Thursday, September 6, 2012

Constructing History - Like Making Sense of a Collage

Historians agree that history is not a memorization of events, people, dates, etc.  Historians also agree that one facet of historical thinking involves students constructing history.

As I was thinking about this process, TO CONSTRUCT HISTORY, I discovered a metaphor that seemed to make sense.

Imagine an assignment where students are often asked to take a poster and answer the question, "Who are you?" by making a collage using words and images from magazines.  The student pores through magazines, cutting, pasting and organizing until the collage is a masterpiece.  Even when finished, the collage doesn't communicate everything that can possibly be share about the individual, but it's a wonderful start.  For a twist, I'm going to change how the poster is shared with others.  Instead of letting the student present his/her own poster, imagine the teacher asking everyone in the class to make sense of the collage with this assignment:
Your job is to look at the evidence that is on the poster and create a brief narrative about this person based on what you see on the collage. Your narrative should tell me who this person IS.
                                         
"Words to Live By", Anne B.'s Vision Board, Collage, 16 x 20 inches, January 2012. Anne's board is composed of 50 images; 48 of which are words or phrases!

 I see this activity as a precise metaphor for what we want students to do when they construct history.  Students should be taking all of the evidence that they have about a person, event, idea, or time period and make sense of it through considering how the different pieces and parts are connected.  Connecting these pieces and parts involves high levels of critical thinking.  Everyone will come up with different answers, which may be uncomfortable for a teacher who expects one common answer, but the different answers reveal each student's ability to construct history based on the evidence they have in front of them.  If we don't let students construct history, then we leave them with snapshots of primary and secondary sources that have never been connected by the learner.  To me, this is one of the most important steps in historical thinking.

What might this look like in a classroom?  (As a note, I'm presenting ideas that are created for the sole intent of causing teachers of history AND historical thinking to consider how this might play out in a classroom.  This is the product of my own reflection about quality instruction within history.)

First, I would want to use the timeline as a primary tool to keep track of the historical pieces of evidence.  (Side Note: Timelines are, too often, tools that teachers use ineffectively.  They end up being products instead of tools.  We don't have a hammer, whisk, or spatula to look at -  they are tools.  Timelines must be created so they can be used as tools for the historian.)  The timeline creates a holding place for a historian to keep track of historical evidence connected to people, events, and ideas over time.  As students examine different sources, whether primary or secondary, they add pieces of evidence to the historical story we want young historians to tell.

For example, let's take a set of sources connected to the Stamp Act.

For most of the nation, student learn about early American history in 5th grade.  As a class, the kids may have experienced different levels of support as they learned about the Stamp Act with each of these sources.  Upon finishing this, I see a timeline with images or notes about each of these sources.  To involve students in the critical historical thinking and the sense making process, their final task (in groups or on their own) might be:
Your job is to look at the evidence that is on your timeline and create a brief narrative describing the Stamp Act based on these sources. 

While this process would definitely include modeling by the teacher and strong application of the gradual release of responsibility, this opportunity for writing to learn is an essential part of learning.  Students must be involved with authentic writing in all contents.  Take a look at the following graphic that compares writing to learn vs learning to write.  The process of constructing history is 100% connected to writing to learn.



Constructing history is something that is done by students, grounded in historical critical thinking.  It involves the teacher giving up responsibility for telling the story and giving that responsibility over to the students.  No matter what the final product happens to be, it will be connected to true educational goals - students engaged in critical thinking, sense making, and communicating their ideas based on evidence.



Friday, August 24, 2012

Geography is beautiful...a sense of place through photography

     The 4th graders in my school district have a unit titled Understanding Region: Africa. In this unit, students learn about the geographic concept of region by exploring the different natural regions of Africa. While on my own "digital road trip," I managed to find a website that led me towards the title of this post.  I found the photography of George Steinmetz. WOW!


Let me tell you why photographs 
are essential for young geographers...     
     To many kids, geography is a word, not something that stirs excitement.  As I reflect on how I became interested in geography, I recognize that it evolved over time through experiencing places, their landscapes (both built and unbuilt), their cultural differences, and the sense that I experienced the world differently because I was in a different place
     While not a master of geography, I've come to understand that having a strong sense of place creates a conduit for understanding our world; it creates a connection to different locations and what those places in the world look and feel like.  If you read about Paris, the Grand Canyon, Tokyo, or Iguazu Falls, you never truly know what those places are like.  You have words that create your sense of place for these locations...but that changes when you are given the chance to visit a location where you can finally see, smell, and experience.  It is at that precise moment when your sense of place begins develop substantially.
     In a nutshell, because of our world's vastness, the majority of people will never truly know what most places in the world are like. I knew I wouldn't...and I decided to do something about it.  
     As a way to connect with the world and develop my sense of place, I started to regularly view LENS, a photography, video, and visual journalism blog from the New York Times. I decided that if I couldn't travel everywhere in the world, at least I could see these locations.  What astonished me is that over time, I began to have a better sense of place for locations that I might never be able to visit.  In talking about the world, my ability to picture these places and feel a connection is better (even if just a little bit).  Go ahead, take a look at LENS and JUST TRY to tell me that you don't have a better sense of global places after spending 10 minutes looking at the pictures!
    Why is this important to geography education? Not only are these ideas important, I'd venture to say that these ideas are absolutely essential for young geographers.  If we want our students to feel the tug of geography and how it connects them to their world, we MUST help them to develop a sense of place.  And when we can't transport them everywhere we'd like, we have to use whatever tools and resources we have available. In this case, I'm suggesting that photographs should be used, especially those created by "photographers", when possible.   
     As an experiment, pause and try to picture what Africa looks like and feels like.  Ask yourself, why do you have these pictures in your head? How did you develop your sense of place for Africa?  Now...WATCH THIS and experience how your sense of place for Africa is changed.
     For those in my school district about to engage in learning about regions of Africa, consider hooking students into their learning by helping them to develop their sense of place for Africa.  Take the time to look at this video with your students and talk about what they see and what they "thought" Africa was like.  Study these pictures (click VIEW STORY) and ask students to write down what they think Africa would feel like and look like if they were there.  Look at the pictures of other photographers.  Have students connect the pictures to their location on maps, mark those locations, and talk about what else is around those locations by analyzing maps of physical features.  Think of it like getting ready to take a learning trip...pack their brains with some mental images, organize their sense of place by using maps...and then start the journey towards where you are going.  You might just find yourself amidst students who are thrilled to make the journey with you! Sometimes the most important part of learning is in setting students up for what is just around the corner. 

Africa photos and videos:
  • Resource: Michael Fay, a conservationist, did a 6-month aerial survey flyover of Africa.


Monday, August 20, 2012

Who do I sit with at lunch? An Economic choice

In my school district, 4th graders begin the year with an economic unit that guides students to consider choices, opportunity costs, and incentives.  In most classrooms, students are doing work and using graphic organizers to show how they might process their choices.

As I was reading the Fall 2011 issue of Teaching Tolerance, my interest gravitated towards the article on Mix It Up Day.  
For those of you who do not know about Mix It Up Day, check it out (MixItUp.org).  The goal of the day is to help kids step out of their comfort zone at lunch and spend lunch with new peers or getting to know someone new.  

Brilliant, I say...but how often do we lecture and encourage kids about getting to know others in their peer group?  How often do we make them part of the learning so they begin to understand why it might be enjoyable, and important, to sit with someone new at lunch?  Rarely!

What I'm suggesting is that we pose questions to students related to embracing diversity at lunch.  Those questions are sprinkled with concepts of economics (choice, opportunity cost, incentive) and community concepts of unity/diversity.  By creating the questions and inviting students to think about the benefits of this experience, they are the ones who do the learning and develop the ideas connected with this experience.  (What are the advantages/incentives/disadvantages of sitting with the same peers daily during lunch?  What are the advantages/incentives/disadvantages of sitting with different peers during lunch?)  In so doing, they embrace the experience and they learn something about themselves and how they can make choices to interact with a broader range of peers.  When students are done with the learning, they'd be the perfect group to organize a Mix It Up Day at their school. Two birds...one stone...great learning and a major life lesson about embracing diversity!  

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Colonial America - Walk Back In Time

When I visited Colonial Williamsburg with a group of Jeffco teachers back in 2009, we took a walk along a bridge that contained a collection of plaques identifying dates and statements that would offer the viewer a sense of historical context.  For example, one said...


 1820's - You cannot travel overland more than 70 miles in a day.

There were a total of 12 plaques extending from the 18th Century to the 1980's.  
VIEW Document with Plaque Images.  (These are my personal photos taken at Colonial Williamsburg.  Feel free to use in any way to support instruction.)

I imagined using these plaques with 5th graders, the grade that frequently studies early American History throughout the United States.  5th graders struggle with their sense of time, and I thought to myself, "These plaques could be a great way to help kids connect with the past." When their sense of time is confined to the last 11 years, this provides the opportunity to walk back in time, just as was intended by Colonial Williamsburg.  

Within instruction, images of the plaques might be used at the start of a study to help students develop the concept of Chronology.  By placing the events on a timeline, students can be given guidance related to skills, such as, "Students will be able to determine critical attributes of a timeline."  Teachers can also engage students in discussion related to how historians use timelines to record people, events, and ideas.  Instructionally, after placing all of the events from the plaques on the timeline, students might be encouraged to place additional comments extending from the 1980's to the present (mirroring those on these plaques).  Some students might also enjoy the challenge of adding details from the beginning of the 18th century to the present.  There are definitely tons of options for extending the learning so students further develop their sense of time and Chronology.

Last, I can also see how these plaques can be used to help students develop the concept of Continuity and Change Over Time.  With each plaque, students could evaluate the statement to identify how things have changed and how things have stayed the same (of course, students will probably need support to begin thinking this way).

Example:
1820's - You cannot travel overland more than 70 miles in a day.
How have things stayed the same?

  • We still travel overland.
  • Most people travel overland less than 70 miles in a day driving to work.
  • People travel to destinations for particular reasons.

How have things changed?

  • People travel over land, over water, and even underground on trains and subways.
  • To travel 70 miles in a day is easy, and people will sometimes travel much greater distances over land in a day.  
  • Roads are not dirt, they're smoother for travel due to concrete and blacktop.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Using Photographs to Teach "Continuity and Change Over Time"

A significant history concept that students need to grasp is Continuity and Change Over Time.  This involves considering how people, ideas, and places have stayed the same and changed over time.  While explaining this concept is a start, we have to remember that many students are visual.  Luckily, there are picture sets that exist which allow us to guide students toward understanding this concept.  

Picture Set: Summer Olympics Since 1896 (from DZinepress)

How might I use a picture set within a learning activity?
If students are given this set of pictures, they might initially organize them on a timeline.  This opportunity deepens their sense of chronology and how timelines are used by historians.  For younger students who are still grasping concepts of time, they might add the birthdays of major family members or when particular items were invented.  Adding these elements help students to build context for time periods.  Finally, allow students to create a simple T chart with:
1. What appears to stay the same over time?
2. What appears to change over time?
  
This gets students actively involved in the historical process/historical thinking and creates an entry point for every student to apply the concept of Continuity and Change Over Time to their learning of history.  Students might add details that are complex or details that may appear, initially, surface level.  The ope-ended nature of the learning activity allows students of all learning levels to engage in the thinking and participate in the discussion of what was observed.

Keep your eyes out for additional picture sets that you might use.  In a 3rd grade classroom, a teacher used pictures of the Denver Bronco quarterbacks, the uniforms, and the stadium to help students understand the concept of Continuity and Change Over Time.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Issues of Cobblestone Connected to 5th Grade Social Studies

First, I want to identify the topics that are associated with 5th grade in my school district (Changing Face of North America AKA Colonial America, American Revolution, United States Constitution).

With that in mind, I've created a document that includes the links/synopsis of all issues of Cobblestone that are connected to 5th grade social studies.  As teachers look to maximize learning time and connect learning across contents, there is a growing need to use content-rich non-fiction within reading instruction.  I feel that Cobblestone, a history magazine for ages 9-14, delivers wonderful non-fiction that is short enough to use with guided reading groups or for jigsaw reading activities around a topic/theme/concept.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Using the "Evolution of Dance" to Teach "Continuity and Change Over Time"

A significant concept in history is continuity and change over time.  While we often look to examples precisely connected to the content we are teaching, Marzano best practices elevates how the use of metaphors is important for student thinking.  That leads me to question, "What examples can help teachers to connect teaching and learning to concepts?"

A friend recently shared this video of a comedian demonstrating every form of dance over time...in just six minutes.  What if this video were shared with students to begin a conversation about the concept of continuity and change over time?  How has dance continued to change yet retained some commonality over time?

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Concept-Based Performance Assessment for Colonial America

With the elevation of concept-based learning, student assessment must consider transfer of concepts.  5th graders throughout the nation are involved in the study of Colonial America.  (Out of respect for cultures, we have renamed this unit Changing Face of North America: Emergence of a New World Society.)

As part of this study, students are engaged with the concept of continuity and change over time as it connects to social, political and economic development.  Essentially, students examine social, political and economic development over time to see what has stayed the same and what has changed.

Since 5th graders don't know much about different eras, the goal within this concept-based performance assessment (using the UbD GRASPS model) is to help them transfer the concept of continuity and change over time to a modern context.  And, since 5th graders might not know much about current social, political or economic perspectives, they build this knowledge through interviews with adults.  I just created this for our teachers, but it has not been tested.  What do you think?  Can 5th graders do this?  Check out the assessment here!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Blogging and Its Connection to "Writing to Learn"

Best practice instruction includes giving students the opportunity to reflect on their learning, clarify thinking, or make connections among different ideas through writing.  This is the process of writing to learn.  It may happen through students reflecting on essential questions, connecting discrete details of learning to their more significant concepts, or even just in considering what makes sense and what is confusing within the skills, processes and content of social studies.  Writing to learn elevates metacognition, the process of thinking about your own thinking.  As more teachers begin to use 21st century tools, blogging is something that students can do.  In terms of assigning relevant, worthwhile homework, student-created blogs seem to make sense.  And, if student blogs are connected to each other, blogs create opportunities for teachers to support students in their practice of 21st century skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity/innovation.  This video explains, perfectly, why blogging is so powerful for teachers and students as they mediate thinking.  One place to establish classroom blogs is Edublogs.org.  For additional thinking, see this post from ASCD Edge.

The Five C's: Learning to Think Like a Historian

Over the course of four summers, I had the chance to participate and administer a Teaching American History grant for Jeffco schools.  One thing that struck me is how we have, for ages, asked kids to remember history rather than employ flexible structures for thinking about history.  Basically, how to think like a historian?  Thomas Andrews and Flannery Burke have outlined the concepts that are connected to thinking historically.  Their essay, What Does It Mean to Think Historically?, examines these five concepts so teachers can begin to apply these concepts within classroom conversation and student work.
1. Change Over Time
2. Context
3. Causality
4. Contingency
5. Complexity

George Washington's French and Indian War

In the intermediate grades, students work with perspective as a foundational thought process.  This causes a teacher to be well-versed in the events of a period.  This essay, George Washington's French and Indian War by Theodore J. Crackel, appears on the Gilder Lehrman website and examines one perspective in great detail. 

Is it okay to adapt primary sources for different learners? How?

As students progress through grade levels, standards consistently ask students to analyze primary sources to understand the past.  Unfortunately, the content assigned to 5th grade is typically early American history, and the content assigned to 6th grade is typically early cultures of the Western Hemisphere up through nations and cultures within the present.  Teachers frequently find themselves wondering, "How do I support students in their use of primary sources when they are either too complex or they contain difficult language that reflects eras in the past?"  This leads teachers to wonder if it is appropriate to modify a primary source so that its content is accessible for the learners engaging in the content. While our intent is to stay true to history, it IS acceptable to adapt a primary source while maintaining the historic message and perspective communicated within the source.  For a deeper explanation, take a look at this post from teachinghistory.org titled Adapting Documents for the Classroom: Equity and Access

Go ahead...adapt a primary source...make historical thinking happen!

Added May 28, 2013 (Article: DESCRIBE - A Strategy for Making Text-Based Primary Sources More Accessible, from the Library of Congress)