Anyone? Anyone?....Bueller?

Before I write anything more, please watch this video. 

This is the typical history class today, right? Only in our generation it is students begging to watch National Treasure instead of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

What a tragedy. If you have been reading most of my posts you know my position on the importance of history. History is just begging for it's presenters to make it interesting. In my eyes Historians and teachers of history are storytellers. So with that, I couldn't ask for a better connection to incorporating literacy into the classroom.

Many times when talking about comprehension, vocabulary, writing instruction and reading, one instantly thinks of their English class. Well PSYCH! history is taking them over and making students become masters in all of these. Think back to your history classes. You were asked to read a selection of text, analyze it, pay close attention to the new vocabulary in the selection, and then came back to class and discuss what you had learned (or remembered at least). What is this if not the perfect equation of literacy greatness? Here are some of my goals as a history teacher.

GOAL ONE

Teach students how to write. 

GOAL TWO

Help students begin to question their surroundings by developing deeper thinking skills. 

GOAL THREE

Create situations for students to practice discussion and speaking in front of a large group.

GOAL FOUR

Teach students how to read analytically, and how to pick out the important information in a text.

GOAL FIVE

Help students connect what they are learning in school to their actual lives. 

GOAL SIX

Create a successful group of historically-minded young adults that strive to do well in whatever they set out to do. 

Now, I don't doubt that every potential teacher--just about to start their student teaching, rejoicing that they just walked out of their last college class--has these goals. But let me tell you what I have learned during my education here at Utah State that I hope will help me achieve these goals. 

Being able to write well will get you A's in college, and maybe even get a promotion in your job. As a teacher it is crucial to help your students learn how to create a successful paper. First, don't ever give your students a writing assignment and label it a "punishment". Help students develop their voice when writing. Teach them how to write to different audiences. When writing for history classes make them realize if you back up your argument with specific evidence you will always win. My history classes prepared me for writing in college and I want to do that for my students as well.

Social studies classes are a great place to learn about what you really think about the world and life in general. Here at Utah State, I had the chance to create a controversial lesson plan. The purpose was to help students develop their own ideas about these topics by supplying information for both sides of the issue. They then had to study all of the material and be prepared to argue for either side when they came to class. Once in class they were given their position and prepared to debate the issue with their teams. We modeled one of these lessons in our social studies methods class and I loved it. It gets students talking and gives them a chance to practice important discussion skills. The students run the entire class, from how long each side gets to talk, to how they have to be recognized to speak. When we did this exercise in class we had a city council that the teams were trying to persuade to vote for them. I was the Head Chair person and made everyone address me as Madame Chair before they spoke. I probably had way too much fun creating the rules for the activity, now that I think about it. Oral language in the class is one of the best ways for students to learn and teach one another.

Reading in history is one of the most important skills to develop. There is so much material that teachers can bring into class like letters, primary source documents, journal articles just to name a few. But if students don't know the tricks to reading and understanding these texts the meaning will be lost. I hope to introduce comprehension and new vocabulary to my students in a way to help them get the most out of these texts. I plan to have vocabulary for each unit and have them work with the words in at least three different ways. That way they will be exposed to it more times and actually learn the meanings and not just copy down the definitions. By allowing for students to have some sort of choice with what they are reading, hopefully it will be able to connect to what they are interested in. One way of doing this is with a literature circle, which was what my last post was on. History is a great place to look to understand the present. My incorporating current events in with the lessons I can show my students how history is all around us and how these events will be affecting them now as well as well into their adult lives.

I saw this meme the other day. It said "I really wanted to become a teacher to help students pass standardized tests, said no teacher ever." We all are becoming teachers for a number of reasons, whether we had an amazing teacher that influenced our lives, or we love the content and hope to better others lives with it, our reasoning all comes full-circle back to the underlying factor. We want to help students learn. So, we undergo the four years it takes to become a teacher, work for free for a time, jump through the hoops to get certified and licensed and continue to receive training after we graduate all to maybe make some student think a little deeper and learn something about themselves and the world they live in. Its going to be hard and I don't think I will ever not be tired again, but I'm excited. Its going to be good. 

Self-Selected Project

Brittni Darrington, Tyler Moss and I decided to take apart in a small reading circle of our own. As we were finishing up with out clinicals at Mt. Logan Middle School in Logan Utah, the class had just begun a new reading circle project. The students were able to choose from four books all concentrating on the early colonial period of the United States. Once they had been assigned their reading groups, they decided as a group the reading schedule they would follow and then wrote prediction questions. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were discussion days in class. They broke into their groups and had to be prepared with discussion questions before class began. They would then discuss the book and fill out evaluation sheets on the experience. So to gain a better understanding of what these students were doing in the classroom, we chose to read two of the books that they had the option to pick: The Ransom of Mercy Carter and The Sacrifice. After we had finished reading the books, we got together to discuss our thoughts on the books we had chosen.

The Ransom of Mercy Carter

This is a story about a town outside of Boston during the colonial period. Their community was ambushed by a tribe of Indians who killed many of the adults and kidnapped most of the children. It tells of their journey back to Canada and then of the children's assimilation or "adoption" into the culture and live of the Indian tribes. 

What we liked

This is a side of the story that we don't often see. 

It allows for students to gain a different perspective of how Indians lived during this time.

Challenges inherited ideas about a group of people.

Presents information in a different way other than a text book.

What we didn't like

The story moved very slowly.

While shedding some light on a the lives of American Indians we didn't feel it had

 much historical purpose for our classrooms.

It was very descriptive in some places that didn't matter very much where we felt that the important parts were glazed over and we didn't have a full understanding of the events. 

The Sacrifice 

This story is a side story of a town that was affected by the girls that were doing the accusing people of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. It tells of a town that gets swept up in the fear and fervor of accusing innocent people of witch craft and follows a family that is greatly affected by it. The story follows two of the family's daughters to Salem where they are imprisoned for witch craft and what they have to go through in order to clear their names. 

What we liked

It is an actual family story of the Author's. 

Accurately demonstrates the atmosphere of the witch hunts. 

Could very easily read and enjoy the story. 

Had historical insights and shed a new light on the same tail of the Salem Witch Trials. 

What we didn't like

Could be below some of the student's reading levels. 

Over all though we enjoyed this book. 

We all felt that this was a great exercise to incorporate reading into our classrooms and allow for information to be presented in a more engaging and informal way than a text book. We loved the idea that students have the choice in what books they would read for this assignment and that they also drove the discussion of the texts. This allows for students to take charge in their education and feel a sense of responsibility in their work. Also by having a variety of books for the students to choose from you will, hopefully, be able to play to many different interests and the students will be able to enjoy what they are reading. Reading and then discussing what you have read is very important skills to take away from the classroom. It allows for deeper thinking and analyzing skills which are important as students progress through their education. In the end, literature circles are a great tool to use in our teaching. It allows for students to grow in their discussion and analytic skills and mixes things up as far as reading for information goes. Plus it is fun and breaks up the normal routine of your classroom.