Glenn+Briggs

Student Directed Project Lesson Plan
 * __March 19__**

TOPIC FOR LESSON: Why people paying into social security today, won’t get it back when it’s their turn to collect.

Grade Level/Course: High school econ/government Unit: Social Security Date: 3/19/12 //Lesson Objectives (information, disposition, and skill objectives)://

Learn how social security works How a change in population affects social security Possible option for a solution

//Assessment Tools://


 * 1) 2 page paper
 * 2) That discuses
 * 3) what social security is
 * 4) how it works
 * 5) how it has changed
 * 6) what the problems with it today are
 * 7) what possible solutions to these problems are
 * 8) what the presidential candidates views on social security are
 * 9) and which views seem like the best idea to the student
 * 10) The paper should be structured in the above way.
 * 11) Points 1.a.i-iv,vi should all be similar to other students answers, point v should be something unique that the student has come up with on their own.

//Activities://


 * 1) Initiation/Opening/Hook:
 * 2) Ask student how they would feel about working for the rest of their lives.
 * 3) Ask them how they would feel if there was something that you could slowly contribute to over the next 40 ish years of their life, that would help them not have to work for the rest of their lives
 * 4) Ask them how they would feel if they were forced to give something, with the promise of it being returned later, but then when later comes, it isn’t returned.
 * 5) Ask if any students have jobs
 * 6) Ask if any of them pay into social security, and if they understand what that is
 * 7) You get money taken out of your pay check ever week to go into this bank account the federal government has, and then when you hit 65, they start to slowly give that money back
 * 8) When this was first developed, it went into an account and when the people who paid into it hit 65, they could start getting their money back. This bank account with everyone’s social security couldn’t be touched for anything besides going back to people who paid into it.
 * 9) Families were also having more children. If one couple had a two children, and then their two children had two grand children, that is four grand children paying into social security for four grandparents. So this helped that social security bank account stay at a consistent value.
 * 10) With these two pieces of information, have students brainstorm ideas on what could happen over time that might change the amount of money going into, and being taken out of social security.
 * 11) What do we know
 * 12) What do we need to know
 * 13) How do we find out
 * 14) Why has social security been such a key issue lately? What factors are resulting in the argument that “one day, there won’t be any money to pay back the people who have been contributing to it?”
 * 15) Have students go to the school library, and start searching the internet for Social Security. “Many students will be familiar with the online resource Wikipedia; it may be a good starting point for research and be helpful in determining related topics or other guidance to find other resources.”
 * 16) Hopefully students discover that the things that made social security so good in the beginning, have changed.
 * 17) It was a bank account that couldn’t be touched for anything other than paying back social security. That has changed so now the government can get into it for other things.
 * 18) People were having more children, as long as every couple produced two children, there would be four grandchildren paying into social security for four grandparents. In a lot of cases, parents were having more than two children, which created a surplus of money going into it. Now, couples who are having less than two children are hurting social security because that creates less people paying into it.
 * 19) Draw conclusion about what has happen to social security since it was first created, and what possible solutions to these problems are.
 * 20) Students need to write a 2 page paper briefly explaining what social security is, how it works, how it has changed, what the problems with it today are, and what possible solutions to these problems are.
 * 21) Explain social security
 * 22) Teacher’s Activities
 * 23) Give students an explanation of social security
 * 24) Explain how this worked fine at first, but over time, as started to have issues.
 * 25) Introduce the two page writing assignment, and go over the required writing topics
 * 26) Students’
 * 27) Form the question
 * 28) Investigate the question
 * 29) Interpret information
 * 30) Draw a conclusion
 * 31) Closure
 * 32) Introduce the writing assignment

**__February 20__**
Discussion Debate Lesson Plan Topic For Lesson: Immigration across the Mexican border Date: Grade Level/Course: Sixth grade Social Studies Unit: Immigration

__Standards__ 1) Civics / Government a) C4 – The United States of America and World Affairs i) Formation and Implementation of U.S. Foreign Policy ii) U.S. Role in International Institutions and Affairs b) C5 – Citizenship in the United States i) The meaning of Citizenship in the United States of America ii) Becoming a citizen

__Lesson Objectives (information, disposition, and skill objectives):__

1) Consider opposing viewpoints around immigration into the United States from Mexico 2) Clearly and systematically discuss public policy issues in the classroom by aiming conversations “at persuasion, problem solving and clarification when discussants take a stand on public issues”. 3) Consider the pros and cons of Mexican immigration into the United States, devise solutions to this problem, and determine a specific policy or action to implement it.

__Assessment Tools:__

1) Four paragraph essay

__Activities:__

1) Initiation/Opening/Hook a) Ask students question to get them thinking

i) Have any of you had to moved from one place to another ii) Why did you move iii) Why do other people move iv) What could people be trying to get away from / move towards

b) Throughout the history of the United States, Mexicans have immigrated to the United States for various reasons. In the past several decades, however, the United States has created stricter laws in attempt to decrease the number of illegal immigrants entering the United States from Mexico. The entire process has had profound effects on both the United States and on Mexico, which has in turn created a great deal of tension and heated opinions surrounding the issue.[1] 2) Teacher’s Activities a) Present an overview of the issue and opposing sides i) Provide a handout describing the reasoning for controversy over U.S. immigration policy along the Mexican boarder ii) Phrase the issue as a question requiring a choice or decision for action so students form an opinion on the issue by responding to issue of immigration. iii) Present the opposing sides of this issue (1) Tighter / stricter policies regarding immigration along Mexican boarder (2) Looser / more lenient policies regarding immigration along Mexican boarder iv) Ask the question – “What policy should the U.S. government have about immigration along the Mexican border?” b) Divide the class and assign each half one of the two sides of the issue i) Randomly divide the class in half. (1) Appoint one group the “Tighter / stricter policies regarding immigration along Mexican border” position (2) Appoint the other group the “Looser / more lenient policies regarding immigration along Mexican border” position ii) Have students pair up with someone standing near them and share in their own words the most compelling points on their side of the issue. c) Encourage students to “go with their own belief” i) With the two sides of the issue restated in their own words, ask students to take a stand based on their own belief about the issue, and move to one of three locations in the room (1) One side supports “restricting” immigration (2) One side supports “opening the borders” (3) The middle represents “undecided” ii) Have students explain why they moved to where they did amongst other students near them. iii) Encourage students to change their location if their beliefs change d) Encourage student interaction and descriptions i) Ask three of four students on the “restrict immigration” side to explain their strongest arguments for deciding to stand where they did. ii) Ask the students on the “open the borders” side to respond to the points that the prior group made. iii) Allow the “restrict immigration” side to then respond to the counter points made. (1) Let this back and forth interaction proceed until both sides have presented what they believe are the most significant arguments for their side of the issue iv) Keep responses focused on specific lines of reason and comments. v) Ask students to get into large groups with the people that are on their side, and come up with an answer to the question – “What is a solution to this issue?” vi) After all three sides are presented (“Pro” “Undecided” “Against”), explore together through discussion. e) Dialogical reasoning on paper i) Have students consider competing positions as well as their own, and represent the arguments each might make by writing a four paragraph essay. (1) Paragraph one – Introduce the issue by providing an overview of the main points and major areas of controversy (2) Paragraph two – Describe the primary arguments presented by the “point” side (3) Paragraph three – Describe the primary arguments presented by the “counter point” side (4) Paragraph four – conclude the paper by suggesting a policy that might meet the interests of the two sides. 3) Students’ Activities a) Read through a handout describing the reasoning for controversy over U.S. immigration policy along the Mexican boarder b) Form an answer to the question “What policy should the U.S. government have about immigration along the Mexican border?” c) Get into groups either for or against tightening border restrictions d) Pair up with someone and share most compelling points on the side of the issue. e) Take a stand based on their own belief about the issue f) Move to one of three locations in the room (1) One side supports “restricting” immigration (2) One side supports “opening the borders” (3) The middle represents “undecided” g) Explain why they moved to where they are h) Get into large groups with the people that are on their side, and come up with an answer to the question – “What is a solution to this issue?” i) Consider competing positions as well as their own, and represent the arguments each might make by writing a four paragraph essay. 4) Closure a) Go over specific directions for four paragraph paper b) Class Dismissed!

[1] Annalise Conaway, Luther College

[1] Annalise Conaway, Luther College


 * __February 13__**

Simulation / Role Play Lesson Plan

Topic for Lesson: Intolerable Acts Grade Level/Course: 8th Grade Social Studies/US History Unit: Causes of the American Revolution

v **Lesson Objectives**:


 * Ø Students will participate in a simulation of the Intolerable Acts to encourage greater understanding of why the intolerable acts contributed to the American Revolution
 * Ø They will show their understanding through a discussion of the textbook and how it connects to the simulation, and through a worksheet comparing the simulation with the intolerable acts.

v **Assessment Tools:**

> v **Preplanning**
 * Ø Discussion connecting the simulation to the Intolerable Acts, and a worksheet comparing the simulation they went through to the Intolerable Acts they read about.


 * Ø Materials/Resources:
 * § Need worksheets, textbook, jolly ranchers
 * Ø Instructional Strategies to be Used:
 * § Discussion, Simulations, Cooperative Learning

v **Activities:**


 * Ø **Initiation/Opening/Hook**
 * § Review briefly of past sections. Question and Answer about what has happened so far.

>>
 * Ø **Teacher’s Activities**
 * § Students will be given 2 jolly ranchers and told not to eat them. Students will be told that as we are in charge for the day we are changing the rules.
 * § The first rule is you need to sit down unless engaging in commerce. We will tell students there is a “desk tax”. The superintendent had to make some cuts in the budget, so he is taking half of the desks in the classroom for extra money, so ½ the class has to give their desks up, and find somewhere else to sit.
 * § We will ask students how they felt about the tax, and assuming they say they did not like it because they had to sit on the floor, we will repeal it. This will simulate a rebellion the colonists had.
 * § After we repeal the desk task, we will enforce a pencil task. It will cost each student one pencil to pick up a worksheet that they need to work on. Since students have to give up a pencil to get the worksheet, most students will be left without a pencil to actually do the worksheet.
 * § We will sell them back their pencils for two Jolly Ranchers. Mr. Tomanek will be running an underground black market, and sell students pencils for one Jolly Rancher.
 * § Then we will lead the class in a guided reading of section on the Intolerable Acts. As the students read, we will stop to discuss how the intolerable acts relate to the simulation they just went through.
 * Ø **Students’ Activities**
 * § Students will receive two Jolly Ranchers at the beginning of class
 * § After the room is split in half, the students without desks will have to find a place to sit.
 * § They will answer questions about how they feel about the tax
 * § Students who moved will go back to their seats
 * § Will have to give up two pencils to pick up a worksheet
 * § Try to figure out how to do the worksheet without a pencil
 * § Decided weather they want to buy back their pencils for two Jolly Rancher’s, or one Jolly Rancher from Mr. Tomanek’s black market, which could send them to jail.
 * § Answer question on the worksheet about how they felt during the simulation
 * § Connect the simulation to the Intolerable Acts

v **Closure** >>
 * Ø Debriefing
 * § Talk about the connection between our in class simulation, and the Intolerable Acts
 * § Discuss some of the things talked about in on the worksheets that were turned in

// (Worksheet) //
 * __ Our Class­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ __**

I felt

The teachers had authority because

The teachers installed the new rules because

My response to the new rules was


 * __ The Colonists __**

The colonists felt

The British had authority because

The British made the new rules because

The colonists response the Intolerable Acts was


 * __ January 30 __**

Cooperative Learning Lesson Plan

The regions of the United Statesare grouped by history, traditions ( accents ), economy, climate, and geography. Each region is different from one another. **Sample Lesson Template** Topic for Lesson: Geography of the United States

Grade Level/Course: 12 grade / geography

Unit: Introduction to US Geography

National Geography Standards covered :

G2 Places and Regions

2.1 Physical Characteristics of Place

2.2 Human Characteristics of Place

//Lesson Objectives (information, disposition, and skill objectives)://

> > //Assessment Tools:// > > > > //Activities:// > > > >
 * 1) ## Have a wide range of knowledge about theUnited States
 * 2) Initially I will have students focus on regions of theUnited States, one by one, then widen it out to the entire U.S.
 * 3) I would also like to have our “expert” groups consist of a “history” expert group, “traditions ( accents )” expert group, “economy” expert group, “climate” expert group, and “geography” expert group.
 * 4) Then the second time we do this assignment to look at theU.S.as a whole, I’ll have a “Western” “Midwestern” “Eastern” and “Southern” expert group
 * 5) Understand the diversity within the U.S., and have them become more open to it
 * 6) Understand the “Melting Pot” vs. “Salad Bowl” metaphor
 * 7) Have students learn the skills to work together to achieve the goal of the assignment.
 * 1) Essay about the geography of the United State
 * 2) Paper must cover a combination of part 2.b.i.1&2.
 * 3) They can either pick one region, and talk about its history, traditions, economy, climate, and geography, or
 * 4) They can pick one area of the above, and talk about that topic for each of the regions.
 * 1) Initiation/Opening/Hook:
 * 2) Ask students if they have been anywhere outside ofMichigan
 * 3) If so, where and what their reason for the visit was, and what they remembered about it.
 * 4) (Wyoming has low population, Oranges are grown in Florida)
 * 5) Ask if they could talk at all about the areas history, traditions ( accents ), economy, climate, or geography.
 * 6) Ask the class to brainstorm ideas of any stereotypes / generalizations of areas throughout the US.
 * 1) Teacher’s Activities
 * 2) Have students pick their own groups
 * 3) If we are doing the first topic, individual regions, then there should be five groups.
 * 4) One for each region.
 * 5) If we are doing the second topic, the U.S. as a whole, there should be four groups.
 * 6) One for each region.
 * 7) Each number corresponds to a topic
 * 8) 1. History. 2. Traditions. 3. Economy. 4. Climate. 5. Geography.
 * 9) 1. Western 2. Midwestern 3. Eastern 4. Southern
 * 10) Assume that their initial group they picked was with kids who were similar to themselves, since the members of the initial groups will be similar, hopefully when they spit off into number groups, they are with students of different “status” because one member of each clique is joining the number group.
 * 11) Assign each student a number (1-4 or 1-5)
 * 12) Have the students break off into their number groups
 * 13) As students are working on project, walk around and ask questions, and make sure each student is participating in the gathering of information.
 * 1)  Students’ Activities - Focus on the first activity of only looking at one region of the U.S., so each student will have a different aspect to report back on. (1. History. 2. Traditions. 3. Economy. 4. Climate. 5. Geography.)
 * 2) Meet with other students
 * 3) Use recourses to gather information about their specific topic.
 * 4) Maybe break groups up even further.
 * 5) Have half of the group use the book, and half of the group use the internet, then come back and compare.
 * 6) These students should be working together to gather as much information as they can so that when they get go back to their original group, they can give a detailed report on their area they focused on.
 * 7) Example –
 * 8) How the geography might affect the climate.
 * 9) How the history has affected the current economy.
 * 10) Etc.
 * 11) Once it seems like the students have gathered all the information they can, have them go back to their initial groups and share what they learned while they were in their “expert” groups.
 * 12) Have them try to find connections between the different topics
 * 13) Have them then go back to their original seats, and have them write a brief report on the region covered.
 * 1) Closure
 * 2) Ask students what they have learned about the region.
 * 3) Ask one or two people from each group some of the main things they found out while working in their expert section.
 * 4) Once the a few students from ever groups contribute something, summarize what everyone said.
 * 5) Explain the writing assignment.
 * 6) Class Dismissed!


 * __Reflection 12 November 30__**

// Go to the below site, take the test... [] and respond to how well it fits you and if you think it is helpful in understanding how you learn. //

I got a 4.86 on Body Movement, 4.14 on Social, and a 3.57 on Self. The body movement makes total sense to me. I have a hard time sitting still for long periods of time and fidget around during all my classes. And I definitely like to “move, dance, wiggle, walk and swim”. It gave some weird suggestions on how to incorporate body movements into my learning. It gave things that an elementary student might do, like write letters in the air with my arm. I have 15 page research papers to write. That might take a while. The social one makes sense to me too. I do like to talk and have good social skills. Pretty much all the results were expected. Something I thought that was interesting was that my 2nd and 3rd place things were kind of opposite. 2nd is social, and 3rd was self. I think what this could mean is that I’m comfortable around people, but I’m also good with being by myself and working through things.


 * __Reflection 11 November 6__**

//Email your corresponding colleague to ask how they get to know their students and also what limits they put on their relationships with students.//

Tough one. Still working on it. Contexts and accessibility change with 12-week trimesters vs semesters or 12 week electives vs. full year classes...........assuming the kid actually stays in your section. It changes with the political, social, and economic contexts. But mostly, kids are the same --- and all they need is your time, effort, and encouragement.

Ahhh.......TIME. The Stones said that "Time is on your side -- yes it is." but they were wrong. Learning how to connect with students is it is process which often requires years of trial and error when we often only have days or weeks before we "lose" them. All teachers can become effective, however, the personal style that each one of us cultivates on our own can't be systematically transferred. A teacher's ability to connect with a student is not universal in method or effectiveness, but universal as a moral imperative.

The best way to get to know a kid is to have the kid multiple times over multiple years none of us stays the same, but kids tend to change more than adults over a 3 year period. Time is the most important factor, but in a day and age where class sizes are growing, and student contact time is shrinking, some of us tend to give up too soon. Much of the research --- anecdotal and academic -- points to the trend that blames technology for simultaneously fragmenting and fusing so many of our relationships. "The Dumbest Generation" postulates that technology has created a new social hegemony which has our students saturated with their own peers as virtually the ONLY social agents to which they have access or want to have access. The way our students often abuse technology is symptomatic of a society that is plagued by instantaneous gratification. It is reasonable to see how the new technology has demoted adults, parents, and teachers as simply obstacles and distractions. They seem disconnected from anything which demands patience, deep thought, or commitment. Terrorism, a 60% divorce rate, the mortgage bubble and ensuing global economic crises, political paralysis, and the hyper focus on standardized test scores justifies the animosity they feel toward school, learning, and long-term planning.

However, it is possible that we can redirect the technology, and it can be the vaccine or the antidote to what plagues the lives of our students. The tools of technology are virtually universal in public education, and they should be utilized to access and improve teacher-student relationships.

How do you start? GPA, attendance, discipline records, test scores......all of these serve, if you employ a value-free judgement strategy, as a lens to see which students need your focus.

What is the most universally transferable strategy? Online communication with students. Requiring e-mail correspondence is a new paradigm that employs the power and permanence of the written word. It is seeing the words on the screen that make the words REAL. We all may save a love letter, or a letter of recognition from a pretty girl, or a teacher or organization.....and we read them over and over again to bolster that sense of pride, or we re-read those words to recover our esteem when it has been damaged. We keep those letters just as we keep trophies on a shelf -- ignoring them save for when we stumble across them by accident, or they unexpectedly jump out of our periphery to remind us of our best self and times.

Conversely, messages of rejection or malice are more permanent. Yesteryear had teenagers fearing that they would be left behind, or left out, or left behind, or uninformed -- but the emergent need to KNOW often ended at the school yard. There is a hegemonic shift in interpersonal accessibility to each other which in turn has exacerbated an insatiable NEEEEED people feel to stay connected -- the trick is to create, foster, and REWARD substantive communication.

If the new technology has created students who are reluctant to participate in a classroom, or manage conflict in person, and they snipe --- then creating online assignments that utilize their willingness to take chances while cloaked in anonymity may be the only way to cultivate live interactive learning in the classroom.

This academic socialization may also be a more effective medium for students to ask for help (academic and personal), since they have grown up in a world where online communication is the norm.

I would argue that, although not ideal, online communication has specific advantages that in class discussions do not.

1. gives each student the exact same access to the instructor because they don't have to compete with or fear the others in the classroom. The dynamics of the "looking glass self" don't limit their willingness to participate. 2. teachers have more complete access to the intellect, humor, insights --- because the discourse is not limited to a 60 minute period 3. students have more time to formulate, revise, or explore their opinions 4. it increases the student accountability, since the number, frequency, topicality, articulation of responses/questions/etc are more easily tracked, quantifiable, and assessible.

And here is the gold if you compliment a kid in class, they can misinterpret the the intention of the compliment. If it is written it is permanent. If it is written, the teacher has the ability to be MORE personal, kind, insightful than in the urgency of the live classroom moment. We need to be careful with sarcasm, etc......so there are pitfalls to be sure. But the technology gives us the power to CREATE discussions with ALL of our students more equally - which will almost guarantee better relationships in person.

.......gotta stop. Sorry if any of it is gibberish --- typed it off and on in 3-5 minute spurts throughout the evening.


 * __Reflection 10 November 9__**

// Anything you remember, or want to ask about our visit with Ben at Haslett Middle. //

I liked his teaching style. I noticed that he did a lot of the classroom management things we have learned about throughout TE. All things that are subtle but effective. He did things like walk around to different parts of the classroom, focusing on standing near the talkative students. He changed the volume of his voice a lot, which I think helps students stay focused and not lose attention. That reminded me of how a car alarm works. Most car alarms have six different sirens that they go through that all sound different, so that you don’t get used to the one, and zone it out. Changing your volume does the same thing. I also liked his way of dealing with disruptive students. One table he just walked up and put his hand on the table and everyone settled down. Another table he just “shushed” very quietly and quickly. He did it in a way that didn’t disrupt his flow of teaching. He also had a lot of energy that I think helps the students stay focused and interested. If the teacher is excited, I think that will pass on to the students. Another trick he used to keep students interested and involved was by asking questions to involve them, and he said encouraging things to students who participated.


 * __ Reflection 9 November 2 __**

// Describe crucial (memorable) aspects of the hidden and null curricula that you experienced in secondary school. (ie what did you learn from school that was not academic, or what did you understand to be important or not important based on what you were taught or were not taught) //

A crucial aspect of the hidden curricula that I experienced in secondary school was similar to example from the reading. During my sophomore year of high school, our school won the state championship in basketball. During the regular season, and playoffs, the team always had large student section that followed them around to all the games, which usually wasn’t an issue because the games were after school. For some reason the championship game was played either at 1 or at 4 ( I cant remember, its been a while since I was a sophomore in high school). The night before the game, the whole student section, and some parents, had camped out at the high school to buy tickets for it, so the principal knew that everyone was going to it. And if everyone was going to go to it, that meant they were going to skip school to make sure they got their on time. Since he knew people were going to skip, the principal made the day of the game a half day so that everyone could get out on time to watch it. And if everyone was going to skip, the school couldn’t count it as a day anyway because not enough people would be there.

I think there were a couple of factors in why they made the decision to make it a half day. One would be, like I just said, the district has to have a certain percentage of students there to count it, and if the entire student section skipped, I don’t think they could count it as a day. Its like how some schools take off the first day of hunting season because they know students are going to skip. Two, it was still a school related thing that people were doing. It’s also like how student athletes are given passes to miss class during times they have their sporting events. The basketball team got a pass to leave school to go to the game, so I think it is fair that the students, who were going, got out too. Three, our sports teams usually make it decently far into the play offs, but how often do they get to play in a state champion ship game? I’ve only seen this happen once my whole high school career. So it is an event worth making a day into a half day.

//(A)What surprised you most about this reading?//
What surprised me the most about the reading was the fact that the social studies came from the attempt to separate people, and how the nation believed that people could be born as a lower class citizen. Like on 74 when he talks about how before birth, each person goes through ever step of evolution, and then once they are born a primitive human, they then continue to evolve through the stages of specific races

//(B) What would you argue were the strongest influences on how social studies began?//

I would argue the strongest influences on how social studies began were the increase of immigration into theUnited States. The social studies were used as a kind of assimilation tool to help new immigrants assimilate to American Culture.

//(C) In what ways might the foundations of social studies impact what we do or don’t do today? (reference the last full paragraph on pg 91 as well as the one that follows it)//

It talked about how we as teacher won’t always approach every student with the exact same mind set. Like we talked about in class, teachers can’t have one set plan on what they are going to do in their classroom, regardless of who is in their class. There isn’t going to be one standard, or one set of state goals that are 100% unbiased towards everyone. Unless everyone comes from the same background, there will be some bias in a classroom.

__**Reflection 7 October 17**__ //How will you teach about Columbus after our discussion the other day? Why?//

After our discussion the other day, I will probably start off teaching about Columbus in a similar way that we started class off with. I would ask my class what knowledge they already have on Columbus, and what they understand about the events that took place because of him, and I would try to start a discussion off what my student's answers were. I could also lead the conversation so that it included the things we talked about in class, about how he exploited people and their lands, and wasn't the Disney Movie hero that he is portrayed to be. This could be a good hook to the lesson about him because I think a lot of my students would not know all the things he actually did. If I tell them that he cut people's hand off, that would most likely get my students attention, and would make them interested in learning about him. Then I could just go through chronologic and talk about what happened.

=
I like the process of creating a professional growth and development plan. It makes the person doing one take a step back, and look at themselves from an outsiders view, and analyze what they are doing poorly, and allows them to come up with a solution to their problem.=====

=
Yeah, it would allow students to see what types of things they need to work on. Its like when I was in high school and my teachers had us grade ourselves on the assignments we turned in. It lets us look at what we are turning in and acknowledging what issues there are with it. If students can come up with a plan for issues they need to work on, it will help them improve on them.=====

=
Watching Sir Ken Robinson talk reminded me of conversations I have had with my mom about the changes that her school is going through. My mom has been teaching second grade for 27 (ish) years, and has seen a lot of different changes happen in the school system. Recently she has been talking about how who ever is in charge is trying to get rid of the morning recess and replace it with instructional time, leaving only one recess after lunch, and one in the afternoon. Doing this is not a good idea. These kids are only 6-8 years old. I am 22 years old and I have a hard time focusing on one 50-minute class. And these kids are expected to sit in a classroom for four hours without one break? That is unreasonable to me. =====

=
I agree with Sir Ken Robinson that schools are losing their encouragement towards creativeness, and are focusing too much on the math and science. Kids need to be able to be kids, and need to be able to find creative ways to let their minds work. The arts probably aren’t something that are going to be tested on a college entrance exam, or on an ACT test, but they are still things that take mental work to accomplish. It takes brainpower to be creative enough to come up with artistic works. Like when he talked about Shakespeare as a child, and his dad telling him to stop talking like that because it was confusing everyone. The way that he wrote was creative, and intelligent, but probably wasn’t considered one of the core subject areas. =====

=
As social studies teachers, the way that we involve our students can foster the creativity that Robinson is describing. We find ways to actively engage students so that they their assignments aren’t black and white, but have room for creativity. Give them the opportunity to explore questions, and come up with answers in unique ways. =====

=
which makes sense --- but which many teachers neglect to do because "just teaching stuff first, and then coming up with the test questions after you're done teaching" is a mechanism of survival, laziness, ignorance, or thoughtlessness. We are all guilty of it -- the goal is to have all content, methodology, and pedagogy pointed toward the same end --- and have that transparent to you and to the students from the beginning.=====

=
The better you get at it, instead of focusing solely on "what would be fun" or "differentiating instruction", the LESS work it becomes, and the MORE students get out of the class and can DELIVER when it comes to analysis, synthesis, application, and transference.=====

=
The most difficult thing in planning this unit so far is that I have not studied theMiddle Eastin any of my classes, and so the only knowledge I have on it is only coming from what I have seen in the news. I don’t have enough background knowledge on the subject to put together a well informed lesson. I also didn’t get a very good chance to look at the standards so I don’t know what my “EQ” should be.=====

=
If I get a job teaching history, what I think I am going to do is put up a timeline that runs around all four walls of my classroom, have students come up with posters or something that represent major historical events, and put them on the time line where they belong. Then I’ll organize my teaching based on themes, but also be able to go back and point out on the timeline where the even took place. This way my students all can have a visual of where on the timeline we are talking about, but also can organize these events into similar categories.=====

=
I think that a good teacher is someone who truly wants their students to do well and succeed in their classroom. Its someone who does more than just the minimum, they put in extra time and work in order to give their students a better chance of being successful. They don’t run out the door as soon as the last bell rings. They’ll stay after and help with things that their students don’t understand. They try to figure out their students learning styles, and try to come up with lesson plans that are helpful to all their students.=====

=
I haven’t had any experience doing any actual teaching yet, so it’s hard for me to say what areas I am strong or weak in. Based on my 250 and 302 placements though, I would say that I have strength in connecting with my students. I feel like during my placements, my students were comfortable enough with me that they would come to me with questions before they would go to their teacher. An area that I have room for improvement might be classroom management. I haven’t been put in charge of an entire class room yet, so I don’t know if I would know how to control all my students, and keep the room from getting unorganized.=====

=
Again, I haven’t taught yet, so I don’t know for certain, but some things I need to learn would be how to come up with a lesson plan, and have it work to fit the amount of time I have for each class. I can come up with material to teach, but I still need to learn how to break it apart and deliver it over the entire class period. I don’t want to get done with my lesson and then still have twenty minute left of class.=====

=
My favorite memory from a social studies class was when we took aChicagotrip in 9th (ish) grade. Everyone who went showed up to school at like 6am on Saturday and got onto a bus that took us there, and we spend all day Saturday and Sunday touring around the city. It was fun because we were all with our friends hanging out, but we also got to see some really cool things. It was surprising how much we got done in the two days. It was a exciting way to learn about a city, and have fun doing it.=====

=
My worst memory from a social studies class was from two different years. In both history classes, the teacher was also a coach, and it was obvious that their priority was on coaching, and not teaching. In one of the history classes, we spend every Wednesday for like two months watching Roots. It was a while ago, but I think we weren’t even on the topic of slavery while we were watching it. It was just a really long movie that took up a lot of time. Then after we finished Roots, we spend the next few Wednesdays watching some documentary on AC (lightning bolt) DC, which definitely didn’t relate to our class topics. In my other history class, the teacher did nothing but pass out worksheets, and tell us to find the answers in the book. Everyone always got 10/10 on them, so we started getting ridiculous with our answers. My little group started by just rewriting the question in the blank for the answer. Ten out of ten. Then we started writing messages do the teacher that were unrelated. Ten out of ten. I think we did a few in Spanish. Ten out of ten.=====

=
My rationale for why I want to teach social studies is because I have had some really good social studies teachers, and some really bad social studies teachers, and I’ve seen first hand the difference that can make. I feel like I could be a really good social studies teachers, and make a difference in my student’s lives. I want to be the teacher that students get excited to attend my class. Where every class is interesting, and there aren’t any problems because they want to be there, learning. The reasons I find compelling for having students study and learn social studies in schools are that social studies make us who we are. Everything from geography - where we are in the world and in relation to other; political science – how we as Americans run our country and how the people in charge make decisions who effect everyone, myself and my students included; econ – how we have set up the distribution of goods and services in the U.S.; and history – how we got to where we are today, all of the decisions that led us to be right here, right now.=====