A Glimpse of History Through the Eyes of the American Girl Dolls
In this ongoing class, students will be looking at a timeline of U.S. history inspired by American Girl dolls and their time periods!
Monica Kelly
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(201)
What's included
16 live meetings
16 in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. N/AGrading
includedClass Experience
US Grade 3 - 5
We will start each class by introducing our dolls or showing something we've made in the week prior. This is a great opportunity to practice sharing, taking turns, and listening to others. During each class, we will learn about the designated American Doll of the week. There will be a brief overview of the featured doll’s time period, some geography work (placing our doll on a map of where she would have been from), and then an activity that is representative to the time period and/or our doll. I will message prior to each class to remind you of which doll we will focus on, and what sort of materials are needed. No prior experience with each American Girl doll or time period is needed. I cannot wait to go on this historical adventure with you and your doll! Our meetings are as follows: MEETING 1: Meet Kaya-- An American Girl from 1764. -overview and “All About Kaya” page -overview and “All About 1764” page -Map work -activity: collage of the Nez Perce Nation MEETING 2: Meet Felicity-- An American Girl from 1776. -overview and “All About Felicity” page -overview and “All About 1774” page -Map work -activity: bake bread MEETING 3 : Meet Caroline-- An American Girl from 1812. -overview and “All About Caroline” page -overview and “All About the 1812” page -Map work -activity: making a construction paper boat MEETING 4 : Meet Josefina-- An American Girl from 1824. -overview and “All About Josefina” page -overview and “All About 1824” page -Map work -activity: making Ramalettas (paper flowers) MEETING 5 : Meet Cecile and Marie Grace -- American Girls from 1853. -overview and “All About Cecile and Marie Grace” page -overview and “All About the 1853” page -Map work -activity: friendship book MEETING 6: Meet Kirsten -- An American Girl from 1854. -overview and “All About Kristen” page -overview and “All About 1854” page -Map work -activity: making a ragdoll MEETING 7: Meet Addy-- An American Girl from 1864. -overview and “All About Addy” page -overview and “All About 1864” page -Map work -activity: baking cornbread MEETING 8: Meet Samantha-- An American Girl from 1904. -overview and “All About Samantha” page -overview and “All About 1904” page -Map work -activity: tea party MEETING 9: Meet Rebecca-- An American Girl from 1914. -overview and “All About Rebecca” page -overview and “All About 1914” page -Map work -activity: creating a lap book MEETING 10: Meet Kit -- An American Girl from 1934. -overview and “All About Kit” page -overview and “All About 1934” page -Map work -activity: Great Depression timeline activity MEETING 11: Meet Nanea-- An American Girl from 1941. -overview and “All About Nanea” page -overview and “All About 1941” page -Map work -activity: learn Hawaiin word and play a game MEETING 12: Meet Molly -- An American Girl from 1944. -overview and “All About Molly” page -overview and “All About 1944” page -Map work -activity: creating a chart around adaptability and resourcefulness “What if you didn’t have……what could you use instead” MEETING 13: Meet Maryellen-- An American Girl from 1954. -overview and “All About Maryellen” page -overview and “All About 1954” page -Map work -activity: Mapping an imaginary road trip MEETING 14: Meet Melody-- An American Girl from 1964. -overview and “All About Melody” page -overview and “All About 1964” page -Map work -activity: creating a poster that addresses issues in your community MEETING 15: Meet Julie and Ivy-- An American Girl from 1974. -overview and “All About Julie” page -overview and “All About 1974” page -Map work -activity: painting rocks MEETING 16: Meet Courtney -- An American Girl from 1986. -overview and “All About Courtney” page -overview and “All About 1986” page -Map work -activity: learn dance moves to stay healthy
Learning Goals
students will gain knowledge of the history thru activities and discussion
students will learn thru theme topic exploration (specific to each American Girl doll), with activities and crafts
Other Details
Parental Guidance
We will be using scissors to make crafts
For the Felicity class, we will be baking bread (use of an oven)
Please be aware, when learning specifically about the years 1764 and 1854, I do understand that Indigenous People were displaced by settlers moving west and the stories have cultural inaccuracies (including stereotypes and bias perspective of Native cultures). I also understand that these issues can be sensitive. I plan to answer any questions in a caring and kind way, making sure to stay fact based. When these issues are addressed, we will be referring to primary source documents whenever possible.
Supply List
Please have learner bring their doll to class. Dolls do NOT need to be American Girl Dolls. 20-30 minutes of each class will be reserved for activities/crafting/cooking. Materials will be posted prior to class. I aim for projects that are simple with most materials at home. Things I might request include paper, glue, felt, construction paper, paint, crayons/color pencils, popsicle sticks and access to a printer.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined January, 2019
4.9
201reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
California Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
I am offering this course because I homeschool my children and I design classes for them on a regular basis. I designed and taught this class to my daughter and some of her friends. They really enjoyed it and it was a great supplement to students learning U.S. History.
I have been teaching 20 plus years in various capacities. I have taught k-12 here in the U.S. as well as in Central America. I homeschool my own children with experiential learning including extensive travel to different countries, immersing in different cultures, as an integral part of our curriculum. I also have taught for National University's Education department for the past 15 years. I teach in the teaching credential program. Among the many classes that I have taught, The Diverse Classroom and Multicultural Education are among them.
In my background as an educator and in developing social studies curriculum, I have collaborated with many educators on how to cover these history topics. I have also attended workshops and trainings in the experiences of marginalized groups that have provided me with an understanding of these groups experiences and the historical context for American discriminatory action and thoughts. I am here to provide a historical outlook and provide insight into what was happening in history, but am not here to provide an in depth look at discrimination or the experiences of marginalized groups.
While we will not be reading any of the books for these classes, they will be referenced when learning about each doll. They may seem to portray generalizations about a certain people. We must remember each family and even each individual person in a certain place or of a certain culture are different. These books are a representation of a certain part of a culture and time period. We will learn that it is often beneficial to put forth an effort to understand one another and show mercy toward others. Whether people are of a different age, race, or shape, we can exercise to be kind.
Please be aware, when learning specifically about the years 1764 and 1854, I do understand that Indigenous People were displaced by settlers moving west and the stories have cultural inaccuracies (including stereotypes and bias perspective of Native cultures). I also understand that these issues can be sensitive. I plan to answer any questions in a caring and kind way, making sure to stay fact based. When these issues are addressed, we will be referring to primary source documents whenever possible.
Reviews
Live Group Course
$6
weekly or $96 for 16 classes1x per week, 16 weeks
60 min
Completed by 29 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-11
3-10 learners per class
