Final Reflections

I think that my role as a teacher is a very significant part of who I am as a citizen.  I have a very important responsibility in the preparation of my students to be active participants in the civic world.  They need to be educated in order to take on this important role, and I think that is a critical element of being a teacher.  It sounds almost cliché or over the top, but that is truly what we are doing in our classroom.  I have a responsibility to my students to give them the tools necessary to interact with the world around them, but also to do so critically.  I think that by developing units for my students with specific goals for understanding in mind will help me organize what I am hoping to accomplish each year in my classroom.  Often as teacher, I feel bogged down by all the standards, tests, and requirements.  Hopefully by working to see the big ideas and understandings that I am working towards, I will not feel so overrun with small details.  This will allow me to focus on what I see as my purpose as a teacher in allowing my students to develop into members of their society who have a strong sense of social responsibility.     

Weekly Reflection: Rewards

I am generally supportive of rewards in the classroom.  I think that students are much more responsive to positive rewards for good behaviors rather than punishments for bad ones.  As a teacher it allows you to focus your attention on the good things that students are doing, maintaining a generally positive outlook while teaching.  I have not seen any rewards in my fieldwork this summer, but I have only visited the school twice.  While teaching last year, I found that sticker charts are a good reward system even for older students.  You would think they would find such a system silly, but I had a lot of success. When students responded adequately to exit tickets, or received at least and 8 out of 10 on their homework they received a small sticker to put on their chart.  When the chart was full, 20 stickers I believe, the could turn the chart in for 5 points on a test or 2 homework passes.  It motivated the students to make an effort on the exit tickets in particular.  I did not want to grade them because they were only a formative assessment tool, but I wanted students to actually be trying when they answered the questions.  The stickers were a good method to achieve my goal.  Next year, I will be working at a PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) school.  I like the idea of an entire school embracing one system because I think it helps students to have consistency across teachers and throughout the building.  I am not yet familiar with all the details, but I am interested to see it in action at the school since I have heard mixed reviews from teachers.  

Self Efficacy

As I view it, self efficacy is someone's beliefs of what they are capable of achieving.  It is a very important concept for teachers to understand, because how a student feels about their likelihood of success at school has a significant impact on their effort and attitude.  I saw how at the high school level students who had struggled throughout the grades and failed several classes had no belief in themselves or their abilities.  As a result, they showed up on the first day prepared to fail and were not willing to even try anymore.  It is critical for teachers to give clear, descriptive, positive feedback to students in order to build their sense of self-efficacy.  Students should talk about what they do well, and learn how to set clear goals with achievable benchmarks as they develop their understanding of their own abilities.  If students are not taught strategies for persisting in learning until they achieve their goals, they will end up as many of my students in high school with a very poor sense of self and little willingness to try.

Personally, I feel that I do have a good sense of self efficacy in many areas of my life.  Academically, I have been successful over the years, but not always because things have been easy to me. I had positive influences in my family and teachers who pushed me to work harder.  Today, as a result of this positive support, I do believe that as long as I give a quality effort in my studies I will be able to be successful.  Professionally, I think my self efficacy is not as positive, I suppose because of the number of factors that impact my ability to achieve success as a teacher.  Individually, I do have confidence in my ability to work hard for my students and develop creative and engaging lessons.  I have worked with kids in a number of settings, and feel that I am able to connect well with them.  But, because I have struggled to motivate my older students, and I know there are students who have left my classroom without understanding the content, I do not always feel that I am as capable as I would like to be.  However, because of my belief in the strengths that I do have, I am motivated enough to persevere and continue to improve in my teaching.

Unit Hook Lesson: Getting them Excited

Geography Then and Now:
A Look Back Through Pictures

Grade Level: 5^th                              Subject: Geography                              Time: 30 min

Objectives:
Social Studies NCES:
5.G.1.1: Explain the impact of the physical environment on early settlements in the New World.

5.G.1.2: Explain the positive and negative effects of human activity on the physical environment of the United States, past and present. 

Science NCES:

5.L.2 Understand the interdependence of plants and animals with their ecosystem.

Purpose:

Introduce students to the idea that the geography of the USA was very different when early settlers arrived and has continued to change over time.

Procedures:

Teacher Input & Guided Practice:

1.    The teacher shows the students two pictures of what Manhattan may have looked like before Henry Hudson arrived.  At this stage they are given no information about the pictures.  The students answer the questions on response card #1.

2.   The students share some of their responses and the others indicate if they had similar or differing ideas.  The teacher organizes the student comments on chart paper, making additional observations and comments.

3.   The teacher then informs the students that the are going to look at the pictures again, but this time they should imagine that they are colonial explorers approaching this land for the first time at the end of their journey.  The students answer the questions on response card #2.

4.   Again, the students share their responses and the teacher records student input, leading the students to discuss what elements of the New World may have been important to settlers and connecting ideas about ecosystems from science.

Independent Practice:

5.    Finally, the teacher asks the students to imagine what this area would look today.  Using the guiding questions on response card #3, the students describe what changes may have happened to the land during the last 300-400 years.  They may write or draw their ideas.  

Closure:

6.   At the conclusion of the activity, the students are shown the pictures of present day Manhattan.  The teacher and students discuss how this compares to what the students imagined.  Students may also discuss their original ideas about the picture from card #1 and how they compare to what the images actually represent.

7.    The teacher informs the students that they are going to be studying how and why people chose to settle in parts of the New World, and how the lives of people have change the geography, even today.  

Be thinking about: Was the New World a great place to settle, or was it really hard on the first Europeans?  Have people improved the geography or have they hurt it? 

Assessment:

-       Response card #1 will assess the students’ ability to make inferences using a picture as a primary source

-       Response card #2 will assess students’ prior knowledge about what colonial settlers were looking for when they arrived to America, and their understanding of ecosystems.  It also addresses perspective and point of view.

-       Response card #3 will assess the students’ ability to make reasonable predictions.

Differentiation:

-       The students are given the chance to draw or describe their predictions, and other responses may be acceptable for specific student needs 

-       If students struggle to make inferences or predictions, I could utilize think, pair, share to encourage them to try an think on their own first, but then also allow them collaborate with a partner before the whole class discussion.

References:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/09/manhattan/miller-text
- Click on the link for the pictures that will be used

Rationale:

I chose this activity for my hook lesson because I think that students would be surprised to learn that the pictures of the clean forested area represent the way New York City would have looked to settlers arriving in the New World.  I chose pictures of NYC because even though students do not always learn about New Amsterdam, it was an important early settlement and the area has undergone a very dramatic change due to human settlement.  I think the visual element will help children understand the concept, which is very abstract for young learners. 

Response Cards:

Response Card #1 1.     Briefly describe the image. 2.    What type or types of ecosystems do you see in the pictures? 3.    Where do you think the pictures were taken? 4.    Speculate how the image may connect to our new unit.

Response Card #2 1.     As a colonial settler, what do you notice first about the land? 2.    Would you decide to settle in this area?  Give 3 reasons why or why not. (think about the environment) 3.    Choose three words you would use to describe the area to fellow settlers back on the ship.

Response Card #3 The land in the picture is a part of present day America.  Using drawings or a paragraph, describe how this area might look today.  (Think: Where might this picture be located?  Who would have settled this land?  What changes may have happened over time?)

Weekly Reflection

What are your reactions or experiences with point of view, perspectives, biases in history?  How will you assist a child with disabilities or an English as a Second Language learner in your classroom? (please note that this is not only Spanish speaking children)


I think that because all history is, in a certain way, a product of the person relaying the information, it is particularly susceptible to bias in teaching.  The problem is, teachers often re-teach the history that they were taught as children.  If they teach in the same geographic region they were raised, it may be difficult to even identify bias because they have only experienced one point of view.  While I did not recognize the bias when I was growing up, I can see now how it may have been present.  I grew up in the south, but I can imagine how the teaching of the antebellum era and the Civil War may be different in the North vs. the South.  It was also a huge part of the curriculum throughout the grades in North Carolina while students in other parts of the country may have focused on elements of US history that were more relevant to their personal state history.  Also, students in the US do receive a very American centric view of history, politics, etc.  I never had to take a World History class in high school, only European history.  All writers of US textbooks have a certain perspective that can be passed on to students if the teachers don't make a conscious effort to include diverse viewpoints and note the perspectives of various authors.  I think the new standards encourage this discussion of perspective and diversity much more explicitly, with a goal of a more culturally responsive classroom, rather than one that mindlessly molds good American citizens. 


I think in teaching social studies to a diverse group of students, not only culturally but in terms of ability level, I will have to work to truly get to know all of my students including their strengths and their personal interests.  One key in an inclusive classroom is creating a very tolerant environment where students accept the idea that not everyone is going to receive EXACTLY the SAME instruction, assignments, assistance, etc.  Rather, the students should feel comfortable with the idea that they will all be challenged and pushed to achieve.  That challenge will look different for different students.  Cooperative learning groups are a great way to address a wide range of abilities.  Heterogeneous groups provide lower students with modeling from other students and the opportunity to participate in a specific role that is appropriate while still completing the larger task that all groups are doing.  Homogenous groups allow students to engage in learning activities that challenge them at their current level.  As a teacher I can direct assignments and assistance in a more directed manner.  Also, students should be allowed to choose from a range of assessment options when possible so that they may utilize their personal strengths.  For ESL students, teachers should not assume background knowledge that is cultural specific to growing up in America, and should encourage students to ask questions and share their personal histories.  ESL students benefit from mini-anchor charts on their desks with participation questions so that they can make contributions to class discussions without feeling intimidated.  Vocabulary may need to be explicitly taught, and more visual resources used in the classroom.  These accommodations could benefit other students as well.

GRASPS Performance Assessment

We have begun the second stage of developing a unit using Understanding by Design, which is planning how you will assess student understanding.  I have identified my goals for student learning, and now we can develop ways to see what they have learned.  So far, I have developed one performance assessment using the GRASPS model that is included below.  Because my unit includes colonial geography and the past and present influence of human activity, I want to assess both using performance based measures.  However, I currently have only one assessment focusing on colonial geography.  As I continue working, I will hopefully update with a more present day assessment.

Grasps Task

Goal:

Your task is to draft a speech motivating your fellow colonists to stay in the Jamestown (or Plymouth) colony, explaining why it is the best possible location and how you will overcome any geographical challenges.

Role:

You are a leader in the Jamestown (or Plymouth) colony.

You have been asked to calm settlers who are concerned about the area that you are settling in and do not wish to stay.

Audience:

Your target audience is other settlers.

You need to convince worried setters that the area around Jamestown (or Plymouth) offers the best resources to build their settlement.

Situation:

The context you find yourself in is recently arrived to Jamestown (or Plymouth)

The challenge involves dealing with the various concerns of other settlers and addressing potential problems in the area.

Product, Performance, Purpose:

You will create a motivational speech to present in the town square in order to calm your fellow settlers and give them suggestions to improve their environment and build the settlement.

Standards and Criteria for Success:

A successful result will utilize geographical facts about the geography of the early colonists, and will address significant issues of colonial lifestyles.  Your argument must be detailed and specific enough to convince the settlers.

Your work will be judged by a group of “fellow colonists” from the community and the teacher.

Weekly Reflection: What are the attributes of meaningful, well-planned social studies lessons?

I think when designing any quality social studies lesson, the key is to make the content relevant to students' lives.  Social studies is about human beings, their actions, their history and their environments. Therefore, it should be made explicit to students how the content relates to their daily lives.  I think that a quality social studies teacher should identify the bigger picture understanding that is being addressed in a content standard.  The historical content or specific element of government should be used as a means to introduce a more general understanding rather than the entire focus of the lesson.  If a teacher works to decide exactly what they want their students to understand as a result of the lesson or unit, they can shape the content in an effective way to reach that goal.  I think that as a result, I see Social Studies lessons as very interactive and fluid where students are encouraged to discuss their ideas with each other and the teacher, rather than recall facts or dates.  However, I do recognize that this going to be much more challenging for me, especially my first year in an elementary classroom.  It is difficult to let students have more control and there is more work involved in planning lessons this way, but I think the reward of student engagement and understanding will make it worth the extra work and the risks.  

Essential Questions

Continuing on from my last post, the next step in developing a unit using Understanding by Design is to create Essential Questions.  I love the idea of asking students questions that generate more questions, rather than have one simple answer that they can read in a book.  However, in developing my own essential questions for this unit, I do see how challenging it can be to develop quality questions that really encourage conversations and engagement with a topic.

Here is my draft of Essential Questions based around the 6 Facets of Understanding:

Explanation:
1. What were some of the environmental challenges for the first settlers in the American colonies?
2. Why did pioneers choose to expand westward?

Interpretation:
1. How do natural disasters impact people today?  How does that compare to early settlers?
2. Have humans had a positive impact on the geography of the US or a negative impact?

Application:
1. How can we use what we know about human effects on the environment to protect the environment today?
2. How could you decide if people should settle in an area based on the geography?

Perspective:
1. How would the geography of the New World have looked to a recently arrived colonist?
2. What are different points of view about how much people can change physical geography?

Empathy:
1. How might Native Americans feel about the effect that settlers had on their environment in the 1600s? How might they feel today?
2. Why would a person participate in an activity that negatively affects US geography or the environment?

Self Knowledge:
1. How can I best show that I know that my actions affect the environment?
2. What are the limits in my knowledge about other geographic regions of the US?

Clarifying Content Priorities

I have begun working on a fifth grade Social Studies unit focusing on the following Geography and Environmental Literacy objectives:

5.G.1.1 Explain the impact of the physical environment on early settlements in the New World and 5.G.1.2 Explain the positive and negative effects of human activity on the physical environment of the United States, past and present.

I chose to look at the geography standard for several reasons.  First, it is the one that I feel least comfortable with, and would like to work through it with the class to get feedback and input from others.  Second, I think that it would be a good objective to integrate not only with the arts, but also with a number of science and language arts standards. 

When drafting this unit, I am going to be using the Understanding by Design model.  This is a very interesting way to approach lesson planning that I have not used in my prior teaching experiences.  So far, I find it very interesting, but also challenging to implement.  I have been working on the first stage of lesson planning, which is to Identify Desired Results.  I have used the planning organizers to “Clarify Content Priorities” for my unit.  The biggest challenge for me was to find concepts that fit under the worth being familiar with heading.  I often found myself wanting to put more under what students should know and do, but I don’t want to overwhelm my students.

 

Below is my draft; it is still a work in progress and all feedback is welcome!

Worth being familiar with:

•  Effects of pollution and greenhouse gases on the environment
•  Specific environmental regions of the US
• Main economic activities during key periods of US history (ie farming, industrial manufacturing)

Important to know and do:

• State characteristics of the physical environment of the Jamestown and Plymouth colonies
• Compare how the environment of the early colonies both helped and harmed the settlement growth
•  Identify examples of human development that have positively impacted the environment
• Identify examples of human development that have negatively impacted the environment
•  Compare characteristics of the local physical environment today and when the first settlers arrived

Big Ideas and Essential Understandings:

• The physical environment impacts where individuals settle and live
• The physical environment is constantly changing
• Human activity impacts the physical environment, which can be positive or negative.
• Individual choices can influence how a person impacts the environment

About me (and this blog)

I am currently a Masters student at Meredith College, and I have started this blog as part of my class, Integrating Social Studies and the Arts. I am looking forward to using this blog to reflect on what I learn about one of my favorite subjects from elementary school through this class.  Hopefully I will continue to utilize this blog as I begin teaching and continue thinking about how to incorporate Social Studies themes throughout the curriculum.