Greensboro Sit-In, Groundhog Day, Ferdinand Magellan, United Service Organization (USO), Mexican Constitution Day, Ronald Reagan,Beatles,
February 1 Greensboro Woolworth Sit-In
February 1, 1960, four black college students sat down at a “whites-only” lunch counter in Greensboro NC and refused to leave.
C-span classroom has a Greensboro, North Carolina Woolworth Sit-In video with three clips including eye-witness accounts. The three videos are less than 10 minutes each and engaging for students.
February 2 Groundhog Day
The first official Groundhog Day celebration took place February 2, 1887.
Yes, there is a Punxsutawney Groundhog Club! Part of the website is a section for teachers. They are indexed my preschool, elementary, middle school, and high school. Activities include art, English, math, and music.
February 3 Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese explorer was born February 3, 1480.
PBS World Explorers has a 5 minute video which gives a good overview on Ferdinand Magellan. It can be downloaded or streamed and also has the possibility of being captioned. It is also available in Spanish. National standards are available.
February 4 United Service Organization (USO)
The United Service Organization (USO) is formed for armed service members and their families on February 4, 1941.
The USO website is well designed and has good information for your students to learn more about the organization. The ABOUT US tab explains the mission, history, and news information. There is also a short video giving an overview. How We Help describes the USO Centers, various programs for service members and their families, and entertainment sponsored by USOs.
February 5 Mexican Constitution Day
February 5, 1917, the Constitutional Congress approved the Mexican Constitution. February 5 is Mexican Constitution Day.
Comparing the Mexican and US Constitution is a great way to teach your students about the Mexican Constitution. These resources will help your students. There is an article called Comparing and Contrasting the US and Mexican Constitutions which addresses the similarities and differences in a simple way. For advanced high school students a resource From Notre Dame Law Review compares the constitutions of the United States with Mexico (and Germany and Russia). This requires an advanced
February 6 Ronald Reagan
February 6, 1911, Ronald Reagan was born.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum website offers many resources which might be useful in your classroom. Three of my favorite are the library photo collection, dear diary, and statements/speeches/papers.The photos are organized by topic and contain a description. The Dear Diary section lists meetings, calls, meals, travel, and many activities generated by a n employee of National Archives. Although there are gaps in the log, it is basically a day by day record of Reagan’s activities for eight years. The statement/speeches/paper section can be searched by keyword or indexed chronologically. Some of the speeches are also indexed and available from YouTube.
February 7 Beatles
The Beatles land in New York bringing Beatlemania to the United States on February 7, 1964.
Culture Trip website introduces 15 of their songs with background on their creation and fun facts about the legendary group. Video/auditory files are included.
