How to use this website

There are no rules on how to best use this website.

First, this is a new experience for all of us. I encourage you to be patient with yourselves! You are doing your best. Don't feel pressured to recreate school. If your school has sent home materials those must be completed. However, if your school has not sent home materials you can use this website to keep your student learning! Students have limited attention spans and those will be more limited in a one-on-one schooling scenario at home. Keep lessons short (15 minutes or less at one time). I have built these lessons to include a mix of traditional school materials and non-traditional methods. Use as much or as little from this website as you would like and modify the materials to fit your student's needs.

Please click on the drop down menus above to access content.

Instructions: Please read this page before using the site. I have included tutorials below to help navigate some online resources.

Visit History from Home: Click on the Virtual Landmark Tour or Landmark Museum Tour tabs to share some interactive experiences with your student

7th Grade US History: Each new topic will have its own drop down menu. There may be a few lessons per topic.

Civics: This section has lessons about current topics in civic education.

Lessons: I will prepare and upload short and meaningful lessons each weekday that are aligned to the New York State Social Studies Framework. For each lesson I will include a brief lesson plan that can be downloaded to help guide the lesson. The lesson will have all the materials necessary in one document, except videos, which will appear on this website. These lessons will have suggested modifications and accommodations for students at different levels of readiness.

Games, Projects, and Links: These tabs include additional resources to supplement learning and make it fun. Use your judgment about which games may be appropriate for your student. I have included both free games and games that cost money as I want to present all options.

About Me: Please let me know if you have any questions. You can email me at historywithmrst@gmail.com

Tutorials

Using YouTube

I will be sharing instructional videos on YouTube. Some students may become frustrated with how fast/slow the videos are or may benefit from Closed Captioning subtitles. Please check out the videos below to learn how to speed up/slow down videos and turn on subtitles. (Note: not all videos will have that option but most will).

Slow Down or Speed Up Videos

Source: One Music School

Turning captions on/off on computer

Source: Tech & Design

Turning Captions on/off on phone/tablet

Source: Tech & Design

Downloading Lesson Plans and Keys

For most lessons I will include a short lesson plan to help guide the instructor (parent/teacher) through the lesson. These will generally appear at the top of the lesson.

I will also upload a Key, with the correct answers, at the end of each day. These will generally appear at the bottom of the lesson.

To download any document click the black box that says "Download ______ DOCX"

Navigating these lessons without certain resources

I recognize not everyone has the resources at home to fully utilize each lesson. I have included different resources for each lesson to be as inclusive as possible. If there is anything I can do to make lessons more accessible for you please let me know.

No Computer: The website is best accessed via a computer but is accessible via cell phone or tablet. All features may not be available on phone or tablet.

No Internet: Depending on your area there are a number of providers offering free internet access to homes with students. One example in Western New York is Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi is offering free services to households with children in school or college students who don't have a Spectrum broadband subscription at any service level up to 100 Mbps. Starting March 16, this will be available for 60 days. To enroll, call 1-844-488-8395.

No Printer: If the instructions require you to print but you do not have a printer I recommend either having your child recreate the chart/graphic organizer/crossword puzzle on a sheet of paper if your student is able to do so. Another option is to complete the activity verbally with them.