Artifact Bag

As one of my project for class, I created an artifact bag containing three items that have the appearance of being artifacts from a historical time period.  Fuhler, Farris, and Nelson (2006) indicate that “using artifacts, from primary source documents to items that can be held in one’s hand, is a motivational strategy that can tie readers to a variety of genres and bring a period of history to life in the process” (p. 646).  Using artifact bags is a successful way to entice children about a particular time period or aspect of social studies.  Additionally, using artifact bags allows children to make connections and discoveries about the past.  Our group for fieldwork focused on the colonial Hudson valley, specifically when the colony was owned by the Dutch and called New Netherland.  I was able to connect the artifact bag lesson to the New York State Common Core State Standards for ELA and Social Studies for grades three through five. 

            In order to prepare my artifact bag, I searched through thrift shops trying to find items that would resemble the historical time period the students we learning about – in my case, the historical Hudson Valley.  I was able to find a small stainless steel cup, a red leather bracelet, and I also purchased some tulip bulbs.  In addition to the artifacts, I also found two books from my local library and three websites that would provide the students with more information in which to make their conclusions about the artifacts.  I chose the stainless steel cup because the people of New Netherland would have had such an item in their home, or used it to trade with.  The red leather bracelet resembles something a Native American might have worn or used to trade with.  I chose to use tulip bulbs because the Dutch brought tulips with them over from the Netherlands to New Netherland.  The two books that I chose to use with these items provide the students with images and information in which to look through.  The two books are Life in New Amsterdam by Laura Fischer and The New York Colony by Martin Hintz.  I also selected three websites to be used with the artifact bag.  Two are from the New Netherland Institute and one is about the Tulip Festival that takes place in Albany, New York and honors the Dutch heritage of this region.  I selected these particular books and websites because they are student friendly and

will provide the students with additional information to make conclusions about their artifacts.   

            In the lesson, the students will first be presented with the artifacts.  They will unwrap the artifacts and begin to discuss the artifacts in their group.  The students will be answering the 5Ws about each artifact and will write their summary and conclusions about all of the artifacts, as well as indicate what more they want to know.  After the students unwrap, examine, and analyze the artifacts for a few minutes, they will then unwrap the two books that are included in their artifact bag.  Finally, students will be able to access the websites provided to them to make their final conclusions and fill in their graphic organizers.    

Making the artifact bag was a very rewarding experience.  At first I was daunted by task of finding artifacts from the 1600s.  However, it did not take me long to realize that I could use objects found today that resemble items from the 1600s and incorporate those into my project.  Furthermore, I ordered countless books to be sent to my local library and searched through them until I found that ones that would work best with my artifacts.  This task showed me how easy it is to make authentic learning possible – taking only a little time, effort, and creativity.  The meaning and connections the students will make through exploring the artifacts, looking through the books and websites, and making conclusions about the artifacts is well worth it. 

Artifact bags not only allow children to hold and touch a historic object, but they also ingrate reading, writing, and searching for information into the process.  Through use of the artifact bag, I am using a project that ties together many aspects of the curriculum—such as reading, writing, and social studies—while allowing students to have an authentic and meaningful interaction with the topic they are learning about (Fuhler, Farris, & Nelson, 2006).  Not only does the artifact bag allow for authentic and meaningful learning across the curriculum, it also incorporates the five principles of powerful teaching and learning.   The National Council for the Social Studies indicates that social studies teaching and learning is powerful when it is meaningful, integrative, value-based, challenging, and active (National Council for the Social Studies).  In order to provide a powerful social studies experience to students, it is imperative that these principles be followed.  By providing students with a meaningful experience that is integrative, challenging, active, and based on value, students are able to make connections, activate their prior knowledge, and gain a deeper understanding of what they are learning.  The artifact bag project definitely adheres to these fives principles as students are able to have a meaningful, active, engaging, and challenging experience as they examine and analyze the artifacts, make conclusions, and summarize their findings.       

References

Fulher, C. J., Farris, P. J., & Nelson, P. A. (2006). Building literacy skills across      the curriculum: Foraging connections with the past through artifacts. The Reading Teacher, (59)7, 646-658.

National Council for the Social Studies. (n.d.) Principles of teaching and learning.  Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies.  Retrieved March 20, 2015 from http://www.learner.org/workshops/socialstudies/pdf/session1/1.PowerfulTeachingLearning.pdf

What did they own? (n.d.). Retrieved April 5, 2015, from http://www.newnetherlandinstitute.org/education/for-students/fun-re/what-was-new-netherland/what-did-they-own/.

Fort Orange. (n.d.). Retrieved April 5, 2015, from http://www.newnetherlandinstitute.org/history-and-heritage/digital-exhibitions/a-tour-of-new-netherland/albany/fort-orange/.

History & Background. (2015). Retrieved April 5, 2015, from http://www.albanytulipqueen.com/history

Fischer. L. (2003). Life in new amsterdam.  Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library.

Hintz, M. (2006). The new york colony. Mankao, MN: Capstone Press.

100 Ways of Teaching Geography

After view a slideshow about 100 different ways to teaching geography, I have selected the 10 ideas that I like best and would like to share them!

1. Google Earth- A students selects a piece of paper at random from a hat, bucket, etc.  The paper has a destination, location, landmark, or city on it.  The whole class "flies" there through Google Earth.

2. The 60 Second Film - Students summarize a concept in a 60 second short film.  This enables students to be creative and to convey the knowledge they have learned in a nontraditional way.

3. Newspaper Mapping - Students bring in newspaper articles about a geographical area that they are interested in.  The articles are displayed on a world map and later discussed.

4. Sing It- Have students change the lyrics of a nursery rhyme to fit an issue or the development of a physical feature. 

5. Montage a Google - Created by Grant Robinson, can be used to create a montage of Google images representing a topic, region, destination, ,etc.  This image can be used to introduce the lesson, activate prior knowledge, or sum up a lesson.

6. Warm Up Maps - Students draw lines to connect specific places to there location on a map.  Can be used as a warm up activity.

7. Dizzy Direction - Students have to turn to face the correct wall when the compass direction is called out by the teacher.  

8. Atlas Race - Students race to put their finger on the place that is called in their atlas.  

9. Throw a Globe - Students toss an inflatable globe to one another to answer questions that are asked.  The student who catches the globe answers the question.

10. GeoTube - Geography videos on YouTube.

To check out some of the other ideas click HERE!

Making History Fun and Exciting for Students

I have just been introduced to two totally awesome tools that can be used in the classroom to make learning history more exciting and engaging for students!  

The first tool is from the National Archives Docs Teach.  This website is fantastic!  It allows a teacher to use tons of primary source information in a creative, engaging, and thought provoking way!  You can browse through already created activities, or create your own using the primary source documents available through the National Archives.

Check out this video which explains what Docs Teach is!

  

Another tool is the QR Treasure Hunt.  A QR Treasure Hunt allows students to use smartphones or iPads to scan QR codes throughout the classroom, at home, around the school, or really wherever because they can be printed right onto paper!  The students scan the QR codes and immediately are taken to a website or document that you want them to view to find information to answer a question.  This is a great way to get students moving around the classroom and using technology in a creative way!

Check out this video that talks a little more about using QR codes!

The Five Themes of Geography

There are five different essential themes when teaching geography:

1. Location - location can be absolute or relative.  Absolute location means that there is a definite 

reference in which to locate a place, such as latitude and longitude or a street address.  Relative location is used to describe a place in relation to its environment and its connection to other places. 

2. Place - a place describes the human and physical characteristics of a location.  Physical characteristics are things such as mountains, rivers, beaches, etc.  The human characteristics are things like the religions, food, transportation, architecture, and other cultural features.

3. Human-Environment Interaction - how humans can adapt and change the environment in both positive and negative ways.

4. Movement - movement and migration across the planet for many reasons

5. Region - regions divide the world into smaller units for geographic study.  The units have similar characteristics that unify the area.  

Check out this video to learn more!

Rosenberg, M. (2015).  "The five themes of geography" on About.com. Retrieved from http://geography.about.com/od/teachgeography/a/5themes.htm

Celebration of Learning

Last night we had our celebration of learning for completing our fieldwork experience at Bishop Dunn Memorial School in Newburgh, New York.  It has been a great experience an one that I am thankful to have been able to participate in.  I have learned so much about the different types of lesson plans and have been given the opportunity to write various lesson plans and put them into action.  Although this has been a challenging experience, it has given me a real taste of what having my own classroom will be like.  

You can see a slide show of some of the projects we completed as a class in fieldwork and hear the reflections of myself and my colleagues.

What's it to you?

You can check out our presentation about incorporating current events into the classroom through the activity What's it to you?

Here are my thoughts about using current events in the classroom and the NewsELA site... enjoy!

This semester I was introduced to a website called NewsELA.  NewsELA contains nonfiction literacy and current event articles that can be accessed by students.  NewsELA contains articles that range from topics such as War and Peace, Kids, Sports, Health, etc.  The articles on NewsELA can be read in different levels which enable them to be used across a wide range of grade levels and student abilities.  Additionally, teachers can assign articles to be read at home or in school and can assign quizzes or writing assignments to be done right on the NewsELA website.

There are many reasons to teach current events in the classroom.  According to Wise Owl Kids (n.d.) teaching current events in the classroom is important because it enables students to become more conscious of the world around them and understand how world events impact them as citizens.  Additionally, providing students with information about current events allows them to become more active participants in their community.  Hopkins (2010) indicates that there is a large amount of research that supports using current events in the classroom.  He suggests that newspapers allow students to become better readers, increase their awareness and interest in current events, and develop and improve reading comprehension, vocabulary, and word recognition skills (Hopkins, 2010).  According to Hopkins (2010) another added benefit of teaching current events in the classroom and having students read the newspaper is that it increases the likelihood that students will continue to read the newspaper as adults.  Furthermore, DeRoche (1991) suggests that using newspapers and current event articles in the classroom will foster a positive attitude for reading non-fictional material and increase standardized test scores.  

There are many ways to incorporate current events activities into the classroom.  Wise Owl Kids (n.d.) suggests multiple activities that can be used in the classroom to incorporate current events.  Some of the activities suggested by Wise Owl Kids (n.d.) include identifying why a particular article is considered news, identifying the five W’s, identifying facts and opinions, and many more.  One great aspect of NewsELA over traditional newspapers is that the articles on NewsELA are student friendly, the difficulty of the article can be altered to meet each student’s ability, students can access the same article at home and at school, NewsELA incorporates technology in the classroom, and note taking and comments can be make directly on the article in NewsELA.  Furthermore, teaching current events in the classroom can be directly tied to the New York State Common Core State Standards for ELA and Social Studies. 

I will definitely incorporate current events into my future classroom through the use of sites like NewsELA, similar websites, or traditional newspaper and magazine articles.  Using current events is a great way to allow students to connect with what is happening within our community and the world as a whole while promoting literacy in the classroom.  NewsELA is a fantastic website because it allows an articles difficulty level to be changed so that all students may read the article on a level that is suitable for them.  It was helpful to use NewsELA and see all of the great opportunities the website has.  There is an abundance of different articles that can appeal to many interest levels and allow students to find articles that they are interested in without having to look in traditional newspapers that may or may not have information that is not sensitive enough for younger students to view.  I was very impressed with NewsELA and all that the site has to offer.  I am thankful to be able to have gotten the opportunity to access and utilize the site this semester.  However, I do feel that just reading the articles and taking a quiz or completing a short writing assignment is not enough to really utilize the article in the classroom.  I think that using the article in discussions or other activities as suggested on Wise Owl Kids is a better way to use the articles from NewsELA in a literary way in the classroom, as well as a great way to get students engaged in current events and what is happening in our society.

I am grateful that I have been exposed to NewsELA and the Wise Owl Kids website containing different activities and creative ways to incorporate current event articles in the classroom.  In regards to using NewsELA in future social studies methods classes, I would not use the quiz and writing option on the articles.  I feel that this is not the best way to allow us at graduate students to learn new strategies for incorporating current events into the classroom.  I am a strong proponent that only reading and answering questions is not the best way to promote higher order thinking and learning.  I did enjoy creating the PowerPoint presentation highlighting a way to utilize NewsELA with activities, however, only reading and answering questions online was not beneficial.  Therefore, I will be sure to adhere to the five principles of teaching and learning as identified by the National Council for the Social Studies which are essential to a social studies program.  These principles state that social studies teaching and learning are powerful when they are meaningful, integrative, value-based, challenging, and active (National Council for the Social Studies).  In order to provide a powerful social studies experience to students, it is imperative that these principles be followed.  By providing students with a meaningful experience that is integrative, challenging, active, and based on value, students are able to make connections, activate their prior knowledge, and gain a deeper understanding of what they are learning.  Therefore, I will be sure to incorporate these principles when designing my activities and lessons for current events.  After completing this process, I will definitely use current events and engaging activities to implement social studies learning in my future classroom.     

         

References

DeRoche, E. F. (1991).  The newspaper: A reference book for teachers and librarians.  Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio Inc.

Hopkins, G. (2010).  Why teach current events? Education World, Retrieved April 2, 2015 from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr084.shtml

National Council for the Social Studies. (n.d.) Principles of teaching and learning.  Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies.  Retrieved March 20, 2015 from http://www.learner.org/workshops/socialstudies/pdf/session1/1.PowerfulTeachingLearning.pdf

Newsela | Nonfiction Literacy and Current Events. (2015, January 1). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from https://newsela.com/

Wise Owl Kids. (n.d.) Current events. Retrieved April 2, 2015 from http://www.ncwiseowl.org/ss/Current/activities/default.htm

Current Events in the Classroom

I recently completed a project in which a partner and myself had to create a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating how we would incorporate current events into our future social studies classroom.  We chose to use the "What's it to you?" activity from News Owl Kids.  In our graduate class, we were also given access to a website called NewsELA.  If you have not heard of NewsELA I highly suggest you check it out!  The videos below explains more about NewsELA and how it can be used.

Stay tuned to see our presentation and my reflection about my experiences with NewsELA and thoughts about using current events in the classroom!