Web Resource for Social Studies: Identity

Hey Everyone!

I hope that you are all taking some time to enjoy this gorgeous weather! I have been looking around the web and I found another great online resource that can be used in the classroom. It is a website called Bio4Kids. This website contains biographies of many different people written in kid friendly language, videos on the life stories of many different people, facts about living challenged, educational games, and activity ideas for teachers. Although this website can be used in different subject areas, I have chosen to use it with a Grade Three class in Social Studies. The activity that I would do with my students would fall under the Identity strand and meet the following objectives from the Evergreen Curriculum:


Knowledge Objectives

Students will know that:

• people belong to groups such as families.
• families have similarities and differences.

Skills/Abilities Objectives

Students will:

• compare families.
• access print and non-print resources.

Attitudes/Values Objectives

Students will:

• appreciate the similarities and differences of various families.

I will start off this activity by having the students brainstorm a list of different ways we can share information about ourselves with others. I will then go into talking about what biographies are. I will have the students go onto the Bio4Kids website and search out a biography of someone they want to learn about. They will read and examine what is contained in these biographies. They will also watch the video (if one is available) on the person they have chosen. I would have each student share what they discovered. They can come up with different characteristics that are found in biographies. The students will then know how to write a proper biography. I will then have each student write out an auto-biography of themselves. I would like them to emphasize their families in these auto-biographies. At this point in their lives, their families are going to be a huge part of their lives. Once they have completed their auto-biographies the students will then each share their biography with the class. Then as a class we will have a discussion comparing the lives of the students in our room. We can compare their families and what they have all gone through and accomplished.

By using this website the students will enhance their learning because they will be able to read biographies and watch biographical videos online. They will see that knowledge about people or individuals can be found at their fingertips. The internet is another way for them to discover and create knowledge. The students can also see that information in organized and readily available. The students can then use this information to write their own personal auto-biography, focusing on their families and lives. They will then enhance their learning by comparing the different biographies of the students in the class. Thus, they will be transferring knowledge and skills they discovered online to activities that are done inside and outside the classroom.

I hope that this website and activity are something you can use. Have fun and good luck!