in Social Studies Classrooms. Writing in social studies is more common than in many other content areas. Because you are studying about people and events, there are endless opportunities for students to “think things through” while writing. Quick Writes As previewing activities, social studies teachers ask students to List as many names of people important in the Civil War as you can in thirty seconds.
Write down one question you have about our federal budget. List three major inventions of the twentieth century. To synthesize what was learned at the end of a class, ask students to Define in your own words what a democracy is. To help students self-assess understanding, attitudes, and so forth, offer these prompts: What did you not understand about today’s lesson? Journals Journals call for more extended entries than quick writes and are most successful if used on a daily basis. We have been studying the controversial topic of our welfare system and the law which limits welfare benefits.
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