Balancing Truth and Fiction in Celebrating "Thanksgiving"

Well, Halloween is finally over!  November is here and with it, the start of major holidays through the end of the year.

So, with Thanksgiving around the corner, we are faced with how to teach the myth of the first Thanksgiving while acknowledging the living history and diverse cultures of Native Americans.  Can it be done?  In the New York Times LEARNING BLOGS, many suggestions along with supports are offered to help teachers walk that delicate line between fact and fiction in such a way that the message of the holiday remains while also weaving in some of the facts behind that “first Thanksgiving.”

For middle and high school students, there are several links (along with graphic organizers) to review several links with each offering a different political perspective (from Libertarians/Tea Party members to Native Americans).  Students must visit the sites on the post and carefully note the different viewpoints.  What makes this an exciting assignment is that the opinions of respected, well-known indigenous people are offering their valuable insight for a change. 

Use the holiday to address diversity in American culture.  Yes, we have definitely stumbled along the way, but America continues to evolve in the hope that one day all its members will be acknowledged and valued as truly equal.

On another happy note, it is only 6 weeks or so until we are on winter break!

Denise, Marnie, and Cheryl

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How Would Students in 2014 Handle This 1912 8th Grade Test?

If students today think exams are difficult, they should be glad they are not in the year 1912.  In that day and age, the internet was not around to fill in the learning gaps:)

This 8th grade test from 1912 covers EVERYTHING including, but not limited to, spelling, grammar, parts of speech, mathematics, civics, etc.  What stands out is how the mathematics section has so many real world applications unlike many of our tests nowadays.  In fact, I can almost picture students from 1912 actually using such math skills in solving everyday situations demanding practical solutions like figuring out profit and loss in the sale of land or applying math to compute solutions to various home improvement activities. 

The writing and reading sections are not here because they were left up to the teachers to select.  Based on the rest of this test, I expect that they were equally challenging.

Why not offer this test as an extra credit project for students?  For ELLs, the playing field will be leveled since some of the information will be totally new for the EOs as well so only through team work will they be able to solve the problems or answer the questions.  I am sure they would welcome the challenge to prove that they are just as smart as those 8th graders from 1912:)

Here are answers to the test.

Denise

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GUIDING STUDENTS IN UNPACKING CONTEXT OF HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS

With the common core standards, students will be presented with multiple opportunities to interact with text from all content areas.  For ELLs, this new experience will be a challenge unless they are carefully guided through analyzing context by the teacher through careful modeling and think-alouds. Through this process, the teacher models the process of unpacking the content as it were.  Once this is done, teachers pass the next chunk of text to the students to do with a partner (for ELLs, the teacher will want to pair them up with students who are more proficient in English).  The pair will copy the teacher's actions in analyzing text using each other to derive meaning from the text.  During this time period, the teacher will navigate the room offering assistance if called on for help.  If random calling on students to check-for-understanding shows at least an 80% grasp of the technique, the teacher will have students move on to individual analysis with the next section of the reading. 

THINKING CONTEXTUALLY does an excellent job taking students through the process.  To fully gather meaning from text, they must think beyond the video, text, or document to fully grasp its impact on history.  Elements such as setting, place, time, etc. add to full comprehension of the full meaning of the work students are reading. 

Note also that this clip is from Stanford University's Thinking Like an Historian website.  It is an incredible resource for US history at any grade level!

Denise

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Amazing Historical Photographs for World History--Provides Visual Context For ELLs

Visuals are a must with any student--especially ELLs.  History is a subject where photographs and historical videos can add context with ease to a lesson.  They are a must for any class with ELLs because they assist the students in attaching images to what the teacher is saying.  Heavy lecture without the footage or pictures can turn a 55 minute class into a 4 hour one for those students, and, to make matters worse, ELLs will understand very little due to being inundated with language that is for the most part inaccessible to them.

Below are two links with amazing photos that would easily supplement any lesson on world history.   A word of caution though is needed here.  Some shots from WWII and the Vietnam War might be a bit graphic for some students so get parent approval before showing them in class.

Some ideas for using these photos are:


HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS


1.  Man's footstep on the moon:  Write a reflective journal entry as the astronaut.  Address what it must have felt like to stand on another world.

OR  What do you think alien life forms will think about when they see the photograph of a human family on the moon?

2.   Howard Carter examining the tomb of King Tut.  Describe the contents of the tomb.  Why is this discovery important?  What do you think Howard Carter is thinking?


MORE HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS

1.  Photograph #4 shows a mob lynching of 2 young black men before the Civil Rights Movement.  If To Kill A Mockingbird is the novel students are working on, this might a photo to underscore the message of the time--racial prejudice in its ugliest form. 

Question:  Think about the ending of the book.  How could a jury convict an innocent man?  Using the photo and your knowledge of the book, explain how this was a common event of the time.  Address the ugliest of prejudice against anyone and why it must be stopped.

2.  Photograph #14 shows people running from a napalm attack.  The young girl survived and still remembers that day. 

Question:  Was the use of this type of weapon justifiable?  Should the use of biological warfare ever be used in the future?

I hope your students have the opportunity to explore the past with this material.  It attaches a human face to the events and therefore makes it easier to remember.

Denise

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Examples of Informational Text for Both Social Studies and English Language Arts

COMMON CORE will build a bridge between content areas.  As students (especially ELLs) build those vital connections, their language skills will improve.  For ELLs, this translates to improvements in identifying and using academic vocabulary in all 4 language skill areas (listening, speaking, reading, and writing).

For all students, the COMMON CORE will better prepare them for life beyond high school be it the world of business or higher education.  In fact, due to the new format of student team work in solving problems, students will hone their speaking skills in discussion, persuasion, analysis, etc.  If students can not clearly articulate their points of view in a credible professional fashion, they will be at a distinct disadvantage in the real world. 

A major feature of the English language arts and social studies standards is the use of informational/non-fiction text.  When students leave high school, they will be faced with this form of written work.  This will be a major shift since in the past the focus in class was on fiction which left many students unprepared for the demands of business or university work.  Seventy percent of all reading will now be informational/non-fiction reading material for high school.

With this in mind, one activity might be creating activities around historical documents such as the ones below:

MAGNA CARTA  1215 A.D.

US CONSTITUTION
Created September 17, 1787 and Ratified, June 21, 1788

US DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE UNMODIFIED
July 4, 1776

Students would be given a copy of the Magna Carta and copies of the US Constitution OR the Declaration of Independence.  With the double bubble thinking map, students would look for similarities and differences between the two assigned to them.  ELLs might be provided with an outline of the key elements,  but would still have to look for key contrasts / similarities on their own.  After 5-7 minutes, students could then be assigned to small groups to share their findings with the understanding that EACH ONE will be held accountable for sharing results.  Accountability is done through random calls on students (teachers might use popsicle sticks with student names on them OR a randomizer app for a smart phone for example).  One could almost say that they would be teaching each other in a way with the teacher providing oversight and guidance as needed.

In groups, students would have to provide evidence from the two documents to support their positions.  For this, students would need to respond in complete sentences using academic vocabulary.  Finding evidence is a skill also used in English (and science). 

Of course, this is just a rough draft or an end product.  As teachers, you would of course have many mini-steps along the way to ensure that no one is left behind. 

It is my hope that as the new standards kick in, teachers might be willing to add their insight here as well as lessons.

Denise


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P.S.  I am at a S.E.T.I. (Search for Extra-terrestial Intelligence) convention tomorrow all day so I may not be blogging tomorrow evening.  I will definitely share the highlights of the conference and how they would add to classroom instruction on Sunday though:)

COMMON CORE ELA Sample LITERACY Lesson for High School--Gettysburg Address

What might a high school English instructional unit deliver under the COMMON CORE?  It will open the door to powerful instruction which will reach all students including struggling learners with special needs including, but not limited to, language.

Here is model draft unit on teaching President Lincoln's The Gettysburg Address  SAMPLE LESSON UNIT  My suggestion is to print this out OR open it in another window so that when you watch the video, you can easily follow along as the moderator explains how this unit should be taught.
VIDEO EXPLAINING THE LESSON 

As you watch, notice how the techniques discussed would broaden vocabulary for all (notice the focus on the word "DEDICATE").  This unit could be jointly taught in both US history and English literature classes with English focusing on language (figurative language, mood, tone, word choice, etc.) and history class focusing on underlying message (not just WHAT WAS SAID, but also WHAT WAS NOT SAID).  For example, why did he date the birth of the country as 1776 and not a later one?  Why did he not mention SLAVERY explicitly?  For such questions, the content issues must be addressed by the history teacher and not the English teacher.

Another key point is that much of the discovery of the meaning of the text is uncovered by the students working with partners.  Students are analyzing text with support as needed (ex.  graphic organizers for note-taking purposes).  They are having "hands-on" experiences in developing skills that will transfer over into the real world when they leave high school.  In such settings, they are analyzing, clarifying their understanding with others, justifying their viewpoints with support from text, etc.

I am still looking for similar examples for middle and elementary schools, but haven't found one yet.  I am also still working on finding links related to lesson development linked to COMMON CORE to share with you.  All you will need to do is subscribe to get the latest news on the topic.

Denise

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Primary Source in US History--Virtual Tour Of White House

Thousands of visitors pour through the White House every year, but they only see a select handful of rooms (probably for security reasons).  On this site, you will be able to explore over 140 areas in and around the White House thanks to photographs and illustrations which date back over 200 years!  

Here you will be able to explore the EAST WING, WEST WING and RESIDENCE with the click of a mouse.  Each section offers a look at that section over time (1857 to date with most) and provides some data on key events of the time associated with that section.  Part of this tour also includes little known facts about its residents of the time and the activities they pursued there.  For example, the history of the family theater has quite a past.  It was originally a long coat room.  Another tidbit is the first film ever shown there was "Birth of a Nation" which was a racist film depicting the Klu Klux Klan as America's saviors.  President Wilson showed this film to repay a debt to southern democrats and that act sullied his repetition.  


How might this site support ELLs in their study of American history?  As often mentioned in my blog and on my website, ELLs need supports to access knowledge.  Visuals are crucial tools that every teacher must utilize (as all of you know) if ELLs are to be able to connect to the material thereby making sense of it.  Another support is the use of timelines.  Everything is new to ELLs when it comes to US history.  Providing them with timelines brings some order to the "chaos."  With timelines and photos/images, students can take notes in ways that work for them.  Provide them with graphic organizers or outlines to enable them to save (and eventually remember) key data.  As with every content area, decide on the most important events ELLs must know and teach to those.  Everything else can be dealt with as needed, but not tested otherwise the lesson will consist of dates and events with no building of deep knowledge.

WHITE HOUSE

Your students will definitely develop an interest in American history with this site:)

Denise


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Take Your Students on Virtual Trips to the SMITHSONIAN to EXPLORE HISTORY!

With Common Core Standards coming in social studies (along with math, science, and ELA), students need to learn not only what primary sources are (see BLOG post Thursday, May 17th), but how to find them.  Here guidance is needed so time spent on the internet is not wasted time.  Creating your own GOOGLE search engine for them is the ideal (I will address this over the summer both in this blog at at my website  ELL TEACHER PROS in the AUGUST BACK TO SCHOOL newsletter), but if time is limited, having a collection of pre-approved sites by you is a must.

To illustrate how an example of how this site could become a class resource in a World War II lesson, look at the following link to the plight of Japanese Americans and the discrimination they faced in the US at that time.  A MORE PERFECT UNION:  JAPANESE AMERICANS AND THE U.S. CONSTITUTION  Students will see several forms of primary sources including testimonies of survivors, photographs of the camps and their internees, clips from news articles of the time, historical video, etc.).  So when students must write an opinion paper on the prejudice of the time (Japanese Americans were sent to camps, but Italian and German Americans never suffered such humiliation), they can study sites such as this one (and others) to provide concrete evidence to support their thesis statements. 

AMERICAN STORIES
This section offers a look at America's past through cultural artifacts familiar to many.  Look at those ruby red slippers!  There is probably no item more famous world wide than Dorothy's shoes from the Wizard of OZ!  It is available in over 100 languages and still viewed regularly all over the globe.  This is a look at the culture of Hollywood and its lasting imprint on the American soul.  Then there is that lovable Kermit the Frog.  Every child on the planet knows those muppets (from both the TV series and of late the movies).  Then there is a rock from Plymouth.  Many Americans have an emotional connection to that since it is "romantically tied" to the Thanksgiving myth, but actually, Jamestown, Virginia was there first.  In fact, the first African slaves were brought there.



SMITHSONIAN ONLINE EXHIBITIONS  offers many more sites of interest to students pursuing primary source supports for their social studies classes.  In fact, material found here could supplement any subject area class and therefore make adhering to the new common core standards easy for both teacher and students alike:)

Denise


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PRIMARY SOURCES FROM AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE

This site offers a quick walk through American history.  The reading passages are packed with solid content, but at a reading level that an intermediate ELL could read with some support.  Further, pictures are found in many of the articles so ELLs would have visuals to make the articles accessible.

What is covered?  The site opens up with 1600-1859.  Students will see sketchings and paintings of the time that depict life as early Americans saw themselves.  There is also a section on the different state currencies.  Every state had its own monetary system and photos of each of the state currencies are here. Images can be blown up to include in power points so that all students can clearly see the images with ease.  Care to study the DEPRESSION?  This site has powerful images that underscore how difficult that period was on the average American.  It can supplement any history textbook.  In fact, teachers could assign sections to students to study with partners and then share out to the class what they learned.

The active links end with POPULAR CULTURE, as you will not, there are more sites being worked on that will take you up to President Obama.


THE AUTHENTIC HISTORY CENTER-PRIMARY SOURCES FROM AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS




from 1600 to 2008

Free Movies/Classic Cartoons for Kids:)

As spring break fast approaches, why not make kids (and parents of younger kids) aware of classic cartoons (ex. Popeye, Bugs Bunny, etc.), films (ex. Oliver Twist, Gulliver's Travels -1938, The Wizard of Oz-1910, etc.) and TV shows from the 1940's through the 1960's? In fact, there is also a section on science fiction and one of the films was the inspiration for "I Am Legend" from 2007 with Will Smith. The name of that film was "The Last Man On Earth" with Vincent Price!

A breakdown of categories is as follows:

Comedy

Dramas

Mystery & Crime

Musicals

Romance Movies

Western Movies

If you have ELLs, why not try some of the cartoons. Some of them were created during WWII and therefore include commentary on the Allies winning WWII and the war effort at home in the US. Others address the period with customs, dress, slang, themes, political views, etc. Further, cartoons are short in length and with very visual antics. This leads to more accessible content and that carries over into more language!

FREE MOVIES FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES

Why not "assign" one of these many films for "homework" over the vacation:) Students could create a DVD cover for the film along with a brief write-up on it without giving away the ending. Students should write just enough to motivate one to watch the film and no more.

Hope you and your students enjoy the site!

Denise

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HAVE FUN WITH HISTORY! See How Future Was Viewed in the Past:)

If you teach English literature, world history, science, or US history, you will truly the benefits of weaving in some of the material from this history site. Every major period from the 1700's to date is covered with free videos. Almost every topic you can envision is represented here.

Now, due to its size, I have pulled out only one area for this post and that is the world of science fiction. You will find unique views of what people in the past envisioned the world of the future to be. There is even a full length play from 1954 on George Orwell's 1984. RETRO FUTURE

The material here can easily supplement any content class material (including ELD/ESL). Every possible writing style can be used here: description, narration, comparsion/contrast, persuasive essay, and expository. Have students make their projections on life in 100 years. Through cooperative learning, model writings, video support with lots of think-pair-share and small group interaction, mind maps, and word walls (GOOGLE SEARCH WITHIN THIS BLOG WILL OFFER DETAILS ON EACH), ELLs will have the linguistic tools to write! Of course, it won't be perfect with the first draft, but through the drafting process along with peer editing and teacher one-on-one conferencing, the ELL will be able to generate a solid essay. Solid writing skills transfer to better grades, admittance to university/college, and good career choice opportunities in life.

Explore the future from the past:)

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

EXPLORE THE U.S. CONSTITUTION--All Grade Levels:)

To keep a democracy alive, students need to understand what the constitution is and how it affects their lives. This needs to be addressed in the early grades through high school in civics classes geared to their grade levels. To preserve the constitution and what it stands for, a democracy needs informed citizens.

Here is where the internet provides the classroom teacher with creative instructional tools to enhance any lesson on this subject. If students enjoy what they are doing, they tend to remember what they have been taught:) U.S. CONSTITUTION FOR KIDS offers a printable copy of the document, lots of interactive links, and more. One link for kids covers an interactive on the Bill of Rights in a smart simple layout that offers an easy to follow layout on what the document means today. When the student selects the right answer from the 3 given, he will see the section in the Bill of Rights which supports the answer pop up along with bells and whistles! Students will love this:) If you are studying the growth of this democracy, try this link TIMELINE . Would your students like to know what documents led to ours? Go to DOCUMENTS LEADING UP TO US CONSTITUTION where students will see copies of the Magna Carta, The Mayflower Compact, and all the others.

Add this link to your bookmarks/favorites to inspire students to appreciate the power of this document!

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Free EDUCATIONAL Videos on ALL Subjects and for ALL Grades!

Often times teachers look to activating prior knowledge before launching into a new lesson. This may be accomplished with classroom discusssion, anticipation guides, quickwrites/quickdraws, etc. Videos may also be used, but often times are not because it takes time to find just the right clip. A search for just the right film takes time, and teachers rarely have much of that to spare:)

Well, WATCH KNOW LEARN, may be the answer. All subjects are covered here and for ages 3-12. In fact, a US history teacher at my site was looking for visual information on the Trail of Tears (forced removal of the Cherokees from the east to Oklahoma) for the ELLs in the class. The images here vividly portray the plight of these people as they were forced off their ancestral lands by the American government. Such visuals even the weakest student can relate to. The visuals build that crucial background knowledge ELLs need to succeed in content classes.

Within this site, every discipline is covered and all videos are for schools/teachers/students/parents. Registration is free. Feel free to submit your own educational videos if they enhance instruction.

Hope you enjoy the site:)

Denise
ELL TEACHER PROS

See New York Grow Over 200 Years:)

No matter what subject area you teach, you will definitely enjoy weaving this site into your lesson. If you have been to New York (Manhattan), have you ever wondered how the layout of the streets change after Wall Street? South of Wall Street is very European (a bit hard to follow without a map due to the irregular shapes of blocks among other things), but when you leave that area, you can navigate with ease. In fact, one might argue that for the most part, it is quite difficult to get lost.

This link shows the development of Manhattan's unique grid layout over 200 years.

NYC TIMELINE

Now, what might your students do with such information? If they are US history students (ELLs especially), they might contrast Manhattan in 1800 with Manhattan 2012. Bubble maps work or simple T-charts. How about having them create a Manhattan without the grid setup? How might this have affected the present status of the city? Would it still be the jewel of the US that it is now? Why or why not?

If the class is world history, would the Dutch style have possibly stymied growth and progress? Why or why not? Explain.

Teachers could then have students select any city of the world and look at its growth and development over time. Did the city layout help or hinder growth and prosperity? Why or why not? Explain.

Here is the complete ARTICLE. Your more advanced students might like to try reading this. For ELLs and those who generally need assistance, you could provide guided reading questions to help them process the material. As the teacher, pull out only the most important vocabulary words ELLs would absolutely have to know to benefit from the information presented.

As an end activity, why not have them in groups of 4, create a model of what they think a big city will look like in 2212. They could then justify their changes in writing (differentiate here according to their English levels). To get them started, you might ask them to think how a metropolitan center would have to changed to accommodate a tripling of its population. How will this affect schooling, traveling, working, etc.? Do some think alouds ("hmm...I think schools, as we know them, will have to change. Maybe students will have to attend class in their homes. What do you think?") to get them started and then interact with each group as they create their future cities (with justifications for every feature they add).

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS