Dear Diary,

I have always had a secret desire to keep a journal, and feel twinges of jealousy when I hear about others who are so faithful to one. Several times in my life, I have begun to write one, but have never stuck with it for more than a week or two. Last semester, we had to write some journal entries, and I thoroughly enjoyed that. The blog, however, is a whole new ballgame, and it is satisfying in a way that is a little frightening--I must admit it, Diary! The formatting and addition of pictures is one reason for that, but the other aspect that really engages me is the fact that it is out there for others to see. A private journal allows a person to say anything at all; a public blog requires restraint and reflective consideration. I believe that there is a place for each in my life.

In terms of this course, the blog has given me the opportunity to reflect on different elements of social studies and its place in the grand scheme of school. Even more than writing, I have enjoyed reading my peers' blogs, and finding new ways of thinking about issues that I thought were already settled. I think that the blog provides a place for creative, constructive thinking and discourse, and I am hooked. For the record, Diary, nothing about the blog has hindered my learning experience in this course.

History has always been one of my favorite subjects, both in-school and out. The idea of 'what has gone before' is endlessly fascinating, and I am looking forward to teaching it to what ever grade I end up with. To be honest, Dear Diary, the other aspects of social studies were not as appealing to me, but after conducting the History Through a Child's Eyes interviews, I am chomping at the bit to explore economics and geography with elementary students! In addition, developing the annual plan and unit have made me feel much more comfortable with the idea of teaching all of those NCSCOS objectives in one year.

Other highlights:

• All of the work on Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings has created a monster! I am so enthralled with the idea of essential questions and how they will guide my preparation.
• The emphasis on integration has reignited my passion for relevant teaching. I want students to understand why they have to learn social studies, and see how it fits with math, science, language arts, and everything else. And how everything else fits with each other!
• The importance of encouraging social activism in the students in authentic, meaningful ways.
  

So, Diary, I am leaving this class with the same level of enthusiasm for teaching social studies and the arts, but I now feel armed to do it in a way that will matter.

xoxoxoxoxo,
Christa

The History of the World According to [insert name here]

In considering the issues of point of view, perspective, and bias, I cannot help but think about a piece that our cohort read in our Diverse Learners class by Sapon-Shevin about an inclusive classroom. The author made the case for inclusion of all types of learners in the classroom, and the role of the teacher in creating it. Thinking about the sources of historical content is one tiny facet of this inclusive classroom, because all written history is not created equal; in perpetuating false or biased information, it is possible to alienate some of the very students that we wish to include.

Growing up, I did not realize that the history I was learning in school might be from one or two people's perspective. I took it at face value, because that is what my teachers presented, and it was what the history books said. Some of my favorite books to read as a pre-teen/teenager were biographies of men in the Wild West (e.g., Jim Bowie, Kit Carson, Buffalo Bill); I never considered that from an American Indian's point of view, those guys were not as much heroic as brutal.

It wasn't until I was much older, studying and working in theatre, that I started to think outside the box. I learned that history books are written from someone's perspective, and no matter what, some bias will probably always be present. That is why it is essential that we learn how to think. These days, I try really hard to think about all sides of an issue, even if I am leaning towards one point of view or perspective. Since we always bring our own perspective to any process, it is important to remember that our point of view might be skewed--or even wrong! As teachers, we have to be vigilant about leaving our point of view, perspective, and bias at the door (as much as is humanly possible), so that we are able to accept the views of our students and their families. This is not easy, but it is essential. Otherwise, we may risk inadvertently hurting feelings or causing pain.

In terms of teaching students who are English language learners, I plan to work with them in many of the same ways that I will work with native English speakers. I will get to know them as individuals, learning about their interests and learning styles. I will try to get to know their families, as well, and to develop a non-academic relationship with them. I will create tiered lessons to support and scaffold their learning, and will not hesitate to ask an ESL teacher to help me with strategies and lesson development. From a socials studies point of view, I will make sure to consider the backgrounds of all of my students, and encourage them to share their knowledge about different aspects of their culture--from their point of view, of course. I will never ask a student from another country to speak for everyone from that country; I will, however, ask them to assist me in learning more about themselves.

An inclusive classroom consists of a group of people who are respected for who they are and where they come from. It is not judgmental, biased, or bigoted. It is an open place that accepts people from all backgrounds, and seeks to learn more about all of its members. My goal is to create an environment in which all students feel valued and validated. From my perspective, that's the way it should be.

If the text book contains the answers, then what are the questions? (Wiggins & McTighe, p. 125)

The above quote is a brain tickler, because it seems straightforward until you actually begin to think about it. What are the questions? And who says that the text book contains the answers?

Ever since we were introduced to essential questions last semester, I have been enamoured of them (so much so that I must use the English spelling of the word 'enamoured'). I love the idea of asking questions that cannot necessarily be completely answered. This is exactly why I do not believe that text books contain all of the answers, and why it is vital for teachers to venture out of the text book for ideas and information.

Why do we need to develop essential questions? There are many reasons that could be developed (hmm, that may be an essential question in-and-of-itself), but the one that makes the most sense to me, at this point, is this: in order for the 'answers' in the text books to attain any sense in the greater world, they must be put into context of something larger than a page in a book. How do the 'answers' in the text book affect us here and now? Why do we need to think about larger implications of local and world-wide events? Why does it matter that we learn these 'answers'?

In order for teachers to move beyond the answers in the text book, they must be willing to step out of the text-book-comfort-zone and ask some essential questions. The students may not be able to answer them, but even the consideration of essential questions is a step in the right direction of meaningful learning.

Why do we need to develop essential questions? Why, indeed.

Annual Plans: Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?

In preparing to teach each school year, teachers have numerous strategies for getting lessons and materials together. I can only imagine what all of these strategies look like. After reading various chapters from several books, and exploring a website, I am beginning to see how an Annual Plan might come together. It is not a fast way to work, but it seems as though it has some elements would tie in nicely with proven learning environments: clarity, consistency, and cohesion. And while there are some disadvantages to creating an Annual Plan, the advantages seem to outweigh them. Let's think about it...

Developing an annual plan, in which a teacher plans out units to cover the school year, requires the ability to see the big picture. A teacher must look at the NCSCOS and the school calendar and make them come together in such a way that the students leave having achieved the goals and objectives for their grade level. While the school year seems long at times, when looking at it all at once, in tandem with the large number of goals/objectives, suddenly the time seems WAY too short. An annual plan ensures that a teacher has thought about when he or she will teach each goal/objective for each subject.

The annual plan, once developed, enables the teacher to stay on track. It can be tempting to add this cool activity that ties in with a certain unit, but unless something else goes away (and the new activity is meaningful and ties in directly with the objectives), it needs to be filed away until another year. That's not to say that a teacher should not be flexible (I believe flexibility is one of the most important traits of an effective teacher!), but that he or she should trust that the time, energy, and thoughtfulness that went into creating the annual plan makes it stronger than any one-off activity will be. A plan keeps the teacher on task.

One vital service that an annual plan provides concerns integration and interdisciplinary teaching. By taking the time to plan for the entire year, the teacher can see how subjects fit together easily in different parts of the year. The plans for integration can be taken care of ahead of time, so that the integrated units/lessons can be carefully evaluated for learning potential.

An annual plan aligns perfectly with an effective learning environment. In planning all units/lessons ahead of time, the teacher is prepared, and can ensure that all activities are academically appropriate, all materials are gathered, and all procedures are ready to be presented. I predict that a teacher with an excellent Annual Plan feels confident and comfortable heading into school each day.

So, thumbs up for an annual plan. But what disadvantages should I consider?

The most obvious disadvantage in preparing an annual plan is that of inflexibility. After all, I stated earlier that flexibility is one of the most important traits of an effective teacher. How does a teacher change the annual plan when he or she discovers, through assessment, that the students need to spend more time on a unit (or two!)? What has to go? A perfectly planned annual plan might be difficult to tamper with.

Another disadvantage of an annual plan is consideration of the interests of the students. Obviously, the NCSCOS has to be followed, whether the students are interested in all of the individual objectives or not, but teachers still have ways to work student interest into the lessons. With an annual plan in place, how can a teacher ensure that students have the opportunity to explore their interests?

So, thumbs-down, too.

There are probably many other advantages and disadvantages that I don't know enough about to address. In thinking about my arguments for each, I tend to think that overplanning is better than underplanning, so I think that an Annual Plan gets thumbs-up, overall. It is important, of course, for a teacher to keep the disadvantages in the back of his or her mind when preparing the plan.

What about choosing resources at the beginning of making the plan? I am not sure how I feel about it, because on one level, it seems as though that means a teacher is preparing individual lessons first, as opposed to dealing with the big picture. On closer examination, however, if the teacher knows what resources are available, it will be easier to develop meaningful and authentic lessons that tie into the curriculum. For example, if a teacher really wants a certain community member to come in to speak to the class about the Civil Rights movement, and that person is only available in the spring of the year, then the teacher can work the plan to facilitate this visitor. Or, the teacher may decide that teaching the Civil Rights is not possible in the spring, so he or she can find a different guest or other resource.

I am hopeful that we will discuss this idea of resources at the beginning of planning, because even though I can come up with an example of how it might work, I also have questions about it. In some ways, it seems as though coming up with resources at the beginning goes against the idea of 'backwards design' (Wiggins & McTighe, 2006). I am curious as to whether I am unsure of what 'resources' means in this context, or if I just do not understand how they fit in at this point. I will definitely check out the blogs of my peers, to see what they have to say about it!

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2006). Understanding by Design (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill.

Dynamic Social Studies and the NCSCOS

This post originated on a group discussion board. The idea of Dynamic Social Studies, and the elements discussed below were taken from Dynamic Social Studies for Constructvist Classrooms (9th ed.) by George Maxim (2010). The curricular references are from the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (specifically 4th grade Social Studies), retrieved from: http://www.learnnc.org/scos/2003-SOC/4/


It seems to me that almost any Social Studies curriculum lends itself to becoming Dynamic; it depends on the teacher and how much time he or she is willing to commit. That being said, the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS) makes it easy to facilitate Dynamic Social Studies across all grades, because the goals and objectives seem to have been developed with the views of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) in mind.

Specifically for the fourth grade, the NCSCOS consists of a variety of goals and objectives that coincide directly with the idea of Dynamic Social Studies:

1. Respect for diversity: Goals 1, 2, 3, & 5 deal implicitly with the diversity of NC, covering the roles of different cultures and ethnicities within the state, as well as the impact that different groups have made. One example would be that of the 1960 Greensboro sit-in, in which four African-American men started the Sit-in Movement, which soon spread through other states. These men from NC were at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement, and in studying this event, students can see how a few people can make a huge impact on history.
Photo by Jack Moebis; retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/multimedia/photos/?c=y&articleID=81144307&page=2

2. Functional content: The wording of the NCSCOS in several places coincides with the idea of functional content, because it asks the students to analyze different aspects of NC history (e.g., Goal 4). Analyzing almost always leads to questions and differences of opinion, which show that Social Studies is constantly changing. Therefore, the students may pursue a line of discovery that another class doesn't even consider.

3. Constructivist teaching practices: As we have learned throughout our entire M.A.T. program, constructivism is a way of ensuring that the students are learning through discovery, especially when their specific level of learning is taken into consideration (i.e., ZPD). Dynamic Social Studies provides innumerable opportunities for incorporating constructivist teaching practices, and the NCSCOS does, too. For example, Goal 6 refers to the economic practices and principles in NC, providing obvious places for hands-on, constructivist activities (e.g., developing a classroom economy).

Image retrieved from: http://insiderspassport.com/images/colonialkids.png

4. Intrinsic motivation: In some ways, this one is the key, because without intrinsic motivation, the students will not take away a lot from a lesson. How is this developed? The teacher must find ways for the students to connect the the subject, whatever it may be. To me, NC Social Studies has built in interest, because this is where I live. But to a fourth grader, a teacher has to go further to make sure that the intrinsic motivation occurs. Goal 4 in the NCSCOS provides opportunities for this: in allowing the students to present holidays and religious ideas that they hold dear, they are more likely to be interested in learning about those of others (especially if, through excellent classroom management, the class environment is built on mutual respect).

5. Cross-curricular integration: Finally, cross-curricular integration allows all subjects to become Dynamic. It ensures that social studies and the arts do not get left by the wayside, since they are not covered in the EOGs, and it allows for a much more enriching learning environment. Letting the students discover how all subjects work together in an authentic way is a sure way to introduce real-life connections. Goal 7, for example, is all about technology. How can the technology of NC Social Studies be integrated into other subjects? Creating graphs (math) of social studies data; exploring the effects of different cultures on the environment of NC (science) through websites; producing narratives and expository writings (language arts) about different NC experiences and putting them in a blog.
Graph taken from 2000 Census.

Dynamic Social Studies aligns with the NCSCOS beautifully.

Now that's one well-planned Social Studies lesson!

It always seems impossible until its done. Nelson Mandela

What are the attributes of a meaningful, well-planned Social Studies lesson?

This question intrigues me, and I have sat down to answer it several times over the past two days; each time, I find that I am not quite ready to commit to my answer. However, the time has come to address these elusive attributes, so I will do my best to narrow the field.

Painting by Keith Rocco
The first attribute that is absolutely necessary is that of personal connection. The students must feel a connection to the material, or they will tune out and continue to feel that social studies is boring and has nothing to do with their lives. This sounds really simple, but can be difficult. After all, how can you really expect a student who has never been out of his or her home neighborhood to see the importance of Jamestown or Pompeii? A well-planned lesson, however, will find that connection, and help the student find meaning in these seemingly far-off events.



A well-planned Social Studies lesson should also include hands-on activities that are meaningful and directly connected to the objectives of the lesson and the curriculum. Lecturing to fifth-graders about the Mexican economy is a sure-fire way to lose them. Providing them with the opportunity to recreate that economy in the classroom allows the students to experience it in a way that can never be explained with mere words. My only memories of elementary school social studies are of the projects that we did, not of the lectures, notes, and reading.


Painting by John Trumbull
Another element that is critical, though not always possible, is that of primary sources. Providing students with access to all sorts of first-person accounts of events is one way to encourage connections to the past. It might take some extra research to discover primary sources for different aspects of a lesson, but the pay-off can be huge. Having the class recreate the signing of the Declaration of Independence (hands-on activity!) with several students reading parts of the actual document (primary source!) would be an interesting way to begin a discussion of what the Declaration of Independence actually means to this classroom today (personal connection!). Primary sources help the students begin to see the past in real, tangible events.

What about integration? I obviously believe that arts integration is important to social studies (see my previous post), but what about integrating math, science, and/or language arts? The simple answer is ABSOLUTELY!!!! Of course these subjects can and should be integrated with social studies. After all, social studies is the study of history, sociology, economics, anthropology, civic responsibility, and geography. Each of these elements involves math, language arts, and/or science, so the integration is a natural step when developing a lesson (or unit). In some ways, it is almost impossible to avoid integrating a social studies lesson! Seriously, though, integration allows students to learn in many different ways, and they can begin to see the connections between all subjects.

Finally, I think that an important aspect of preparing a social studies lesson is that of student reflection. By building opportunities for students to reflect on what they have discovered within a lesson, they can make connections to their own lives, and can hopefully begin to see how events in the past and in other places intertwine with our own experiences to form our society today. This type of reflection does not have to be formal, as in a journal, but could be within small groups or partnerships. Part of a reflection might be asking the students to make one connection with the Cherokee who were led away on the Trail of Tears, for example. If the lesson has provided opportunities for the students to explore the stories of people who were on this journey, and if they were engaged in meaningful activities when studying it, they will be able to make at least one connection to this seemingly far-off event. Painting by John Guthrie

In conclusion, there are probably attributes that I should add to my list, and as I learn more about teaching social studies, I will. But for now, my goal will be ensuring that personal connections, hands-on activities, primary sources, integration of other subjects, and student reflection are inherent in each and every lesson. Now that will be a well-planned lesson!

Visit to the NCMA

All images found on the NCMA website, unless otherwise noted.

I have long been a believer of arts integration within the subjects of language arts, science, math, and social studies, and have been known to step up on a soapbox about it from time to time. I will try to avoid too much 'soapboxing', but I cannot promise to stop it all together...

When I was in the fourth grade, my class came to Raleigh to see the sights that fourth-graders see. I vividly remember going to the art museum, which was housed downtown at that time. The huge portraits from the 17th and 18th century captured my imagination, and I loved looking at the subjects of those paintings. I have not thought about that visit in a long time, but I still remember being mesmerized at the way the artists had painted different types of fabric--they looked so real!

After returning to live in the Raleigh/Cary area in 1999, I visited the newer-now-old art museum innumerable times. I saw several special exhibitions (loved Monet to Moore!) and spent many hours perusing the permanent collections. I remember visiting with my daughter when she was two-and-a-half, spending the majority of my time hoping that she would not touch any of the artwork. From a toddler's point of view, many of the pieces in the collection look really, really tempting! Needless to say, the NCMA has long held a special place in my heart.

When the new expansion opened up in April of this year, I dearly wanted to be there for the grand opening. Due to homework deadlines and other end-of-the-semester projects, I was unable to do so, and until today, still hadn't found the time to visit. When Dr. Duncan let us know that we would be taking a tour of the museum, I was thrilled, because I was finally going to see the transformation for myself.

From Blue Ridge Road, the new building seems very imposing, almost cold and industrial. But seeing it from ground level, it has depth: the panels that make up the building are fascinating, and our charming docent told us that the building is composed of 40% glass. Forty percent! The skylights, which remind me of honeycombs, bathe the museum in soft, diffused light, and the super-high ceilings and windows to the outside make the entire building feel open, airy, and very welcoming. All of the art seems to have room to breathe.

So, I am enamored of this new building, but how does this affect my life as an elementary school teacher? Our delightful docent, a former teacher, gave our group many ideas in terms of incorporating the art of the museum into science, math, language arts, and social studies curricula, and I made a point to write down as many of her suggestions as possible. I also came up with several ideas of my own, and cannot wait to think about them in great detail. For now, I will just do a few broad brushstrokes (pun most definitely intended):

Ledelle Moe's Congregation (2006): used concrete and local dirt (from numerous locales) to sculpt heads; the heads from Raleigh have a distinctive 'red clay' tinge; link to Social Studies (e.g., universality, connections between people from different places, etc.); link to Science (e.g., why are the heads from Raleigh red?); link to Language Arts (e.g., write a story about the congregation); the students could create their own classroom congregation





Pierre-Jacques Volaire's The Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius: painted in 1777, not long after the discovery of Pompeii; Thomas Jefferson was greatly interested and influenced by this discovery; link to Math (e.g., classical architecture formulas); link to Science (e.g., volcanic studies, moon, what happens to hot lava when it reaches the ocean, comparison to other natural disasters--Katrina, Mt. St. Helen); link to Social Studies (e.g., timing of discovery of Pompeii, exploration of people who live close to potential natural disasters)









Devorah Sperber's After the Mona Lisa (2005): made from hundreds of spools of thread, and created by blowing up a digital copy of the Mona Lisa; the acrylic sphere allows the viewer to see the sculpture 'right-side-up'; link to Science (e.g., correlation to the function of a human eyeball, digital photography); link to Math (e.g., computing the number of spools of thread, measurement, scale, data analysis); link to Social Studies (e.g., icons, place in history)











Claude Monet's The Cliff, Eretrat, Sunset (1882-1883) & The Seine at Giverny, Morning Mist (1897): these paintings, shown together, provide a glimpse into the journey of an artist, particularly an Impressionist; link to Science (e.g., talk about the series that the painter did, and create some series of drawings/photographs of the movement of the sun at school); link to Social Studies (e.g., growth of skills, rebellion in terms of the Impressionist movement, how art comments on what is happening in a society, how society shapes
art/how art shapes society)





A couple of the sculptures gave me more to think about than the others, and I need to explore them in a little more detail...

One of the first sculptures that we saw as we entered the building, Libensky's Green Eye of the Pyramid (1993), is innovative and clever; I love clever. The green glass is cut so that, when viewed in front of a light source (i.e., a large window), there appears to be an eye in the middle of it. It would be perfect for a math lesson, because of the angles cut into the back of the glass, as well as the fact that it is shaped like a pyramid. Science could be explored, in terms of glass-making (wouldn't it be great to visit a glass-maker's studio?); I find it endlessly fascinating to know that glass is made out of sand. Sand!! How do they make different colors? How do they make different shapes? How do they make it at all? These questions could lead to discussions and discovery. The sculpture also has elements appropriate for social studies: pyramids are found in ancient societies all over the world. The artist even developed this art piece after his wife visited Mexico and saw some pyramids. What a natural segue into an exploration of Mexican culture! This one piece of green glass offers a myriad of lesson/unit opportunities. And we were barely through the front door!!

The following photo (on the right): Michael Richards with Tar Baby vs. St. Sebastian photo--Frank Stewart / The Studio Museum in Harlem
Retrieved from: www.lmcc.net/about/history
The piece that affected me the most was Michael Richard's Tar Baby vs. St. Sebastian (1999), because of the story of the artist, as well as the story of the sculpture. In 2001, I learned of the death of Michael Richards during the attacks on the Twin Towers (his studio was in one of the towers). So many stories were revealed to us in the days and weeks following 9/11, and that one stuck with me because I was taking an art class at the time, and we talked a lot about him and his legacy.

The sculpture, a monument to the Tuskegee Airmen, shows a World War II, African-American fighter pilot being bombarded by tiny airplanes; the face and hands were casts of the artist himself. The irony stuns. He was killed when airplanes flew into the building in which he worked. This irony provides an opening for meaningful and moving connections to be made with the past, in that it allows for exploration of many themes/ideas/history: segregation, Tuskegee Airmen, World War II, 9/11, etc. This one piece of art provides so many opportunities to discover history through reading, writing, and the arts. What would a dance based on this sculpture look like? What would music sound like? What type of poetry could you write? Why is he wearing that uniform? Why did he use his own face and hands to make the sculpture? What did the Tuskegee Airmen have to do with segregation and World War II? What was their contribution? Why does it matter? Even science can become involved: how is the sculpture held up by that tiny little tube? I could go on, but I think that I will wrap it up.

Art (in all forms) provides a way for people to think about themselves and the world in different ways. In presenting a particular point of view from a certain place in time, art can make history come alive and can unite people across all boundaries. It connects to--and provides links between--social studies, language arts, science, and math. In short, art should be integral to all learning experiences.

The caption on my soapbox clearly reads, "Integrate the arts when you teach, and your students will thrive!" I truly believe it, and am looking forward to doing just that. Bye for now...

Countdown...

In some ways, I feel like I am in the middle of a countdown. Well, several countdowns, to be exact. In less than a month I'll turn a certain age. On that same day, I'll also take the Praxis. Starting this Monday, there are only six weeks of summer school left and only about eight weeks until student teaching begins. Then graduation looms, followed most hopefully by some sort of employment.

Don't get me wrong, I am not counting down on purpose. I'm not trying to hurry this journey along, but it seems to be slipping away nonetheless. My goal is to embrace the remainder of my classwork and field experiences with gusto (I love that word, 'gusto'), try not to think too much about the birthday, and do my best on the Praxis and with student teaching. Time marches on, whether we want it to or not, so we might as well enjoy it!