Travel the World From Your Classroom!

I actually created this powerpoint for my Geology class, but I thought it could work for here also. As teacher, especially with today's current economic state, I believe we need to introduce students to places far away and much different than what we're used to. Many students will not travel or know the world beyond Indiana, or better yet, beyond their immediate hometown until they are adults themselves. Because of this, I think teachers need to introduce students to world beyond their own. Just small powerpoint or video clips on different, unique, and interesting parts of the world. For the PowerPoint I created, I chose the location called "Giant's Causeway." It is located in Northern Ireland. I found it by searching "geological phenomenas." Here is what my powerpoint looks like (now keep in mind this was for a college class and some information would not be necessary to add for an elementary class.)

Giant's Causeway PPT

January's Sparrow Lesson Plan

This is the last lesson I will be teaching in my placement school this semester. My 4th grade placement classroom is currently starting a unit on the Underground Railroad and I was asked to do a lesson to further introduce students to the topic. After discussing the lesson with two professors (Thanks Syd and Diane!) I decided to have the children do an editorial writing on a excerpt from the book "January's Sparrow" written by Patricia Polacco. This book presents the injustices that slaves were forced to live with and reasons why they decided to travel on the dangerous Underground Railroad. Furthermore, having the students write an editorial on this topic is a great way to engage their interest. The definition of an editorial is "a piece of writing in which someone gives an opinion." I want the children to have an opinion on the topic, and explain themselves fully. So to make them feel connected, I chose an emotionally gripping scene where a runaway is drug back to the plantation and whipped for his "wrongdoings." He is an example and all the other slaves are forced to watch.

As I stated earlier, this is an integrated unit. It has both social studies and writing. But the writing is not simply a one-and-done. For this assignment, the students will be working through the steps of the writing process. In this lesson, students will do their prewriting (taking notes on the event/excerpt) and their drafting. Lessons to follow would cover editing, revising, and publishing.

Here are the document I created & used to teach this lesson (feel free to use!):

Lesson Plan

Notes Sheet

Editorial Guidelines

Overall the lesson went very well. I had students begging me to read the rest of the book to them. They were so interested in the topic and had so much to write. Though I am no longer in my placement, my supervising teacher has decided to continue the steps of the writing process. The students will be revising their work, editing, and then finally publishing it as typed document via the classroom computers. I would recommend during the whole writing process for this assignment. Letting the students publish their opinions shows them that they have a voice.

Thanks and Enjoy!

Which Decade was the Best to Live in?

The other day we did an amazing project on campus. We were to persuade out peers that the decade we chose, researched, and demonstrated- was the best to live in. This activity included students learning how to and completing research for a specific reason, had them using technology and creating other presentation media, and had them working with their persuasive talents trying to spark interest in their decade. For our presentations we were trying to persuade our peers to vote for our decade. Our professor was in charge of collecting votes. Overall, the experiences was fun and educational! I really did learn a lot of about the different decades in history.

The decade my partner and I chose was the 1940's. This was a difficult era to persuade our peers about (considering it was a decade of war, the Holocaust etc.) But, in researching I found out so much more about this era. This was an era of amazing inventions, ones which have a direct impact upon our lives. During this era inventions include: the microwave oven, cake mix, the cellular phone, ballpoint pen, and tupperware. This era is also responsible for more amusing inventions such as scrabble, the slinky, the Frisbee and the Bikini.

Other things we found out about this era was the fashion, important events, popular music/dance/movie, popular books, people, inventions and even the scandals and disasters of the era. Now in our class we were given guidelines and left to create our projects, but remember in a classroom you should demonstrate how students should break their research up into more manageable pieces. For example, give them rubrics! Students needs guidelines for their projects, and need to be aware of what they will be graded on. So decide before hand what you want them to gain from this experience. Secondly, give them graphic organizers. A simple chart for them to record their findings so that they can have it all in one place when they start creating their presentation. Our professor created a requirements sheet and a Research graphic organizer which I based my two documents off of. Here they are:

Requirements Checklist

Research Chart

Also, above are some of the pictures from our own "Decades Project Presentations." We showed a powerpoint while playing three songs via iTunes. Our three songs were "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy: by The Andrew's Sister, "I'll be Seeing You" by Billie Holliday and "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" by Glenn Miller.

Enjoy! It is an amazing project that I feel would prompt a lot of response from students.

Five Themes Of Geography

Geography is not just Geography anymore! For our class, we created a photo story covering the Five Themes of Geography. What is that may you ask? Well when teaching geography we learned that there are five themes that must be covered. These themes are 1) location, 2) place, 3) region, 4) movement, and 5) human-environment interaction. The place I chose to document is Ocean Isle, NC (very close to Myrtle Beach). I went to Ocean Isle last summer (2010) for a family vacation. So I promise all of the photos in this book are all authentic photos taken by yours truly. Enjoy!

Five Themes of Geography- Ocean Isle, NC

P.s. This is a large file so it may take a few moments to load! Have patience, it's worth looking at.

Family Recipe's

An activity that we did at the beginning of the year that I thought was interested and that really helped to integrate geography into the classroom along with helping to creating a open and accepting classroom environment was the family recipe cook book we created. This activity lets the child share something about their life, their culture, their background, their heritage, their family, and their beliefs. Being allowed to share such ideas and feelings for children is important. Why? Just think about how children choose their friends. They pick someone that is like them, someone they can connect to, possible someone interested in the same activities etc. So why not open up the year by showing the children how they are all alike (they all have a favorite food) while teaching them about how they are all different. But remember, don't just have the child bring in a recipe- they have to be able to explain why the recipe was chosen, it's importance, and it's story. Keep in mind activity can open up to many other areas of geography. Just for fun, I have listed my recipe below.

Zucchini Bread- Mom's Famous Recipe

Ingredients:

3 Eggs, 1 cup Vegetable Oil, 2 cups Sugar, 3 tsp. Vanilla Extract, 2 cups Zucchini (about 2 large or three small), 3 cups flour, 1 tsp Salt, 1 tsp. Baking Soda, 1 tsp. Baking Powder, 1 tsp Cinnamon, ¾ cups chopped walnut- or any baking nut (optional) and lastly ¾ cups raisins (optional)

Directions

Beat together with hand mixer eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla extract. Blend zucchini, adding a pinch of water to help start the process. Add 2 cups of the blended zucchini and stir into egg, oil, sugar and vanilla mixture. Add flour, salt, soda, baking powder, baking soda and stir into zucchini mixture.Once mixture is all combined, stir in raisins and nuts (optional).Coat two loaf pans (muffins tins) with nonstick cooking spray and flour lightly to ensure bread doesn't stick. Pour mixture evenly into the two pans and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.Stick a toothpick in center; if it comes out clean, it is done!Remove immediately from pans and rest on cooling racks.

Story Behind The Bread

This is a recipe that I have enjoyed since I was a little kid. Someone gave it to my grandmother (may have been her mother) and she’s passed it on. With this recipe, everyone is my family has their own variations (I like mine with extra raisins and no walnuts, my brother likes walnuts and no raisins). This is a recipe that we make all summer long once our garden starts producing zucchini. We probably make 20 loaves throughout the summer and between the four of us we can devour it all!

Amelia Earhart Lesson Plan

I got my first real experience creating a lesson plan to work along with a Basal Reader. Luckily, this semester I did my group midterm project over the Pearson Scott Foresman Reading Street program and became relatively familiar with it before creating my lesson. I created this lesson in particular to work for small groups (more specifically the students who are "below-level" readers). For this lesson I used the leveled reader provided by the basal program along with a sequencing activity they suggested. I did make an adjustment to the activity (changing it from a worksheet to a tangible puzzle they could manipulate. Listed below are the resources I created for this lesson:

Amelia Earhart Lesson Plan

Sequencing Activity

In the lesson plan link you will be able to see the step by step of how I taught the lesson and use the materials. Furthermore, when looking at the sequencing activity keep in mind, if you want your puzzle pieces to last use good paper (such as card-stock) and take the time to laminate them!

Current Events Lesson Plan

Here is a lesson that I co-created with a peer of mine, Hope. She and I were requested to create a lesson on current events happening around the world. In our lesson, we had to cover six current even issues do discuss with our students. Some of the documents we created would not upload so I will upload what I can and explain the rest. Just so you know our lesson was based on the "Newscurrents" program that the placement school has uses. We took much of the informational text verbatim (with proper citations of course!). Here are the documents we created:

Lesson Plan

I Can Sheet

Fact Packet/Notes Sheet

Assessment/Quiz

In the lesson plan link you will be able to see the step by step of how I taught the lesson and used the materials. The other six documents I were unable to attach were the news articles the students read to complete their notes sheet. These are simple articles for the children to read, comprehend, and pull vital information from. Copies of local newspaper articles would work fine.

Note: Is is important to remind students that when taking notes, they do not have to write in full sentences (unless you want them to for a specific reason)!

Annotated Children's Book & Resource List

In our class we are creating Thematic Units. My group chose the theme of the Underground Railroad. To go along with out Thematic Units we were assigned to create an annotated bibliography of children's book and and resources to enhance the study of social studies through literacy.

Annotated Bibliography over the Theme of the Underground Railroad:

Boekhoff, P. M. & Kallen, S. A. (2005). The underground railroad. Farmington Hills, MI: Kidhaven Press.

The Underground Railroad by Boekhoff and Kallen is an expository nonfictional text that explains what slavery was in general terms, and then focuses on slavery in the southern states of the U.S. There are actual quotes from individuals who were former slaves during the time. It is a very educational book. It discusses the pain that the slaves went through and the ill treatment they received. The book continues and discusses the topic of the individuals who were a part of the Underground Railroad, the secret codes the slaves used, why it was so dangerous and where they were headed. This is not a storybook, but would be great for students to used as an information text and support for a research assignment.

Brill, M. T. (1993). Allen jay and the underground railroad. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, Inc.

This book written by Marlene Targ Brill is a general nonfiction text. The story is taken from The Autobiography of Allen Jay. It is about the young Quaker boy Allen Jay and the story of how he helped a man move from Jay’s safe house to his grandfathers- both houses were part of the Underground Railroad. Allen Jay found out how dangerous, scary, and important it was to help the out slaves. On the trip from one house to another, the book provides a glimpse into how slaves were treated by their owners. This book would be a great beginning book, and is easy enough for lower ability level students to read.

National Geographic Society. (1996). Underground railroad—History of slavery, pictures, and information.Retrieved from http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/index.html

This website is full of useful resources for teachers and students to use. There is an interactive “journey” that students can go on making decisions, just as a slave might have to. Students must make decision to stay or go and to trust or distrust. There are other resources such as maps to show some of the “routes to freedom,” timelines, portraits of important people during the time, fun facts for kids, and even ideas for teachers to do in the classroom. Overall, this is an excellent resource.

Sawyer, K. K. (1997). The underground railroad: In american history. Springfield, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc.

This book is general non-fiction and describes what the underground railroad was and the people, places, and things that are connected to it. The book has seven chapters, include some of them titled “The Escape,” “Living in Slavery,” “The Fugitives,” “Famous Conductors,” and “The Promise Land” (Sawyer, 1997, 3). Some of the book is written in a story format and some is very textbook like and informational. Would be good as a group reading assignment or for high ability leveled readers.

Stanchak, J. (2000). Civil war. New York, NY: A Dorling Kindersley Book.

This book is a nonfiction book. It is very similar to a children’s encyclopedia. The book is filled with photos and discusses the war from the reasons it started, to battles during the war, the Underground Railroad, important people, and how the U.S. finally came back together as one nation. This would be a great book to have in a classroom library for students to read and discover further knowledge on their own. Good resource but not meant for group reading.

Stein, R. C. (1981). The story of the underground railroad. Chicago, IL: Children’s Press.

This source is an excellent story to read to children. The beginning tells the story of the term “Underground Railroad” came to be. Terms associated with this time are explained, such as “conductors.” Furthermore, the book continues to touch upon the different jobs that were held in the Underground Railroad and the dangers associated with them. The books briefly covers important individuals and groups such as Harriet Tubman, Levi Coffin, President Lincoln, Fredrick Douglass, James Fairfield, Tice Davids, and the Quakers.

Stein, R. C. (1997) Cornerstones of freedom: The underground railroad. New York: Children’s Press.

This source is informational text that starts with a brief look into the life of Harriet Tubman and her escape from her master. The story of Tice Davids is also part of this book, which explains how the term “Underground Railroad” came about. There is a brief history of how slavery began, the mistreatment of slaves, and the laws associated with the topic. Important terms covered are conductors and abolitionists. Important people discussed are Dred Scot, Levi Coffin, Harriet Tubman, Tice Davids, Fredrick Douglass, John Fairfield, and President Lincoln. This book also includes a glossary, a timeline, and an index.

White, A. T. (1972). North to liberty: The story of the underground railroad. Champaign, IL: Garrard Publishing Company.

This source is a great source to read to the students. It is quite lengthy but seem to be interesting enough to catch their attention. It is not a story; it is a general nonfiction text that gives insight into the story of the Underground Railroad. There are eleven chapters, not all of which have to be read- simply pick and choose since it is not an ongoing story. Chapters include 1) ”Freedom: On the mind of Every Slave,” 2) “A Knock at the Door,” 3) “Out of the Enemy’s Sight,” 4) “Garrison Unfurls the Banner,” 5) “Braver than Brave,” 6) “When Conscience Calls,” 7) “Safe in Canada,” 8) “A Monstrous Law,” 9) “Lawyers Against Liars,” 10) “The People Confront the Government” and 11) “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (White, 1972).

Current Events- Kids should know the world around them

Kids should know the world around them. So why not create an assignment that makes them learn about just that- their world. This activity is a Photo Activity. In this activity students are to find a photo a look at it answering question so that they can better understand the story behind it. In my class we were to do just that. For my picture, I chose to go online to CNN.com, but for a classroom I feel that a collection of local newspapers would be a great resource. Those papers are better used in a classroom than as wrapping paper anyway.

After students locate a picture- present them a list of questions to answer. These questions are to help them investigate deep into the meaning of the photo. They absolutely may go beyond these basic questions.

Here is a list of questions you may wish to ask:

1. What do you see? (factual items)
2. What can you infer?
3. What is the real "story"?
4. How does this story relate to your life?
5. What else do you want to know about the picture that the description/article doesn't tell you?

Here is an example of the assignment as I completed it.

Click here to see the picture I used for my assignment.

1. A Dog lying next to a grave in what looks to be a massive cemetery.
2. The dog was probably owned by the person's grave he is laying by. Something must have caused all of these people to die.
3. The story, "After the death toll from devastating flooding in Brazil continues to rise, a single picture derives home the sense of loss. Leao, a medium-sized brown mutt, lies next to the grave of her owner... who died in the catastrophic landslides caused by heave rain... At least 655 deaths were reported in a mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state, northeast of the city of Rio" (CNN Wire Staff, 2011).
4. Death in general relates to all life (though I personally have not had to deal with it much in my life.) Also the loyalty of the dog relates to my life. I have a German Shepherd and she means a lot to me.
5. I am just curious if this flooding is common in this area. I also want to know were the people warned about the flooding or was it a flash flood? How did the dog know that her owner was buried at that exact spot. And lastly, how did the dog manage to survive?

Artifact Shoebox Activity

What's a great way to get students really involved and interested in a lesson? Connect them to it personally! For the shoebox activity I am about to describe, we were posed the question, "If you were put into a situation where you could only take personal items that fit into a shoebox, what would you choose?"

Ground rules for this activity were set:

1. All family members (including pets) are considered safe and will be leaving along side of you.
2. Anything extremely vaulable (such asmoney) and irreplaceable items (for example a family heirloom) can be represented by a different object.
3. Food, clothing, and other necessary matierals will already be taken care of.
4. It shoebox must be a regular sized shoebox- no Boot Boxes!

So what would you bring? This is what our class brought:

This lesson not only helps to build community in the classroom but it helps them to see what their peers value. The classroom community is build, supported, and strengthened in this lesson because children can find connections between themselves and their peers. "Oh! Johnny thought his all time favorite baseball card was important too!" or "Jackie brought a picture of her family- I didn't even think of that. I would definitely bring a picture of my family."

Furthermore this lesson shows that artifacts can tell a lot about people. This activity can be the introduction to any history lesson. By looking at artifacts brought in, students can see that a information about a person or group of people can be preserved. Furthermore, as we found out in my class (surprised that no one brought anything technological) a lot of important information does not make it's way to becoming an artifact and can be lost.