Graduations occurred over the weekend, high school finals started today, 8th graders will graduate tomorrow, all signs that the end of the school year has arrived. Thank you so much for working tirelessly this year to provide our students with an education beyond expectations. I wish you all a joyous summer, one that fills you up, so that when you return to your classrooms at the end of the July, you feel rejuvenated and ready to do it all over again!
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It’s been two months since my last blog post, for that I apologize. A lot has been happening in our BV Social Studies Community – lots of GREAT stuff! The past couple weeks, I have had the opportunity to meet with various committees to continue the process of building district curriculum documents and look at potential resources for our new 7th grade geography course next year. In the conversations being had to accomplish these goals, I’ve witnessed the shifts in thinking occurring within our community. Necessary shifts required to meet the needs of the 21st Century Learners sitting in our classrooms. We are deeply submerged in a pendulum shift when it comes to curriculum and instruction - moving away from a focus based on students memorizing and regurgitating content and shifting to a focus based on students developing the skills necessary to think critically and solve real world problems.
Allow me to provide a specific example. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of working with the 8th Grade Curriculum Committee on their unit guides. As many of you know, in our district unit guides, there is a section for “content/skills.” This is where we list the specific content and skills that should be covered throughout the unit. In their conversations about this section for each unit, they did an amazing job of focusing on the skills first and the content second. Eventually their collaboration led to changing the title of the section to read “skills/content,” as opposed to, “content/skills.” They felt if the “skills” were listed first, they would carry more emphasis and draw more attention from teachers using the guide to develop their lesson plans. They even went so far as to develop this subheading in the section, “Content to support skill-building,” and then listed the content one would cover. I absolutely adore this mindset as it so clearly illustrates learning in the 21st Century. Our students need to develop critical thinking skills…we need to use our content to support them in developing them and not the other way around. We cannot hope students will magically gain the skills they need to say, “analyze and interpret a variety of texts and media,” which is such an essential skill in our information overload world; or “identify the relevance of particular sources to a particular inquiry,” again such a critical skill in our present day reality where any question can be typed into a search engine, or bits of information are rapidly and widely shared through social media; or, “discuss and evaluate how perspectives shape the world they live in,” which is absolutely vital in our increasing interdependent, complex, changing and diverse world. Allow me to provide another example. A colleague of mine gave me a compelling article to read, “Repackaging Research: Rigor and Relevance for 21st- Century Learners” by Paige Jaeger. The author makes a plea for teachers to trash (recycle) the research “packet” and upgrade their research assignments to meet the needs of “today’s hyper-connected 21st- century learners.” She writes, “If your assignment is answerable on Google, it is void of higher-level thought,” (p. 5). She offers a series of suggestions to help library media specialists and teachers move away from “packet-learning and research” to “inquiry-based learning and research,” to help shift their thinking. Some of her suggestions include: 1) Based your assignment around an essential question, which can compel students to uncover and discover curriculum 2) Begin with the end in mind (Wiggins & McTighe’s Backwards by Design approach). Stay focused on the end in mind and I would suggest making sure your students know the end in mind before they even start. 3) Use a pronoun for engagement; make it apparent in the Essential Question. “The EQ should use a pronoun to transfer ownership to the student. The use of ‘we,’ ‘me,’ ‘you,’ or ‘yours’ will also help transfer the responsibility and excitement to the student” (p. 6). 4) Give students choice – “Nothing motivates a Millennial better than letting them choose something. This allows for a personal connection…aroused curiosity” (p. 6). 5) Make it relevant & real 6) When the project ends – make sure it’s shared. She calls this, “Don’t cheat the back end.” Students need to share what they discovered and learned…it validates the project as important and worthwhile, not to mention mimics the real world. “Where would the world be if scientists left all their research in the drawer?” (p. 7). Bottom line, “Students should be solving real-world problems rather than fact-finding” (p. 7). I would contend this goes beyond the design of research projects/assignments. We learn about the past, to understand the present day, and predict the future. Each discipline that falls within the jurisdiction of social studies is full of real world problems that need to be addressed and solved. In order to do this, our students need to be equipped with solid, sharp skills that enable them to ask historic questions, ask geographic questions, ask economic questions, ask questions about their government, policies, laws, and understand how to investigate the answers, and analyze and evaluate the information they receive in response to their inquiries. This is what makes learning exciting and engaging, applicable, relevant and rigorous. This is 21st Century Learning. This is social studies. It’s an exciting time to be a part of the field, and especially to be a part of our BV Social Studies Community where we are working hard to discover ways to support and enhance student learning in the 21st Century. Reference: Jaeger, P. (2014). Repackaging research: Rigor and relevance for 2st-century learners.” School Library Monthly, 31 (1), 5-7. Last week I had the opportunity to venture to one of my favorite US cities - Boston. There is so much I adore about Boston - the brick architecture, the intellectual energy/buzz, the coffee, the seafood, and of course, the history. It's an ideal location for a plethora of social studies enthusiasts to gather.
Elizabeth Peuser and I presented a session, "Infusing Culture and Diversity in a Literacy Classroom" to a couple dozen educators from around the country at the National Council for the Social Studies annual conference. We were thankful for the chance to discuss the importance of focusing on global citizenship and making sure social studies is not forgotten in the elementary curriculum, but instead infused in all that we do. Our presentation was framed around a compelling question in the new scope and sequence for our 3rd grade curriculum - "What are my rights and responsibilities as a citizen in the global community?" The sample lesson we demonstrated was centered on the book, 14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah. If you have not had the opportunity to read this book - I highly suggest that you do and incorporate it into one of your lessons. You can check it out, along with lesson plan suggestions, including artifact analysis, in the Africa Culture Trunk, housed in the library media center at Harmony Middle School. A bonus to our presentation was the chance to tell people about the diversity work we do in our district, as it is quite unique. When not presenting, I had the opportunity to attend a few good sessions, network with other districts who are passionate about culturally responsive teaching, gather some great new ideas on history assessments, such as weighted multiple choice items, and hear Josie Antonio Vargas and Nicholas Kristof speak. Journalists by trade, they travel all over to capture and tell compelling stories, including their own, in an effort to raise awareness and close empathy gaps. They were inspiring (regardless of where one in the audience falls on the political spectrum), because they focused on the vital role of teachers, particularly social studies teachers. I was struck to the core when Mr. Vargas said, "I don't know what I would have done without my teachers. I don't know what I would have done without history to ground me." The conference was full of information and ideas, but more importantly it was full of compelling stories. Our session was based on an incredible story - full of generosity and compassion. On the plane ride home, I spent time reading Unbroken, the story of Olympic runner and World War 2 POW survivor, Louis Zamperini. Side note - there was even a session on this story at the conference as lesson plans are popping up all over the internet in light of the highly anticipated release of the movie next month. Social Studies teachers empower the leaders, activists, movers, shakers, and decision makers of the future because we tell the stories that inspire these future leaders, activists, movers, shakers, and decision makers. More importantly, we teach students how to interpret and evaluate them. The conference was inspiring, not because of any one thing I learned or heard, but because I was reminded of the fundamental role of the profession and how essential it is to our society. Thanks to an amazing and historic Royals baseball season, a lot of national attention has been paid to Kansas City, Missouri. Tomorrow, the nation will be focused on the other side of the border - Kansas. The mid-term elections in Kansas are raising quite a few eyebrows for various reasons, mostly because the races for the Senate seat currently held by Pat Roberts and for Governor, currently held by Sam Brownback, are undecided. This is quite significant for our state and deserves some classroom attention tomorrow. The Midterm Elections, and particularly this one, provides a great opportunity to revisit some basics from civics, while simultaneously allowing for some awesome discussions regarding the complexities of our political system. The elections in our state will play a major role in determining which political party will have control of Congress, which as you know, will directly impact future bills and laws.
How are you teaching about the 2014 Midterm Elections? Please feel free to comment below and share your ideas with colleagues. Here's a lesson plan I found from PBS News Extra Hour - Do the Midterm Elections Really Matter? Our students will find it interesting because they specifically mention Kansas and have an opportunity to predict voter turnout. Lots of great discussion could happen on Wednesday, November 5th, as students analyze the results (if we know them by then). Historians are story tellers. History teachers are story tellers. Social studies teachers are story tellers. We tell stories and we help students make sense of their personal, local, state, national, and international stories (past, present, and future).
Most of the best teachers I've known were not only good teachers in terms of their ability to teach concepts, skills, and content, but also because of their ability to tell great stories. Stories that stirred your emotions, captivated your heart, and stuck with you well past the dismissal bell. A great story...an incredible story...one for the history books is emerging before our very eyes here in Kansas City. It's a story worth telling...regardless of the ending. A story that encompasses so many other stories...personal stories for fans who remember the sweet emotions of victory felt in 1985, or who grew up listening to their elders talk of those glory days. Personal stories for fans who have spent thousands of dollars, endless nights at the K, cheering for their team year after year, hoping, perhaps praying, that this year their beloved team will make it to the Fall Classic, or at least have a winning record. Personal stories that have become local stories, such as Tim Grimes, diagnosed with stage 4 Melanoma and given a 5% chance of survival. His friends started a social media campaign #RoyalswinforTim, fundraising to help pay his medical expenses, and to provide opportunities for Tim to watch his beloved Royals in the playoffs. You may have wondered who the guy was giving George Brett the enormous side hug when the team clinched the ALCS pennant - it was Tim. Now, we are a national story...the story of the underdog...and turns out, America is finding our lil' Midwestern Team's story irresistible. So far, this article is my favorite, The Kansas City Royals Huge Appeal. Here's a snippet... For the past decade or so, the entire Kansas City metroplex has been experiencing a civic boom. This Royals resurrection feels inexplicably yet inextricably connected to what's happening in the city itself. The Royals, after all, are a small-market Midwestern club suddenly reborn. They win by being tough and smart, by adhering to classic, proven values, but while having fun, playing as a team, and always believing that good things will happen. That is precisely the story Kansas City wants to tell about itself. That story, given the team's national embrace, is also something the whole country must want to hear. That could be because, sappy as it sounds, these underdog Royals not only evoke a better era in baseball, but a better time in American life. They represent a nation that still exists, but is too rarely portrayed in mass and social media. In that America, quiet self-sacrifice is still celebrated, teamwork will still win you something that money can never buy, and a relentlessly abiding faith in the future still can make even the craziest dream come true. This is a captivating story that we as social studies teachers have the opportunity to embrace and use to teach history lessons, civic lessons, geography lessons, sociology lessons, psychology lessons, economic lessons - our entire discipline can be woven and connected into the story of our underdog team who because of hard work, determination, and grit, will play for what some consider to be the best competition in sports - The World Series. Go Royals! Take the Crown! This morning, I finally got around to viewing a couple videos a colleague of mine sent me weeks ago. They were titled, "Tour of the United States - Official Music Video" and "Tour the World - Official Music Video." If I'm being honest, I did not view them right away because I was expecting them to be either lame, cheesy, or annoying songs (as in the kind of song that gets stuck in your head - I am still occasionally haunted from my days playing, Mean, Median, and Mode to my AP Psychology students).
And while these songs were indeed cheesy, they were full of information regarding geography. Not only did they cover each country or state in the lyrics, but they also displayed illustrations on a white board teaching relative location and aspects of culture. The song certainly has the potential to be annoying and get stuck in your head - but in doing so - you can remember all the countries in the world or all the states in America, along with their capitals - quite an upgrade from the song - Fifty Nifty United States. There is power in music, particularly when it comes to enhancing memory. I still know all the countries and their capitals in Central and South America because I had to sing songs about them every year in Spanish class. Here's an example of a history teacher using, "We Didn't Start the Fire" to teach about events in the 20th Century. I certainly never realized growing up as I listen to Billy Joel with my dad that I was in fact learning history until I taught a history class and used this song as part of an engage activity with my students. Songs help our brains remember information and evoke emotion. Think about a song that triggers a memory for you - maybe from a major event like a wedding, your college days, an experience in high school, etc. Songs are powerful and they can be powerful tools to support building our students' bases of knowledge -- even if the songs are a bit lame, cheesy, or get stuck in our heads. I would love to add to my collection of songs that can be utilized in the classroom - if you have one - tweet it - @bvsocialstudies #powerofmusic September was quite a busy month for our social studies community. Multiple curriculum committees met to work on revising scope and sequences and mostly to develop unit guides. It has been such a highlight for me to work in these smaller groups. The conversations are invigorating and I always walk away encouraged about the direction our curriculum is going. In these meetings, I'm constantly reminded that we really do have some of the best teachers in the world right here in Blue Valley. The learning experiences being provided to our students are top notch. Keep on, keeping on.
As of now, a majority of our middle school courses have unit guides, or at least a strong draft of a guide for each unit. Our World Geography course is in good shape as well. Thanks to work completed over the summer and in August, other courses are off to a good start, such as U.S. History, Psychology, Sociology, Government, and World History. I have to give a shout out to the APUSH curriculum committee as I'm quite proud of them. They worked diligently on developing a scope and sequence in light of a new framework and some unknowns regarding exactly how the next AP exam will shake out. Way to go. Some of you are hearing various bits of information regarding the HGSS Assessments (History, Government, Social Studies Assessment). As of now, the only information we know is that they are planning on field testing this spring in 6th, 8th, and 11th grade. We do not have any definitive information regarding when, and exactly what will be assessed. As soon as we do, I promise to keep you all informed. Thank you for being patient and flexible. To be honest, I'm not at all concerned or worried about the state assessments. As mentioned above, we are already focusing on historical thinking skills, utilizing DBQs, and teaching students how to interpret historical events from multiple perspectives. We need to continue to focus on these best practices and skills and most of all focus on what is best for improving student learning. Keep our eyes on the prize. Last thing to mention. I'll reiterate this on October 10th, but KSDE has released a HGSS Skills Chart, illustrating the skills a students should have mastered for each discipline by grade level (well, grade level for elementary, grade bands for secondary). As our curriculum committees have met, we continuously reflect on this chart and ask if the learning experiences we are incorporating in our unit guides in fact support students developing these skills. I encourage everyone to keep a copy handy and start to reflect in your own practices. Will students leave your classroom at the end of the year with these skills? At the end of last week, I had the privilege of attending the Best Practices in History Education conference hosted by the Kansas Council of History Education and the Missouri Council of History Education. I spent two days with colleagues and fellow history teachers from both sides of the state line at the World War I Museum. Usually when I attend conferences, I always go with the attitude, "If I can take away at least one new strategy, it's worth it." I am pleased to report, I actually learned a few new strategies and gained a lot of insight from Dr. Flannery Burke, associate history professor at St. Louis University. I look forward to sharing her 5Cs of historical thinking at our next secondary social studies district PD on October 10th.
The materials from the Stanford History Education Group - Reading Like a Historian and Thinking Like a Historian - were a common theme. Their historical thinking skills, various activities, and strategies were presented for all levels, elementary, middle, high, even collegiate. If you have not had the chance to check them out, I suggest you do and attempt a couple activities with your students. SHEG is trending now....and rightfully so....it's good stuff. One of the sessions I attended didn't necessarily provide me with strategies to share, but certainly offered me a grand lesson in history. I had the opportunity to go over to the National Archives building and visit the United States Holocaust Museum's traveling exhibit, The State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda. The exhibit is incredibly well done and the images are haunting. If you are all interested in viewing it, but don't have time to get down there, you can see some of the images and corresponding lessons on their website. If you can take the time to go down there - I highly recommend it. Hope everyone had a great time celebrating Constitution Day with their students. I received lots of emails regarding the great activities and lessons occurring in your classrooms and for those in grades K-8, all week in honor of Celebrate Freedom Week. I even had the opportunity to attend a Constitution Day assembly at Heartland Elementary School. The students did a wonderful job singing songs, my favorite was "We the People" from School House Rocks, and explaining why the Constitution is important. A big round of applause goes to Principal Luzenske who really got into character, note her fabulous wig!
Alas, Labor Day weekend has arrived. Finally, a three day weekend to refresh, recharge, and in some cases, catch up on all that has fallen behind since the school year started. A weekend to officially say goodbye to the stress, craze and hopefully hot and humid conditions of August and hello to the comfort of being adjusted to the routine of the school day, starting to know our students beyond their names and hopefully the cooler fall temperatures of September.
September has become quite a patriotic month in the state of Kansas. For starters, there's Labor Day. Since September 5, 1882, the first Monday in September is dedicated to paying tribute to the social and economic achievements of American workers. "It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country" (U.S. Department of Labor). It's also apparently become one of the best weekends of the year for bargain shoppers, especially if one is in the market for outdoor furniture or a new mattress. If that's you, check out U.S. News and World Report's Best Labor Day Weekend Sales article. Not only does the beginning of September honor America, but the middle of September pays tribute to the founding of America's government, particularly the ratification of the Constitution. September 17th is National Constitution Day. A day in which…‘‘[e]ach educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution.’’ (Federal Register /Vol. 70, No. 99 /Tuesday, May 24, 2005). As of May, 2013, In the state of Kansas, Constitution Day is now included as a part of Celebrate Freedom Week, which falls, you guessed it, in the middle of September; officially the full school week in September which contains September 17th or a full week as determined by the board of education of one's school district. All public schools in the state of Kansas are required to teach K-8th grade students the history of the founding of the United States. The law reads, “as part of the curriculum for grades kindergarten through eight on history and government concerning the original intent, meaning and importance of the declaration of independence and the United States constitution, including the bill of rights of the United States constitution, in their historical contexts. The religious references in the writings of the founding fathers shall not be censored when presented as part of such instruction. Such rules and regulations shall provide that the study of the declaration of independence include the study of the relationship of the ideas expressed in that document to subsequent American history, including the relationship of such ideas to the rich diversity of our people as a nation of immigrants, the American revolution, the formulation of the United States constitution and the abolitionist movement, which led to the emancipation proclamation and the women’s suffrage movement. Such instruction shall be taught during ‘‘celebrate freedom week,’’ established under section 1, and amendments thereto, or during such other full school week as determined by the board of education of the school district" (HB 2261). To assist in planning your Celebrate Freedom Week and Constitution Day lessons and activities, check out the compilations of resources listed below. Goodbye August and hello September! Have a great Laobr Celebrate Freedom Week - K-8 Constitution Day - 9-12 |
Kelli Haeffner
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What's happening in our social studies community?
Scroll through entries below to read about the awesome lessons your colleagues are doing in their classroom, pick up some strategy ideas, and learn about social studies professional development opportunities outside of BV.