The Medes & the Persians: Esther, Feast of Purim

It's Time For the Purim Feast!

I can't wait to teach the kids the story of Esther and celebrate the Feast of Purim with them!  Esther saved the Jewish people from being destroyed by the king's evil advisor, Haman.  The Jewish people still celebrate Esther's brave act every year.  

Watch this video to learn about the story of Esther:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=mYGqOMe-DqQ

Here is another video for all you Lego lovers!

A fun Purim Song:

Read about how Purim is celebrated each year:

http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-Purim


EXTRA CREDIT:
1) Dress up like Esther or Persian
2) Draw or color a picture, map, or create Lego Creation related to Purim Feast, Persia, or Esther


NOTEBOOKING PAGE:
Esther Notebooking Page

Greek Culture: Trojan Horse

Next up?  The Ancient Greeks!!

Read the following sections to learn about this great civilization:

Where Western civilization began

**Also read the tab sections on the side entitled "What was Ancient Greece like?" and "How Greece was ruled."

What was life like for the kids?  Read this:

Going to school

**You will have to click on the tab section with this title.  Also read "What did Greek children learn?"

Did you know the Olympics originated in Greece?  Click on the link below to learn more:

The Olympic Games

**Also read "Events at the Games".

Because the Greeks lived by the sea, they relied on ships for trading, traveling, and war.  Here are some more details about the ships:

Greek ships

**Also read "How did Greeks fight at sea?"

You can play  a game where you take command of a Greek trireme and see how many ships you can ram:

Sea challenge

Finally, watch this video to learn about The Battle of Troy:

Want some more fun?  Go to this site and paint your own Greek pottery:

Greek pottery

Extra Credit:

1) Dress up like an Olympian!

2) Draw/color a picture related to Greek Culture

Notebooking Page:
The First Olympics Notebooking Page

Greek Architecture Notebooking Page

Trojan War Notebooking Page

Late Egypt: King Tut, pyramids

King Tutankhamun was born around 1341 B.C., and is one of the most known Egyptian Pharoahs today due to the discovery of his intact tomb in 1922.


Click on the link to watch a video about the "Boy King of Egypt."

http://www.biography.com/people/king-tut-9512446/videos/king-tut-mini-biography-126127171665



Here is a fun Lego re-creation of Howard Carter discovering King Tut's tomb.

Enter King Tut's Tomb and see if you can find his sarcophagus!

http://www.kingtutone.com/tutankhamun/enter/


Watch this video to learn newly discovered information about how the Egyptian Pyramids were built.

Extra Credit:
1) Create a lego creation/Draw or Color a picture of King Tut's tomb or Pyramids
2) Dress up like King Tut.

Notebooking Page:
King Tut Notebooking Page

Hammurabi Code of Laws

Hammurabi - 1792 B.C. - 1750 B.C.

One of the famous leaders of the old Babylonian Empire was King Hammurabi.

Hammurabi Code of Laws

Watch the following videos to learn more about Hammurabi's Code:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqQuk6iWJO8

Listen to the Hammurabi song below to learn more about Hammurabi.

EXTRA CREDIT:

1) Dress up like Hammurabi

2) Draw or color a picture of Hammurabi.

Notebooking Page:

Code of Hammurabi Notebooking Page

Early Egypt

The Egyptians lived on the Nile River in Africa.  This river is the longest in the world and became central to their life.  They depended upon it for farming and also for transportation and trade.  The ancient Egyptians were divided into 2 kingdoms that fought each other constantly.  Finally, the White Crown King defeated the Red Crown King and declared himself to be king of all Egypt.  He combined the two crowns into the Double Crown of Egypt, which is what the pharaohs of Egypt wore from then on.

Watch the following video to learn more about Ancient Egypt:

Now, are you ready to "walk like an Egyptian"?  Go to the following page and watch this Ancient Egypt music video.

https://www.flocabulary.com/ancient-egypt/

Follow Nakht-Amun, your Ancient Egyptian guide, as he teaches you about the world he lives in.  A good review!

The Nile File

EXTRA CREDIT:

1) Dress up like an Egyptian

2) Draw a map, picture, OR bring in a play-doh or Lego creation related to Ancient Egypt

NOTEBOOKING PAGE:

Ancient Egypt Notebooking Page

Sumerians: Hieroglyphs, Cuneiform

Sumerians -  Hieroglyphs and Cuneiform

The Sumerians were the first Mesopotamian civilization. They lived in independent walled city-states. Uruk, the first and one of the largest cities in Mesopotamia, had a six miles long wall with defense towers located at 30-35 foot intervals.

Click on the link below to read about Sumerians, hieroglyphs and their history.

http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/cuneiform.html

Click on the link below to learn more about Sumerian civilization.

http://www.ducksters.com/history/mesopotamia/ancient_sumer.php

Extra Credit:

1) Dress up like a Sumarian

2) Create a secret message using your own code.

Notebooking Page:

Mesopotamia Notebooking Page

2018-2019 Syllabus

History Syllabus

Prek-4th Grade

2018-2019

Text:

There is no required text for this year.  We are using topics from the  Mystery of History, Volume 1 - Creation to Resurrection by Linda Hobar  . There is no need to purchase the book, because there are many resources available online and at your local library.

Course Overview:

We will introduce your child to some of the highlights of American History.  We want the kids to have a fun, informative, hands-on experience as they learn. 

A general overview of class time will be:
10-15 minutes of teacher presentation
10-15 minutes hands on activity
10-15 minutes of lap-book activity

If they come to class with some prior knowledge of the topic it will help enhance their learning.  Reading books, visiting the websites listed on the blog, and completing the History Detective will accomplish this.

Blog/History Detective:

1) The blog address: tricountyhistorydetective.blogspot.com

On the blog you will find a brief overview of the topic for the semester as well as links to videos, games and websites with further information.

2) The History Detective is a one page worksheet for you to print off and complete with your child after viewing the blog.  One of the history teachers will email the upcoming History Detective to everyone at least one week prior to the co-op.  There will be a PreK/K History Detective along with a 1st-2nd, and 3rd-4th grade History Detective.  Please let the history team know if you want all the history detectives printed off for you at the start of the semester. The blog will be updated at that time, and will also have a list of extra credit options.  Extra Credit is completely OPTIONAL.

 

3) Each week when the History Detective is sent out there will also be sent a note booking page. We would encourage the 3rd/4th grade after completing the History Detective and visiting websites listed on the blog to write a paragraph on the subject on their note booking page and bring it to co-op along with their History Detective and extra credit. We will bind up the note booking pages at the end of the year. For everyone who has completed all of the note booking pages they will receive a special reward beyond what every student receives at the end of the year. Last year all students received ice cream coupons, and the students that completed all their notebooking pages received additional coupons (such as to jumpin jax)

We will file each lap-book activity and assemble the lap-book at the end of each semester. You are welcome to staple the two lap-books together at the end of the year if you prefer.

Topics:

This year we will cover Mystery of History, Volume 1 - Creation to Resurrection by Linda Hobar

1st Semester

1. September 7th--What is archaeology?, Creation, Adam & Eve, life of a nomad

2. September 21st--Sumerians: Hieroglyphs, Cuneiform

3. October 5th--Early Egypt

4. October 19th--Hammurabi code of laws

5. November 2nd--Late Egypt: King Tut, pyramids

6. November 16th--Greek Culture: Trojan Horse

7. December 3rd (Monday)--The Medes & the Persians: Esther, Feast of Purim OR LAPBOOK  

2nd Semester

Athens & Sparta

Alexander the Great

Rome Culture

Early Asia--India, Buddha, Confucius

China--The Great Wall

Cleopatra

Lapbook/Cumulative Review Game

We look forward to a great year! Please let us know if you have any questions! -The Prek-4th Grade History Team

What is archaeology? Creation, Adam & Eve, and Life of a Nomad

Archaeology, Creation, Life of a Nomad

This year we get to start at the beginning!

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." 

-Genesis 1:1

Watch the following video to learn about each day of Creation:

Reading the Bible is the most reliable source we have for learning about creation and the world's early events.  Archaeology is also a way to find out information about history.  Archaeology is the study of things that people made, used, and left behind. The goal of archaeology is to understand what people of the past were like and how they lived. Scientists who study archaeology are called archaeologists.  The following video describes more about what an archaeologist does.

The earliest people were nomads.  Nomads moved from place to place in search of food for themselves and their livestock.  Click on the link below and read the following slideshow to learn more about nomads and how they eventually became farmers.

The-First-Nomads-Become-Farmers

 Want some more activities?  

Click on this link to be a "dirt detective" and earn your Junior Archaeologist badge:

http://www.history.org/kids/games/dirtDetective.cfm

Click on the link below for several online and printable activities.  Have fun!

http://www.dltk-bible.com/genesis/creation_puzzles.htm

EXTRA CREDIT:

1) Dress up like Adam, Eve, or an archaeologist. 

2) Bring in a picture or Lego creation related to Adam/Eve, nomads, or archaeology. 

Notebooking Page:

Adam and Eve

Archaeology Notebooking Page

Nomads Notebooking Page

John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy

Sometimes simply called "JFK," John Fitzgerald Kennedy became the youngest president ever elected at age 43.  He was also one of the most popular presidents.  Under his leadership, he guided this nation through the early 1960s, handling conflicts with other nations and working to improve the lives of all Americans.

Click the link below to read more about JFK:

http://www.ducksters.com/biography/uspresidents/johnfkennedy.php

Watch this video on Kennedy's life:

EXTRA CREDIT:

1) Draw or color a picture of JFK

2) Research the JFK Library and write about some exhibits you may see there.

3) Create a timeline of events of JFK's life

Notebooking page:

http://homeschoolhelperonline.com/2015/07/07/john-kennedy-notebooking/

The Cold War/Martin Luther King/Segregation

The Cold War/Martin Luther King, Jr./Segregation

The Cold War began not too long after World War II ended in 1945. The Cold War was a long period of tension between the democracies of the Western World and the communist countries of Eastern Europe. The west was led by the United States and Eastern Europe was led by the Soviet Union. 

Click on the link below to learn more about The Cold War

http://www.ducksters.com/history/cold_war/summary.php

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement.  Dr. King fought for rights for African Americans.  This was his dream.  Dr. King used peaceful ways to fight for his dream.

Rosa Parks

A Video on Martin Luther King:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Au81aHuSg

The link below is about Surviving segregation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaUoZE2njzg

Martin Luther King, Jr. mini bio.

http://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr-9365086

EXTRA CREDIT:

1) Draw or color a picture of Martin Luther King.

2) Create a lapbook on The Cold War or Martin Luther King/Segregation

3)  Write about a dream you have.

Notebooking Page:

http://homeschoolhelperonline.com/2015/07/08/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-notebooking/

World War II/Anne Frank

WWII/Anne Frank

This traumatic period of history followed The Great Depression in the U.S.  Many people all over the world were suffering in difficult times.  Sadly, several evil leaders rose up to power and WWII began.

Here is a video about War War II created for kids:

Click on the following links to read more about WWII:

http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_ii/
http://classroomvictorygarden.org/pdfs/overview/overview.pdf

Anne Frank was one of many young Jewish girls at that time.  Her life was normal until the war began.  Watch the video below to learn more about this courageous girl.

                                           

(**Parent Note:  Please excuse the few typos in the video.  Also, the video mentions that Anne's family was betrayed by a family friend Victor Kugler.  That cannot be verified.  It still remains a mystery as to who actually betrayed them.  This was the best video that was found which contained the information on her life but did not contain graphic/disturbing images of war.)

EXTRA CREDIT:

1) Color or draw a picture pertaining to WWII or Anne Frank

2) Create a timeline of events of WWII

3) Bring in an artifact from WWII or share a story of someone that was living during WWII.

NOTEBOOKING PAGE:

http://homeschoolhelperonline.com/2015/07/16/world-war-ii-notebooking-page-2/

The Great Depression/The Dust Bowl

THE GREAT DEPRESSION/THE DUST BOWL

Poverty and despair marked the first years of the Great Depression. The slump that started in 1929 was the worst in the nation's history.

Click on the links below to learn more about the

dust and drought that affected farmers in the Midwest and the effects The Great Depression had on Americans.

Below is a look at what caused the Dust Bowl.

Read more about the Dust Bowl:

https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/dust_bowl.php

The link below shows us the harsh times Americans endured during The Great Depression:

More information on the Great Depression:

https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/great_depression.php

EXTRA CREDIT:

1) Write and tell about a family member's story that went through the Great Depression.

2) Draw, color, or build a creation related to the Dust Bowl or Great Depression.

3) Research and write some interesting facts about either famous poetry, music such as Bing Crosby, or Fireside Chats with Franklin Roosevelt during the 1930's. 

NOTEBOOKING PAGE:

http://homeschoolhelperonline.com/2015/07/16/great-depression-notebooking-page/#more-2469