As a nation we celebrate Thanksgiving on the 4th Thursday in November each year. Thanksgiving wasn’t alway a national holiday. In this mini spark, you will learn about the history of Thanksgiving and how it became a national holiday.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page: #50: Thanksgiving

2. Set up your recording page with a section for each of these topics

• Native Americans
• The Settlers
• Settling and Exploring
• The Celebration
• The Myths
• Native Americans and Thanksgiving
• Modern Thanksgiving

3. Read this article. For each category, record 3+ bullet points.

4. Watch this video about how Thanksgiving became a national holiday. When you are done watching, choose 5 questions to answer thoughtfully. Remind your teacher that the key can be found in the social studies mini spark folder.

1. What year did the first Thanksgiving celebration take place in Plymouth, Massachusetts? Who was the great Indian chief that attended the first Thanksgiving celebration? 9. In what year did Congress officially make Thanksgiving a national holiday?
2. Describe how Abraham Lincoln contributed to the establishment of a national Thanksgiving holiday.
3. What message did Lincoln convey in his Thanksgiving proclamation during the Civil War?
4. Identify why Sarah Josepha Hale believed a national Thanksgiving celebration was important. How did Hale promote the idea of Thanksgiving through her work as a magazine editor? 
5. What was the significance of Lincoln’s proclamation being the first in a series of annual Thanksgiving proclamations?
6. How did Lincoln’s view of Thanksgiving differ from the political divides of his time?
7. Reflect on the idea of gratitude discussed in the video. Why is it important to express gratitude during Thanksgiving?

5. Optional: This is an interactive about Thanksgiving and the early settlers. Check it out.

CLICK HERE TO EXPLORE AND PLAY!

6. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator

If you take a trip to western Nebraska you can visit the Museum of the Fur Trade in Chadron, Nebraska. This mini spark takes you there without any traveling.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page: #49: The Museum of the Fur Trade.
2. Watch this quick video that introduces you to the fur trade. Complete a 3-2-1 for the video 

3 new things you learned

2 things you wonder

1 question you have

3. The Museum of the Fur Trade was created in Chadron, Nebraska because it is located on the original James Bordeaux trading post, which is an important historical site. This trading post was established in the fall of 1837 as a site for the American Fur Company to conduct business with the Native Americans who spent their winters in the area. The trading post was reconstructed on its original foundation in 1956 & formally opened to the public later that year. Go to this site and read the article about this trading post. Make a list of 7 details about the post on your recording sheet-one from each paragraph.
4. Learn more about the Museum of the Fur Trade by watching this video. Discuss the types of items that the Museum of the Fur Trade exhibits. What is unique about their collection? Use 3 sentences.

5. Go check out the museum itself by taking the audio tours. Listen to two tours of your choice. For each on record the title, a summary, and 5 details. 
6. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Source: https://news.yahoo.com/7-notable-black-athletes-made-184117774.html

February marks the beginning of Black History Month, and it is also the month when the Winter Olympics of 2022 kick off! This post honors both of those events.

There have been some big moments for Black athletes in the Winter games. Of course, the Winter Olympics is not historically known for its racial diversity, but that hasn’t stopped a few superstars of color from making their mark, like figure skater Debi Thomas, who became Team USA’S first Black athlete to win an Olympic medal! It was in 1988 in Calgary that she took home the bronze.

And it wasn’t until 2002, just 20 years ago, that Vonetta Flowers became the first Black athlete from any country to win gold in the Winter Olympics. She was a Team USA bobsledder at the Salt Lake City games.

In Beijing, keep an eye out for Erin Jackson, who is back at the Olympics after becoming the first Black woman to qualify for the US Olympic Long Speed Skating Team four years ago.

And one of my personal favorites, the Jamaican four-man bobsled team, they’re back at Beijing– this time around, their first Winter Olympics in more than 20 years. And if folks recall, “Cool Runnings” may have an opportunity for a comeback.

As you watch the Olympics this month, who do you think is an outstanding athlete of color?

Comment below!

In 2017, researchers off the Bulgarian coast discovered the oldest intact shipwreck ever found! This ancient Greek vessel was not only nearly 2,500 years old, but was just one of 65 shipwrecks found at the bottom of the Black Sea in remarkable condition. So, why does the Black Sea contain so many well-preserved shipwrecks? Helen Farr and Jon Adams dive into the depths of the unique body of water.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page: #47: Ancient Shipwreck.

2. Watch the video. Record details about the Black Sea as you watch. Find the Black Sea on a map and describe its location.

3. Make a study guide for this video on your recording page. Include the answers to at least 5 of these questions. Remind your teacher that the key can be found in the social studies mini spark folder.

1. Describe the condition of the shipwreck that was found. What features remained intact?
2. How did researchers determine the age of the shipwreck?
3. Why is the Black Sea referred to as “the world’s biggest pickle jar”?
4. What role did the Black Sea play in historical trade and conflicts?
5. Explain the significance of anaerobic bacteria in the preservation of the shipwrecks.
6. What challenges do researchers face when attempting to recover artifacts from the shipwrecks?
7. Discuss the importance of the discovery of the medieval Italian merchant ship. What does it tell us about trade during that time?

4. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Have you ever thought about the journey a raindrop takes? This mini spark shows you that path through the United States that a raindrop will follow to get to the sea.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page #46: A Raindrop’s Journey
2. Read these 3 paragraphs. Write a summary of a raindrop’s journey using 5 bullet points.

You may think every drop of rain falling from the sky, or each glass of water you drink, is brand new, but it has always been here, and is a part of the water cycle.  At its most basic, the water cycle is how water continuously moves from the ground to the atmosphere and back again.  As it moves through this cycle, it changes forms.  Water is the only substance that naturally exists in three states on Earth – solid, liquid, and gas.

Over 96% of total global water is in the ocean, so let’s start there.  Energy from the sun causes water on the surface to evaporate into water vapor – a gas.  This invisible vapor rises into the atmosphere, where the air is colder, and condenses into clouds.  Air currents move these clouds all around the earth.

Water drops form in clouds, and the drops then return to the ocean or land as precipitation, often rainfall.   When it rains, the raindrops fall to the ground, and run off into a lake or river, which flows back into the ocean, where it starts the process again.

3. This website allows for you to click anywhere on the map to drop a raindrop and follow its journey to the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic or the Pacific Oceans! Once you click, you’ll get a bird’s eye view of the path the raindrop takes!

Try it out! Set your timer for three minutes and spend time exploring the site. At the end of the three minutes, write two sentences about what you noticed about the raindrop’s journey.

4. In the top right corner of your search, you are able to see the actual distances that the raindrop is traveling, and along what path.   Choose a location to drop your raindrop, look at the data in the top right corner, and record all of the waterways and the distances on your recording sheet.

5. Find 3 spots on the map where the raindrop makes a journey to different ending point: Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic or the Pacific Oceans. Record these three starting locations on your recording page.

6. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

                                                                          Source: IFL Science

The Internet has a new favorite interactive map system!

ORBIS, the Stanford geospatial network model of the Roman world, allows you to check how long it would take you to travel from location to location during Roman times.

It’s customizable too! In the unlikely event that you were transported back to 200 BCE and yet somehow the 4G network traveled back in time with you, thanks to these maps you’d be able to calculate how long it would take you to get from Londinium to Corinthus by ox, or Augusta Treverorum to Alexandria as part of a military march.

As well as time, the map, which is of course based on historical evidence, shows you how much each journey would cost.

“Conventional maps that represent this world as it appears from space signally fail to capture the severe environmental constraints that governed the flows of people, goods and information,” Stanford wrote at the time of the release of the first version of ORBIS. “Cost, rather than distance, is the principal determinant of connectivity.”

We thought we’d have a look at how long it would take us to get from Londinium to Ierusalem, to ask them a few questions about what made them eventually change the I in their name to a J.

We gave the parameters that we would be traveling by donkey (as well as boat where necessary) and during the winter. According to Google, if we floored it and didn’t need things like sleep, we could arrive by car in 52 hours, or a much nicer 6-8 hours by plane. But, we know that that the journey would take a lot longer in Roman times:

“The Fastest journey from Londinium to Ierusalem in January takes 53.5 days, covering 5,433 kilometers [3,375 miles]. Prices in denarii, based on the use of a faster sail ship and a civilian river boat (where applicable), and on these road options:

Per kilogram of wheat (by donkey): 22.74
Per kilogram of wheat (by wagon): 27.45
Per passenger in a carriage: 1897.51″

If you were to select the cheapest route, it would take you 98.4 days to complete a 6,129-kilometer (3,303-mile) journey. However, you would save yourself nearly 1,000 denarii per passenger, and 7 denarii per kilogram of wheat. And is it really a holiday if you aren’t shipping a wagonload of wheat back with you as a souvenir?

Check out the map for yourself, it’s pretty cool to play with!

In the comments below, let us know what you discovered!

Revisit the extraordinary life story of Harriet Tubman – a freedom seeker, conductor on the Underground Railroad, abolitionist, suffragist, and human rights activist. Tubman was born around 1822 Maryland. She is widely celebrated as one of the most respected individuals in American history.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page: #44: Harriet Tubman

2. Read this information about the underground railroad. On your recording page, create a web diagram with a circle in the center and 10 circles around the center. Record “underground railroad” in the center.

3. Read these paragraphs and fill in 5 of the spots with information about the underground railroad. 

4. Watch this TED-ED on the life of Harriet Tubman. Use information from the video to fill out the remaining 5 spots on your web with information about her. 

5. Look at a map, and imagine Harriet, in her 20s, running away, alone, on foot. She managed, with the help of the Underground Railroad, to make it a hundred miles to the Pennsylvania border, and freedom. Bravely, Tubman went back – 13 times over 10 years – leading more than 70 people to freedom.  Why did she risk her life to do this? Respond to this prompt with 3+ sentences. 

6. Choose one prompt and respond with 2-4 sentences. 

Discuss the significance of the Underground Railroad in Harriet Tubman’s life.

What role did Harriet Tubman play during the Civil War, and what was one of her notable achievements?

Describe Harriet Tubman’s involvement in women’s suffrage and her contributions to the cause.

7. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Many of you know that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a crusader for Civil Rights. He had a dream. In some ways, that dream became a reality through the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page: #43: The Civil Rights Act

2. Read the background information below. Identify 5 pieces of information that are new to you.

The Declaration of Independence declared that “All men are created equal.” However, when the country was first formed this quote didn’t apply to everyone, only to wealthy white landowners. Over time, things did improve. The slaves were set free after the Civil War and both women and non-white people were given the right to vote with the 15th and the 19th amendments.

Despite these changes, however, there were still people who were being denied their basic civil rights. Jim Crow laws in the south allowed for racial segregation, and discrimination based on gender, race, and religion was legal. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for the civil rights of all people. Events such as the March on Washington, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and the Birmingham Campaign brought these issues to the forefront of American politics. A new law was needed to protect the civil rights of all people.

On June 11, 1963 President John F. Kennedy gave a speech calling for a civil rights law that would give “all Americans the right to be served in facilities that are open to the public” and would offer “greater protection for the right to vote.” President Kennedy began to work with Congress to create a new civil rights bill. However, Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 and President Lyndon Johnson took over.

President Johnson also wanted a new civil rights bill to be passed. He made the bill one of his top priorities. After working the bill through the House and the Senate, President Johnson signed the bill into law on July 2, 1964. Martin Luther King, Jr. attended the official signing-in of the law by President Johnson.

A year after the Civil Rights Act was signed into law, another law called the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed. This law was meant to insure that the right to vote was not denied any person “on account of race or color.”

3. Watch the video about the civil rights movement and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. While watching, write down 8+ important details and key points.

4. The law was divided up into 11 sections called titles. Read the list. On your recording sheet record the title that you would like to learn more about.

• Title I – The voting requirements must be the same for all people.
• Title II – Outlawed discrimination in all public places such as hotels, restaurants, and theatres.
• Title III – Access to public facilities could not be denied based on race, religion, or national origin.
• Title IV – Required that public schools no longer be segregated.
• Title V – Gave more powers to the Civil Rights Commission.
• Title VI – Outlawed discrimination by government agencies.
• Title VII – Outlawed discrimination by employers based on race, gender, religion, or national origin.
• Title VIII – Required that voter data and registration information be provided to the government.
• Title IX – Allowed civil rights lawsuits to be moved from local courts to federal courts.
• Title X – Established the Community Relations Service.
• Title XI – Miscellaneous.

5. Take a 10 question quiz to test what you learned about the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Record your score on your recording page.

6. OPTIONAL: Research one of the titles of the Civil Rights Act. Make an information page to share with your classmates.

7. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out these mini sparks to learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr.

STEAM mini spark

Language Arts mini spark

Social Studies mini spark

Check out this mini spark and explore a list of famous firsts throughout human history. Take the challenge and learn more about an event that happened in history.

Spark you thinking!

1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page: #42: Famous Firsts in World History

2. Watch this video and record all of the firsts on your recording page.

2. Each famous first is briefly highlighted – not much information is given. The idea is to spark an interest in you to know and learn more. Which of the 7 events do you want to learn more about? Record this on your recording page.

3. Choose one. Do research to find 10 details about the famous first you picked.

4. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the famous firsts badge on the EY website. This mini spark help you with the badge.