Social Studies Quotes

The state of Texas says third graders need to know over 30 important people throughout history.  It can feel overwhelming, especially when I think about that silly(insert ugly word here!) standardized Reading test that’s right around the corner. I have a tendency to want to start the Social Studies unit on Monday. You know just like I’m going to start working out on Monday.

This year I vowed to do a better job. One of the ways I’ve included more daily exposure is through quotes. I decided to post a new quote on my door every week. It’s a hit and gets students asking the important question, ¨Who is that?¨

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. -Benjamin Franklin

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.-Benjamin Franklin

Well done is better than well said. – Benjamin Franklin

Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. – Benjamin Franklin

Curiosity is natural to the soul of man and interesting objects have a powerful influence on our affections.-Daniel Boone

Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light. – Helen Keller

The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt. – Helen Keller

You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas. – Davy Crockett (Okay! Okay! I know what you’re thinking,¨That’s not appropriate for school.¨  You’re right! But as a Texan I had to include it.)

Be always sure you are right, then go ahead. – Davy Crockett

Let your tongue speak what your heart thinks. – Davy Crockett

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. – Abraham Lincoln

Whatever you are, be a good one. – Abraham Lincoln

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. – Alexander Graham Bell

When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us. – Alexander Graham Bell

If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.-Henry Ford

Failure is simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently. – Henry Ford

Quality means doing it right when no one is looking. – Henry Ford

The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.-Jonas Salk

Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality. – Jonas Salk

There is no cosmetic for beauty  like happiness. – Maria Mitchell

Indomitable perseverance in a business, properly understood, always ensures ultimate success. – Cyrus McCormick

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. – Bill Gates

Life is not fair; get used to it. – Bill Gates

Chance favors the prepared mind.-Louis Pasteur

Home is the nicest word there is. – Laura Ingalls Wilder

I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all. – Laura Ingalls Wilder

Be thankful for problems. If they were less difficult, someone with less ability might have your job. – Jim Lovell

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the World. – Harriet Tubman

Right is right, even if no one else does it. – Juliette Gordon Low

I tell students that the opportunities I had were a result of having a good educational background. Education is what allows you to stand out. – Ellen Ochoa

Everybody’s business is nobody’s business, and nobody’s business is my business. – Clara Barton (My classroom favorite!)

Don’t follow the path. Go where there is no path and begin the trail. When you start a new trail equipped with courage, strength and conviction, the only thing that can stop you is you!-Ruby Bridges

Everyone wants to be appreciated, so if you appreciate someone, don’t keep it a secret. – Mary Kay Ash

Nothing is an obstacle unless you say it is. – Wallace Amos

Give them quality. That’s the best kind of advertising in the world. -Milton Hershey

High expectations are the key to everything. – Sam Walton

A picture book is a small door to the enormous world of the visual arts, and they’re often the first art a young person sees. – Tomie dePaola

Be present in your work because kids live in the moment, so as soon as you’re not in the present, you’re not being authentic.- Kadir Nelson

 

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

Pierre-Charles L’Enfant, 3.1B, Benjamin Franklin 3.1C, Daniel Boone 3.1C, Helen Keller 3.11B, Davy Crockett 3.1C, Abraham Lincoln 3.1C, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford 3.8E, Jonas Salk 3.16A, Maria Mitchell 3.16A, Cyrus McCormick 3.16A, Bill Gates 3.16A,  Louis Pasteur 3.16A, Carmen Lomas Garza 3.15B, Laura Ingalls Wilder 3.15B, Bill Martin Jr 3.15B, Hector P. Garcia 3.14A, James A. Lovell 3.14A,  Harriet Tubman 3.14A, Juliette Gordon Low 3.14A, Todd Beamer 3.14A, Ellen Ochoa 3.14A, John “Danny” Olivas 3.14A, Clara Barton 3.11B, Ruby Bridges 3.11B, Mary Kay Ash 3.8E, Wallace Amos 3.8E, Milton Hershey 3.8E, Sam Walton 3.8E, Christopher Columbus 3.1C, Juan de Onate 3.1C, Benjamin Banneker 3.1B, Kadir Nelson 3.15A, Tomie de Paola 3.15A,  Phillis Wheatley 3.15A

Third Grade Surgeons

Nonfiction text features have always been a snooze fest in my 3rd grade class. I mean how do you make a table of contents, glossary, or an index interesting? This year I ran across an interesting activity, so I figured why not? I’m fairly certain I sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher to them anyway.

So, we had Text Feature Surgery today. I printed nonfiction books from Learning A-Z and saved all the sample magazines I could get my hands on.

 

My little surgeons had to transplant five text features to their patient in order to save him or her, and use band-aids to label the different features.

With some dollar store shower caps, dust masks, and gloves they looked the part. I added a name badge for the finishing touch. They were so engaged! It was fun to sit back and watch them in action!

I honestly can’t wait to plan this activity again next school year!