Course Summary

November 23, 2009 at 10:11 pm (Unit 4)

First, the good:

I found that this course was helpful in that I learned from my peers some good strategies for teaching. I found that the things that everyone else found online and posted were more helpful to me than the things that I found on my own. I liked the blog idea. It was completely new to me and I was scared at first. I like the idea of a classroom blog and I will probably incorporate it somehow into my future classroom. I think it will be a great way for me to communicate with them, showcase their work, and have them self publish things that they have written.

Second, the not so good:

I found the online portion of the class off putting because I have never taken an online class before. I feel that this class is simply a restating of a lot of information that we already have learned. By the time we take this class, we are getting ready to graduate. I feel that this class is similar to CI 2800 and would be better off at the beginning of our educational journey. I found that a lot of the material was a rehash of things that we have already learned in our content classes. I think that this class was ill placed in our Block schedule and that the learning in this class came primarily from conversing with other colleagues, which is something that we do all the time anyway.

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Lesson Plan Response 2

November 20, 2009 at 4:03 pm (Unit 4)

Lesson Plan Review 2

Slavery in America, Social Studies 8th Grade

 

http://www.africanaheritage.com/sweetclara.asp

 

This lesson plan talks about slave quilts and the theory that they may have used them on their journey towards freedom. This lesson plan incorporates the picture book Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt.  Although it is a book that one would primarily see in an elementary class, I would use it to introduce the topic to the class. I think that this book, and others like it, would be an excellent resource in the classroom.  Students would study the different meanings behind the quilts and how they may have been used in the escape to freedom.

I like that this lesson plan utilizes lots of vocabulary words that may not be familiar to the students. I think that it offers them a chance to develop their understanding of the words and use that understanding to create meaning. I would use this lesson plan as a starting point for them to understand about slaves and quilts. I would have the students create their own quilt by designing one on paper and giving it meaning. This would be part of a larger unit on slavery in America.

 

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Lesson Plan Response 1

November 20, 2009 at 3:47 pm (Unit 4)

Slavery in America Social Studies 8th Grade

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=318

 

This is a lesson plan about slave spirituals and their hidden meanings. This lesson plan features lyrics to some songs, explanation of the songs, and further readings. It also features information on Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Students will listen to the songs and try to decipher the meaning.

This lesson plan could go into a larger unit about slavery in America.  I like that this lesson plan features the lyrics to the spiritual and offers explanation about the song. I like that this lesson plan incorporates different ideas and uses a connection to Martin Luther King in the end. Even though this lesson plan is for 9-12 grades, I would use it in an 8th grade classroom as part of their study on Antebellum North Carolina and slavery.

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Response to Article 3

November 20, 2009 at 3:18 pm (Unit 4)

Response to Article 3 I thought that this article offered a lot of practical information for teachers on how to incorporate definitions into their classroom. I agree that the purpose of learning new vocabulary and definitions has a place in other classes, not just English Language Arts. I thought that the strategies offered in the article were practical and realistic for teachers to use. Most of the strategies were not new to me because I have taken a lot of classes at ASU where these were discussed. Having a concentration in ELA has given me many opportunities to see these strategies and use them in my studies. I think that if more teachers, no matter their concentration, would use these strategies it would lead to students being able to understand the subject better.

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Article 2

November 19, 2009 at 4:16 pm (Unit 4)

Summary and Response to Article 2

Creating research papers is a daunting, tedious, and boring task. Teachers are looking for new and creative ways to incorporate into their classrooms. The multigenre paper is one answer to the problem that teachers face for their classroom to create research projects in different ways. In this project, students create a new and meaningful artifact that incorporates lots of different writing techniques for their project. They can create newspaper articles, posters, diary entries, and many other written responses to their subject. This project, while it is still new to many teachers and students, is gaining momentum. It offers students and teachers a new and creative way to respond to their research subject.

 

I think that this idea is a great one. I feel that the students would like to do this rather than a traditional paper. I think that they would have to think outside of the box to create these artifacts. This would help them to dig deeper and think more about their subject.  In order for me to try this project in my classroom, I would like to see an example of one. I would need to model it for my students and create one or more of them to show them. I think that it would be a great idea to use in the classroom but that it will take time for me to be sure that I do a good job with it. Because it is a new idea, I would need to try to work out as many kinks as possible before hand. I would probably need to let my principal know what I am doing so that they would understand what is going on and support me in it.

 

  1. How could I grade them on their artistic interpretations of their research?
  2. How could I get parents, students, other teachers, and administrators on board for this new idea?
  3. Would these projects be harder to grade than a traditional paper?

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Article 1

November 19, 2009 at 3:46 pm (Unit 4)

Summary and Response to Article 1

 

Students can use the “I” poems as a way to think critically about what they are going to read or what they have already read.  They can use these poems as a way to think deeper about a subject in a novel, a character in a novel, or a particular idea.  The teacher should model a poem for them and give examples to help them along. In creating these poems, students will learn to think about the different meanings of a particular reading and create a meaningful artifact for that reading.

 

I have created these types of poems for some of my classes at ASU. I have also used these ideas in classroom projects with students as a way for them to create an artifact that demonstrates their understanding of a text. I think that these poems and the way they are constructed are a great way for students to understand their text even more. I especially like the way that these types of poems give a voice to different feelings and ideas found in the text.

 

  1. How can I get students to do the activity when they don’t want to participate?
  2. How can I judge with a critical eye their “interpretation” of a text? Is there a right or wrong answer?
  3. How can I motivate them to do this and not be scared of the word “poem.”

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Instructional Strategy Overview Worksheet 4

October 21, 2009 at 1:06 am (Unit 3 Activities)

Instructional Strategy Overview Worksheet 4

 

Title: Visual Creations and Reader Response

Name: Shannon Wilson

 Name of Strategy: Post Reading Activities

Source (Where did this come from?): busyteacherscafe

Link to the Strategy: http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~glasgow/Glasgow-activities.pdf

Give a thorough description of the strategy and how it will be implemented. This should be a summary of the strategy according to the original source: Following is a list of some of the response you can use for students. They can choose from the list and create their own project. This is a great way for students to show depth of knowledge at the end of a unit of study. While these are designed for English Language Arts, they are easily adaptable for Social Studies.

 

Associative Recollections

_ Biopoem

_ Book Review

_ Book Summary

_ Buddy Journal

_ Character Probe

_ Creating Book Jackets

_ Dependent Authors

_ Elegy

_ Freewriting

_ Focal Judgements

_ Found Poem

_ “I Am” Poem

_ Image Freewrite

_ Create An Original Metaphor

_ Poem in Two Voices

• Logical/Mathematical Intelligence

_ Character Continuum

_ Character Map

_ Film Viewing

_ Mind Map

_ Maps and Timelines

_ Map the Story Structure

_ Polar Appraisal

_ Split-

Open

Mind

• Visual/Spatial Intelligence

_ Artistic Response

_ Coat of Arms

_ Creating Book Jackets

_ Create Slide Show

_ Image Freewrite

_ Original Metaphor

_ Story Board

_ Story Portrait

• Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence

_ Tableau

_ Oral Presentations

_ Report Sack

• Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence

_ Performing Dance or Mime

_ Rap, Songs, Soundtracks

• Interpersonal Intelligence

_ Booktalk

_ Buddy Journal

_ Character Mapping

_ Character Probe

_ Dramatic Performance

_ Story Discussion Grid

• Intrapersonal Intelligence

_ Book Review

_ Elegy

_ Evoked Response

_ Poetic Responses

_ Polar Appraisal

 

 

Explain what part of the standard course of study is addressed by this activity:

Skill Competency Goal 2 The learner will acquire strategies to access a variety of sources, and use appropriate research skills to gather, synthesize, and report information using diverse modalities to demonstrate the knowledge acquired.

2.05 Transfer information from one medium to another such as written to visual and statistical to written.

2.06 Create written, oral, musical, visual, and theatrical presentations of social studies information.

Explain why you think this strategy will work. How does the strategy help your students learn? I think that this strategy is a great way for students to demonstrate their depth of understanding at the end of a unit of study. This strategy allows them to choose how they want to create their project and gives them freedom in constructing it. I would pare down the list above and offer them ten or so to choose from at a time.

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Instructional Strategy Overview Worksheet 3

October 21, 2009 at 12:39 am (Unit 3 Activities)

Instructional Strategy Overview Worksheet 3

 

Title: Problem-Solution Chart

Name: Shannon Wilson

 Name of Strategy: Pre reading or During Reading

Source (Where did this come from?):    Reading Quest.org Making Sense in Social Studies

Link to the Strategy: http://www.readingquest.org/strat/problem.html

Give a thorough description of the strategy and how it will be implemented. This should be a summary of the strategy according to the original source: The Problem-Solution chart is a variation of column notes. It helps students focus on the four areas critical to problem-solving: identifying the problem, listing the consequences or results of that problem, isolating the causes, and proposing solutions. It is a great tool to use in social studies, but you can imagine how it might be every bit as useful in areas such as science or literature. A Problem-Solution chart offers a way to visually organize the distinct components of problems toward educative ends. Because it uses a format based on column notes, students can readily understand its layout and function. Students (or the teacher) will first identify a problem; the effects or consequences of that problem are then listed. Students then brainstorm all the possible causes of that problem and also come up with solutions to the problem.

Explain what part of the standard course of study is addressed by this activity:

The skills that this activity uses are not just for Middle Grades, but for all of Social Studies.

Skill Competency Goal 1 The learner will acquire strategies for reading social studies materials and for increasing social studies vocabulary.

1.02 Summarize to select main ideas.

1.03 Draw inferences.

1.04 Detect cause and effect.

1.07 Distinguish fact and fiction.

Explain why you think this strategy will work. How does the strategy help your students learn? I think that this strategy is useful to students in identifying specific problems when studying a particular segment in Social Studies. They could use this in so many ways. They could use it for a particular person in history, a war; studying a concept, studying economic times… the possibilities are endless. This could be done as a pre reading exercise or during reading to help them identify specifics about a topic.

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Instructional Strategy Overview Worksheet 2

October 21, 2009 at 12:23 am (Unit 3 Activities)

Instructional Strategy Overview Worksheet 2

 

Title: Who am I? A History Mystery

Name: Shannon Wilson

 Name of Strategy: During reading

Source (Where did this come from?): Smithsonian Education; National Museum of American History

Link to the Strategy: http://americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/resources/whoami/whoami.html

Give a thorough description of the strategy and how it will be implemented. This should be a summary of the strategy according to the original source: Online educational activity that teaches students about the Civil War as they try to guess the identity of Civil War-era individuals by examining objects from their lives.

Explain what part of the standard course of study is addressed by this activity:

The skills that this activity uses are not just for Middle Grades, but for all of Social Studies.

Skill Competency Goal 2 The learner will acquire strategies to access a variety of sources, and use appropriate research skills to gather, synthesize, and report information using diverse modalities to demonstrate the knowledge acquired.

2.02 Explore print and non-print materials. 2.03 Utilize different types of technology.

  • Skill Competency Goal 5 The learner will acquire strategies needed for effective incorporation of computer technology in the learning process.

Explain why you think this strategy will work. How does the strategy help your students learn? I think that this strategy is a great way for students to study historical figures of the Civil War. It is a fun and engaging game for them to play online. This activity can be done during a unit on the Civil War in order to further their knowledge of important people of that time period.

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Instructional Strategy Overview Worksheet 1

October 20, 2009 at 11:59 pm (Unit 3 Activities)

Instructional Strategy Overview Worksheet 1

 

Title: Getting to Know Your Textbook!

Name: Shannon Wilson

 Name of Strategy: Pre reading strategy

Source (Where did this come from?): Academy Curricular Exchange Columbia Education Center Social Studies

Link to the Strategy: http://ofcn.org/cyber.serv/academy/ace/soc/cecsst/cecsst217.html

Give a thorough description of the strategy and how it will be implemented. This should be a summary of the strategy according to the original source: Students will explore their textbook to find out what it has to offer in the way of resources, information, and provide practical ways for students to utilize the text. They will fill out a worksheet that asks them to locate different parts of the text and look at what the chapters and units offer.

Explain what part of the standard course of study is addressed by this activity:

The skills that this activity uses are not just for Middle Grades, but for all of Social Studies.

  • Skill Competency Goal 1The learner will acquire strategies for reading social studies materials and for increasing social studies vocabulary.
  • Skill Competency Goal 2 The learner will acquire strategies to access a variety of sources, and use appropriate research skills to gather, synthesize, and report information using diverse modalities to demonstrate the knowledge acquired.
  • Skill Competency Goal 3 The learner will acquire strategies to analyze, interpret, create, and use resources and materials.

 Explain why you think this strategy will work. How does the strategy help your students learn?

I think that this strategy is a great way for students to look at what the textbook has to offer. I would use this strategy the first week of class to get the students familiar with what the book has to offer and to get them excited about what we will be covering throughout the year.

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