Tip #145 from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents (McKInley & Trombly)

Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.

#145

Predict the Past

Continuous effort—n ot strength or intelligence—is the key to unlocking our potential.

~Liane Cardes

This activity that will provide your child with an opportunity to write creatively as well as learn about history: ask your child to choose one of his favorite books and pick an event he finds interesting or exciting. Ask him to draw an illustration of the scene including as many details as he can. Can he imagine how different the scene would be if it had taken place in a different time period or during a specific past event (100 years ago, the 1950s, when George Washington was President, during WWI)? You may want to ask him questions such as:

●      What transportation would be available during that time period?

●      What kind of communication did people rely upon?

●      How were everyday tasks carried out?

●      What did children do and play in that time?

●      What parts of the scene would be impossible and why?

●      What else would be there instead?

Together, discuss the above questions (and others the two of you may have). Suggest that your child rewrite the scene as if the characters were in the time period he has chosen. Most likely, your child will not know many of the answers to the questions about his time period, but he can find out.

Suggest that he start by creating a K-W-L chart (Idea #94). In the chart, he can write what he knows about the period and the questions he must find out. Finding the answers to his questions may require a trip to the library or a search on the Internet. Encourage him to take notes when he is reading. He may even learn more than just the answers to his questions. If he finds something particularly interesting, he can add it to the scene, thus making it more authentic.

Make sure he shares his finished scene with family and friends. Not only will they enjoy the rewritten scene, but they will be learning about a different time in history as well!

Tip: If researching is a tool that frustrates your child, he can still benefit from this activity. How about suggesting he use his imagination and describe the scene as if it were taking place in the future? This will not require any research, just an active imagination!

Cindy McKinley Alder                          Patti Trombly

For more posts about the authors and their books (this is not the only one), click HERE.
For excerpts from more books, click HERE.
For more excerpts from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents, click HERE.
For more posts about books about parenting, click HERE.

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