The Decades

For the grand finale of our semester, our social studies methods class worked together in teams to present a Decades Project. Each group had selected a different decade, so that when we were done we had one group presenting the 1920's, the 1940's, the 1950's, the 1960's, and the 1970's.

 Groups researched their decades and were responsible for creating a PowerPoint, a poster, timeline or tri-fold, gathering artifacts that represented culture and history, and using authentic sound, video, and costume. Groups also created an activity and an assessment related to their decade.

One of the benefits of this project was that we were not only researching a time in history, but we were immersing ourselves in it. Another benefit was that were were able to learn from the presentations of our peers, and in the end discover much about the 20th century.

The Seventies and Student vs. Teacher Basketball

 During my field observation, I had the chance to be a part of the student vs. faculty basketball game, which is apparently quite an institution at the school. As a fun twist, the teachers and staff who play in the game dress up in the craziest seventies attire - and are sure to beat the students by just a little - although they have fun with it in finest Harlem Globetrotter style.

Coincidentally, around the same time that this game took place, in my college classes I was preparing a Decades Project with several classmates. This got me think about how a
teacher might be able to use even a basketball game, such as this one, as an extension of social studies learning.

So - here are some fabulous pictures of the game, with thoughts that after preparing a Decades Project (which will be a part of my next blog), that students could participate in games from their decade with the opportunity to rotate around and play the games of other decades, or perhaps all participate in a currently common game - such as basketball - with several teams made up from folks dressed from all different decades just for fun.

Social Studies and Tall Tales

A teacher in a classroom near mine just completed a unit on tall tales.

Students learned about the importance of story telling in cultures and history, and then studied the literary genre of tall tales. Student were first introduced to the real story of the characters within tall tales. After reading some historically accurate accounts, students discussed why/how a tall tale might evolve in a culture.

Students read a number of well-know tall tales, and then took time to construct a tall tale of their own.

I love the way this teacher integrated social studies, language arts (reading and writing), as well as some fun art. I was also impressed with how students were stretched to synthesize and apply what they had read and learned about the historical basis for tall tales as they constructed their own!

Cereal Box Book Reports

This super idea came from my field experience teacher.

Each student chose a fictional book of interest on his or her independent reading level. Students were given a week to read their book. Reading was done mostly at home. Some students used extra time in class to get ahead on their reading.

The teacher had a classroom aid wrap empty cereal boxes (brought in by the students) in white butcher block paper. Each student was given a box after they were wrapped.

Each student received a set of forms to be completed, along with a project rubric. The forms were used to help the students capture details from and summarize the stories they'd read.


In the end, each student was asked to create a fictitious "cereal-sounding" name for his or her
cereal that tied in the title or main characters/theme of the story they'd read. Students created an illustration for the front of their box using various art supplies and the new cereal name. On the left side of the box was the "Key Ingredients" which listed the setting, plot, theme, main characters, etc. On the right side of the box was the "Product Summary" which was a short summarization of the book. On the back each student was required to create a cereal box game which incorporated aspects of the story. Some students made crossword puzzles or word searches; others made riddles or jokes based on their books.




Extra credit was given to students who completed the required components and also made a story-linked prize to go in their cereal.


Students spent time practicing how they would advertise their cereal and book to their peers, and then each student presented their cereal box book report to the class. Students had their photos taken with an iPad while presenting and the photos and cereal boxes will be displayed in the classroom.

What a creative way for students to engage with a text, as well as other students. Students thought about the stories they'd read, aspects of advertisement, artistic design, writing, and how to engage their peers.

Art and Math

One thing I really appreciated about my field teacher this semester was her willingness to integrate mathematics and art. I love this because I believe it allows children who may otherwise struggle with the algorithms of math, to make connections to the patterns and beauty that are inherent to the study and understanding of math concepts.

When working on remediation in measuring to the nearest inch and half inch, the teacher had students practice this way:

First they used a ruler to measure by half inch increments along one long side of an 11 x 17 inch paper. Then, they continued that pattern along the opposite long side of the paper. Using the ruler, students then connected the marks they'd made to draw straight lines of half inch width. This process was hard for some and required scaffolding.

Next students made two random curvy lines perpendicular in orientation to the straight lines. The coloring came last, and students alternated two colors to create this impressive design. These also made for a really neat, math-oriented bulletin board display.

Similarly, the teacher gave students a paper with eight dots to begin her unit on faces, vertices, and edges of geometric shapes. The students used rulers to connect every point to every other point and then colored within the shapes formed to complete this beautiful 8-Point Design.

Heroes and Social Studies

Heroes are such an integral aspect of the study of cultures and societies - our values, morals, and beliefs about right and wrong as people groups throughout history. When working with my classroom teacher on a Rosa Parks unit during the month of February, I found it helpful to discuss heroic qualities with my students as way for them to clarify their thoughts in a prewriting exercise. One thing we did together was to create an anchor chart that recorded the students thoughts about what makes a hero.

First students engaged in an anticipatory set in which they took 1 minute to jot their thoughts about heroes on a Post-it note. Then students were given 1 minute to turn to a peer to discuss what they'd written. Students were then given 1 more minute to revise or add to their definition of a hero on their Post-it note.

After a lesson and discussion of heroism as it related to Rosa Parks, students dictated and I wrote their thoughts as we brainstormed the qualities of a real hero to create a classroom anchor chart. The students were then able to add their Post-it note definitions to empty areas of our poster. This anchor chart was used by students as they wrote an essay about why Rosa Parks is an American hero.

Art and Acrostics

Poetry and Art seem a natural fit, and I really thought that a friend of mine who teaches third grade did a neat job integrating the two with her students.








The teacher was doing a unit on different types of poetry, and had
already integrated art into the presentation of diamante poems, cinquain poems, and haiku poems, but was searching for a way for the children to have artistic expression in connection with an acrostic poem. That is when she came across this interesting method of design and decided to have students write an acrostic poem using their names. I think the results were aesthetically appealing, and the students had fun presenting their finished poetry.

Salt Dough Maps

 It was salty madness - I tell you! Arrrrhhhhhggggg! 

Here is a simple, inexpensive recipe that will have you on your way to getting your students aesthetically, kinesthetically, and analytically  involved in whatever content area it is applied - we used social studies - geography.

Making the Dough:  Mix 1 cup of salt, 2 cups of water and 1 cup water (or less) into a pliable dough. If the dough is too sticky, more flour may be added; if it is too dry, add a bit more water.

Dough batches can be sent in by parents to expedite the activity; or just request donations of ingredients from parents if you choose to integrate a bit of math measurement make the dough with the students in class.

You will also want rectangular or square sections of heavy cardboard to build maps upon (the lids of paper boxes work nicely), craft sticks and toothpicks for cutting dough and marking important features, rolling pins, paint (minimum brown, green, blue), brushes, 8.5 x 11 topographical map printouts, index cards and markers for labeling. You should also encourage students to bring any bits and scraps: foreign currency, buttons, small flags, Lego figures, etc. they want to use in representing their country.

Step One: Roll the dough out on top of the cardboard. You will want to leave it pretty thick. An alternative is to press and mold the dough only using your hands. This technique worked really well for one of our groups that tried it - and their resulting topographical map looked very authentic!

Step Two: Lay your printed out topographical map on top of the dough and cut around the perimeter.

Step Three: Remove the printed map and locate significant land forms such as rivers, bodies of water, mountains, as well as major cities or attractions. Mark them - we etched out rivers with toothpicks and took extra dough to form mountain ranges.

Step Four: Paint! Show your students how to use a gentle touch painting atop the wet dough. Gentle strokes and patting paint on works best.

Step Five: Label! While paint and dough are still wet, students may create mini flags using bits of card stock and toothpicks to label cities, rivers, mountain ranges, etc. Or - you may wish to give the maps 48 hours to dry, and then use fine tipped Sharpie markers to label directly on the dough.

Step Six: Reflect! We were encouraged to reflect on this experience at length - we journaled and we shared, but in an elementary school setting it would be a super extension for students to write or create power-points about their countries or states, to create lists of new vocabulary or terminology from their topographical maps, to identify features that match the five themes of geography, to share their countries in a presentation to another class, or to create quizzes for fellow classmates to take.

 

Geography and Poetry

Each student brought a picture from their neighborhood to spark a great discussion

We each...

Made our mobiles...

A little different from one another!

What better way to begin a study of geography that to begin with your students?

Each of us brought a photo of our neighborhood and placed it on the wall. Then our instructor asked us some guiding questions. We talked about perspective, commonalities, and differences. 

We incorporated discussion of geographical terminology (latitude, longitude, rural, urban, suburban) and other attributes of our community represented through our photos. We discussed what pictures tell us about the region and even the country. 

After our discussion we spent some time writing to prompts in our interactive notebooks - responses about our neighborhoods which we then shared with the class.

Then came my very favorite part! Poetry!!!! Our instructor presented the structure for a Cinquain poem. (I just finished doing these types of poems in my field experience classroom!) After working with a Cinquain help sheet, we each wrote poems about our neighborhoods (or neighbors). 

We integrated the poetry writing exercise with a little art extension - by which we "published" and displayed our poems from the classroom ceiling as mobiles! 

So super cool...making all these connections across so many content areas - Language Arts (Writing, Speaking), Social Studies, and Art. One of my favorite classes! Ready to do this with my own classroom of students!

Bre is up on the tables - hanging our Cinquain Mobiles!

Exploring Famous Works of Art

What are college students doing playing with shaving cream and paint, you may ask...Well - we are exploring the features of famous works of art! We began class by examining Vincent van Gogh's famous painting "The Starry Night." We made observations and discussed the painting at length. One of the most important things that we discussed was that it is unimportant that students in an elementary classroom try to re-create such famous works of art, but that it is worthwhile that they engage in discussions surrounding the great works of art, and then explore some of the techniques and qualities captured within those works. 

Our assignment for the evening was to capture a moment, emotion, thought, or feeling. The elements required were that we incorporate movement, texture, and color - as we had discussed with van Gogh's works. 

Then we went to work. First we spread the thick paper with a layer of shaving cream (when it dries it has a really cool impact on the texture of the art). Next we chose from a variety of paints, and using brushes, combs, fingertips, and craft sticks we worked the bold colors of paint into the shaving cream. 

To finish, we added texture and movement, again using combs, brushes and fingertips. As we were finishing up, our instructor gave us black sheets of construction paper  Earlier in the evening Lauren had noted that she really loved the silhouette at the forefront of "The Starry Night." To expand on this student observation, we were to each use the paper to create a silhouette for our impressionistic work. 

Using Puppets in the Classroom

During this class we spent time discussing multiple intelligences in a small group setting. After we shared the results of our own multiple intelligences tests, we analyzed how such knowledge can inform instruction and be applied to the experience of arts and other content areas in the classroom. For the later part of the class we selected picture books and hand puppets to develop a language arts experience for students which would include an arts element (drama/storytelling/theater)

One of the most important things we discussed was how to facilitate these types of experiences in an upper elementary setting, where older students may feel apprehensive about "playing with puppets" or find it embarrassing to act in front of peers. Several suggestions were made to increase participation and enjoyment among older students. Suggestions included selecting texts which appeal to the age group or allowing the students to perform the puppet show or dramatic act for a specific purpose such as for younger groups of students (a Kindergarten or first grade class) or for parents (parent night) or for community groups (a public library story hour). 

As you can see - even us adults had a lot of fun while learning!

A Classroom Trade Fair

Some students purchased items to trade - such as these home-style breads.

This semester we participated in a classroom trade fair. This is how it worked:

Each student was told to bring items from home. We could bring just one item or multiple items - the choice was ours but we were told to keep in mind the principles of supply and demand. Some people chose to purchase items, others chose to make items, and others gathered odds and ends from around the house.

Sarah used a frame to make a unique dry erase board.

On the day of the trade fair, each student cleared their desk and displayed their "items for trade." Each student was given an index card. The index card was folded once, so that it would stand upright like a place card. On one side students listed the items for trade and the "terms" of trade - if items were being traded as a whole group or individually. On the other side of the card, the students wrote "closed" - which they were to use when all of their items had been traded.

After setting up our trade fair items, we took a moment to review rules - no touching the trade fair objects was the big rule! The entire class was given two minutes to silently look over all the trade fair object and then the floor was opened for trading.

It was a very interesting experience. It was most interesting to note what other students brought in to trade, as well as to note which items were "hot sellers," being traded multiple times and for multiple items!

Emily made these beautiful bookmarks to trade.

After the trade fair we looked over 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade Social Studies, Language Arts, and Math Standards to see possible activity extensions and further applications for the classroom.

This was one of the most productive in-class activities I have been a part of.

I am not sure whether Carmen purchased these
for the trade fair - or whether they were "odds
and ends" from around her house...but I was
super glad that she traded with me - I wore
them to field experience the next day.

Lauren found these in her attic or basement - some 

funky old hats and scarves...she

traded them for a "mystery bag."

This was the hottest item at the trade fair - brought by Aubrey. It was traded at least two or three times before Lauren ended up with it. This paper sack labeled "Mystery Bag" created quite a stir...people weren't sure whether to fight for it or whether it was a giant prank...with Aubrey you never know! In the end, Lauren won out...and she SCORED! Big time. It was FULL of all kinds of unique scarves - some for your hair, others for your neck...most of them were super cute! Lauren was so nice and gave a few away...what a fun trade fair item! Ahhhh...the allure of mystery!

Personal Artifacts Project

A exercise in self reflection:

Our assignment was to bring in five personal artifacts that represent who we are - or something important about us. I thought that this assignment would be challenging for me - but it turns out I am not really that complex :-) I found it easy to choose five items.

The first item I selected is my Bible. From the age of thirteen, the Bible has been a source of guidance and hope for me - and my faith really defines many of the decisions I have made in my life. To me, the words within are are like fresh water - often giving me strength and bringing me peace. I included two other books - one is a family album that I put together during the years I lived in Bulgaria. The five years of my life that were consumed with raising funds and preparing to go to Bulgaria - and then living there - were really tremendously life changing years for me. They are years which changed me dramatically in so many different ways. The other book I included is an album of portraiture that I assembled while taking a course in digital photography. In it I represented the techniques of many famous artists through unusual portraits of myself, my mother, my husband, and my children. I chose to include this album because I feel it represents the creative side of me - which I do not always have a chance to express. I was also pleased to include both of these books - because both are stocked with fabulous photos of my precious loved ones - and this represents me because my family is so important to me - so the books each served a dual purpose! The fourth item I included was my passport. I love to travel and discover new places, people, cultures, and foods - I love adventure. I never want to live my life in fear or with regrets. The fifth item I included in my personal artifacts is my university ID card. Returning to school has pretty much consumed the past four years of my thoughts and time - so I thought it appropriate to say that the university ID card is a very accurate representation of me right now.

I think this would be a wonderful activity for an upper elementary or high school classroom. This is not only a great opportunity for students to reflect and make personal connections - and for their classmates and teacher to know them better - it is also an activity with potential for extensions of writing and the social studies explorations of famous peoples or groups of people and the artifacts which might represent them.

Whitwell Middle School Paper Clip Project

What an incredibly moving experience today, as we spent time in Social Studies methods watching an hour-long documentary on the Holocaust Project undertaken at Whitwell Middle School of Whitwell, Tennessee beginning in 1998 and continuing today. I won't recount the entire story, but encourage anyone interested to scout out the video for themselves. I have shared just a few photos here - and want to share just a few impressions.

This photo is from the documentary - showing an eighth-grade class in Whitwell with their vice principal.

The first thing that caught my attention was the purpose given for embarking on this project. The school's principal, vice principal, and social studies teacher felt a need to facilitate a project which would promote an understanding of diversity and tolerance within the children of their overwhelmingly homogeneous community.  We should all be so bold!

Secondly, the project was SO inquiry method! What a fine example of a project being student-led. AND I love that the teacher did not feel the need to "wrap things up" at the end of the year, but was willing to allow the project to spill over for four more years...and even to today. The paperclip idea all began with one student asking "What is six million?"...

The class wrote away to celebrities in effort to collect six million paperclips to represent the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. After NBC caught the story...and after four years of effort, the students had more than 29 million paperclips, each with a unique story.

I was so thankful that the German couple (reporters) got involved, showing the students that though the Holocaust occurred in Germany, Germans are not monsters, just regular folks like you and I. We must all remember and bear the burden of human responsibility for the monstrosity of Hitler's acts and regime.

This authentic German railroad car was a gift from the German reporters, long-time friends of the school's project. It is now filled with 11 million paperclips, and stands as a memorial within Whitwell to the Holocaust victims and survivors.

Finally,  I was blown away thinking about the long-term impact that this incredibly integrated project has had and will continue to have not only upon the students of the school (over multiple years), but upon the entire community - as well as the countless other schools and communities which were touched by this project in some way. What a phenomenal memorial - not only to the Holocaust victims and survivors, but to the profound potential of sound, daring education!

An Inch Of Beauty

Our puzzle BEFORE.

 In this class, we spent time reflecting upon the concepts of "beauty" and "creativity." What do we mean when we tell a child to be more creative? How does it effect that child? What is a "beautiful" picture?We discovered is how closely beauty is connected to our emotions and perceptions.

Creativity is personal; it is highly subjective. It changes in definition depending upon culture, society, personal understanding, information, personal experience and association.

We spent some time sharing our personal "inch of beauty" images and objects (brought from home).

Next, each member of the class conveyed their sense of beauty on one of the puzzle pieces.This was a soothing and reflective activity following a long day in our field experience classrooms.


Each of us used different art supplies - crayons, markers, colored pencils, paint,  etc. Some of my classmates saw beauty in abstract ways - just colored with bright colors. Others made recognizable pictures or specific designs.

Here is our finished puzzle. My contribution is in the lower left-hand corner.

Our finished pieces were placed back together to create a beautiful puzzle...a montage of beauty from multiple perspectives. 

This would be a great activity for any elementary classroom during the first week of classes - what a great way to open conversations on diversity, respect, and individual perspectives!