Another Social Studies Story

Today's publishing party went almost two and a half periods long. Since it's likely our last publishing party (in spite of my administration insisting we finish another unit of study in the next week) I let every student share their realistic fiction pieces. Everyone shared (except for Maverick who naturally refused and The Biter who was otherwise engaged), and even though it was a lengthy celebration, it was definitely worth it.

Afterward, I gave the students a choice between a math lesson we were meant to have or a social studies lesson I'd planned. In spite of expectations, the majority voted for social studies. I'm glad they did, because I spent a while planning the lesson last night, and it ended up sparking some great conversations.

I want my students to write letters to the editor or our senators arguing for or against the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor. Today's lesson was designed to review some background on the Supreme Court and give a brief biography of Sotomayor. As I went through my Powerpoint (what will I do if/when I land in a classroom without a SmartBoard next year?) I was constantly pausing to answer three and four questions a slide. I had to curb my frustration by realizing the kids were interested! We talked about Nixon, Gideon v. Wainwright, the 19th amendment and more in the span of 45 minutes. Not bad for a fourth grade classroom in June!

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