Category: History

Celebrating Black History Month

Celebrating Black History Month

by Voki Blog ♥ 2 Comments

We at Voki are always considering how to help you make learning more meaningful in your classroom. We know that your goal as a teacher is to foster a love of learning through an engaging curriculum. If you are already following along with us here on the Voki blog, you know the importance of seeing through your students’ eyes  and understanding what makes them tick. That is why so many rockstar teachers are always looking for more ways to use tech in everyday classroom routines. It is our goal to help, and make it easy & fun. It may seem intimidating, but it can be quite simple with the right technology.

 

An increasing number of studies have shown “increased student engagement and motivation when students have the opportunity to use tech for authentic learning experiences. Students find technology more engaging because it bridges the gap between their digital lives outside of school and their too often non-digital lives inside of school”. (More about this here.)

Many teachers are looking for more ways to bridge that digital gap in their classrooms.

That is why we are excited and honored to present to you with these new historic figures for Black History Month! Presenting…

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was a leader of the abolitionist movement and a former slave. He spent his life fighting for the betterment of the lives of African-Americans. He was also a supporter of women’s rights. Among other things, he was a self-taught scholar, wrote several books, and acted as Abolitionist advisor to Abraham Lincoln.

 

Coming Soon… Thurgood Marshall!

Thurgood Marshall successfully argued the Brown v. Board of Education case that would make segregated schools no longer legal.  He was the first African-American Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

 

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks was an activist from the South whose courageous choice not to surrender her seat to a white passenger and her subsequent arrest sparked outrage and led to the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. Parks’ decision to defy this segregation law in the 1950s was a defining moment in the Civil Rights Movement.

 

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was a non-violent anti-apartheid activist who became the first black president of South Africa. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his efforts to abolish South Africa’s oppressive infrastructure.

 

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader and minister during the Civil rights Movement. He was an advocate of peaceful protest and employed this strategy in his fight to gain blacks equal rights. He is well-known for his “I Have A Dream” speech.

 

We know that you strive to bring learning to life in your classrooms. We’ve seen how you dress up like the characters in books, write songs about fractions, put on plays about greek mythology. You are constantly doing your best to create excitement around the topics you teach. We admire your dedication, but more importantly we want to help you imbue your lessons with the kind of energy that gets your students excited about coming to school everyday.

 

This month we’d love to see how your students delve into history about leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela and their fierce and peaceful movements to bring equality to the oppressed. Will your students feel empowered by Rosa Parks’ courageous choice to break the law for the civil rights of many?

Here are some ideas we have for how you can integrate Voki and these heroic figures into your lessons this month (and hopefully beyond.)

 

  • Play “Black History Month Jeopardy” using our new historical characters as the question askers as shown here.
  • Ask students to create avatars explaining history quadrants of before and after each historical figure’s contributions to society. See a teacher’s similar project here
  • Create healthy competitions amongst these icons with our brand new product, Voki Hangouts! Have students debate (representing themselves as these heroic avatars) which historical figure facilitated the most change in their communities. Never miss a valuable student comment or discussion with Voki Hangouts!

 

We can’t wait to see you expand the historical narrative in your classrooms. If you’ve created a rock star lesson using Voki avatars, we’d LOVE to see it. We love featuring videos and pictures of teachers and students who use and love Voki. Send any videos or photos to feedback@voki.com

 

Warmly,

The Voki Team

 

 

 

Voki Lesson Plans: Thanksgiving Lesson Plans

Voki Lesson Plans: Thanksgiving Lesson Plans

by Voki Blog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Gobble, gobble! Are you ready to make some cranberry sauce and stuff the turkey? Get your students ready for Thanksgiving with our new Thanksgiving lesson plans! Let them take a closer look at the Mayflower’s voyage to the New World, how the Pilgrims survived in the New World, and the First Thanksgiving.

Traveling on the Mayflower – In this lesson, students will learn what it was like to be on the Mayflower. They will take a closer look at the Mayflower’s history and why the Pilgrims came to the New World. Students will be responsible for creating a Voki to send back to their family or friends in England. The Voki will talk about their experience on the Mayflower.

 

Settlement in the New World – After the Pilgrims arrived at the New World, they had a hard time surviving the winter. With the help of the Wampanoag, the Pilgrims were able to make their own shelters and grow their own crops. Students will compare and contrast the living conditions of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag. They will create a Voki reporting the similarities and differences.

 

First Thanksgiving – In 1621, the Pilgrims held a feast held a year known as the first Thanksgiving. Students will learn about how the First Thanksgiving started, how long it lasted, who was there, and what type foods were served. They will be required to create a Voki describing one dish that they will bring to the first Thanksgiving feast.

 

Remember: The grade level assigned to each lesson plan is not set in stone. You can use Voki lesson plans for a higher, or lower, grade than the one you teach. Feel free to customize the lesson plans to fit your needs. These Voki lesson plans can be adapted to fit your style or your students’ abilities!

Have a lesson plan that you want to share with us? Send it to lessonplans@voki.com!

Until next time,

The Voki Team

Voki Lesson Plans: Lesson Plans on English-Speaking Countries

Voki Lesson Plans: Lesson Plans on English-Speaking Countries

by Voki Blog ♥ 2 Comments

Last month, we introduced three lesson plans on Latin America. This month we are introducing 3 new lesson plans for our English speaking countries that your students will enjoy learning about: United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand! So let’s dive into the past with some famous historical figures from the United Kingdom, travel and explore the great continent of Australia, and test your hidden knowledge on New Zealand!

Remember:  You can use Voki lesson plans for a higher, or lower, grade than the one you teach. Also, you can adapt Voki lesson plans to fit your style, or your students’ abilities!

Autobiography(United Kingdom) – In this lesson plan, students will learn about famous historical figures within the United Kingdom. In a 2 page autobiography, students will research about their lives and their influence on society. As an additional classroom activity, students will create Voki clues on the historical figure that they researched.

 

Australia Travel Brochure – Students will learn about the geography and the different territories of Australia. Students are assigned to one of the Australian territories and will be required to create a travel brochure for the territory. A Voki will be created to introduce the assigned territory with 3 interesting facts.

 

New Zealand Scavenger Hunt– Students will go on an internet scavenger hunt on New Zealand. They will learn to locate the islands, cities, and bodies of water located in New Zealand. You will play a Voki with scavenger hunt clues and students will research. Students will be required to create a scavenger hunt Voki to present to the class.

 

We would love to hear how you are using Voki in your class! If you have send it to us at lessonplans@voki.com!

Until Next Time,

The Voki Team

Voki Activity Ideas

Voki Activity Ideas

by Voki Blog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Looking for some great Voki activities for your students?

Well look no further! Tricia and Donna from 1001 Super Tools for Teachers made a great handout with Voki! As their Super Tool 991, they listed out some fun lesson Voki activities for different school subjects!

Reading/Language Arts

Did you just assign a great book to your students? Are you planning a poetry lesson? These fun lesson ideas would get your students to practice their reading and writing:

  • Have your students write a poem and get a Voki to recite it!
  • Create a Voki to describe the character or explain their motivation of their actions.
  • Teach your students how to identify the sequence of events in a story by creating a Voki.

Science

Teaching a science lesson does not have to be boring! Your students will have a BLAST with these Voki science activities:

  • Create a Voki that represents your lesson to explain and define important vocabulary words.
  • Are you doing an experiment in class? You can create a Voki to give directions on how to do the experiment!
  • Have your students create Voki to respond to class questions.

Social Studies

Learning about the Renaissance Era, the American Revolution, or the Meji Restoration? Having a great historical debate in class? Bring history back to life with these Voki history activities:

  • Get your students to create some famous historical figures to explain who they are and what they did.
  • Create Voki characters to have a historical debate on important subjects in history.
  • Have your students create a Voki to explain the cause and effect of some historical events.

Math

Vokis can be used in all types of subjects. Even math! These great Voki math activities will be fun part of your math lesson:

  • You can create an instructional Voki to remind your students on the correct ways to solve a problem.
  • Your students can create and share Vokis to help other solve a problem.
  • Have your students create Voki word problems and solve them in class.

Speech Therapy

Some of your students may have speech problem. These Voki activities will help them reach their language goal:

  • Create a Voki to articulate sounds.
  • If your students have dysfluency, like stuttering, have them create a Voki by recording their voice. Make sure to tell them to keep track of their progress!
  • Have your students record their voice on a Voki. Ask them to get peer feedback on how they are doing.

Foreign language

Voki offers 30 different languages! It’s a good way to start practicing your Japanese sentence structure, Spanish vocabulary, or Portuguese pronunciation!

  • Your students can create a Voki to practice their vocabulary and pronunciation.
  • Create a Voki using text-to-speech; this is a great way for students to practice their writing skills.

Thank you Tricia and Donna for creating this amazing Voki handout!

If you have some great ideas or feedback that you want us to know, send us an email at feedback@voki.com!

Until next time,

The Voki Team

Voki Lesson Plans: Holiday Lesson Plans

Voki Lesson Plans: Holiday Lesson Plans

by Voki Blog ♥ 1 Comment

Welcome back to school! To kick off the school year, we have prepared 3 new lessons plans your students are sure to enjoy!

This month’s theme is Holidays! Do you think it’s too early to talk about holidays? Well the folks at Voki don’t! It’s never too early to start preparing lessons for the holiday season.

 Remember: The grade level assigned to each lesson plan is not set in stone. You can use Voki lesson plans for a higher, or lower, grade than the one you teach. Feel free to customize the lesson plans to for your needs. These Voki lesson plans can be adapted to fit your unique style or your students’ abilities!

Halloween – Scary Stories (Middle School) – Students will learn about the history of Halloween, including the origin of trick or treating, costume wearing, and pumpkin carving. In this lesson, students will learn the elements that go into writing a scary story.  Then they will learn how to write their own scary story and share it with the rest of the class.

Thanksgiving Poem (Primary School) – In this lesson, students will learn about the origin of Thanksgiving and how the first Thanksgiving was celebrated. They will discuss what they are thankful for and what it means to be thankful. Then, they will write special cinquain poem about what Thanksgiving means to them.

Christmas around the World (Middle School) – Students will learn about the different Christmas traditions and customs from different countries and how it is different from their own tradition. They will discuss about the legend of Santa Claus and the different symbols that represent Christmas.

Want to share your own lesson plans with us? Just send us an email at lessonplans@voki.com!

Until Next Time,

The Voki Team

Rediscovering America: Columbus Day Lesson Plans

Rediscovering America: Columbus Day Lesson Plans

by Ashley Chaney ♥ 3 Comments

The ways in which we have celebrated Columbus Day have varied greatly throughout American history. Some use this day to honor Italian-American immigrant ancestors and others observe the achievements that have been made in America since it became a place on the map. On the other hand, many people don’t think about anything at all! Today’s Columbus Day celebrations, like the man himself and the stories that followed his ‘discoveries’, are wide-ranging.

Although we can’t tell you what to do or think (or celebrate) on Columbus Day, we are here to help you plan your class with ease! So, let’s make this Columbus Day a day of rediscovery. With a fresh new batch of lesson plans, we aim to break down some myths that surround American history and rediscover these same histories with a different and more inquisitive lens, using Voki of course!

Below are the Voki Columbus Day Lesson Plans, which are now live in the Voki Lesson Plan Database!

(Remember – the grade assigned to each lesson plan is our best guess – you can use Voki lesson plans from a higher, or lower, grade than the one you teach – if you think they fit!)

  1. Who was Christopher Columbus? (5th grade): Columbus and his voyages are investigated using primary sources and critical thinking.
  2. Discovering America (4th grade): Who did the Europeans encounter when they landed in America?
  3. Deconstructing the American Revolution (7th grade): Students learn about the policies that led to the American Revolution and analyse their effects on a society on the brink of chaos.
  4. America: Before and After the Industrial Revolution (10th grade): Students learn about how American industry became more efficient and modernized after an industrial invention boom.

Rethinking what are often considered to be facts is a great exercise for students. By questioning history, students will discover for themselves that this subject is one that has been passed down from human to human through many different perspectives. By combining primary sources with critical thinking, these lessons bring history to life and show students that various stories make up each historical event or period.

Along with helping students analyze the murkier parts of history, the lessons will help students discover new ‘facts’ for themselves, which is a valuable tool for developing thought processes and is essentially related to Christopher Columbus!

Each lesson contains the intended grade level and subject(s), the time recommended for completion, resources needed, as well as a list of objectives and activities. The lessons are easy to follow and can be adapted according to your own personal teaching style.

As always, we are interested in hearing about how you have used Voki in class. If you have a lesson plan that uses Voki and you would like to share, please email us at lessonplans@voki.com.

Happy Columbus Day and have fun rediscovering America!