June Activity

I found the book The American Revolution, a History by Gordon S. Wood to be an interesting, but less engaging book than Joy Hakim's text. The book by Wood certainly went into much more detail than the Hakim text, but the thing that was missing for me was the actual photo, illustration, or trivia that Hakim used. I compared the section in Wood's text where he discussed the writing of the state constitutions. This section was very engaging and interesting, but I felt much more connected to the Hakim text, which shows actual pictures of the New York State Constitution and the North Carolina Constitution, as well as important details about the information shared. 

I feel that the Wood text is much more appropriate to be used as a background text for teachers to use to build their base knowledge on this period in American history. The Hakim text is a book that I would actually use with my students to show them primary sources to help them to understand the facts that are given. 

An interesting "sidebar" to the Wood text was that while I was reading it, the movie "The Patriot" came on AMC on cable. Of course, I just happened to be reading the Wood text and could add commentary about Cornwallis at the end of the movie to my husband based on what I had read.I guess the point is made that we as teachers need to build our base knowledge about historical events. We can then help our students discern what is fact and what is fiction in the movies and other media that they often rely on to build their knowledge of our nation's past.

Joy's Book is a Joy!

I truly enjoyed reading Joy Hakim's book.  I have always been a trivia buff, and this book certainly was a treasure of information for me. I have taught lessons on many of the topics that Joy shared in her book, and I look forward to incorporating this new information into my lessons. I loved her technique of sharing historical information in a narrative instead of the lists and third person point of view that is used in typical textbooks. I think my fifth graders would love her style and would be more excited to learn about some of the events of this time period if it was presented in this new approach.

Joy certainly seems to be a writer with a sense of humor! Her stories certainly capture some of the more unusual and funny events that happened during a very serious time in history. I love some of her clever titles ("Party on, George", "Senior Citizen's Arrest", and "They Called It Macaroni"......!).  I learned that Thomas Jefferson was a fiddler, asked his secretary William Short to buy him a pasta maker in Europe, and was 6 feet 2 inches tall....! I certainly wouldn't learn these unique and unusual facts in a regular text.

Hakim also used primary sources throughout her text. This connects with our readings on brain studies and how people learn. As a classroom teacher, I could use her examples of primary sources in the text as a springboard for hands-on activities in the classroom. It is a reference that I feel would have many applications. After reading this text, it is a bit unattractive to use texts that are presented in a dry, unengaging style like our typical textbooks.

April Assignment

These videos and articles were very interesting. I learned that teachers should increase the amount of active learning that they use with their students. This will appeal to both sides of the brain and increase learning in students.

We also need to make sure that our students are learning in a safe environment. I was intrigued to learn about how fear can affect learning. We look at some of the other factors that affect instruction, but with all of the focus on bullying in schools today, we cannot downplay how the fear of someone or something in school (a scary, gruesome picture on a wall or in a book) can really affect young learners. I think that we need to work hard not to overlook this as an issue as we plan our teaching.

After reading the research, it also is disturbing to think that schools are cutting art, music, and physical education programs.  If we want our students to be well-rounded learners who are making "adequate yearly progress", we cannot forget that we need to teach more than reading and math. We cannot forget about the connections between both sides of the brain and the impact of things like music or physical activity on learning.

Trying Something New......!

They say that you are never too old to try something new! Well, as a seasoned (should I say veteran?) educator, I think that this course is going to stretch me to try many new things. I have posted comments on a Wiki within my district, but posting on (and setting up) a blog is a new experience for me. I guess as a Social Studies teacher I should take my inspiration from Benjamin Franklin. He was always inventing, and always looking for new opportunities to serve and to learn, even in the later part of his life. I hope that this course does that for me...!