S.O.S. = Science Or
Social Studies
overview
Videos, sources, and sites... oh my! Links and items used to enhance our social studies and science curriculum will be posted here.
We have three units of study in science:
Our Social Studies focus is on the history of the city of Rockford from pioneer times to the present day. The culminating project for our Social Studies unit is our field trip throughout the downtown Rockford area in May. While this is the only "required" piece, I often supplement with a unit on Native Americans to provide background knowledge as well as mini units on Christopher Columbus, Constitution Day, and a "Trip Around the World" in December.
We have three units of study in science:
- Plants
- Land and Water
- Measuring Matters
Our Social Studies focus is on the history of the city of Rockford from pioneer times to the present day. The culminating project for our Social Studies unit is our field trip throughout the downtown Rockford area in May. While this is the only "required" piece, I often supplement with a unit on Native Americans to provide background knowledge as well as mini units on Christopher Columbus, Constitution Day, and a "Trip Around the World" in December.
Science Unit: Earth's Land and Water
This week we began our Earth's Land and Water Unit!
We learned about the explorations of John Wesley Powell and how he helped map out the surface features across the United States! Ask your child to describe the following landforms:
We learned about the explorations of John Wesley Powell and how he helped map out the surface features across the United States! Ask your child to describe the following landforms:
- Mountains
- Plateaus
- Hills
- Plains
- Valleys
Social Studies Unit: Rockford
Last week we began our study of the history of Rockford! Here are some fun facts we learned:
We will continue this unit throughout the next several months in preparation for our culminating field trip on May 11th! Check back here for more fun facts we are learning each week!
- Michigan was once covered by glaciers. When the ice melted, it carved out hills, valleys, etc.
- The first inhabitants in the Rockford area were Native American from the Ottawa and Chippewa tribes. They traded pelts and other goods along the Grand River. The corner of West River Drive and Northland (along the river) used to be a popular trading post!
- The first permanent settlers lived in log cabins.
- James Morrison named the the Rogue River after the Rouge River which was near where he grew up in East Michigan. Unfortunately, he spelled it wrong... so now we have the ROGUE River!
- Melin Hunter offered to pay Smith Lapham (the founder of our city) 80 acres of land to build the dam and a sawmill. When he failed to pay back what he owed, Smith Lapham built his own sawmill on the east side of the river. His sawmill was successful, and because of it, we have Rockford today!
- Rockford was originally named Laphamville, after Smith Lapham.
- The Indiana Railroad Company wanted to built a train track system through Rockford. However, they said that Laphamville was too long of a name... so we had to change it! Reverand Volney Powell recommended the name "Rockford" after his home in Rockford, Illinois. The name stuck! Many thought it was appropriate due to the "rocky ford" in the river near downtown.
- We learned all about important historical buildings in Rockford: The Corner Bar (the only building made of brick that didn't burn down in the fire!), The Hessler Building, Uccello's (formerly a hotel), and many more. Ask your child which one they were an "expert" on.
We will continue this unit throughout the next several months in preparation for our culminating field trip on May 11th! Check back here for more fun facts we are learning each week!
Rockford Historical Buildings Jigsaw Projects
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