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Humanities and Social Studies Curriculum  FOR FOURTH & FIFTH GRADES 

Spanish Flu &
COVID-19

What can history Teach Us? 

COVID-19

Unit 1 - The 1918 Spanish Flu & COVID-19

COMPLETE UNIT WITH INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY AND PLANS FOR THREE LESSONS 

UNIT OVERVIEW:

 

Students will learn that America has faced a pandemic before - in 1918.  They will compare and contrast the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic with COVID-19 today. Students will learn about the purpose of an archive and record their own experiences with COVID-19 in a time capsule. Students will have the opportunity to submit their time capsule to be preserved in the archive of the Fresno County Historical Society.

1918 FLU HEADLINES.pub.jpg

UNIT INCLUDES: 

  • Introductory Activity: Defining an Archive

  • Learning Activity #1: History of the 1918 Spanish Flu

  • Learning Activity #2: What did we learn from the Spanish Flu  of 1918?

  • Learning Activity #3: My COVID-19 Time Capsule Project

REQUIRED MATERIALS: 

 

Below are links to download documents, and handouts for this lesson along with links to web resources and additional material that will be helpful in presenting the concepts of this unit to your class. 

Web Resources: 

What’s an Archive?
https://www.archives.gov/about/info/whats-an-archives.html

Fresno County Historical Society Mission
https://www.valleyhistory.org

National Archives News – The Flue Pandemic of 1918

https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/flu-pandemic-1918

Primary Resources:

Images from the 1918 Flu Pandemic from the National Archives and Pop Laval Foundation.  (Hover over image to view caption.  Click to view/show  full screen) 

Newspaper articles from the Fresno Weekly Republican and Fresno Morning Republican Newspapers from 1918 and 1919.  Click Image for Downloadable PDF Documents. 

School Flu Ban Off 1919 .jpg
6th Grade Home Study 1919.jpg
Visiting to blame  1919.jpg
1918 FLU HEADLINES - Halloween.jpg

Public Health Announcements from Government Offices.  Click Image for Downloadable PDF Documents. 

 

                                   1918-1919                                                                                                 2020

Influenza Spead Warning - Dept of Treasu
How to Make A Mask 1918.pdf.jpg
page1-463px-Stop_the_Spread_of_Germs_upd
FCDPH Infographic.jpg

Workbook:

My COVID-19 Time Capsule for Students .  Click Image for Downloadable PDF Documents. 

My COVID 19 TIME CAPSULE - Grade 6.pub.j
US Census

Unit 2 - Everybody Counts: Learning about the US Census

Everybody Counts - Question Sheet 4th -
2010_questionnaire.jpg

UNIT SUMMARY:

The Country is working to complete the 24th Census of the United States this year.  This lesson will help students to learn what the Census is and why it is important to our daily lives. Students will be able to explain what the Census is and how it is used. Finally, students will complete a family census to share with the class.

UNIT INCLUDES: 

  • Learning Activity #1: Understanding the Census

  • Learning Activity #2: Compare and Contrast the 1890 Census with the 2010 Census

  • Extension Activity: Take a Family Census 

REQUIRED MATERIALS: 

 

Below are links to download documents, and handouts for this lesson along with links to web resources and additional material that will be helpful in presenting the concepts of this unit to your class. 

Web Resources:

What’s the Census and Why is it so Important

Handouts: 

Everybody Counts Questions                                                          Everybody Counts (Answer Key) 

Everybody Counts - Question Sheet 4th -

Primary Resources: 

1890 Census                                                                          2010 Census

1890_questionnaire.jpg

Handout:

Family Census Activity Sheet 

Family Census Worksheet k-1.jpg
Oral History

Unit 3 - Your Story Matters: Understanding and Collecting Oral History 

UNIT SUMMARY:

Oral Histories are primary-source first-person narrative recordings that help to round out the story of the past.  At times, an interview may serve as the only source information available about a certain place, event or person.  Oral history helps us understand how individuals and communities experienced life in a specific time and/or dealt with major historic events.  This lesson will introduce students to what an Oral History is.  They will have the opportunity to listen to a recorded oral history and learn how to collect an oral history from someone that they know.

UNIT INCLUDES: 

  • Learning Activity #1: Understanding Oral History

  • Learning Activity #2: Conducting an Oral History 

  • Extension Activities: Quick Write and Transcription  

REQUIRED MATERIALS: 

 

Below are links to download documents, and handouts for this lesson along with links to web resources and additional material that will be helpful in presenting the concepts of this unit to your class. 

Oral History Recordings:

Handouts: 

At Home Oral History Interview Worksheet                                                      

Planning Your Interview Worksheets.pub.j

Primary Resources: 

Joe Ybanez  Interview Transcript                                                                         Ollie Rosetta Interview Transcript

Joe Ybanez Summary & Transcript.jpg
Ollie Rosetta King Summary & Transcript.
Antique Photos

Unit 4 - A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: Analyzing Historic Photos  

UNIT SUMMARY:

Historic and antique images are a valuable part of understanding history.  They provide the clearest and most accurate depiction of the past.  By studying a photograph, we can draw conclusions about places, people and events that we may otherwise not be able to fully understand.  This unit will teach students local Fresno County history through photographs from the turn of the century as well as helping to improve visual literacy and critical thinking skills. 

With photos from the Fresno County Historical Society Archive and from the Pop Laval Collection students will learn to view historic images and analyze them. They will learn about the founding of Fresno County and see how the city grew over time by comparing and contrasting photos from different decades. Students will analyze a historic image of Zapp’s Park in Fresno County prior to learning the true history behind the picture.

UNIT INCLUDES: 

  • Learning Activity #1: Analyzing and Understanding Historic Photos: Zapp's Park

  • Learning Activity #2: Compare and Contrast City Scenes from throughout Fresno's History

REQUIRED MATERIALS: 

 

Below are links to download documents, and handouts for this lesson along with links to web resources and additional material that will be helpful in presenting the concepts of this unit to your class. 

Web Resources:

As Pop Saw it: Valley Stories as photographed by Claude C. “Pop” Laval by Valley PBS
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=4370276781091

Zapp's Park  Photos (Located where the intersection of Olive Ave and Blackstone Ave is Today):

Handout:

"What Do You Notice?" Questions Sheet  

Lesson 1 Handout - Questions.jpg

Reading:

"Zapp's Park: Fresno Best Amusement Park" 

A Brief History of Early Fresno

Handout:

Compare & Contrast Activity Sheets  

Compare and Contrast - Tulare Street in
Compare and Contrast - Mariposa Street i
Compare and Contrast Fresno downtown ari

Worksheet:

Compare & Contrast Activity Sheets  

Compare and Contrast Worksheet.jpg
Innovation/Invention

Unit 5 - Invention & Innovation: The History of Everyday Things  

UNIT SUMMARY:

The everyday things that we rely on in our homes were all created by someone, somewhere.  Most of the items that we use to keep things clean, to communicate and to entertain ourselves today are all innovative advancements on much simpler designs and early inventions.  This unit will examine those early innovations from our history. 

Students will learn that everyday items that we relay on today have their roots in earlier inventions. They will have the opportunity to discover the history of the Fresno Scraper and through the story of the development of this foundational farming tool they will learn about the phases of invention.  The unit will conclude with students applying their new knowledge about the phases of invention to create with own innovation. 

UNIT INCLUDES: 

  • Learning Activity #1: History of Inventions - The Fresno Scraper 

  • Learning Activity #2: Create an Invention   

REQUIRED MATERIALS: 

 

Below are links to download documents, and handouts for this lesson along with links to web resources and additional material that will be helpful in presenting the concepts of this unit to your class. 

Web Resource:

The History of the Fresno Scraper 

https://www.valleyhistory.org/fresno-scraper

Video Resource:

AJ Fox, On the Map segment for KSEE Channel 24
https://www.facebook.com/ajfoxwx/videos/2462636003861560

Handout:

History of the Fresno Scraper Questions Sheet

  

Fresno Scraper Worksheet  - Grade 6 Ques

Curriculum made possible by: 

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