It is almost test time...are you ready? This will take a little prep time, but if you use sturdy card stock, and a teachers' best friend (lamination machine) and this will be a great investment. This is a tried and true fun looping game to formatively assess your students' knowledge of the people involved with abolition and Civil War. The people being looped are listed above. If you enjoy my lesson please follow my store, to receive updates when I post new products. And if you would be so kind, please leave me a comment. Thank you, Ms. Furnas

Is wanting more a good thing? Help your students understand that the constant need for growth has economic, social and political implications with this fun and informative two day lesson. Included: *Day by day guide with instructions, guiding questions, set up suggestions and a list of "to do's." *Warm ups for each day (One is a mapping activity that ask them to make a mnemonic device, the other has them analyze a painting.) *Background readings about the time period and the trails westward. *Flow Map that simplifies the reading, and it can be used to help students categorize economic, political and social reasons for westward expansion. Also included: *6 stations of maps with different data from the Pre-Civil War time period for students to make observations and generalizations. *Also included is a chart or data collection *Debriefing questions that wrap up the entire unit. If you enjoy my lesson please follow my store, to receive updates and new of when I post new products. And if you would be so kind, please leave me a comment. Thank you, Ms. Furnas

Act out the social class inequities of Pre-French Revolution in your classroom. Help students feel the injustice of the situation through a simulation that takes one class period. Your students will each be assigned a class and will be given unique card with details to help them make decisions for the simulation. They will be told the goal is to gain in status and money. There are three situation cards and after each one they have to pay the tax man. The debriefing questions have been included for you. Also included: *Two days of detailed lesson plans. *2 Researched readings *3 visual maps that show the flow of events and their impact *Simulation game with all the role cards, rules, situation cards and taxes to pay. If you enjoy my lesson please follow my store, to receive updates when I post new products. And if you would be so kind, please leave me a comment. Thank you, Ms. Furnas

Give your students the keys to the car...well kind of. This is the framework for a year long multiple year project. Students excitedly get a state standard and then have the grading period to create their contribution for the classroom textbook. (I had 90 kids create a single textbook.) Included: *Day by day instructions and a timeline framework for the rest of the project. *Entry event directions *Brainstorming tool to give students tons of ideas to start *Entry document with student directions for the entire project *Rubric to use for year one, and then following years *Critical Friends framework *Links to websites for web 2.0 resources and how to videos. *Two research tools. One that specifically focuses on event research and another that can be use to baby step them through any kind of research. If you enjoy my lesson please follow my store, to receive updates when I post new products. And if you would be so kind, please leave me a comment. Thank you, Ms. Furnas

The greatest invention ignites innovation and new industry. However, each invention has its own unintended consequences. Hook students by looking at the differences between invention vs. innovation. In teams students will be given personality cards of innovators inspired by big inventions of their day. The teams will create a new invention. The catch is...just like real life situations change and they will have to adapt those innovations as you proceed through the unit. This unit includes: 1. Researched readings about inventors, and those they inspired. Along with checks for understanding and cut outs for students to reflect with interactive spirals. 2. Multiple comparison tools (for varied levels) that they can go back to throughout the unit. (Life pre-industrial revolution to post, and agrarian to the industrial revolution.) 3. 10 unique profile sheets (one for each team.) Each sheet tells the story of their person, who inspired them, and what their task is. Also included is a matrix of all the inventors, for your use and to monitor the team progress. 4. There are two ways that students can utilize charts and graphs through the unit, along with debriefing questions. 5. Integrate science skills with a history lab where students can measure and calculate the amount of cotton used and then reflect on the impact of their measurements. 6. Optional tools you can also you include: Vocabulary log, and annotation guide. 7. Researched readings on: Agrarian Industry, Steel industry, and Triangle Factory Fire. Each with processing task and questions. 8. Each day includes a unique closing task- Tweeting, Click bait titles, draw the meaning, or guided directions for creating a ThingLink. 9. And two super fun summative task that have students interact and apply their knowledge in their community. If you enjoy my lesson please follow my store, to receive updates when I post new products. And if you would be so kind, please leave me a comment. Please check me out at: Thank-you, Ms. Furnas

ake news spreads quicker than real news...why? As a social studies teacher I have taken this as a personal challenge to empower students with the skills to figure out the difference between real and lies. Kick off the lesson by having students collect 5 of their own news titles. Then out of no where bring the fun with a simulation. Pick a handful of coconspirators and equip them with student role cards to act as people during the time period you are studying. (A nice review tool too!) The class will use the included sentence stems to create questions for the actors. Then the class will vote- who was the most trustworthy? When students are all excited from the simulation have them take that inquisitive power and apply it to the news articles they found at the beginning of the class. Students will use their Historical Thinking Matters Stems (included), to help them determine if their stories are real or fake. Students will also have have their own Fake News Checklist to help walk them through the process. If you enjoy my lesson please follow my store, to receive updates when I post new products. And if you would be so kind, please leave me a comment. Please check me out at: Thank you, Ms. Furnas

Start your school year addressing the question that they have in the back of their minds, "why do we need this anyway?" Students will start with a "what if" activity where they will be asked to act as anthropologist learning about a new culture. Students are then given a link to multiple videos to chose from, all about different amazing things about history and learning about history. Students take notes on a Circle Thinking Map and write a collaborative summary. The lesson provides a chart for students to take notes while they share their information and gives you debriefing ideas. If you enjoy my lesson please follow my store, to receive updates when I post new products. And if you would be so kind, please leave me a comment. Please check me out at: Thank you, Ms. Furnas

Starting the interactive spiral is an exciting process. This kit can be used for any grade (4-12) and any subject. Included in the kit: *Notes to the teacher- includes the basic elements of interactive spiral set up, suggestions for how to utilize each element, specific ideas that I have used in the past. *Student handouts- Labels for the spiral sections, a table of contents, reflection stems, directions for their visual dictionary If you enjoy my lesson please follow my store, to receive updates when I post new products. And if you would be so kind, please leave me a comment. Please check me out at: Thank you, Ms. Furnas

Three activities to introduce your students to higher order thinking. This product includes: *Note to teacher with detailed directions, discussion questions and how to include them throughout the year. *Question strips for students to sort, organize and discuss as they manipulate and different levels. Teacher key included. *Two page Bloom's Taxonomy Chart with common verbs and question stems. If you enjoy my lesson please follow my store, to receive updates when I post new products. And if you would be so kind, please leave me a comment. Please check me out at: Thank you, Ms. Furnas

Save $5 for buying the bundle! This is all you need to start the school year off right. This bundle includes everything from your classroom procedures to your first PBL to help students learn the processes in your classroom. Each section builds greater and greater community and student autonomy for the school year. Included in this bundle: *Classroom Processes and Behavior Kit *Classroom Norms *Bloom's Taxonomy Practice *Interactive Spiral Set Up Kit *Document Based Question Cheat Sheet *Classroom Government Kit *Why do we need to learn history? *Digital Citizenship: is Digital Access a Right? If you enjoy my lesson please follow my store, to receive updates when I post new products. And if you would be so kind, please leave me a comment. Please check me out at: Thank you, Ms. Furnas

Your school district has adopted a 1 to 1 policy and now each child will get iPads in the classroom. You are super excited but not sure where to even start. You have found that start here. The series of posters will cue your students on the social behaviors and expectations that will keep your darlings using their new electronics as powerful learning tools. If you are interested in other back to school procedures check out my Back to school bundle. If you enjoy my lesson please follow my store, to receive updates when I post new products. And if you would be so kind, please leave me a comment. Please check me out at: Thank you, V. Furnas

Zombie virus has been reported in Kazakhstan! Your students will be given a fictitious FEMA memo to read. It details the beginnings of a contagion that has the ability to destroy the populations world wide. Your students, acting as FEMA teams will have to study the national resources to develop a cohesive class plan for evacuation, housing refugees and procuring supplies. The project has the possibility to be as detailed or in depth as you want it to be. This unit is in two parts. The secondary is written for 8th grade, the elementary focuses on 5th grade standards. The biggest benefit of having both is it gives you so many different ways to differentiate for your students. This is a 3 week project that includes the BIE format for project based learning. Students will start with their hook- reading the memo and learning about Kazakhstan’s. Connecting the themes in the memo to the five themes of geography. The hook includes: *FEMA memo *Kazakhstan map *Introductory Vocabulary activity with word wall with three sets of task cards, to go back to vocabulary for reinforcement. *Answer Keys, and Sped/ELL hints and modifications In the main project students split into interest based teams to research and plan for their big final presentation. Included for the project are: *All 7 teams is given a researched fact and scenario sheet with different presentation expectations, and questions they need to answer and research. *There is a detailed process for the teams to set up their own norms. *There are two different self, team and class assessment sheets along with 3 check points that can be used as quizzes or part of the overall grade. *There is a detailed 15 day suggested calendar to walk the teacher through the process with the daily lesson follow that day. *As the students are working it is suggested that you have daily class meetings for each of these meetings there is an "updated" scenario that explains how the contagion is continuing to spread. *Several mini-lessons are provided to ensure students are learning the information on your standards and completing their "Need to Knows" If you enjoy my lesson please follow my store, to receive updates when I post new products. And if you would be so kind, please leave me a comment. Thanks, Ms.Furnas