Reflection on Reading Module 5

Being a History major, I found the example lesson "Working with Documents: Pre-War Nazi Antisemitism" was very useful. It is definitely a resource I will keep on handy when creating my own lesson plans in the future. I also think it is a good idea to look at this resource when planning our next lesson plan assignment. The Written Document Analysis Worksheet will help me create worksheets for my own Analyzing Bias lesson plan. I also like the cartoon/illustration analysis worksheet. In my future classroom, I intend on having daily warm-ups that include analyzing political cartoons. So the cartoon analysis worksheet would be perfect to use for these warm-ups.

This chapter has a bunch of great resources for creating syllabi, lesson plans, and unit plans. It also explains how to create integrated lesson plans that create rounded lessons, incorporating various different subjects.

Unit Plan Resources- American History

Course: American History
Unit Plan: The 1960s

Keeping track of some of the resources I would like to include in this unit plan which may help me with the next lesson plan assignment.

JFK's Inaugural Address http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/kennedy.asp
LBJ's Inaugural Address http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/johnson.asp

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speechesbydecade.html

This website has a bunch of American speeches listed by decade. It provides a pdf and a mp3 for each speech. Great resource for American history classes.
- Newton Norman Minow "Television and the Public Interest"
- Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream"
- Malcolm X "The Ballot or the Bullet"
- LBJ's "Great Society"
- Stokely Carmichael "Black Power"
- Robert Francis Kennedy Remarks on the Assassination of MLK

And just for fun:
This is from Archives.gov
http://research.archives.gov/description/595725
These are notes taken by JFK during a meeting regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Missiles, Missiles, Missiles!

Trade books- Reflections on Module 4

I think trade books are great for Social Science classes. I think it is hard to explain personal events -- such as the Holocaust, Civil Rights, Slavery, wars, etc -- just using a textbooks and lectures. Trade books help explain the personal aspects behind these historical events.

Here's something to evaluate trade books for your classroom:

http://www.hhpcommunities.com/kane/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=245:evaluating-trade-books&catid=60:assessments&Itemid=93

Hope this helps for future teachers :)

Reference for the Week- Heritage Trail Books

Hey guys,

I recently ordered Heritage Trail Books from the State of Florida. These are great little history books that prospective social science teachers should keep handy in their classrooms. They have a bunch of photographs to look through. Also each book includes a bunch of historical sites for possible field trips in cities all around Florida. The state is now providing these books free of charge. All you have to do is email Susanne Hunt, email on the bottom of the page, and she'll send over copies of the books you request.

Titles you can request:
Black Heritage Trail
Civil War Heritage Trail
Cuban heritage Trail
Jewish Heritage Trail
Native American Heritage Trail
Women's Heritage Trail
Spanish Colonial Heritage Trail
World War II Heritage Trail

:)

Reflections on Reading Mod 4

Module Four in Kellough and Carjuzza's textbook discusses how to select appropriate content and create objectives. I found the most beneficial part of this module to be the discussion regarding the use of textbooks. Textbooks are important because they provide students with basic content. They also help teachers find content that should be emphasized, as well as suggestions, activities, and resources for furthering student learning. The problem behind the textbook is that many teachers get "too" comfortable, using it as the only resource in the class. It is important as secondary teachers that we bring to the table more than class textbook. Using one textbook often hurts the learning environment. Students aren't exposed to outside opinions and left to rely on publisher's opinions. These books are also very general and may not discuss everything that you hope to teach your class. Before using an textbook it is important to evaluate it appropriately based on your curriculum and your students. It is also important to teach children how to use their textbooks. They should be able to locate the Table of Contents, the Index, Appendixes, Glossary of Terms, Summaries, etc. It is wrong to assume that your students already know.
Another big thing brought up in this chapter is using other printed materials. In addition to your textbook, you should also include various trade books, charts, online resources, primary document- newspaper articles, documents, etc.

Attached I've included a Checklist for evaluating Textbooks from Kane's book Literacy and Learning In the Content Areas. This checklist could be used when trying to compare textbooks for your future classrooms.




From Literacy & Learning in the Content Areas, Third Edition, by Sharon Kane. Copyright © 2011 by Holcomb Hathaway, Publishers, Scottsdale, AZ.

Reference for the Week

Found this on the Internet... If your a Dolphins fan and you enjoy History, I think you'll find this enjoyable.


I think showing funny clips like this to your students to relate history with current events can help keep learning fun in your class. It can give kids a break from the everyday lecture notes and class activities.

Also this clip comes from the film Downfall . It is a really great film for History majors or anyone with an interest in World War II. I really enjoyed it and to my knowledge it is actually pretty accurate. I highly recommend the film!

Reflections on Teacher Qualities

I really like that someone added humor to our list of "good" teacher qualities. That should have been something on my list. I really feel that humor could turn a dull subject matter for some kids into their new favorite subject. My favorite teachers growing up were the ones that could really make me laugh. They made learning enjoyable by adding little tidbits of humorous information or jokes. They also used humor when disciplining children. I continue to look up to those teachers that made my learning environments lively and entertaining. They have become the role models for my teaching career.

Heads up Social Science Teachers! History Resources

Hey guys,

For my own studies in history, I've been searching online for websites that can provide good reviews of historical events, themes, and figures that are concise and accurate. I've found myself checking PBS History quite frequently lately. I use it for quick fact checks, study aids, and to check up on recently added videos.

PBS History
This site is always great. It is very user friendly. It is exceptionally organized, making it incredibly easy to maneuver. They are always adding new videos to their list, so the site never gets old! You can choose different subtopics that you wish to explore from the drop-down menu found on the top. Each subtopic has a ton of interactive videos, lectures, audio-clips that provide you with a ton of valuable information. Enough videos to have you entertained for hours! They also have the world war clips that provide concise timelines that quickly sum up the events of the wars. My favorite collection of clips are those from History Detectives. There is also a section for teachers that features a bunch of possible lesson plans and great social science resources. The lesson plans they provide are very detailed, and they also usually provide you with any additional handouts or video clips associated with the lesson.


I hope you will find this site useful in your own studies and in your future classrooms!