This year I entered into a new role in education. The role of parent.
I sent my 5 year old to kindergarten this year.
When she walked into that classroom she knew how to say her ABCs and could recognize most of her letters, she could not read yet, and she could not write her own name. We didn't have a way to get her to preschool (and financially afford it) so she didn't go. She did go to gymnastics and swim lessons in order for her to learn how to listen to a "teacher."
However. That 5 year old knew how to punch in the code on my iPad, open YouTube, and find the video she wanted to watch. She could get into my phone can call grandma when she wanted. She knew how to take pictures, swipe, and edit them. Netflix was easy to operate (and it takes 3 different remote controls to get it going...)
On her first day of kindergarten her digital literacy was ahead of her print literacy.
Let that sink in for a moment.
And she's not alone. The class of 2030 is filled with kiddos just like her.
You can debate my parenting skills and whether or not I should be allowing my children to have "screen time" and how much all you want. But the reality is...these kids are growing up in this world. My daughter will NEVER know a time without smartphones and social media. Chances are, the career she will have hasn't been invented yet...or will be greatly changed by the addition of technology. And she knows it.
Ok...at 5 years old she may not grasp the greater picture of how much her life will be directed and impacted by technology, but she knows that it's not going away. I am currently relying on YouTube to teach her how to tie her shoes (because I already know "nothing"). Her favorite rotation at school is the one with technology.
When I think about this...it makes me think about my classroom and how I'm using technology to help enhance social studies education.
Because you see...
If I'm not effectively integrating technology into social studies, she and her classmates will not see it as relevant. Period. And we NEED them to find social studies relevant.
So how do I do this? Where's the training and professional development? How do I use technology in my classroom and connect it to historic content? How do I use it so that I'm not just giving them a digital worksheet?
Ok...truth. If you're waiting for your district to provide technology training and professional development, you're going to keep waiting. Most districts don't provide much PD on using technology effectively in the classroom. You might get an hour here and there, or if you're luck a day. But the reality is, most schools don't provide much "in house" PD on tech. You're just gonna have to dive in and start clicking around. Seriously. That's my answer to how I got more involved in technology in the first place. I just opened a program, created a log-in, and started clicking around to figure it out.
Then I'd lean on a student. I'd find the kids who were talented in technology and I'd have them try out the program from a student's point of view. They'd help me figure out the best way to use it and if the program was worth the time.
Bottom line. If you've got more than 5 years left in your teaching career, it's time to jump on board. As teachers we need to set priorities on where we spend our time and effort. Technology NEEDS TO BE one of those priorities. It's not going away and our kids deserve and education that's going to benefit their future. Not attempt to force them to live in the past.
Want technology ideas for your classroom? Follow my blog. More posts will be coming on things you can do to embed it into your content. Want ideas now? Check out these previous blog posts I've written below.
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Monday, January 29, 2018
How Things Change
I have a student teacher this again this year. She is the fourth one in four years. I love having student teachers because if there's something I love more than teaching students it's helping teachers. Having a student teacher allows me the opportunity to teach someone the things they can do to LOVE THEIR JOB and search for ways to make their classroom AWESOME!
The other day, I pulled out my student teaching notebook from 12 years ago. (Teachers don't throw anything away). And as I was showing her an example of what it looks like to reflect on your lesson plans, I noticed something.
This lovely little classroom management ticket that I apparently used for the middle school students in my placement. I'm sure at the time I thought it was cute and a great way to manage all those "unnecessary" trips students take out of the classroom.
I took one look at those tickets and then looked straight at my student teacher and said, "I would NEVER do that now. How times have changed."
You see, as we getolder more experienced in our line of work we start to set priorities. Things that used to be used to manage my classroom are now no longer needed. And I no longer have a desire to need them.
Maybe I've worked on my empathy a little over the years, but if a student needs to get a paper, pencil, or water bottle out of his or her locker, I let them go. If kids need to go to the bathroom, go. Even if they just need a little break and don't really have to "use the facilities" I let them go.
But why?
It all comes down to what my biggest priority is. Student Success! If a student needs a break from class in order to be successful, go for it. If he left a paper in his locker that's due today, go get it. If she needs a pencil to be successful, I'm going to let her go get the pencil. My goal is to help students become successful by planning activities in class that are relevant, engaging, and challenging. Restricting students from access to breaks and their lockers actually work against my goal.
And you know...as I've pushed to have a more active, student-directed classroom there are less and less of those "unnecessary" trips that need to be made.
The other day, I pulled out my student teaching notebook from 12 years ago. (Teachers don't throw anything away). And as I was showing her an example of what it looks like to reflect on your lesson plans, I noticed something.
This lovely little classroom management ticket that I apparently used for the middle school students in my placement. I'm sure at the time I thought it was cute and a great way to manage all those "unnecessary" trips students take out of the classroom.
I took one look at those tickets and then looked straight at my student teacher and said, "I would NEVER do that now. How times have changed."
You see, as we get
Maybe I've worked on my empathy a little over the years, but if a student needs to get a paper, pencil, or water bottle out of his or her locker, I let them go. If kids need to go to the bathroom, go. Even if they just need a little break and don't really have to "use the facilities" I let them go.
But why?
It all comes down to what my biggest priority is. Student Success! If a student needs a break from class in order to be successful, go for it. If he left a paper in his locker that's due today, go get it. If she needs a pencil to be successful, I'm going to let her go get the pencil. My goal is to help students become successful by planning activities in class that are relevant, engaging, and challenging. Restricting students from access to breaks and their lockers actually work against my goal.
And you know...as I've pushed to have a more active, student-directed classroom there are less and less of those "unnecessary" trips that need to be made.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Point Counter Point - Hamilton VS. Jefferson
I've been on a quest the last few years. Less lecture, more student directed learning. It's been difficult. One minute I think it sounds like a great idea, the next I'm doubting whether or not I can really "step back" and allow the learning to take place without being specifically directed (or explained) by me.
It's been an ongoing quest, that I really kinda put into high gear this year with my 8th grade classes. More PBL, more activities, and in November I realized that I only had given two lectures so far the entire semester. This has been a HUGE accomplishment for me, but I wanted to see if I could do more. You see, after Thanksgiving break marked the return to my traditional units. Starting with Washington's presidency and the Hamilton/Jefferson fued.
I set a goal for myself. No more lectures this year.
That meant changing up how I did this unit. Because when I opened my lesson plans, there were three lectures I usually gave. I needed (wanted) to see if these middle school kids could really understand the same concepts without direct instruction from me.
So I dove in. Below you'll find a general outline and explanation of how I approached this unit and the results and reflection that follow. (Note...We are on a block schedule with 75 minutes every-other day.)
Days 1-2: Jefferson/Hamilton Hyperdoc (Not sure what a Hyperdoc is?? Click HERE)
**This alone replaces a guided reading worksheet, sorting worksheet, and a lecture**
I created a Hyperdoc over the information I wanted the students to know about Washington's first presidency and his cabinet members. Below are some pictures of what that looked like.
I had a little fun with the kids and technology... After doing a sorting exercise to identify the opinions of Hamilton and Jefferson, students were to use GIFs to answer a series of questions. Talk about a FUN way to incorporate technology into my content. The students LOVED it and were totally focused on finding the perfect GIF to represent George Washington's view on political parties. When everyone was finished I projected a few of the kids' GIF answers for all to see. It made for a great discussion!
Click HERE to view the entire Hyperdoc.
Click HERE to view a completed Hyperdoc from an 8th grade student.
Days 3-4: Prepping for the Hamilton vs. Jefferson Point CounterPoint Debate.
The last few slides of the Hyperdoc provide an explanation (and rubric) into the final activity for this unit. The inspiration for this activity comes from working with my social studies PLC (Professional Learning Community) group. The basic idea comes from the old debate show Point Counter Point. Saturday Night Live did a memorable skit on this one..."Jane you ignorant..." (Do not show that clip as an example to your students!)
The idea of the activity is that working in groups of three the students write out a script for a debate show. They will be playing the roles of Moderator, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson. They will then spend some time preparing to present their debate "show" to the class. I require specific issues that must be explained by each politician and why he has that opinion. This requires that the students not only know the positions on issues, but also why.
Students are given the creative freedom to produce their debate show in any way including adding in humor. I've had kids jump in a time machine and take their show back in history, summon Hamilton and Jefferson back from the dead. Some groups have done more research and looked at primary sources for quotes that Hamilton and Jefferson had used about each other. But my favorites are when students take something from modern day and incorporate Hamilton and Jefferson debate into it.
The best one this year was a boxing match between Hamilton and Jefferson. They really got creative with their content...and did a little more research. Check out the knuckles of "Jefferson" (the fists of Aaron Burr land the knock-out punch to Hamilton.) SO AWESOME!
Reflection:
I have done the Point Counter Point activity for the last 6-7 years, but this is the first year that I didn't do the direct instruction on the content prior to the project. The only thing I had to "go over" to make sure they understood was the concept of a tariff. Everything else was completely student directed learning. I provided the resources, added some relevant technology fun, and an activity at the end that required them to collaborate, apply what they learned, add some creativity and practice some speaking skills. I was so very excited to see that these debates were just as good as the years in which direct instruction was the primary method for information.
Feedback from Students:
If you're not asking your students for ideas...start. Seriously. Sometimes I think we, as teachers, assume that students will just want to make things easier, but they have REALLY good ideas. I had one student suggest that instead of a typed out script, that each student had to learn their character's opinions and answer without a script, making it more like a true debate. I LOVE this idea, and frankly thought it would be too challenging for my students. Now, I have confidence to give it a try!
NEVER underestimate what your kids are capable of doing. Challenge them with things that are hard, provide the tools necessary to meet that challenge and watch your students explode with confidence and engagement!
It's been an ongoing quest, that I really kinda put into high gear this year with my 8th grade classes. More PBL, more activities, and in November I realized that I only had given two lectures so far the entire semester. This has been a HUGE accomplishment for me, but I wanted to see if I could do more. You see, after Thanksgiving break marked the return to my traditional units. Starting with Washington's presidency and the Hamilton/Jefferson fued.
I set a goal for myself. No more lectures this year.
That meant changing up how I did this unit. Because when I opened my lesson plans, there were three lectures I usually gave. I needed (wanted) to see if these middle school kids could really understand the same concepts without direct instruction from me.
So I dove in. Below you'll find a general outline and explanation of how I approached this unit and the results and reflection that follow. (Note...We are on a block schedule with 75 minutes every-other day.)
Days 1-2: Jefferson/Hamilton Hyperdoc (Not sure what a Hyperdoc is?? Click HERE)
**This alone replaces a guided reading worksheet, sorting worksheet, and a lecture**
I created a Hyperdoc over the information I wanted the students to know about Washington's first presidency and his cabinet members. Below are some pictures of what that looked like.
I had a little fun with the kids and technology... After doing a sorting exercise to identify the opinions of Hamilton and Jefferson, students were to use GIFs to answer a series of questions. Talk about a FUN way to incorporate technology into my content. The students LOVED it and were totally focused on finding the perfect GIF to represent George Washington's view on political parties. When everyone was finished I projected a few of the kids' GIF answers for all to see. It made for a great discussion!
Click HERE to view the entire Hyperdoc.
Click HERE to view a completed Hyperdoc from an 8th grade student.
Days 3-4: Prepping for the Hamilton vs. Jefferson Point CounterPoint Debate.
The last few slides of the Hyperdoc provide an explanation (and rubric) into the final activity for this unit. The inspiration for this activity comes from working with my social studies PLC (Professional Learning Community) group. The basic idea comes from the old debate show Point Counter Point. Saturday Night Live did a memorable skit on this one..."Jane you ignorant..." (Do not show that clip as an example to your students!)
The idea of the activity is that working in groups of three the students write out a script for a debate show. They will be playing the roles of Moderator, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson. They will then spend some time preparing to present their debate "show" to the class. I require specific issues that must be explained by each politician and why he has that opinion. This requires that the students not only know the positions on issues, but also why.
Students are given the creative freedom to produce their debate show in any way including adding in humor. I've had kids jump in a time machine and take their show back in history, summon Hamilton and Jefferson back from the dead. Some groups have done more research and looked at primary sources for quotes that Hamilton and Jefferson had used about each other. But my favorites are when students take something from modern day and incorporate Hamilton and Jefferson debate into it.
The best one this year was a boxing match between Hamilton and Jefferson. They really got creative with their content...and did a little more research. Check out the knuckles of "Jefferson" (the fists of Aaron Burr land the knock-out punch to Hamilton.) SO AWESOME!
Reflection:
I have done the Point Counter Point activity for the last 6-7 years, but this is the first year that I didn't do the direct instruction on the content prior to the project. The only thing I had to "go over" to make sure they understood was the concept of a tariff. Everything else was completely student directed learning. I provided the resources, added some relevant technology fun, and an activity at the end that required them to collaborate, apply what they learned, add some creativity and practice some speaking skills. I was so very excited to see that these debates were just as good as the years in which direct instruction was the primary method for information.
Feedback from Students:
If you're not asking your students for ideas...start. Seriously. Sometimes I think we, as teachers, assume that students will just want to make things easier, but they have REALLY good ideas. I had one student suggest that instead of a typed out script, that each student had to learn their character's opinions and answer without a script, making it more like a true debate. I LOVE this idea, and frankly thought it would be too challenging for my students. Now, I have confidence to give it a try!
NEVER underestimate what your kids are capable of doing. Challenge them with things that are hard, provide the tools necessary to meet that challenge and watch your students explode with confidence and engagement!
Friday, January 12, 2018
Structured Academic Controversy - Lewis and Clark Edition!
Sometimes it all goes right. Thursday morning I didn't think the day was going to turn out. It was just one of those rough mornings. Bad news and frustrations everywhere I looked. Before class started I thought...."man, I'm gonna really have to fake-it-to-make-it today." But then class started, and we got rolling with our topic and activity. By the end of my first block I knew I wasn't gonna have to "fake it." Today was AWESOME!
And it was made possible by the Structured Academic Controversy (SAC) activity I found using Stanford History Education Group (SHEG). If you aren't using SHEG in your classes...get on it! Seriously one of the best resources out there for incorporating and teaching with primary sources.
The SAC provides a controversial questions, documents for research, and the procedure for students to participate in small group debates. Students learn how to argue with evidence! And middle school students LOVE to argue!
The entire activity took two full class periods (we are on a block schedule, so two 75 min. classes) Here's how it went down... Want the SHEG lesson? Click HERE
Day 1:
Introduce the activity by telling your kids... "Today I am going to teach you how to WIN an argument. Whether you're arguing with your parents, teachers, girlfriend/boyfriend, this is how you WIN." (The KIDS LOVE that intro, cause they all can relate to arguing with someone, and they ALL want to WIN that argument." You see...you will NEVER win an argument if you don't have evidence to back up your claim. Today is about learning to back up what you say!
I now tell my students the controversial question and their teams. Today they will be doing research in groups of four. Our question comes from the SHEG activity.
Students know that they will eventually be debating over this topic, but they do not yet know which side they are arguing. This time is just purely spent analyzing the documents and trying to understand what they are saying.
The next step is locating specific evidence for both sides of the argument, think of an upside down triangle. They started with a BUNCH of information in five different primary source documents, and we're trying to narrow the focus a bit. Students identify 3 direct quotes from the document that would support "YES, Lewis and Clark were respectful to the Native Americans..." and three direct quotes that support "NO, they weren't respectful."
Day 2:
Within their groups of four, students are paired up 2 and 2. I tell one pair that they will be arguing "YES, Lewis and Clark were respectful," and the others that they are arguing "NO." The team of four now separates in order to prepare for their argument.
This is a very important step, for it teaches them how to search for evidence that will back up their claim. It also forces them to learn about BOTH sides. You see, not only are they preparing points of emphasis and evidence for their own argument, but they are also looking at what points the OTHER SIDE is going to make and how they can argue against that.
After about 20 minutes of prep time, I bring the team of four back together. I go over the rules of the debate. Team "yes" gets to start by bringing up their reasons and providing evidence from the documents. Then team "no" has a chance to give their points of view. (At this time, no rebuttal can be made.) Once each side has had a chance to explain their reasoning, the groups can begin to debate over specific issues mentioned. This is where you start to see the volume increase!
Assessment:
After debating for 10-15 minutes it's time to assess. Students are asked to construct a written response on their own PERSONAL opinion over the topic. They must use evidence from the documents provided in their writing. I usually ask for 5 sentences, but with this activity they always write more. The debate caused them to have a personal opinion on the issue and they tend to have LOTS to say about it.
I want to turn this into a court case. I want the Native Americans to sue Lewis and Clark. Think about the possibilities...
And it was made possible by the Structured Academic Controversy (SAC) activity I found using Stanford History Education Group (SHEG). If you aren't using SHEG in your classes...get on it! Seriously one of the best resources out there for incorporating and teaching with primary sources.
The SAC provides a controversial questions, documents for research, and the procedure for students to participate in small group debates. Students learn how to argue with evidence! And middle school students LOVE to argue!
The entire activity took two full class periods (we are on a block schedule, so two 75 min. classes) Here's how it went down... Want the SHEG lesson? Click HERE
Day 1:
Introduce the activity by telling your kids... "Today I am going to teach you how to WIN an argument. Whether you're arguing with your parents, teachers, girlfriend/boyfriend, this is how you WIN." (The KIDS LOVE that intro, cause they all can relate to arguing with someone, and they ALL want to WIN that argument." You see...you will NEVER win an argument if you don't have evidence to back up your claim. Today is about learning to back up what you say!
I now tell my students the controversial question and their teams. Today they will be doing research in groups of four. Our question comes from the SHEG activity.
Were Lewis and Clark respectful to the Native Americans they met on their journey?
Students know that they will eventually be debating over this topic, but they do not yet know which side they are arguing. This time is just purely spent analyzing the documents and trying to understand what they are saying.
The next step is locating specific evidence for both sides of the argument, think of an upside down triangle. They started with a BUNCH of information in five different primary source documents, and we're trying to narrow the focus a bit. Students identify 3 direct quotes from the document that would support "YES, Lewis and Clark were respectful to the Native Americans..." and three direct quotes that support "NO, they weren't respectful."
Within their groups of four, students are paired up 2 and 2. I tell one pair that they will be arguing "YES, Lewis and Clark were respectful," and the others that they are arguing "NO." The team of four now separates in order to prepare for their argument.
This is a very important step, for it teaches them how to search for evidence that will back up their claim. It also forces them to learn about BOTH sides. You see, not only are they preparing points of emphasis and evidence for their own argument, but they are also looking at what points the OTHER SIDE is going to make and how they can argue against that.
After about 20 minutes of prep time, I bring the team of four back together. I go over the rules of the debate. Team "yes" gets to start by bringing up their reasons and providing evidence from the documents. Then team "no" has a chance to give their points of view. (At this time, no rebuttal can be made.) Once each side has had a chance to explain their reasoning, the groups can begin to debate over specific issues mentioned. This is where you start to see the volume increase!
Assessment:
After debating for 10-15 minutes it's time to assess. Students are asked to construct a written response on their own PERSONAL opinion over the topic. They must use evidence from the documents provided in their writing. I usually ask for 5 sentences, but with this activity they always write more. The debate caused them to have a personal opinion on the issue and they tend to have LOTS to say about it.
Big Goals:
Ok...this activity is AWESOME on it's own. Give it a try (you can do this same structure with ANY topic that is argumentative.) It's great! However, I have plans for this in the future. No matter how good any lesson turns out to be, there's always room to improve and make it better. In the future...I want to turn this into a court case. I want the Native Americans to sue Lewis and Clark. Think about the possibilities...
- I get to be a judge. Getting to announce myself as "the Honorable Mrs. Weber" is probably half the reason for wanting to do this :-)
- Various parts for students to play: Prosecuting/Defending lawyers and their associate layers, Characters called to testify (Sacajawea, Charbenneau, York, Lewis, Clark, Thomas Jefferson, Native American Chiefs...think of the research those students "playing the part" have to do into those people.) Not to mention, the jury.
- The opportunity to bring in some guest speakers (Lawyers) to talk about court procedures and terminology.
- The learning that can take place, more than just content...career oriented!
- Did I mention I get to be a judge and use a gavel. :-)
- And if I'm gonna dream REALLY BIG, it would be awesome to bus my kids to the county court house and have court in the real court! :)
If you would like copies of the worksheets posted above, want to
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