Two for Tuesday: 50% Off - All About California History

I'm taking a break from my glue gun and school crafts to show 2 products that are currently 50% off.  A disclaimer... it's all about California today!

I have decided I like writing reading passages.  Every year I teach these units, and every year I wish I could find Reading Passages that spoke about the men and women that my kids learn about.  I finally decided to write them myself.    

Native California Tribes: Miwok, Cahuilla, Chumash, Yokut, and Pomo Tribes

California Explorers: Juan Cabrillo, Francis Drake, and Sebastian Vizcaino

These are the same format as each other.  Passages, strategy grids, multiple choice, short answer, answer keys, thinking maps... everything I could think of to get my students to dive deeper.  My own boys were my testers - we have gone over a lot of interesting facts over the past weeks.  I personally am so thankful that I don't live back in the 1500's or even the 1700's.  Some of it grossed me out!  

Check them out if you're interested! Now head back to Chalk One Up for the Teacher to check out the other deals. :)  

Explorer Books are DONE

The first major nonfiction multi-paragraph writing for my class are for their Explorer books.  We learn about the different men and they take notes in their notebooks.  We compare them, we tell all the fun details of their lives (and write timelines), and they write interesting paragraphs about them - full of details.  Then I do guided draws on the board with the men's portraits.  I'm not an artist, but the kids make me feel like I am.  :)    

We draw the coast of CA and map out the men's voyages.  To finish it up they have to write up a Table of Contents and put it into a folded piece of construction paper as their Explorer books.  

  

Here's the inside:

1.  Table of Contents

2. Map of CA with voyages

3.  Juan Cabrillo's portrait

4.  Juan Cabrillo's paragraph

5. Sir Francis Drake's portrait

6.  Sir Francis Drake's paragraph

7.  Sebastian Vizcaino's portrait

8.  Sebastain Vizcaino's paragraph

Do you study Explorers?  It's always a fun time of year!