I truly had an amazing experience in Social Studies Methods. I learned so many new techniques that I am very excited to use in my future classroom. I learned how to make a collaborative lesson plan adding to direct instruction and inquiry based lesson planning. Taking this course I have learned that social studies is a very hands on subject. It would also be a great subject to have the students work in groups. In the beginning of the semester I was nervous about the national and state standards because they are always my weak point. By the end of the semester I feel confident in finding the proper standards for my lessons and writing goals and objectives. I have learned new things using Smartboard and new ideas from my fellow classmates. The different micro-teaching activities that my classmates showed us all brought new and unique ways to teach social studies. Like I said in my field work blog, I was stressed getting the activities done, but overall it was a wonderful experience. I also enjoyed watching the other groups teach their lessons to the class. I feel the most important aspect of this class was learning how to put a unit plan together. Unit plans are one of the most important things you need to know in order to teach a class because your lessons and activities are based off of them. I was disappointed in myself this semester by allowing myself to fall behind on individual work. When it came to group work I was always prepared and had my work done. If I could do it again I would make sure I would stay on task because I let myself become overwhelmed this semester.
I'm have enjoyed my past two semesters with Dr. Smirnova and I am very thankful for everything she has taught me. This is a shout out to Dr. Smirnova: Thank you for everything. I'm going to miss coming to class.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Role Play Interview
We had a day in class where we were able to do mock interviews. There were four students that were administration from different school districts looking for teachers to hire. They went around to the different groups asking questions based off the type of learning their school preaches. I found the questions they asked us intriguing. I liked the starter questions because they asked us what type of animal, bird, or color represents a teacher. I thought this was a cool way to start the interview because it really made us open our minds and think outside the box. What I found hard about it was that if we had an opinion about the type of learning we had to say what we thought the administrator would want to hear. For example Jen was direct instruction and one of the questions was why is direct instruction the best type of teaching practice? To me direct instruction can get boring but I had to come up with ways to make direct instruction look great.
Overall I really enjoyed this activity because I got to hear all the different types of questions that put me on the spot. It really got my mind thinking and showed me I have to step my game up for the real thing.
Field Work
Field work was a very stressful time for me. We had a short amount of time to get everything ready and our lessons were back to back in days. I had a lovely time working with my group but I felt that when we combined groups it was very chaotic. Having all those girls with everyone having all different ideas became frustrating because I felt like we could not get to a full agreement.
When we got into the classroom I was somewhat nervous because it was the first time we were teaching in front of an entire class. Our first lesson was a direct instruction and we made a Prezi for the class.
When we got into the classroom I was somewhat nervous because it was the first time we were teaching in front of an entire class. Our first lesson was a direct instruction and we made a Prezi for the class.
We started the lesson off by singing a song based off the children's song "Old McDonald." The students really seemed to enjoy it and sang along with us.
The students were well behaved for my group and listened intently. They were also eager to answer our questions. We did not have a worksheet for them to follow along with so we had them write definitions in their notebooks. Since our time was cut the students were rushed so I feel they were not able to write everything down to absorb the key concepts. Our wrap up to the lesson was very short, but I had prepared a Wordle for the students to look at and pick two words. The concept behind the Wordle was to have the students tell the class the definition of the word they chose.
I feel that in the short amount of time we had our lesson went very well. The Prezi was engaging and the students stayed on task. If I was to teach this lesson again I would make sure we have the right amount of time. I would also have a worksheet created for the students to follow along and fill in as we go.
Our second lesson I felt did not go well at all. The lesson was an inquiry based Artifact Bag, that was thought up by half of the members during a convention they went too. I felt the people who were not part of the planning (myself included) did not really understand what was going on when we were trying to get everything in order. I also felt that there was a lot of arguing online about what to do and what artifacts to use. Since the lesson was thought up the day before going to the classroom we were not able to use real artifacts. We only had print out versions of the artifacts, which would really not allow the students to get that hands on experience. When we got into the classroom we broke the class into groups of five or six giving each member an assigned job. This is where we lost control of the class. The teacher informed us that was the first time they were working and groups, which explained why the students were all over the place. Each of the teachers ended up working with a group to make sure they stayed on task by asking them questions and trying to engage them in their resources. In the group that I worked with the girl who was "time keeper" did not know how to read a face clock. She lost interest in the activity until a timer was put on the Smartboard. When the groups presented their findings they read off the sheet and did not explain how they determined what country their artifacts came from. If I were to do this lesson again I would get hands on artifacts so the students can actually see what they look like. I would break the class into smaller groups and try to form the lesson so I would not find the same problems
The final lesson went much better then the second lesson. It was a collaborative lesson on making a manor. The students task was to create a poster of their very own manor by drawing and placing stickers on a poster board. On the back of the poster they were to make a poem using the word "Manor." Before we started the lesson we asked the students what it meant to work in groups. We continued on by asking if anyone had ever been on a team. Most of the students had been on some sort of team before so we were able to ask them what characteristics made up a team. For this lesson we broke the class into much smaller groups and based it off where they sat. This avoided the class from getting up and moving around because that is what made everything so chaotic the last time. There were nine teachers so we made nine groups so each teacher could work with one group. The group I worked with worked very cooperatively with each other. They shared ideas and took turns drawing. The three girls kept telling me how much they loved this project. When it came to present they were very eager to show what they had drawn and what poem they came up with. When we were leaving my group members hugged me and said it was their favorite lesson. It made me feel good because this was the lesson I came up with so I felt accomplished.
Teaching these three lessons really opened my eyes to what teaching a full class is going to be like. I saw that things do not always go as planned but you can not have a mental break down you just need to keep going and improvise. I saw that it takes much planning to get lessons and materials together foe a class. Even though we only taught three out of six lessons I feel I would be able to go back and teach the entire unit being more prepared this time around. I truly enjoyed my field work experience and learned a lot from it.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Current Events
I think it is important to have current events in the classroom. When I was in school we did current events every Friday in almost every grade. In first grade the class received the above magazines. We would look through them on our own and then read the articles out loud to the class. In sixth grade we were required to get our own current event and write a paper on it to share with the class.
I would use current events in the classroom because it is good to have students keep on the news. I think I would do it the same way I was taught because it is very engaging,
Bullying
I watched the web cast for the Bullying Convention. I found it very interesting because it seems that cyber bullying is happening more and more. Facebook and other social networks have become the source to why children are committing suicide. Parents have also made fake profiles to hurt a child that upset their child. Sadly bullying happens everyday. I myself was bullied in high school in person and online. Educators need to be there for their students that way they feel like they have someone to go too. Schools should promote a safe environment to their students do they feel comfortable going to an adult.
Article Review
I truly enjoyed this article because it was a full blown hands on experience the whole way. The method of teaching this social studies lesson was having the students do everything together on their own after the teacher gives them the information they needed to know.
This article had five different treasure hunt strategies to strengthen children’s perceptions of the past. The first strategy was to conduct a personal home furnishings inventory. The students had to chose a room in their home and use a home finishing inventory chart given out in class to describe what they see. When the form is completed the students should be able to figure out the time periods the furniture is from. This is a great activity because it allows the students to ask their parents the history behind their furniture if they have a real old piece in the house. The second strategy was the “then” and “now” class museum. Students would be looking at a Sears catalogue from 1897 and comparing it to a catalogue from present day. They would then be asked to bring in examples from the olden catalogue like a wooden spoon and have items from the new catalogue. The class would be set up as a museum to show the differences. Strategy three was plan an old object with new uses and this allowed the students to look at outdated models of different items and think of ways they could be used today. Strategy four was plan a grandparents day where the student goes through their grandparents garage or attic to look for “treasure”. The last strategy was a neighborhood treasure hunt. The students can break into groups or work alone to figure things out about their neighborhood. A treasure hunt list would be provided in class and they have to answer the questions.
What I like about this lesson is that it allows the students to do all different things. It allows them to get involved, research new things, interview their parents and grandparents and learn about the past. What I don’t like about this activity is that some of it may be hard for students. I was thinking that if the students home only had modern furnishings or they couldn’t go to a grandparents house they might miss out on a lot of things. Personally my favorite one was the grandparents strategy because when I go through my grandma’s house I always find cool things, but thinking about it, it’s hard to get to my grandma’s house because she lives over an hour away. I would find the neighborhood treasure hunt difficult because my neighborhood was built twenty years ago, so many of the items on that list would be impossible for me to find.
Overall I believe this could be a great activity but the teacher would have to do a little research about the students before it could be assigned. I think if the students can’t use their own homes then something should be arranged for them to go to a museum or an old historic house for them to conduct this activity. The idea behind this activity is great but it just might need to get tweaked for all the students to do it.
What is the difference between assessment and evaluation? Why are authentic assessments important?
Assessment:The evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality, or ability of someone or something
Evaluation:Act of ascertaining or fixing the value or worth of.
Authentic Assessment is important because it asks the students to complete real world tasks.
Do the formative assessments in the lesson assist the teacher in tracking students' progress toward constructing the lesson's major concepts? How?
I think formative assessments do help the teacher in tracking a students progeress because it can be done in the form of Observation, Journal, Check for Understanding, questions, Note-taking Pads, Thumbs up/down. It is for the teacher to keep a record of the students so they can go over what needs to be completed.
As you reflect on this chapter and what you see in the field placements for the program courses and what you read in the news, articles, or hear on the radio, does it appear that standardized testing impacts what and how things are taught in the schools? What needs to be changed in how students are taught and assessed in today's schools?
Sadly teacher's have to teach to the test and there is no room for "fun." I always hear that the state tests control the way the classroom works because there is sucha pressure on teachers to make sure the studetns pass. I think there should be less standardize testing in schools becaause the studetns don't have anny room to breath.
Assessment:The evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality, or ability of someone or something
Evaluation:Act of ascertaining or fixing the value or worth of.
Authentic Assessment is important because it asks the students to complete real world tasks.
Do the formative assessments in the lesson assist the teacher in tracking students' progress toward constructing the lesson's major concepts? How?
I think formative assessments do help the teacher in tracking a students progeress because it can be done in the form of Observation, Journal, Check for Understanding, questions, Note-taking Pads, Thumbs up/down. It is for the teacher to keep a record of the students so they can go over what needs to be completed.
As you reflect on this chapter and what you see in the field placements for the program courses and what you read in the news, articles, or hear on the radio, does it appear that standardized testing impacts what and how things are taught in the schools? What needs to be changed in how students are taught and assessed in today's schools?
Sadly teacher's have to teach to the test and there is no room for "fun." I always hear that the state tests control the way the classroom works because there is sucha pressure on teachers to make sure the studetns pass. I think there should be less standardize testing in schools becaause the studetns don't have anny room to breath.
Chapter 14
1. Identify the parts of the lessons described in the book. Name 3 types of assessment in both lessons. Provide examples. How do the formative assessments in the lessons assist the teacher in tracking students’ progress toward constructing each lesson’s major concept? What levels of Bloom's taxonomy are incorporated? Illustrate.
The different parts of each lesson are exploratory introduction, lesson development, and expansion. The three types of assessment that was used for both lessons are: Diagnostic, Formative, and Summative. The Diagnostic assessment was the teacher asking the different questions to get them thinknig about the lesson ahead of them. The formative assessment were the different checklists for the teacher to complete through out the lesson. the summative assessemtnt on the first lesson was for the students to draw a blueprint to a certain scale. The second lesson was to applie a rule to each item on the checklist. Formnative assessments in the lessons assisst the teacher in tracking students progress because it is a checklist. The teaacher can see what the students complete and what they don't and then use those checklists for information that she has to go over. I think all the levels of Bloom's taxonomy are used.
2. How do the formative assessments in the expansion phase enable the teacher to identify whether students are applying the concept?
The formative assessments in the expansion phase enable the teacher to identify if the studetns are apply the concepts because she has a checklist that asks to record whether the students are accuratley inidcating the scale they used in the drawing or to properly identify why rules are used in a game.
3. How does the summative evaluation enable the teacher to determine how well each student has constructed the major concept of the lesson?
The summative evaluation enables the teacher to see how well each student has constructed the major concepts of the lessons because that is basically the final project. That is when the student has to put everything they learned together.
T-Shirt
Can You Guess What I Mean?
This project was meant for us to introduce ourselves without using words. We were only allowed to put pictures and symbols and have the class try and guess at what we were trying to say. The first square we had to represent what our nationality is. The second square represent what we remember most about social studies in school. The bottom left square represents what has made me proud throughout my life. The bottom right square represents what makes us anxious about teaching.
My squares show my nationality is Italian and Czech. My social studies memory was going to Ellis Island and seeing the Statue of Liberty and then doing a class report on it. My proudest moment so far was going through school and making it to college. My anxiety of teaching is letting my work pile up and having anxiety over the overload. (Which I can't seem to break my habit of letting things build up.)
I enjoyed this activity because I enjoyed being creative. I liked the fact that we weren't allowed to use words because it forced me to think outside of the box and really try to get the right pictures to get my point across.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
From Tree to Paper
Read the Learning Cycle Lesson Plan, From Tree to Paper, on pp. 18– 21. Reflect further on it using the following questions. Write down your responses and, if possible, discuss them with a peer.
1. What are two different assumptions the teacher made about the prior knowledge and experiences of the young students for whom this lesson was planned?
2. How do the key questions asked in the exploratory introduction tie into the phases of the lesson?
3. What lesson development activities help to explain how events are sequenced by the learner?
4. What is the purpose of the closure at the end of the lesson development phase of the lesson?
5. During the expansion phase of this lesson, how does the teacher help students expand on their more developed abilities, sequencing events beyond what was done earlier in the lesson?
6. How does the teacher “ wrap- up” the lesson?
7. To what extent will the summative evaluation activity let the teacher know how well each student has developed his or her ability to sequence events to a higher level than existed before the lesson?
2. How do the key questions asked in the exploratory introduction tie into the phases of the lesson?
3. What lesson development activities help to explain how events are sequenced by the learner?
4. What is the purpose of the closure at the end of the lesson development phase of the lesson?
5. During the expansion phase of this lesson, how does the teacher help students expand on their more developed abilities, sequencing events beyond what was done earlier in the lesson?
6. How does the teacher “ wrap- up” the lesson?
7. To what extent will the summative evaluation activity let the teacher know how well each student has developed his or her ability to sequence events to a higher level than existed before the lesson?
2. The key questions tie into the phases of the lesson because it asks the students where they think paper comes from. The second part of the lesson is the paper making process so the students can connect the questions about where paper comes from to the sequence of how paper is made.
3.The teacher reads From Wood to Paper to the students making sure the students pay attention to the sequence described. The teacher then models sequencing with three artifacts before the hands the students their artifacts and tells them to sequence it.
4. The purpose of the closure at the end of the lesson is for the students to sum up everything they just learned. The closure gives the main picture to what sequencing is allowing the students to all put their input.
5. The expansion part of the lesson makes the students think beyond what the lesson was asking them. The expansion is asking them to think about what happens to the paper after it is done being made. The students add it to their sequencing chart and have to write a little explanation about it.
6. The teacher has the students briefly describe the sequence of activities within the lesson.
7. The summative evaluation has the student do sequencing of three events on their own using a rubric to follow. This shows the teacher if the students truly understood what sequencing was without her help.
Social Studies Textbook
I would recommend this textbook to any student because I feel it is a level up from a regular textbook becauase there are real stories and pictures from real classrooms.
Chapter 1 Reflection
Six Concerns of state standards:
1.The standards are too broad in nature making them too difficult for teachers to understand and present in age appropriate ways.
2.The standards stress low-level thinking and memorizing of trivia or facts that are not meaningful to children, youth, or adult life and fail to promote in- depth examination or learning.
3.There are too many standards to complete in a year’s time.
4.The standards are static and/ or archaic and do not allow for local needs, current events, or unique occasions to be examined.
5.The standards are too dictatorial and undermine opportunities for students’ and teachers’ decisions to be incorporated into the curriculum.
6.The standards are too open and encourage teachers to make too many of their own decisions, so there is no continuity in the social studies curriculum from year to year.
1. Write a response in regard to the six concerns listed above, giving examples from your state’s standards indicating whether the concern is or is not justified.
Grade 3:
1. I think that the NYS standards are very complex. There are different levels for each standard and I feel they get very confusing. I do not think they are too difficult to figure out an age for them because the standards go by grade level.
NYS Grade Three Standards
NY.1. Strand / Standard: History of the United States and New York Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York. <---- This is the main strand of the standard. This is what the teacher will be focusing on for her lesson.
1.1. Strand / Performance Indicator: The study of New York State and United States history requires an analysis of the development of American culture, its diversity and multicultural context, and the ways people are unified by many values, practices, and traditions. <----This is what the students will be studying in depth. It is a piece of the top strand.
1.1.1. Performance Indicator: Students know the roots of American culture, its development from many different traditions, and the ways many people from a variety of groups and backgrounds played a role in creating it. <----This is an even deeper level of the standard. This piece is one section from the strand that is listed directly above.
To me having all those levels for standards make choosing very difficult. There are so many options that it seems very time consuming to read through every single strand to get the right one for the lesson.
2. I feel that the standard speaks for itself. I think it is up to the teacher to promote in-depth life learning. The standards are only there to support your lesson but it is up to the teacher to make the lesson real.
3. I think there are way to many standards to complete in a years time. I feel this way because of all the different levels one strand has. There are five main strands many performance indicators and sub performance indicators.
4. I feel like the standards are not archaic because it is social studies. History does not change because it is the past. If anything new standards can be added (even though I feel there are a lot already) for the new current events that happen.
5. I feel like the standards are very straight forward. Look at comment 2 for response.
6. I feel like there is continuity from year to year because each school year connects on each other. Every time you move up a grade all the history you learned in past years link to the new year of social studies. I feel like the standards explain their purpose well enough.
2. Conclude your comments by describing a social studies idea, value, or skill that you might teach at this grade level to address one or more of your state’s standards in a positive and meaningful way with students. Many states include twenty- first-century technology standards and reading / literacy standards as a part of the standards for each of the school subjects.
Students need to learn values that last a lifetime. I would teach third graders Civics because I feel that is the basis of social studies. I would teach it in a way for the students to be interactive and stay interested.
3. Do you find evidence in the state’s standards at this grade level that indicates a teacher is to relate technology or literacy specifically to the content and the special skills used in the teaching of social studies? If so, give examples of such evidence.
No I do not see standards that integrate technology or literacy.
4. Do you conclude that the emphasis on learning skills in your state’s standards is or is not focused on mastering social studies with its essential and unique skills and values?
I do not think the standards focus on mastering social studies because there are too many standards to keep track off. I have an example of the state standards listed in the above questions. The standards have so many levels but they all seem similar hence the reason I feel that the standards too confusing.
1.The standards are too broad in nature making them too difficult for teachers to understand and present in age appropriate ways.
2.The standards stress low-level thinking and memorizing of trivia or facts that are not meaningful to children, youth, or adult life and fail to promote in- depth examination or learning.
3.There are too many standards to complete in a year’s time.
4.The standards are static and/ or archaic and do not allow for local needs, current events, or unique occasions to be examined.
5.The standards are too dictatorial and undermine opportunities for students’ and teachers’ decisions to be incorporated into the curriculum.
6.The standards are too open and encourage teachers to make too many of their own decisions, so there is no continuity in the social studies curriculum from year to year.
1. Write a response in regard to the six concerns listed above, giving examples from your state’s standards indicating whether the concern is or is not justified.
Grade 3:
1. I think that the NYS standards are very complex. There are different levels for each standard and I feel they get very confusing. I do not think they are too difficult to figure out an age for them because the standards go by grade level.
NYS Grade Three Standards
NY.1. Strand / Standard: History of the United States and New York Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York. <---- This is the main strand of the standard. This is what the teacher will be focusing on for her lesson.
1.1. Strand / Performance Indicator: The study of New York State and United States history requires an analysis of the development of American culture, its diversity and multicultural context, and the ways people are unified by many values, practices, and traditions. <----This is what the students will be studying in depth. It is a piece of the top strand.
1.1.1. Performance Indicator: Students know the roots of American culture, its development from many different traditions, and the ways many people from a variety of groups and backgrounds played a role in creating it. <----This is an even deeper level of the standard. This piece is one section from the strand that is listed directly above.
To me having all those levels for standards make choosing very difficult. There are so many options that it seems very time consuming to read through every single strand to get the right one for the lesson.
2. I feel that the standard speaks for itself. I think it is up to the teacher to promote in-depth life learning. The standards are only there to support your lesson but it is up to the teacher to make the lesson real.
3. I think there are way to many standards to complete in a years time. I feel this way because of all the different levels one strand has. There are five main strands many performance indicators and sub performance indicators.
4. I feel like the standards are not archaic because it is social studies. History does not change because it is the past. If anything new standards can be added (even though I feel there are a lot already) for the new current events that happen.
5. I feel like the standards are very straight forward. Look at comment 2 for response.
6. I feel like there is continuity from year to year because each school year connects on each other. Every time you move up a grade all the history you learned in past years link to the new year of social studies. I feel like the standards explain their purpose well enough.
2. Conclude your comments by describing a social studies idea, value, or skill that you might teach at this grade level to address one or more of your state’s standards in a positive and meaningful way with students. Many states include twenty- first-century technology standards and reading / literacy standards as a part of the standards for each of the school subjects.
Students need to learn values that last a lifetime. I would teach third graders Civics because I feel that is the basis of social studies. I would teach it in a way for the students to be interactive and stay interested.
3. Do you find evidence in the state’s standards at this grade level that indicates a teacher is to relate technology or literacy specifically to the content and the special skills used in the teaching of social studies? If so, give examples of such evidence.
No I do not see standards that integrate technology or literacy.
4. Do you conclude that the emphasis on learning skills in your state’s standards is or is not focused on mastering social studies with its essential and unique skills and values?
I do not think the standards focus on mastering social studies because there are too many standards to keep track off. I have an example of the state standards listed in the above questions. The standards have so many levels but they all seem similar hence the reason I feel that the standards too confusing.
Friday, December 2, 2011
BizWorld
BizWorld is a cool website that has great economic projects for children. The project I really liked was the BizMovie. BizMovie is a hands on activity that allows students to work in groups, to produce, market, and sell tickets to their movie. The purpose of this project is for students to learn what it takes to start and run and movie production business. They will be able to use marketing skills to run their company and incorporate stocks and sell shares for their company. The project includes BizBucks for the students to use for stocks in the class. The packets that are provided for the students are amazing with all the different aspects it makes them do. I would use this in my classroom for upper grade levels because it has a lot of higher level math and forces the students to use all different resources.
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