Well hey! It’s me Andrea Runnels, aka The Social Studies Whisperer, here to bring you Episode 6 of my Weekly TOP HITS show and this companion historical happenings blog post. What’s a TOP HIT you ask? Well they are three historical events that occurred this week so that you can plan ahead. These helpful ideas integrate literacy, technology, and support a wide range of learners. Before I get started with this week in history, I wanted to take a minute to talk about why I am doing this series in the first place. I mean besides my quest to be viewed as the Bill Nye of Social Studies.

So I recently relocated from metro Atlanta to Asheville, North Carolina. I am returning to the classroom full time after about 3 years out. Last year I was a long term sub. Well what I’ve found to be the case is that Social Studies is even less of a priority in education than it was 3 years ago. Y’all, Georgia crushed it at the state level with resources and their state conference, etc. I’ve been pretty disappointed in my current state’s take on humanities.From what I’ve seen doesn’t seem to be at the forefront at all. So what’s a teacher to do? Integrate literacy of course but I say use those little pockets of time whenever you can to incorporate more Social Studies. And my solution would be my quick tidbits. I’m going out of my way to share lesser known fun facts. You never know what might spark an interest in your students! Obviously this week brings us September 11th which is Patriots’ Day.

Let’s move on to the TOP HITS of September 10th-15th. You can find all previous IGTV episodes in my Instagram profile and a link to all of the blog posts at the bottom of each new post!  And also many of my links below are to history.com. I love this site. Mostly. What I don’t love is that the videos auto-play. My teenage son showed me a super helpful hack for this. Right click on the browser tab and opt to “mute site” or “mute tab.”

MONDAY 9/10

September 10th brings us TOP HITS 1 and 2. First let’s rewind back to the American Revolution for TOP HIT 1. Have you seen the show Turn? Well then you know there were really were spies. The British would have no way to know if a colonist was truly a loyalist or a patriot would they? On this day in 1776, General Washington made a big ask. He asked for a volunteer to infiltrate enemy lines so that the continental army would have an advantage for an upcoming battle. 21 year old Nathan Hale stepped up and offered his services for the task becoming one of the first spies of the revolution. He was able to gather intel for a few weeks but unfortunately on September 21, 1776 Hale was found out and subsequently interrogated by British General William Howe and sentenced to death. He is rumored to have said “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” Guess the only way to know for sure is to send the Timeless crew back to the American Revolution again.

In the meantime you know Flocabulary has us covered for context about the time period! Make sure and check additional resources such as the read and respond and my class’s favorite thing the vocab game! If you don’t have a subscription you can get a free trial! If you ever have any questions about Flocabulary.com feel free to message me! I love this teaching tool so much I became a Flocab MC Educator! That means I am a brand ambassador not a paid affiliate. Check it out by clicking on the picture!
Now moving on to more contemporary times and TOP HIT 2! September means the start of awards show season beginning with the Emmy’s. On September 10th, 2000 Halle Berry won an Emmy for her portrayal of Dorothy Dandridge in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. Dorothy was the first African American woman to be nominated for an Oscar in 1954. Ironically Berry herself was the first African American to receive that honor almost 50 years later in 2002! A few weeks ago I mentioned Althea Gibson and her accomplishments in the world of tennis. Here are more women to add to the list of pioneers!

TUESDAY 9/11

Obviously September 11th is a day that needs no introduction. Teaching 9/11 to kids these days is pretty much the same as teaching WWII. They didn’t live through it so they don’t view it with the same lens we do. I feel like it’s more important to focus on a positive outlet and what brings us all together vs dwelling on the tragedy aspect with a collection of blank stares looking back at you. I plan to recreate this Good Deed Challenge idea with my 5th graders on Tuesday. The world could use a lot more good deeds. Click the picture to read all about it!

WEDNESDAY 9/12

A very notable event for September 12th was the marriage of Senator John F Kennedy to Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953. This union was the beginning of “Camelot.’ These two would become President and First Lady seven years later. Have you ever checked out the JFK Presidential Library? You should! It’s a jackpot of primary sources and more! Find it here:https://www.jfklibrary.org/

THURSDAY 9/13

Ok, we have to get back in our time machine and travel to the way, way, way back for TOP HIT 3. It’s a legendary event for America! On September 13, 1814 Francis Scott Key was so inspired by the site of the flag at Fort McHenry during a battle that he wrote the famous poem known first as “In Defence of Fort McHenry.” Yes, that is spelled correctly. In 1931, after being set to music the poem became known as our national anthem. Today that flag is housed at the Smithsonian! Have students analyze the lyrics and compare them to other famous patriotic tunes like My Country ‘Tis of Thee or America the Beautiful or research other flags on display at the Smithsonian.

FRIDAY 9/14

September 14, 1944 was a notable day for the Pacific front in WWII! General MacArthur made a decision that would prove disastrous. Read more about it here: Operation Stalemate

SATURDAY 9/15

September 15th marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. I have 2 different blog posts with ideas! Click each picture to check them out!

 

This wraps up the TOP HITS of September 10th-15th! Don’t forget to check the link in the description to read the blog post and sign up for a weekly reminder at http://bit.ly/SShooks! You’ll get my free lesson hooks cheat sheet, too! But wait, there’s more! Are you in my Facebook group for teachers called Social Studies Salute? I’d love to have you! Thanks for watching and be sure to let me know if you used any of these TOP HITS! See ya next Sunday for Episode 7!

SocialStudiesTeacherFacebookGroupSSW

Links to Previous Episodes:

This Week’s IGTV Show Replay: