More than Content: Teaching Employability Skills and Making Student OWN it!

I believe it is my job to teach MORE than my content. It is my job to help students practice the skills that will be necessary in the work place. I tell all of my classes on the first day of school that I will try, as much as possible to treat them as someone in the "adult working world". 

Side note: I've always hated the phrase "real world" when talking to teens. I HATED it when I was in high school and someone told me to "wait for the real world..." Like my world wasn't real. So I make it a point to refer to the "working world" or "adult world". 

What does that look like? 

• I allow for natural consequences to take place. If I provide time to work during class and a student makes the choice to work on another class than mine or play Pacman on their Chromebook, the consequence of that is homework or a lower grade due to a poor quality assignment. I will redirect them. I will tell them how their actions are being perceived by me. I will not get into an argument with a kid on whether or not they're on task. I don't have time for that. And teachers never win those anyway... 
• Student feedback on the activities, lessons, projects, and organization of class is expected, asked for regularly, and taken seriously. Real-time changes and additions are made based on student feedback.
• They will have a voice and choice in the classroom on the types of projects/activities they do and the rubrics that score them. 
• Group projects will come with contracts where duties are outlined, consequences are spelled out, and being "fired" is a real option. 
• Activities, lessons, and projects will be aligned with the employability skills that the class wants to focus on. 

This blog post is going to focus on that last bullet. "Activities, lessons, and projects will be aligned with the employability skills that the class wants to focus on." This is probably one of the best things I've added to my classroom in the last year, and I totally stole and adapted the idea from another amazing educator I had the privilege to work with. Follower her on Twitter @cadyjackson. 

This is an activity that I do on the first day of class. It follows the same general procedure as the Capturing Kid Hearts Social Contract. But instead of creating a contract in which we are all going to socially abide by... we're going to identify the employability skills that are most needed by students today. Spoiler...in order to learn and apply the skills that they choose, they will naturally have to abide by the typical social contract aptitudes of respect, responsibility, empathy, etc... By creating an Employability Skills Contract this makes that process more relevant and provides automatic buy-in from the students who took ownership of the list.

I start out by handing out a paper copy of the employability skills chart that was created by our Kansas Department of Education in collaboration with various employers across the state. The list is massive and very overwhelming to students at first. (Find the list here) I direct them to focus on the "Competency" column. While the entire chart does provide good information and can initiate great conversation, I'm also bound by time. The "Competency" column gets us right to the one or two word skills that matter. 

I do a reverse of "I do - We do - You do" scaffolding strategy. I call it "You do - They do - We do" Students start individually by writing down 10 skills they personally think are the most important or that they struggle in the most. I usually walk around answering questions and defining skills like "assertiveness" and "networking". 

After a couple minutes of alone time, I ask them to have a conversation with their team members about the skills they all wrote down. Where do they agree? Where do they disagree? Why? And then create a group list of 8 skills they can all agree are needed outside the walls of academia.

Then comes the "We do" part of the activity. I call on a group to share their list. As they read aloud the skills they chose, I write them on the board. I pick the next team to share their list. If a skill is repeated, I put a check mark. By the time each team has shared their list it becomes obvious which skills are the ones the majority of the class wants to focus on. 

***Here's where I sell it*** 

This group of young-adults, many of whom will be walking out into the "working world" in little over two years has just told me the skills THEY want to work on. The aptitudes THEY feel are the most important for their future. And it becomes my job to create lessons, activities and projects that include these important competencies while also teaching the necessary history curriculum. I post them on the wall and I refer to those skills anytime we do something that includes practice in those areas. I make sure to remind them that THEY were the ones to choose those skills not me. It's very important that I make it known in class when we are focusing on specific skills that they chose. I do this after activities, discussions, and I include the "skills of focus" on projects (as seen in the image above). 

***And here's my secret***

I was already doing this in the classroom years before we did this activity. These skills were being taught consistently to my 7th and 8th graders at Cheney. It has always been important for me to make sure to include those in my activities. The only difference now is that the students have OWNERSHIP over the selection process and more BUY IN to the reasoning. It's a win-win. 

ANNNNDDDDD they always choose the skills I want them to. Every time. 

Win-Win-WIN

Who Have You Asked Today?

Dear Senior of 2020, (Or Junior, Sophomore, or Freshman...)

I hope you don't mind me inserting myself right in your business....BUT. 

Have you ever thought of becoming a teacher???

Cause you'd be great. 

Amazing. 

And I've found that if I don't reach out to people who have the characteristics to be amazing teachers we (the world) may miss out on some phenomenal people in our profession. So... 

If you haven't given it a thought, think about it. I'd love to answer any questions you have. Because it is definitely a job where you get the opportunity to make people happy and have FUN everyday. There is no better feeling than going to work each day knowing that its where you belong.  

(Don't ask about 2020...but even through this crazy COVID year I still wouldn't want to do anything else) 

Have a safe and happy break. Take some time to relax. You've earned it!  

*********************************

Teachers...if we don't promote our profession, who will? If we don't reach out to those kids who would make amazing colleagues, friends, and teachers of our children and grandchildren, who's going to? Who are we missing? 

Some kids haven't even given it a thought. 

What if they did? 

Stressed? Tips and Tricks I Learned in the Most Stressful Year of My Career

Don't hate me for what I'm about to say. 

So far this crazy COVID-school year isn't killing me. I'm not overly stressed. I'm not feeling burnt-out. I'm doing ok. 

I know, I know what you're thinking... Waaaeeellll laaa de frickin' da! Isn't that good for her. 

Keep Reading! 

I didn't say it wasn't hard. 

I didn't say I liked it. 

I didn't say I wasn't working my ass off (because I am). 

But here's the thing. Because of the job change last year, which saw me teaching in a brand new school, a new age group, and new content all while having a 4 kids (at the time) ages 7 to 5 months at home. This COVID teaching isn't much different when it comes to work load than what I saw last year. 

So yes, I'm stressed, I have more to do than I can possibly get done in a day, and my responsibilities somehow keep increasing. But I'm used to it. I "conditioned" the entire year last year in a type of environment where I was essentially a brand new teacher creating content, raiding TPT at the last minute, and trying to squeeze in grading whenever I can. Guess what...I entered more "completion" grades into the gradebook last year than I ever had before. It was survival. I worked all the time, whether it was working on school or working on my other full-time role as wife and mommy. And it was hard.  

And it broke me. I lost it. Come Thanksgiving I called and made my family cancel pictures because I had a complete melt-down over the thought of having to do one load of laundry. I wish I was kidding... 

But in the struggle I also learned a lot. I became someone who really attempted to master time-management. Because I had to. I had to be a master of the time I had.

I was just hoping that this school year the pressure and work-load would ease up. It hasn't. But I'm stronger than I was last year...so I'm able to carry it better this year.

So what did I learn? What skills did I walk away with? What do I have to offer you today? 3 Things. Just 3 things that can help you manage and budget your time so that you can start to breath a little. And these things work whether you're a parent, teacher, or student. Every single one of those groups are being thrown into the fire of school during a pandemic and all of us agree that it sucks. But we can emerge stronger... 

First Thing: Pick 6 

Chances are if you were to write out an entire list of all the things you need to do, you'd be completely and totally overwhelmed. Everyone has more to do and less time to do it. And that gigantic list doesn't do you any good. If you feel you need to get it out of your brain and on paper fine. But don't make that your actually running to-do list. Shove it in a drawer for now. 

And pick 6. Choose 6 things that you want to focus on today. Prioritize them by time and task and then set to work. But only work on those six items until they are done. Cross them off with a bright pink marker and celebrate with an iced latte from Starbucks. 

Then choose another 6. 

Sticking to only 6 things helps keep us from getting overwhelmed with too much information. Our brain gets bogged down in the amount instead of seeing in chunked portions. 

But Jill...I have more than 6 things to do. 

Yup. And you always will. Pick 6.

Next Thing: Be Goggle Focused 

I learned this term outside of a school setting and it has stuck with me more than anything else. It is my favorite time management hack. Multitasking is a lie. You can't effectively do two things at one time. (Unless you are a breastfeeding mama, then yes, darlin you can nurse that baby while doing another task) What I mean is, you can allow your brain to focus on two things or many things at once. 

Teachers are the worst at this. We will start 12 different things and then leave at the end of the day with 12 things started and nothing actually done. 

Stop it. Be "goggle focused". A swimmer uses their goggles to effectively swim the 200 Freestyle race, they wouldn't have a chance to win the race without those goggles. The goggles allow the swimmer to focus on the destination. The end. The goal. 

When you're working, whether it is planning a lesson for Tuesday, trying to complete your science worksheet, or attempting to fold a load of laundry...focus on the destination. The end. The goal. And don't stop until you do. Work until that one task is finished and then move on to the next. Before you know it you'll have all 6 items on your list crossed off. 

And even if you don't get to all 6, at least you have 2 or 3 done. Completely finished. Not 6 different things started and nothing done, causing you more stress and anxiety because a new day just brings more things to do. 

Last Thing: Get Dressed to Your Shoes

This one is really meant for those who are on some sort of flexible schedule and working from home. (Yes...if you're a student and you've made it this far into the blog post this one is really dedicated to you). You see...when I talk to my students about employability skills the one constant thing that they tell me they wish they could do better is time management. Every class, every year, time management. Well...you know what? I can't teach you how to manage time if I don't give you time to have to manage. Well now, many students, are finding themselves with tons of time they have to manage without the skills to handle it. This one is for you. 

Get up. (Yes, that means out of bed) And get fully dressed, all the way to your shoes. When we are dressed and shoes are on our feet it tells our brain we are ready to work. Seriously. We are in the right mindset to be productive. 

I know there is debate out there on whether or not shoes should be worn in the house. This is not the place for that debate. I won't tell you my opinion. But I will tell you what I know. If my shoes are off then I am sitting, lounging around and not knocking out that 6 item to-do list. It's hard to be productive when I'm in PJ's all day. 

Get dressed. All the way to your shoes and get to work. Take them off when you're done. Treat the day as if you would a normal school day and get up, get dressed, and get to work. I know it's hard. You're tired. I'm not saying you have to get up at 6:00...but you shouldn't sleep until noon, and then eventually decide to get out of bed at 1:00 only to just get started (while getting back in bed) at 2:00 and then wonder why it took your all afternoon to do that one vocab assignment. Get up. Get dressed. Shoes on. 

There you have it. 3 things that can help. Try one or try them all. See if it helps. I have more strategies but in attempt to keep this short (ha) and you from getting overwhelmed, I went with these three strategies. None of them are strategies that I fully created myself. I learned them along the way. Picked them up from different areas of life. It just seems that everyone could use a little tip on how to manage time. 

And remember to be kind to yourself. Things are going to go unfinished and get done late. You'll have to rewash the same load of laundry 3 times before you finally move it to the washer. You're going to assign a "movie day" so you can plan for the next class period. And you may have to email your teacher and ask for an extension. It's ok. You will make it through this. With a whole new appreciation for school, work, and home. 

A Structured Class During and Unstructured Year

You all know how we got here. You don't need the back story. I'm not going to spend time debating or discussing my position on whether or not schools should or shouldn't open. To be honest, I don't have time for that shit. I gotta keep moving forward with what I know and what I can do. When I sit down to start looking at what this year is gonna look like, there are all sorts of unknowns. But here is what I do know.

1. My high school is starting off in a hybrid model. Half of my students Monday and Thursday, the other half Tuesday and Friday. Wednesdays and days when kids aren't in class are considered remote learning and students have to log 6 hours of school work (between all of their classes) every remote day. 
2. It is my job to provide material and lessons for students who are enrolled in my class on both F2F (face to face) days and remote days. 
3. It is silly for me to go into this year thinking that I won't miss due to catching COVID or being quarantined at some point due to my exposure to others with COVID. There is also the chance I could get really sick and not be able to get to my computer to "push" work to my students.
4. It is also silly for me to plan on having all my students who should be in class on F2F days when they're scheduled to be there. Kids will be quarantined too. Some due to sickness, some due to exposure. It's gonna happen. 
5. I am still responsible for the learning of my students, whether or not I or the students are physically present.
6. At some point I need to assume it is possible for us to "out of the blue" go completely remote

Now. I have to design a class that promotes rigorous learning keeping all of those things in mind. Yeah. Not an easy task. And one that I have spend a good amount of my time obsessing about in my head for the last three months...and that has started to spill out of my brain to anyone who would listen in the last three weeks. (My poor husband...) 

And now...for now anyway...I think I have a plan. I'm going to share that plan with you today. Not because I think it is perfect. Not that I think it's the best way. But because I see teachers out there STRUGGLING to even imagine what this kind of learning looks like. This isn't just a pivot for some teachers...it's a complete jump away from what they have been doing their entire careers. It's overwhelming and stressful. I am hoping this helps with some of that. 

My Plan: My US History class will be almost 90% asynchronous and virtual, even when we are F2F. As we start the year, hopefully my students will see these three factors about our learning environment. 

Consistency: 

It's not just teachers who are going to be teaching a whole new way, it's students who are going to have to navigate this with very little prep. On top of the loss of 5 months of school. If I can do one thing to ease that transition it's to make things consistent. Each of my units will have four major components. 

1. Historical Context
2. Vocabulary Work 
3. Document Analysis 
4. Assessment (usually project based) 

This will hopefully help them know what to expect with each of our units. And while the activities and lessons that will be assigned will be different, and each unit may do more of one than the other, those 4 components will remain. 

Organization: 

Most of what I will be giving my students is going to be virtual and paperless. That's not ideal, I get that. But none of this is ideal. I have to figure out a way to help them keep track of their assignments and know what, where, and when to turn things in. This is my biggest hurdle still to figure out. I can come up with a method, but in reality it may not work. I know will use a combination of my class website, Google Classroom, and one-on-one student check-in meetings (socially distant of course). 

Flexibility: 

This is the biggie. All of those "knowns" above made flexibility my number one priority and the number one reasoning for the asynchronous/virtual environment. I need to easily be able to provide material no matter what "pivot" is sent my way. And I don't want to be scrambling at the last minute to come up with a different virtual plan when we were supposed to be F2F. In order to be flexible I'm going to have to work "smarter not harder". (PS...what is "smarter" and "harder" to me doesn't mean it is the same for every teacher...please don't take this as "your way" is not right. You do you, bruh) 

So...how does my asynchronous/virtual class look? 

Each Friday, I will "push out" the next week's schedule to the students. It will look like the picture below. (Please see the bottom of this post for a note about the resources in this blog post). You will notice that each day gives an outline of the assignment. The students know what to expect and have all the resources to work on no matter the environment in which they are working.

Everything that I would "present" or "teach" in the live classroom will also be pre-recorded. This way if we are in person I can do the presentation live, but if I'm gone, students are gone, or we all get sent home I still have that material already created. All assignments are provided ahead of time so when students are "remote learning" they have their materials with them.

F2F days are saved for teaching technology programs, organization, one-on-one check ins, and for me to elaborate on and explain the content they are working on. Also, if I desire a quiz or test, F2F days will be used for that. For the most part "in class" time will be work time on their weekly assignments. 

This helps me in two major ways. 

1. If students or I are gone, they know what they're doing. 
2. If I were to become so ill that I cannot get to my computer I have the buffer of at least a week to get better. And if I don't, there will be a backup "emergency plan" with my department and administration to help. (I don't have that ready yet).

In order for my plan to work I am relying on at least a few F2F days to train my students and have them prep and practice what they will be doing. If we don't end up with that, I can make it virtual training, but that will be much more difficult. Not impossible. Just more difficult. 

The big downfall. My "F2F" classroom is not in anyway going to resemble what is really good teaching or what the kids are begging for. They WANT normal. They WANT interaction. They WANT active learning. And that is minimal with this plan. We will discuss, interact as much as we can, but none of this year is going to be what we really want it to be. I am doing what every single teacher out there is doing. Trying to do what is best at this moment, knowing (painfully knowing) that it's not good enough. 

As the year progresses, maybe...just maybe we'll be able to get some consistency in our world. Numbers of COVID spread will stabilize and we'll be able to add in some more "live" lessons, activities, and projects. I am, and will always be, hope for that. 

***A note about resources***

You are welcome to look at and use the lesson I created for our first unit, the 1920's as detailed in the above picture of the weekly plan. Please understand a few things. I am not completely finished with it and I do not plan on going back into this shared folder and adding/changing anything. Please don't contact me and ask if I finished it...you will have to take it from there. Also...some of this is created by me, but a lot of it is pieced together from a variety of resources. None of this should show up on TPT. Thanks for that consideration. 

Link for 1920's Asynchronous Folder: CLICK HERE 

Teaching and Cycling: An Analogy

I recently took up cycling. My husband has been riding for the last 5 years and is a pretty serious riding 30-70 miles on a regular basis. Over the years I have developed a desire to try riding a bike for exercise. I have bad knees and limited amounts of time being a teacher and a mother of four young children. This was something I figured I could squeeze in that wouldn't make my knees swell up like cantaloupes.  So he got me a bike for Mother's Day, and I've been riding all spring and summer. I've come to realize that how good you feel on a bike can completely depend on the wind. And here in Kansas we have a lot of wind. Basically you will encounter one or a combination of the following three scenarios.

A tailwind, giving you a nice push and making your ride seem easy.

A head wind, making the ride 10 times harder and usually involving a few choice words as I push through.

And a crosswind, which isn't as hard as a headwind, but is tricky because sometimes you THINK it's a headwind until you turn and realize that the wind is blowing much harder this direction.

Of course any of those scenarios can come with the route that you ride. Could be uphill, could be downhill, could be flat land. How you feel about your ride totally depends upon the combination of all of these things.

And one morning as I was pushing up a hill (and probably swearing) I was started to think that cycling is an excellent metaphor for teaching. 

Allow me to explain.

For 13 years I worked at a middle school in a small town. And while there were moments where it may have been a little bit difficult for the most part it was easy. And it was fun! Essentially this was a bike ride with a tailwind. And while there might have been a few hills along the way (maternity leaves, new admin, student teachers, new standards, new technology...) I still had the wind pushing me in the back allowing me to remain, mostly, comfortable. Easy.

Eventually that got too easy. There was no challenge left in that road I was taking. It was flat land with a huge tailwind. I couldn't push myself anymore where I was. So I changed directions.

All of a sudden I found myself riding uphill with wind in my face. I had made a huge shift in the direction I was going. Now I was teaching a brand new content, and a brand new school, to a brand new age group. All while having four kids under the age of seven. It was a crazy ride! As I kept going and as I pushed through it started to get a little easier. The hill started to flatten out a little bit the wind started to die down. In January I felt like finally I was feeling more confident and I was growing stronger. It was exciting! I could just tell that come next August that wind was going to shift back into a tailwind helping push me through the hills that would come.

Nope.  As often it does, unexpectedly the wind changed. Instead of shifting into a tailwind. We were all forced to ride straight into a headwind. A strong headwind. Uphill. 

Now as I approach the teaching year in August of 2020 I find myself looking at a very long and windy uphill ride. And there's no clear view in the forecast of when that might change.

But I know all I have to do is keep going. Keep pedaling. There's no reward for finishing first. And while some of us have been riding for a while and have tools and tricks and muscle built up to push us through. We have some that will stop, they are tired of the ride and won't do it anymore. And that's okay.  We also have brand new cyclists. Who are not starting out on a flat road with wind behind them, they're starting out with a huge hill and a strong head wind. They're going to need coaches that cheer them on and ride next to them as they struggle.  We may need to find new tools and equipment that can help us push through. We'll have to just keep moving forward, even if it is slow. 

So what can we take away from this analogy?

1. Slow progress is still progress. Even thought it may not seem that way and it will be hard...and probably consist of a few muttered "choice" words. It's still progress.

2. There is no room for comparison. I ride at an average sustained 13.5 mph on a good day for 8-12 miles. My husband rides at an average of 20 mph and goes on 50 miles rides. For fun... (WTH??). It does me no good to compare myself to him. He has different goals and is in a completely different kind of shape than I am. Same goes for teaching. Look to learn from those who are better...not feel defeated because you don't know or do as much. It's ok to be where you are as long as you're working on progress. 

3. We're gonna need to rest and take care of ourselves along the way. Long rides don't happen without some self-care along the way. Otherwise you put yourself in danger. Take your personal days. Leave your computer closed and find ways to regenerate! 

And...

4. Eventually the wind will die down and the land will level out. And when it does we will emerge from that ride amazed at how much stronger and confident we are.

What CAN I Do?

 I feel as though I am mourning the loss of my classroom and the way it was.

And it was good. I worked SO DAMN HARD for it. And I had so many cool plans to make it even better.

All gone.

I feel like I am going through the different stages of grief (in no way do I mean to compare this to grieving of an actual human being, but the emotions I am experiencing tend to fall under the umbrella of grief.) I have been in denial. We'll be fine by August. School can be normal next year. Anger: I cannot believe this is happening...this is all so stupid. I hate everything and I am just mad. Bargaining: If you please just wear a mask, then maybe we can go to school in August. Depression: I'm stuck in this funk and nothing can get me out of it. I just want to lay in bed and zone out looking at my phone. Numbing the pain. 

And now acceptance.

This sucks.

But I'm done. I cannot live in "this place" forever. I can't keep watching people argue. I cannot stay here. So now I move on. Pull myself up and start taking action. Actions that help produce those "feel-good" messages to my brain.

But what can I do?

I can... start (slowly and safely) going up to the school to work on my classroom. Setting up a "normal" looking space. Organizing my desk and filling out a school calendar.

I can... email my principal and let him know that I am available to help if he needs anything as decisions begin to be made. I am here to support and help make this a success... because you know as soon as plans roll out our leaders won't get many kind emails.

I can... send little note of encouragement to my colleagues. Especially those who I know are struggling.

I can... Start to prepare online hyperslides and projects that can be used in both an in-person and digital scenario. This way I start to feel good about what I have put together, but will need minimal (if any) changes depending on how school starts. (I promise to create a blog post detailing my plan for asynchronous learning throughout this year, complete with an example...I'm just don't have it done yet)

I can... buy some "back to school" clothes. I plan on wearing them in any scenario in order to have my mind and attitude in the right place.

I can... start a campaign of positivity on my social media accounts that students follow. A count down to when I get to see them. Letting them know just how excited I am and how much I miss them.

I can... open my gradebook and look at my roster. Then...without paying attention to numbers (that will change anyway as things move forward) I can look at the pictures of my students. Just seeing their faces makes me happy!

I can... go to dinner (safely in our masks) with my "teaching wife" - - we can brainstorm and enjoy each other's company.

I can... get my "back to school" haircut and manicure with my nail color sporting our school colors.

I can... start to dive down the rabbit hole of amazing ideas for project based learning and digital lessons. There are some amazing teachers out there who have created some great things. I can start brainstorming. (I do have to make sure I am completely ready for this one though...once I open the brainstorming/lesson planning part of my mind, it gets very hard to shut it off).

I can... continue to make sure I do everything I can to build up my immune system. Lots of fruits and veggies and clean eating, exercise, and plenty of sunshine.

I can... be a source of positivity for my family, school, and community!

***

Because, let's be honest. There is A LOT I cannot control. I know that when plans for reopening finally come out there will be things I agree with and disagree with. I know that those individuals are working SO VERY HARD to try and combat an impossible situation. But if I focus my energy on the things I CAN do... suddenly options start to appear and I am less fearful of the unknown.

The Power of Text Annotation and Collaboration

If you frequent this blog often, you'll know that I talk A LOT about teacher collaboration and the PLN I've surrounded myself with online. They are rock stars! But this lesson is a result of the collaboration with some awesome teachers in my own building. I am so happy with the way it turned out...and proud of the work we did to make it happen. 

The lesson came about through working and talking with two teachers who just happen to have classrooms in the same hallway as I do. These two women do amazing things for students and I am so thankful to have them around! US and World History teacher, Becca Hawthorne (@MsHawthorne266) and English teacher, Cady Jackson (@cadyelizabeth1) are two people you should know! 

My classroom neighbor, Ms. Hawthorne, brought out this box of WWII "stuff" that she was gifted one year for Christmas. Inside was TONS of replica WWII sources. Letters, battle plans, maps, photos, speeches...TONS. And while we were going through the box we came across the speech for FDR's response to Pearl Harbor. You know the, "date that will live in infamy" speech.

What was COOL about this copy of the speech, is that it was the original with his handwritten notes all over it. You can do a simple Google search and find copies of it. But Becca and I knew we had to use it in class. I created an analysis worksheet using the templates provided from the National Archives found HERE. While Becca and Cady worked together to create an awesome lesson on annotating the speech drawing connections to the lessons students did on connotation and word choice during Engligh class this year. These two really did the heavy lifting for this lesson and I am so thankful for their willingness to share!

The original idea had students moving from station to station interacting with the words on the page in different ways. And that's what I had planned on doing... but then (in my typical fashion) changed it up at the last minute. I decided to do this activity and each station as a class.  A combination of teacher instruction, group work/discussion, and individual analysis. 

I made that choice for two real reasons. 

1. This is the first time I have ever annotated this specific speech. I've heard it, of course, and I've had students look at parts of it, but this is my first time really teaching this speech. Remember...this is my first year teaching high school curriculum. I haven't taught a unit on WWII in 14 years, when I was doing my student teaching. There is no better way to truly learn your content than to teach it. I wanted to scaffold this lesson as much for me to learn the material as for the students. Teachers don't always know ALL of the answers. Allowing for a class discussion of the speech would allow for me to learn different possible correct responses to various questions.

2. I love to use stations...but I use them in order to help me work "smarter not harder". When I pictured this lesson, I just pictured myself running from group to group, station to station trying to guide them through this process. I was exhausted just thinking about it. I like stations that require students to interact with content independently and reach out to me for feedback. I just couldn't picture this activity running smoothly in station format. 

Turns out the scaffolded class lesson was definitely the way to go. It was awesome! Great conversations, great analysis, and even better...when I asked a question on the test (weeks later) about word choice and connotation these kids KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK! I felt like they really truly understood what FDR was trying to say in his message. 

Here are some images of the lesson.

Final thoughts and a disclosure...

This lesson was probably one of my favorites from this semester. It doesn't have any fancy bells and whistles. But for a teacher getting to witness the LEARNING is so rewarding. I saw students interactiving with text and each other in a collaborative way, and I probably had 100% participation throughout the activity. 

But that doesn't mean the day was perfect. 

I have said this before. There are NO perfect teachers. On this exact day I had planned on doing this lesson twice. For my first block and fourth block US History classes. BUT that didn't happen. During my planning period a situation occurred that required quite a bit of my emotional energy. By the time I was suppose to be preparing for my 4th block class...I found myself exhausted, both mentally and physically. So... I put in a movie. Not a great teaching move. Not something that happens often. But it happened that day. 

You know what? My 4th block class did NOT "rock it" on the assessment question over this speech and the connotation of the language used by FDR.  It wasn't their fault that I didn't do this lesson with them. I hadn't prepared them for that portion of the test, so I didn't penalize them for it and threw out that question.  I realized just how important it is for me to continue with the text annotation in the future...and more like it! Having students interact with the words and the connotation that comes from the types of words chosen is vital to understanding the meaning behind the historical phrases.

Want the lesson resources??? CLICK HERE 

I am so grateful that Becca and Cady worked together to create this amazing activity and were willing to share it with me. I am so thankful to be in a place and a profession and values collaboration. When we work together we all get better...and our students get smarter!