I love teaching fifth grade for a variety of reasons, but I think the one I enjoy the most is the fact that I get to teach US History. Those of you that knew me in school may find this ironic because of all things that I had to study, US History was my least favorite. But, I've determined that is because I didn't have a dynamic teacher who made it interesting for me to learn. So, in my teaching career, I've vowed to become that teacher for my students.
This week we have been immersed in all things World War One. This topic is one that my students wait for all year because this is the war that saw torpedoes, tanks, and the Gaitlin Gun. Ships were sunk, trenches were dug, and the Red Baron made himself known to the entire world. Needless to say, my guys love it.
Yesterday we began discussing how the war affected different groups of people, primarily women and African Americans. To help my students understand how women were affected, I cooked. I spent a few days searching for an authentic World War One recipe. I stumbled across this one for doughnuts. The Salvation Army sent ladies to lift the morale of the troops and they became known as The Doughnut Girls because they made doughnuts for the troops. Read more about their story here. Not only did I choose this to reinforce how women responded, but to help my students remember the Doughboys (American troops).
The response was ovewhelmingly positive - even though we burned the first batch and had to wave the smoke away from the fire alarm sensors. Oops! But what was more important to me was what my students wrote afterwards. EVERY single person was able to effectively remember and communicate how women responded and who the Doughboys were. Hopefully, this will carry over to our state test!!!
