Saturday, November 24, 2012

Philanthropy + Education = Civic Engagement

As a social studies teacher, it is our job to teach our students about their civic duty. A persons civic duty does not only consist of voting and sharing their opinion. Our civic duty is also to preserve the environment that we live in. 
As educators, it is difficult to teach about issues around the world by reading a textbook. It is a fact that most people learn the best by teaching what they have just learned, and also engaging in a hands on activity. 
The website, Learning to Give gives teachers some spectacular ideas on how to give back to your community and spread philanthropy. The proper definition for philanthropy is, love of man. My favorite lesson from this website has to be the lesson of folk tales. I am personally extremely intrigued by anyone who can tell a good story. Stories mean something different to everyone, because everyone is in a different stage in their life. Everyone is able to relate to the story in a different way, and personally I think that is the beauty of telling folk tales. My favorite story is called The Little Boy Who Talked with Birds.

As far as giving back to the community, I was entranced by this lesson called Actions of Peace. This lesson caught my eye at first, because my birthday (International Day of Non Violence) is involved with it, but I also liked it because it approached different means of non-violence and peace. The students learn through community involvement and assessing painting from a museum.  Teachers want their students to make their own mark on the world and students will also feel special if they do so. This program called Generation On allows students to become leaders of the 21st century! The newest project a student can engage in is helping with the hurricane Sandy relief in communities near them. Tis the season to be thankful for everyone around you and all that you have. Teachers can also speak to their students about those who are not as fortunate as them and have them start a food drive, creating cards for shut ins, clothing drive, etc. If the students are allowed to help with the distribution will make the experience even better!

If you need help navigating this website, don't be afraid to look at this video. It helped me a lot!

Treasure Hunt!

Whoever invented QR codes is a genius! 


My group (Emily, Lauren, and I) created a Pirate Detective lesson using QR codes in the classroom. Students were trying to figure out the secret word (Thomas Jefferson) by answering questions to the QR codes.The students goal was to use inquiry to explore a variety of books about important men involved with the Continental Congress and the Declaration of Independence. The student will also deepen their understanding as to why the colonists wanted independence from the British.
If you are interested in making your own lesson using QR codes I highly recommend this website. It has two lesson plans you can review before you make your own! If you are going to perform lesson using QR codes, you are going to need a smart phone, ipad, or anything that can download apps. The app is easy to download and free! Once you have downloaded the app, the screen scans the code and gives you the clue!

My personal experience with QR codes was fantastic. At first things were a little hectic, but after a few minutes the students got the hang of it and were completely engaged in the lesson. Each activity had them working hard against the clock and they loved it. I have never seen students that eager to learn and find the next clue! Giving the students an educational incentive and making it entertaining is the best idea out there.

In the article the woman stated that she projects the code onto the SMARTboard. I think that is a wonderful idea, but unfortunately all the students I was working with did not all have ipads or smart phones. Yes, we used more paper, but you have to work with what you have. If you have not tried QR codes yet, you will be amazed at how terrific they truly are!







Hard at work!



Here is a picture of the 4th grade using QR codes during our inquiry lesson :) What a great success!

Group 1 at Bishop Dunn (Direct Instruction)

As a requirement for this class, we are all responsible for ten hours of field work. Unlike any other methods classes, Social Studies methods actually gives you the opportunity to teach in front of a fourth grade class, with the help of two other peers. We are split up into groups of three and four and asked to write and teach a unit plan containing 6 lessons. Two direct instruction, two inquiry, and two cooperative learning. We were only allowed to teach one of each, because of the time constraint. 
Group 1: Barbara, Samantha, and Lauren covered "The American Revolution Begins"
Direct Instruction:
All: Good use of a powerpoint, interacted with all the students well, nice cause and effect worksheet, and great management of extraneous questions. For next time, be sure to introduce yourselves, because the students did not know any of your names. Also the class was out of hand a few times during a direct introduction lesson, maybe use a clap sequence and have the students repeat it or music to quiet down your students. Great job overall ladies! There is always room for more improvement.

Lauren- Nice job presenting, you were always very enthusiastic. the thumbs up thumbs down method was a good touch as well. In the beginning you had them touching their nose, head, shoulder, etc., but it was nice that you limited it to just the thumbs up or down. The only critique I have for you is to use Native Americans instead of Indians. Other then that good job!

Samantha- Great walking around and assessing all of the students work. Instead of telling your students you struggle with the word "Fort Ticonderoga" ask them to repeat the word three times. Nice work!

Barbara- Your interaction with the students was wonderful, and you answered all their questions very professionally. At times you were talking very loudly over the students. Instead of talking over them have a method to quiet them down, it will make your life 10x easier. 






Thursday, November 22, 2012

The Common Core Standards

What is the common core exactly?
The Common Core Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to complete successfully in the global economy. 
Every educator in New York State and around the country except for a few states have to follow these guidelines in order to get certain funding for the school. There is absolutely no way around the system. The common core actually helps teachers become more creative with their lessons in my opinion. It is a task we all take on that is overwhelming, but an adventure at the same time 
Here are a few websites that will really help you with referencing the common core!
1. Engage NY
2. Common Core State Standards

Yes you heard me correctly, Tic-Tac-Toe!

When you think of tic-tac-toe you automatically think, three in a row, and wow I haven't played that game since I was six, seven, or maybe younger. As an educator, you must be creative and clever. Tic-tac-toe choice boards allow students to practice skills they have learned in class or even broaden their horizons with new material. The students are asked to complete three tasks pertaining to a select subject area. 

Here are some steps you may want to follow:
1. Identify the goal and explain the directions. 
2. Create nine different tasks.
3. Randomly spread out the tasks on the choice board.
4. Save one assignment to complete with the whole class, and have them put it in the center of the board.
5. Then the students will complete three assignments to make three in a row including the middle square to get Tic-Tac-Toe.
6. Use a template similar to the one below.
This is my favorite tic tac toe choice board! I think my students would be incredibly engaged in it and want to learn more!
Please refer to this PDF for more ideas on how to make an exceptional tic-tac-toe course board! 




Crossword Puzzles in the Classroom

Crossword puzzles are an excellent addition to an inquiry lesson! The crossword puzzle will test the knowledge of the student and help them examine their facts in a more engaging and entertaining way.


My group members and I used a crossword puzzle in our inquiry lesson on the Declaration of Independence. We found it to be an excellent hit and the students really knew all their information. I also read in a blog that it would be beneficial for students to also make their own crossword puzzles. I think this would be a better idea for students who are older such as 5th and 6th graders. 

If you follow this link, you will be on your way to creating the best crossword puzzles!


The Road to Revolution

I really liked this little game! One fun fact that I learned while playing was that Thomas Paine was a corset maker. This is ironic because he created the document common sense.  You would think it would be commons sense not to suffocate the women. Then again they may not have known that back then.

I would have liked to use this interactive game in our unit plan, but we did not cover a lot of the information the questions are detailed with.  I thought it was great that the students had something to look forward to. When they finished all the questions they made it to Washington DC and liberty.

Try the game and test your knowledge of The American Revolution!



Video Story Problems

Video Story Problems  are a very clever way to introduce a problem to your curious students. It's different and will definitely catch your students off guard. A video story problem can take place anywhere at any time. Many teachers use their iphone or any other type of device that records to create their problem. I have created my own video story problem! You can view it below, comment if you know the answer :) Good Luck and think outside the box!


Sunday, November 18, 2012

The Philosophy of Unschooling

What in the world is unschooling? Unschooling is an educational philosophy that provides for more freedom than any other learning method, and prepares kids for an uncertain and rapidly changing future better than anything else I know.

Unschooling is a form of homeschooling except the classes do not have subjects, the children set their own goals, the children are in charge of their own learning, learn to think for themselves instead of following directions, and anything can be used to learn such as a museum not just textbooks.
Unschooling can be done anywhere, it does not have to take place between 8am and 4pm in a certain building. The world is theirs to explore.


Unschooling takes a different approach: kids learn how to learn, how to teach themselves. If you know how to learn and how to teach yourself, then you are prepared for any future. If in the future the things we know are obsolete, then the person who knows how to learn anything will be ready to learn whatever is in use in the future. The person who only knows how to learn from a teacher will need a teacher to teach him.



I personally do not agree with unschooling. Unschooling will put billions of teachers out of a job. Also all the money those teachers spent on becoming the best educator possible will go to waste and they will be stuck in debt. Not everyone can be an entrepreneur. What happens when your child wants to go on to college, and has been unschooled their whole life. The child does not have a high school diploma or a GED, the first step in applying to college. Everyone needs a degree if they want to be somewhat successful in the real world, and a doctorate if they want to make a decent paycheck. If you put a student in a classroom who is unfamiliar with how a classroom is run, then that student will be destined to fail. Teachers are not teaching your child how to be a robot, they are showing them how to interact in society while helping them learn useful skills such as reading, writing, analyzing, and experimenting. A child who goes to school can do everything a child who is being unschooled does. 



Native American Project

In class, we were asked to research one Native American Tribe. Our main goal was to figure out how geography influenced the Native Americans. Please look at the exquisite powerpoint my partner Barbara and I made :) The Tlingit Tribe . It is filled with copious amounts of information and educational videos describing why the Tlingit people are the way they are. 

This is our outline if we were to present to the class-explaining each slide more in depth:

The Tlingit Tribe: The Influence of Geography

Pronounced ‘TLIN-git’ or ‘KLIN-kit’



1.  Location:
  • The Tligit people occupy the Pacific Northwest Coast, the area known as SouthEast Alaska

  • This area covers the narrow coastal strip of the continental shore along British Columbia. Tlingit communities are located from just south of Ketchikan and are scattered northward across islands and mainland as far as the Icy Bay area. Tlingit people also occupy some inland area on the Canadian side of the border in British Columbia and the Yukon Territory about 40,000 square miles.
Migration:
  • Tlingit Indians and their ancestors inhabited much of what is now Glacier BayNational Park and Preserve, with both permanent and seasonal settlements.  Food and other resources were abundant.  The small population of Tlingits thrived, living close to the land, and a rich culture developed.
  • Near the end of the Little Ice Age, about several hundred years ago, advancing glaciers forced the Tlingit people to abandon their villages and move to Hoonah, across Icy Strait from Glacier Bay.  Today, Hoonah Tlingits still regard Glacier Bay as their ancestral home, and feel a special connection to it.
 The Land/Food and  Trade
  • The coast is covered with mountains and forests
  • Located near the Gulf of Alaska, includes islands and one of the largest temperate rain forests in the world
  • Because of the area people hunt deer, mountain goats, caribou and moose.  The Tlingits are also master fisherman because of the close proximity to the water and eat salmon, halibut and shellfish.  The people often use canoes to hunt seals, sea
  • lions and otters.
    3.  Culture
    • Language:  Tlingit is a complicated language with many sounds that do not exist in English.  There are unique geographic references embedded in personal names, clan names and house names.
    • Totems/carvings:  Made from wood because of the bountiful supply in their environment.  Contained symbols that told the history of individuals or of the family.
    • Religion:  The Tlingit have a long history and connection to the land, they believed in spirits all around them, that may inhabit animals or objects.  Because of their beliefs, they respected all things in the universe.  Tlingit were influenced by the Russian Orthodox missionaries and many converted to Christianity after their medicine men were not able to cure outbreaks of smallpox.  The picture in the Prezi is of the Gyhldeptis (gill-dep ‘tis) Tlingit goddess of the rainforest.
    • Legends:  The legend of the Raven is very present in a number of stories and traditions.  It is the Raven who is the symbol of creation, maker of forests, mountains, rivers and seas; describing the area of the Tlingit people.  The Tlingit have a strong oral storytelling tradition.  One legend is, “How Mosquitoes Came to Be.” (link in Prezi).  There is a strong sense of family history.  Each family crests have stories and songs associate with it, the crests are sacred to family members.
    • Ceremonies;  The Potlatch is one of the elaborate ceremonies.  A potlatch is a giant feast that marks a time for showing respect, paying debts, and displaying wealth. Potlatches are given for various reasons and may be planned for years in advance. The most common potlatches given today are funeral potlatches, the 40-Day Party, memorial potlatches, adoption potlatches, naming potlatches, totem-pole-raising potlatches, and house- or lodge-building potlatches.
    • The Tlingits were also known to be fierce warriors. When the first Russians tried to settle in Sitka, the Tlingits drove them out, despite the guns and cannons brought by the intruders.
    • Tlingits also made wood masks that they used at ceremonies. The masks depicted birds and animals. Beads, feathers, and furs decorated their ceremonial costumes.


      • Games:  The Tlingits enjoyed playing games. Many of them involved gambling. The stick game was one. Several sticks in a bundle were marked. Then, through manipulation and guessing, players tried to collect all of the marked sticks.  Children played with dolls and toys.
      4.  Clothing/Homes:
      • Clothing:  -->men usually wore only breech cloths -- in colder weather pants and moccasins -->women only short skirts made of cedar bark. and in the colder areas they also wore longer deerskin dresses.  For formal occasions the people wore more elaborate outfits, with tunics, leggings and cloaks painted with tribal designs-->Chilkat blankets (woven from cedar bark and mountain goat hair) -->men and women sometimes worebasketry hats
      • Lived in rectangular cedar-plank houses with bark roofs- up to 100 feet long-filled with about 50 people-everyone(today they live in houses just like everyday people)





    Pinterest?!?

    Pinterest is a nifty website I heard about months ago, but just recently I heard that it can be used for teaching. It's a photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage a theme based image collection. 

    My personal collection is labeled Social Studies Common Core. My main focus is finding activities that I can use in the classroom. 

    My professor also has a Pinterest. You can follow her page as well.

     Pinterest is probably one of the best websites I have ever found for education. It helps that all the users are teachers and teacher candidates. Everyone is extremely  creative and nice enough to share their awesome ideas with the world. This blog shows teachers 16 different ways you can use pinterest. The internet can be such a great resource! 





    Using the Common Core in the Classroom

    The common core is a touchy subject around teachers these days. Many love the new ideas and others are having difficulty assimilating. This video is a summary of what the new standards are like. Before you listen to someone else's opinion, listen for yourself.


    How do the new standards change what is being taught in schools today.
    The emphasis is on deeper thinking, analysis, and problem solving.
    Does my evidence support my claim, does my evidence count as good evidence?
    In math it's not just what's the answer, it's the process of finding that answer.
    For english language arts, it's no longer about reading the book and taking a quiz. 
    Focus on the difference between tone and theme.
    Putting the common core standards into practice.
    A teacher using the common core

     Using these standards, teachers really have to use their brain and think of creative activities that will emphasize deeper thinking, analysis, and problem solving. The students and the teachers are both learning new things at the same time. We are all trying to make each other better! 

    American History for Curious Thinkers

    Social Studies is a very important subject to teach. It is essential for teachers to do their research and make sure that what they are teaching is historically correct. With all the new internet sources out there, it is difficult for everyone to distinguish what really happened in the past. Here is a great timeline for teachers to reference on the topic of American History. It starts with 1780 and ends with 2010. This timeline is educationally enriching, because it not only tells you the year and what happened, but it also talks about the state, territories, presidents, society, native american impact, the world, science, and culture. All of the facts are incredibly interesting and will definitely spark conversation between your students! I definitely plan on using this timeline when I teach American History.


    Part of the timeline seen on the website :)