Newsweek America's Best High Schools

This is embarrassing.  According to the survey done by Newsweek and a data company named Factual.  This is based off of college level courses offered.  Idaho comes in at 276 with the high school San Pasqual in Coeur dAlene.  Boise doesn't even come in until 494 with Boise High School.  Should our high schools be challenging students with more advanced placement programs?

http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/americas-best-high-schools.html?GT1=43002

Summary of "Ian's Walk" by Laurie Lears

Lears, Laurie

Ian’s Walk

1998

Albert Whitman and Company

Winner of the Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award

Keywords: Autism, Differently

Summary: An older sister is going to the park with a friend. Her young brother, Ian who has autism, wants to go to. On the say to the park the children do things the sister likes. On the way home they do what Ian finds enjoyable. This is a book that takes a simplistic look at a complex disability.

Teaching Strategies:

• Idaho social studies content standard, “1.SS.1.1.1; recognize that each person belongs to many groups such as family, school, friends and neighborhood.” This could be an introduction for children to being a discussion on different disabilities people have.
• This could be an introduction to a discussion on the difference between a handicap and a disability.
• For something a little more light hearted students could use this book to create maps of where Ian walked. This goes with the first grade Idaho social studies content goal 2.1, “analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environment on the earth’s surface.

Year Long Plan

This is a link to my year long plan.  If you have any questions or comments please let me know.

Year Long Plan

Summary of "The Bat Boy and His Violin" by Gavin Curtis

Curtis, Gavin

The Bat Boy and His Violin

September 2000

Scholastic Incorporated. 

Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for non-violent social change through peace and brotherhood.

Keywords: Negro Leagues, Coloreds, Jackie Robinson, African Americans

Summary: A manager of a baseball team in a negro league enlists his son as a batboy. The son is not very good at being a batboy but the team loves listening to him play his violin. In the end the son realizes that his father appreciates him and his music more than baseball, something the son didn’t think was possible.

Teaching Suggestions:

• This could be a great book for an introduction to the topic of segregation for younger grade levels.
• This is a book that discusses the Jim Crow laws and how some people just accepted them.
• It could be used to discuss such people as Jackie Robinson or , famous athletes from the past and present.
• For first grade this book could tie into the social studies content goal, “1.SS.1.1.2, compare difference in the ways American families live today to how they lived in the past.

My day

So I spent the day, literally, trying to write the Children's Literature Analysis.  This is a challenging paper for me.  I've been working on it for the past 6 hours and have only addressed two out of the criteria.

Summary of "Night" by Elie Wiesel

Wiesel, Elie

Night
April 1982
Bantam Books

Keywords: Holocaust, Ghetto, Concentration Camp, Death Camp, Nazi, Jew, Auschwitz, Genocide.

Summary: A young boy named Eliezer, Elie Wiesel, is take from his home along with his family. This is the true account of his horrific journey from his home town of Sighet through the concentration and death camps of Nazi Germany. Along the way he loses his friends, mother, sister, father, and his faith. At the end all that is left is a shell of the person he barely remembers.

Teaching Suggestions:
• This is a great primary source of the genocide during World War II.
• This could be used to discuss current atrocities around the world. How people need to help one another not hurt for temporary gains.
• Time lines could help illustrate what the United States was doing while Elie Wiesel and other Jews were being tortured in Europe.
• Geography could be employed to show where Elie Wiesel began and where the book ends.
• This could be used in grade levels 6-12.
• This book has the ability to teach hatred to students. This is why class discussions and independent writing assignments should be used to clarify any misconceptions students might have about the content.

Puzzlemaker

This is a great site that allows teachers to QUICKLY create puzzles from as simple as mazes to complex crosswords.  I've actually used the crossword creator and the word-find maker to work on students spelling, decoding, and vocabulary abilities.  I was able to create six different puzzles in less than 45 minutes.  I work with students that love word-finds but hate spelling so this was a great way for us to use his spelling list in a way that he enjoyed.  I followed this up with taking a few of the words and discussing what they meant.  It really was the smoothest spelling lesson I've experienced with the student.

Newsweek: Seeking a Moral Compass by Julia Baird

Seeking a Moral Compass: Will the recession change us?
by Julia Baird
February 22, 2010
http://www.newsweek.com/id/233414

I read this article on a comparison of the Great Depression to the recession we are now in. It really made me think about my values and how they have changed in past two years. When the housing market burst I lost my job in a civil engineering firm. I look back and see how selfish I was during my three years at that job. I felt that I earned my money and I should not feel any pull towards giving it away to ANYBODY. This includes family and friends. Now I’m in a job that pays just a little under half of what I was making before and I really see the benefit to lending a hand to people in need. Don’t get me wrong this is not a pity me blog. I greatly appreciate the help family and friends have given to me and the article highlighted that.

Julia Baird sites peoples memories of the Great Depression and they all say how their morals a where sharpened though living in this hard time. Ray Price said, “Everybody helped everybody. No doors were locked. No food was refused to anybody.” Gay Talese said, “Take nothing for granted, to be frugal and above all to be self-sufficient.” I liked the optimism that Julia used when discussing the possibilities of America’s future with a return to, “respect, integrity, caution, decency, fairness, hard work, loyalty, and concern for others.” I feel my moral compass has shifted in the recent past and I really hope that the rest of America’s has also.

On an educational note.  It could be a powerful tool to compare and contrast a students life inside and outside the family with how they feel it would have been during the Great Depression.  What the United States is experiencing now, economically, is a great tool for the study of the Great Depression and other hard times in American history.

CRAAP

The Iroquois of the Northeast

I've included an explanation for the ranking under each of the criteria for evaluating a site reliable. Over all I found this site to be a good source of information. The only glaring thing to me was the lack of any authors name or credentials. However this is sponsored by a museum, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Just click on the image and it will show a more in-depth analysis.
 

Iroquois Indian Tribe History

I've included an explanation for the ranking under each of the criteria for evaluating a site reliable.  I did not like this site as a source for credible information. The first and most obvious reason is it is published by a company whose purpose is to sell you a service. The information is cut and pasted together with no adherence to chronological order. and the only outside reference is from a book published in 1906. While this could be entertaining to read on some level it is not a reliable source for academic purposes.

Just click on the image and it will show a more in-depth analysis.

Year Long Plan: Goals and Questions

In class I chose to focus on first grade for my year long plan. I am the only person in the class focusing on first grad for the year long plan. This meant that I had virtually no one to bounce ideas off of for the goals and questions A.J. asked us to come up with. I’m not complaining, the advantage I had was to sit literally between kindergarten and second grade and listen to them. I also snagged their content standards and compared them to my own grade level. Still I’m not a hundred percent sure I like what I came up with for goals and questions so I’ve posted them below and am asking for input on how to make them better. Please feel free to rip them apart and give constructive criticism. I really want to make them better.

• Goal (Idaho Content Standard Grade 1: Reference)
• Question
• Understand how cultures make up our community. (ICSG1: 1.1 & 5.1)
• What are the similarities and differences between people in the community?
• Identify different continents and general cultures around the world. (ICSG1: 2.1 & 2.2)
• What are similarities and differences between people around the world?
• Identify ways people use money in our community. (ICSG1: 3.1)
• What are the differences between “needs” and “wants”?
• How do we use money to get "needs" and "wants"?
• Identify how the community creates and enforces rule/laws. (ICSG1: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3)
• How does the community create and enforce rules/laws?

 Idaho Content Standards Grade 1:

• 1.1: Build an understanding of the cultural and social development of the United States.
• 2.1Analyze the spatial organizations of people, places, and environment on the earth’s surface.
• 2.2: Explain how human actions modify the physical environment and how physical systems affect  humanactivity and living conditions.
• 3.1: Explain basic economic concepts.
• 4.1: Build an understanding of the foundational principles of the American political system.
• 4.2: Build an understanding of the organization of the American system of government.
• 4.3: Build an understanding that all people in the United States have rights and assume responsibilities.
• 5.1: Build an understanding of multiple perspectives and global interdependence.

Google Maps

I posted a java script in my website not because Google Maps in new.  It's been around for quite a while.  The reason it's here is because I think it could be a useful tool in virtual field trips.  The applications used in Google Maps is amazing.  Students could get a birds eye view of a city such as New York, Washington, San Antonio, etc. or they could go farther in and see individual streets.  This is a powerful tool in geography.  How cool would it be to have students see up to the minute photos of the White House or Ground Zero or the Alamo?  Again the list could go on and on.  Some schools block these applications and that is a real shame.  It really goes back to the idea that students should be treated as mature as possible.  Sure there could be a few that would abuse the system but should the rest be punished for it?


View Larger Map

Branches of Government

This is a cool little site that allows students to play a game. The player has to identify different responsibilities associated with the three separate branches of government, executive, judicial, and legislative.

Tom Clancy and Loewen

After reading chapters seven and eight from Lies I wonder if Loewen is a fan of Tom Clancy books.  The line from Clear and Present Danger rang in my head, "how dare you sir!" when Jack Ryan was arguing with the president.

Teaching Principles II: Class Discussions

I’m wondering about teaching. Specifically about teaching history. I’m picturing a scenario where I’m in the classroom discussing slavery and little Johnny raises his hand then says in all honesty, “I don’t see the big deal. Why is slavery so bad? People were given a job, they got a place to sleep, and food. Slavery seems pretty good to me.”

My first reaction would be to say, “Wait a minute Johnny you can’t think like that. Slavery is BAD because it puts one set of people over another set of people.” But I’m not sure that is the right thing to do. Would it be more constructive to use his statement as a tool? Let the class discuss the pros and cons to slavery. Naturally I would hope that there would be a healthy environment where the class could do this respectfully. Would that be a more meaningful activity, letting the students discover the idea of slavery through dialogue? This could then be followed up with authentic research by the students and more class discussion.

The thing that scares me is if the discussion took a turn that I didn’t foresee and the students walk away with the wrong idea, ie. slavery is a good thing. As a teacher what would I do then? Close the discussion and say, “listen slavery is bad, very bad.” That might ruin the entire exercise and harm any future class discussions. I’m not sure what the right answer is here any comments or recommendations?

Social Studies Problems Raised in ED-LTCY 440

This was a list created in my ED-LTCY 440 class. It was created for us to try and brainstorm problem areas and solutions to those problems in different subject areas. The work was done in small groups then presented to the class. I wanted to snag it right after class because some of the problems corresponded to issues and questions raised in our own social studies class.

Problems:

• Vocabulary (too much)

• Americanized (problem being keeping students interested)

• Doesn’t seem relevant/significant

• Too much talking (teachers don’t stop to make sure students comprehend material)

• Memorization of geography

• Not engaging too overwhelming too much material

• Lack of participation

Solutions:
• Show multiple view points on topics
• Explain relevancy (make connections to familiar terms)
     o ie. State, Territories, Providences
• Group work/research projects
• Engaging activities (videos, readers theatre, photos/visual aids, news anchors on historical events)
• Appropriate planning/time management
• Bring in cultural awareness activities

I thought most of the solutions where great. One of the problems seemed interesting to me though. Especially since one of the solutions was to show multiple points of view. The problem I’m referring to was “too much material.” This could mean the students feel overwhelmed, or the teacher feels the pressure to cram everything in, or both. I think the solution to the problem(s) can be reached with the aid of backward design.

This solution is stretched across all three areas in backward design. First, identify the desired results. Second, determine acceptable evidence. Third, plan learning experiences and instruction. As I’ve state in previous entries, and we discussed in class, it is impossible to represent every view point in history. Instead identify what students should be familiar with, what is important to know/do, and third what should student retain for the future. From here a teacher could begin their planning for assessment and engagement by students. Both of which are important aspects of the classroom but both can be assembled after the results have been established.

National Geographic Kids: People & Places

This a great site that allows students to discover different cultures.  It gives a superficial glance at 39 different countries from around the world.  It includes activities, pictures, and videos for students to use.  This site is a great starting point for young students to begin investigating various cultures.

Transition Time

I really like the idea of using transition time as instructional time. Thisis from the article "Planning for Social Studies Learning Throughout the Day, Week and Year."  In the class I work in we are constantly waiting for students during transitional times. It always seems to be the same group waiting at the door. Rather than just letting them stem, it is a great idea to go back over material from the day. This can also give clues to the teacher as too what has stuck with the students and what needs to be reiterated. Time is important in the classroom and the more effectively teachers use it, the more students will get out of it.

Educator's Reference Desk

This is a site that gives advice on how to incorporate different activities and/or lesson plans into the classroom. There are many different activities to choose from, just select a sub-category like history. From there, different lesson plans are listed and corresponding grades are given along the right side of the lesson. An example would be "Studying History Through Journal Keeping - Grade: 8-12" or "Costume - Grade: 2-4".

The lesson plans are written very well with detailed information on who submitted it, what school they are from, who endorses it, overview, purpose, objective(s), activities and procedures, recourses/materials. It really is a great place to get ideas on how to involve students in history outside of reading a textbook.  On top of that, it's a free source!

Discovery Education

This link takes teachers to a discovery channel based website that has a load of cool stuff. Its got video segments, full films, lesson plans, games, worksheets, etc.. It's chalked full of useful educational accessories. The information can be filtered to certain grades, different content, so-on. It's not just limited to one subject area either. I've used this in the classroom I'm in for about two years now. Mostly for videos to help demonstrate what it is I'm showing the students.

The one problem I've found with it is you need a passcode to create an account. You can get this if your school has signed up for the site. As far as I know it is a free sight to use once you get the passcode. So if you work in a school now, ask around and see if you can access this site. It really does have some great content.

Lies: On Columbus

I found the chapter on Columbus very interesting. The chapter gave points of view I’ve never even thought of before. Yes I’ve heard that the people from Northern Europe (Norway, Sweden, and Finland) could have sailed to the Americas prior to Columbus’ voyage. A table of possible explorations to the Americas can be seen on page 40-41 in the text. I’ve never heard of a Phoenician; let-alone an Afro-Phoenician. Their possible nautical accomplishments were new to me. I really hope I’m not the only one whole had heard of this for the first time.

I do still tend to view Columbus’ mark in history as a legitimate one. But first, put aside the traditional statement that Columbus was the first to discover the Americas, he wasn’t. The evidence is in his journal entries. “I was very attentive to them (natives), and strove to learn if they had any gold,” (Lies, 54). People where already inhabiting the “New World.” Columbus is an important mark in history because of his promise of wealth, specifically gold, and trade, to Spain and eventually Europe. Loewen tells how the gold found in the Americas transformed power in Europe. “Gold and silver from America replaced land as the basis for wealth and status,” (Lies, 63). This identifies Columbus’ real contribution to history as someone that help spur Europe’s rise to being a global power. This is a huge step in history. Notice I didn’t say a great step. I don’t want to get into that debate.

I am glad that Loewen gave a concession to Columbus towards the end of the chapter. Up until that point I had been imagining a Europe of barbarians. By today’s moral standards slavery is wrong. In general, I think that can be agreed. During the time of Columbus slavery wasn’t as frowned upon by Europeans, Africans, Native Americans, etc.. Yes there where people that condemned it, like Bartolome de Las Casas. Condemning Columbus on a social acceptable practice of the time is unfair. “In 1493 the world had not decided that, for instance, that slavery was wrong…. To attack Columbus for doing what everyone else did would be wrong,” (Lies, 68). Do we really want to be judged by future societal standards?

Was Columbus the saint that students learn about? Probably not. Should he be idolized as a saintly explorer? No. But did he make a contribution to world history. For good or bad I think he did.

Teaching principles I

After listening to the discussion last class, which was great. I will admit that I was one of the few very quiet ones. I've been thinking how to filter through the endless possibilities a teacher faces when presenting areas as diverse as history and social studies. By no means is my thinking complete but I hope to build off of this starting point in later blogs.

First, out of respect to the student and the profession I think a teacher NEEDS to be honest. Part of social studies is learning how to be a productive member of society. If teachers are not being honest with the subject matter, what kind of message are the students really getting. Being dishonest is not a great quality student should learn in school look at Berni Madoff, Richard Nixon, or Brent Coles. These are all people brought down for being dishonest.

Second, teachers should ask themselves how is the material I have going to build off of the schemata of my students to foster their growth? It is important to present multiple points of view through history so students can understand that history is objective. But I'm not quite sure it is important to do that with every event throughout history. An example could be the Holocaust. I believe it happened, I also think it was horrible. We have primary sources telling about it. Do we really need to present the opposing side to students? This is the argument that it never really happened. This can be a dangerous as dishonesty. It is encouraged that the students form their own ideas but to present such radical disregard for factual representation can harm the learning process.

As I stated above, by no means is this a complete rubric for teaching. Right now all I've discussed is honesty and schemata. Later on I might disagree with what I've stated here. Please let me know where my thinking has holes or if you agree with any of it.