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Way back in the mid-2000s, I was hopping from elementary school to elementary school in order to get my observations completed for my alternative teaching certification. One of the most memorable teachers I observed had a gifted and talented class and on her wall was a giant poster board that featured some famous person who I can no longer recall.
She explained to me that she likes to introduce her students to different types of music and cultures and people on a daily basis. Most of her students would not learn about these things at home and she felt called to make sure she grew worldly citizens. This experience always stuck with me. My first year of teaching, I immediately implemented something I called, “Person of the Week”. It’s a practice that has grown over the years.
When I first began creating teaching resources in 2016, I knew that “Person of the Week” was something I wanted to pursue. I just had no idea how to do it at the time. Thankfully, some strokes of brilliance (bwaaaahahahahahaha) have since struck me and I’m doing my very first product line launch next month (May 8th, 2021!) and wanted to share it with you today, as well as explain how I incorporate this into my classroom and day.
What Exactly is Person of the Week?
Person of the Week is a social studies based focus on a notable human being. When I first started making this a part of our routine, I chose a biography (we LOVE The Who Was Series), printed out a few photographs I found on the internet of the person and we read a little bit of the book every day as part of our social studies block.
I posted the pictures on the board and we might even watch a video clip or two about the person if any were available. This has become progressively easier to do with the proliferation of YouTube!
How Do You Fit It Into Your Day?
As I mentioned above, I incorporated it into my social studies block. As time has gone on, I have added elements and included math questions, as well as reading skills and creative writing prompts that go along with the person and their accomplishments.
I gave students years and ages and had them calculate how old the person would have been at a particular time in their life. We looked at maps and converted miles into feet and inches and into kilometers. Eventually, reading skills like compare & contrast, character traits, inferencing, and text features came into the picture. Students wrote reflections and expressed opinions about aspects of the Person of the Week’s life.
Interactive notebook activities, vocabulary, and paired discussions have all become part of the routine. We do a reveal on Fridays to see who our Person of the Week will be on Monday and my students always get so excited to find out who they will be learning about next!
That’s Great and All…But…I Don’t Have Time to Make Posters and Activities
Good news! You don’t have to. I have done all the work for you. And just so you can try it out, I even have a 40 page free version featuring Helen Keller available for you to try now before the freebie hits the store and before the product line officially launches on May 8th. Read on to find out more!
The official launch date for Person of the Week: Trailblazers is May 8th. Trailblazers will feature Sally Ride, Booker T. Washington, Shirley Chisholm, Steve Jobs, Amelia Earhart, and Rita Moreno. Not only will you be able to buy it as a set, but each individual Person of the Week will be made available separately, so that you can choose exactly who you want to focus on and better tie your study into your curriculum at any given time. Future volumes of Person of the Week will feature Civil Rights Leaders, Women’s History, Black History, Hispanic Heritage, Scientists, Inventors, Musicians, Actors, and so many more!
Each volume contains a biographical passage, words to know, interactive notebook elements, maps, and a quick check featuring cross-curricular questions based on the biographical passage – for EACH person featured. The elements are provided in full color and black & white, as well as in full sheet and half sheet sizes.
Sign up below and have the freebie sent to you, as well as all the information you need to win Person of the Week: Trailblazers before you can even buy it!
Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful week!
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