Sadie+Fritz

Hello, I'm Sadie! I am a post-bachelor student with a degree in Political Science - Prelaw from Michigan State. I was planning on going to law school, but I decided that I wanted to teach Secondary Social Studies and I have found that teaching is my real passion! Of course if I do feel like being a judge or lawyer, I can always have a mock trial!

I have an amazing husband, he is currently in his 3rd year at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine! We have been together for 6 years and married since June of 2009! We have a beautiful daughter, two dogs, a kitten, a bunny, and a hedgehog.

My daughter has taught me a lot in her first year of life. She has taught me that even when you feel you are being patient you could probably have a little more. I have realized that learning can be really frustrating, especially when you don't understand what people are trying to tell you. On the other hand she has shown me the joys of learning, you tend to forget that as you get older. **Lesson on the Origins of WWII **

TOPIC FOR LESSON: Origins of WWII Date: 1/25/2012

Grade Level/Course: High School American History

Unit: World War II

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

1) The students will **know** the origins of WWII through people, places, and important events.

2) The students will **understand** why countries will go to war, and the alliances that lead to WWII.

3) The students will be able to **analyze** people, places and things that lead to war, most importantly dealing with WWII.

Assessment Tools: Group evaluations, Evaluation of the students’ papers, and Evaluation of Group presentations.

Activities:

The video will only be clips of everything, not complete. || Time <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">10 minutes. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Initiation/Opening/Hook || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">A video of WWII events. The video montage will show Adolf Hiltler, Stalin, American Soldiers, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Winston Churchill and other famous people. It will also show important battles, pictures and film, as well as announcements of D day in Europe, Japan, and The speech the Franklin D. Roosevelt made after Pearl Harbor.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Teacher’s Activities

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">I will be assigning the students people, places and events to research. Evaluating their work, and keeping them on topic. The teacher will also grade the group presentations. || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Students’ Activities


 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">1. Students will research their topic.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">2. Students will write a paper with their peers about the topic as a whole.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">3. Students will develop a presentation in some form of media.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">4. Students will present in class || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Time

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">40 minutes

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">50 minutes

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">100 minutes

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">50 minutes || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">The students would get their evaluations from their papers, presentations and group evaluations. ||  || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Time
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Closure

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">5 minutes. ||

The students will be assigned different parts of the war and will do presentations on their subject as groups.

The groups will have the topics of_. ___.__ _.___.__.,__

Each group will have 4 people. Each student will be assigned a job. One person will research important people, important social issues, important global issues, and important decisions that helped the event become a problem/solution.

The groups will then have presentations. They can do ppt, prezzi, or any other media with approval.

Response 12: November 30 The assessment was pretty accurate in describing how I relate to the world around me. I scored lowest in math and highest in nature, which is fitting because I don't see the world in equations and I love animals and being outside. However, I do feel that I have strong math skills and I do not go around knowing all the names of plants and animals. Yet, since I love to learn I will look them up if I'm interested. In taking this test, I understand more fully that I need to make sure I include movement as well as the others in my classroom!

I did not feel that it was helpful in understanding how I learn. It does however show how you should formulate lessons in your classroom to help the students get everything they need out of each lesson, even though they have different intelligences.

Response 11: November 16 write about the teacher you were closest to in either middle or high school, why was this teacher important to you? How did it impact what you did in his or her class? In high school, I was closest to my Debate Coaches Mr. K and Mr. F. They were important to me because we would go with them every week in the School's Suburban and debate at various schools. I did Debate for two semesters and the second time we went to the State Debate Tournament. As students on the debate team (there were 4 of us) we would push the limits with the coaches. Asking them to give us special treatment (Which they denied). I loved having teachers to talk to and that I knew had my back. I also had other teachers that were fun to talk to because they had interesting stories that they would share with us. As a teacher I know that I will have students that I am closer to than others, but I also know that there are limits. I cannot speak about super personal aspects of my life with students, but as long as things are school appropriate or a story from my high school or something I feel that it is okay to share with students.

Response 10: November 9 I enjoyed watching Ben's class. It was interesting to watch a teacher who has been doing it so long run a classroom. It was also refreshing to see a teacher who has not given up hope on his students. It does not even seem to be an issue, and he never said anything negative about his students, unless we prompted him. Many teachers will focus on the negative, but it is amazing that Ben can do what he does to connect to his class and help them learn. His energy was amazingly engaging and it was sixth hour! The experience at the Middle school was especially rewarding talking to Andy, the principal. I enjoyed hearing, even if it was a little scary, what I need to accomplish before I am ready to get a job with a school. I was both relieved and terrified by what he had to say to us. I am even more excited to continue on in my journey to become a teacher.

Response 9: November 2 I believe that Null Curriculum is very interesting and feel there was plenty in my high school experiences. The biggest thing I learned through not learning was that anyone who was not a white male from the upper or middle class did not play a role in history, except for women during the women's suffragist movement, the African Americans when there was slavery or civil rights and I'm pretty sure the only Spanish speaking people we were told about were those people from Spain. The null curriculum therefore taught me that these "other" people were not important in other areas of history. They were only important essentially when they were causing trouble for "the Man". The null curriculum in high school was taught to me as a formal curriculum once I came to Michigan State in many different classes learning what I was unable to learn in my formal secondary education. I will do everything in my power to include every aspect of history that includes all people. I feel that everyone should be represented and I feel that it is our duty as teachers to accomplish this.

Response 8: October 26 A) The most surprising thing in the article was the discussion of development from single cell to fish to more advanced beings. The inclusion of how people could only develop to a certain level. The idea that people thought that people were not like them were not as developed as they were, is not new to me. Eugenics and other such topics were discussed in many of my undergrad history classes. B) The strongest influences on Social Studies according to this article and many other aspects of history was the influx of immigrants and those in charge wanting everyone to be similar. They were created to show those coming to the United States of America how Americans acted and how they should assimilate into the American way of life. Whether they are lower or upper class, the people were shown the way they should behave in order to be accepted. C)The foundations of social studies impact the way we do things today in many ways, tracking, social norms, as well as how the foundations of civil rights were started. Tracking was started with the founding of Social Studies because people were put into categories and tracks of where they would/should go in life. Therefore learning different aspects of social life, differentiating between those who would be business men or workers. Social norms were taught depending on what track the people were placed into. Therefore leading to the classes in which people were placed, the oppression beginning at the top of society and then being taught to those in lower classes. I feel that this definitely had an impact on the civil rights activists and actions. The people who were oppressed felt that they need to break free from the oppression. This affected the way that we act as a society today. In Social Studies classes, at least the ones I have been involved in teachers do not tell students they are unable to succeed, the message now is you can do anything that you want to, especially if you work hard to get what you want.

Response 7: October 19 How will you teach about Columbus after our discussion the other day? Why? After our discussion the other day, I feel that Columbus day should be more about teaching students the origins of Columbus day and perhaps the impact of Columbus on the way the Americas were made. One of the main topics I would teach in this manner is the Columbian Exchange and how that affects the way that history happened in the Americas. I feel that it is important to show all aspects of Columbus and his affects on the Americas and their creation, even the unpleasant ones. I would keep it age appropriate, I don't think you need to tell 1st grade students how Columbus's men chopped hands off, but I do think they should know more if it is age appropriate about Columbus and how our lives today are affected. As well as the ways that people in the past celebrated Columbus day.

Response 6: October 12 How do you feel about the process of creating a professional growth and development plan? Do you think this is a useful task? Would it have usability in a middle school or high school classroom? After reading various people's posts I have found that this assignment may be useful, and as David posted "You get out of it, what you put into it" (close to that at least). I also noticed in writing this post and commenting on others posts, I did some self-evaluation and figured out why I was so against (mildly) this assignment. It is mostly because I do not enjoy criticism, even if it is constructive. Especially when I have to criticize or evaluate myself. One of my topics is to keep up on what is happening in the world. Truthfully, I really don't want to know. It just upsets me. My husband is always "making fun" that I don't know what is going on, but that I can explain why certain things happen the way they do. Such as some of the conflicts from the "Arab Spring" I understand them, but they just make me sad. I do not like to know what is going on, because people do NOT learn from others mistakes. So the self-evaluation and the evaluation from others, just does not sit well with me. Since the goals I know I need to meet, are ones that I wanted to meet in my own time, and my own way. This is why this assignment does not seem useful to me, but it could be useful to others who need someone to be looking over their shoulders to complete tasks. I feel that a PGDP is a semi-useful tool in becoming better teachers. It is a way to measure and quantify the growth we do as teachers. The reason I find it only semi-useful is because it is also not completely able to help us become better at what we chose. I am definitely not internalizing the motivation, it is all in order to get a good grade. Although the topics and goals I set for myself will be useful in the future, there is little hope that I will become intrinsically motivated to continue the PGDP after the semester is over. Along with this, I also feel that I am much harder on myself than I should be, and that can be reflected in the PGDP. I do not think this has usability in a classroom, unless you use it as a behavioral correction tool. I do not think that you should force students to set personal goals like this. Although, as a behavioral plan I feel that it may work better. The student could set goals on their own and you could both keep track. A PGDP could also be a useful tool to show students where they could improve, but measuring their improvement is a little much. I do however feel that asking us to think about the things we should maybe improve is helpful, but does not necessarily need to be shared openly. As an "older" student who is on her 7th year of college (8 if you count dual enrollment) I make goals for myself and have been able to grow without a "plan".

Response 5: October 5
 * Respond to the Sir Ken Robinson video. How does this change your understanding of the harm that Phyllis talked about? Do you agree with Robinson? How as social studies teachers can we foster the creativity Robinson is describing? What other thoughts do you have?

Sir Ken Robinson changed the way I thought about harm according to Phyllis. The way he spoke of children who are creatively suppressed instead of having their creativity nurtured can be harmed in the suppression of their artistry. If a student fidgets in class, they may need to get up and move, which all students may not enjoy, but it will help that child who can not pay attention because of their need to move. I agree with Robinson, that we can not just deem a student "stupid" or a "troubled" student because they can not concentrate. I believe greatly in helping students with their individual quirks. I do not feel that someone with ADD or any other sort of Learning Disability should be looked over as a "smart" kid because they do not have their individual needs met. Although as teachers it is not always possible to attend to all students needs all the time, but a great teacher will try their hardest. As a social studies teacher one way to foster creativity would be to have the students write skits, draw pictures, sing presentations, pretty much allow them creative license in their projects. Yet, this will not work in all things, since as a teacher one does have to meet certain requirements. But if a teacher did allow a much different aspect of creativity in the classroom, students may enjoy their classes much more. As a student who loves to make "creative" paper crafts (kind of like scrapbooking), I was never great at the other creative aspects, so I would personally struggle with a creative outlet presentation or project, but would try my best and appreciate less boundaries on projects.

Response 4: September 28 The response from my Corresponding Teacher: "The fact that you're discussing this is a good thing--that means you don't think the answer is/should be: it's all in the teacher's edition! ha!

Well, recently we have to look at the HSCE and make sure I'm covered there--this helps in deciding what the State wants students to know for the MME. But I also care about what students need to know to be active, involved, engaged citizens (which is why I teach history). I use my textbook as one source but we also pull from other sources if something I think is important is 'missing' from our primary textbook--for instance, in depth info on the contributions of women and other minorities. When you're planning, always start at the end of the unit and work backwards. Too many teachers have great worksheets/assignments but don't know why they're using them or where the unit is going.

Once I've figured out the core content I want students to get, then I look at the different ways that I can get them there--projects, maps, vocab, debates, presentations, reading/notes, etc. I want to balance various methods and learning styles with maximum content vs. minimum time--in other words, I want to get kids interested in at least one or more aspects of what we're doing to get as much content as possible in the best use of time. If we spend weeks reading and doing vocab kids will get bored and the content will be 'covered' but not learned. I find if there is something in each unit that every kid will like then they are more likely to 'buy in' for the whole unit since there is a piece in there they are interested in.

There are other ways and places to go with this but this is a basic outline/idea for how I approach units." - E.S. September 19.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Response 3: September 21

( A) In planning the unit this far the most difficult thing has been picking what we feel was the most important. I also feel that understanding and making sure we met all of the state standards was very difficult. (B) I think Units should be planned in chronological order according to regions, or areas. When planning I do think that the orders can be planned with themes but everything would need to be connected.

<span style="color: #8800ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Response 2: September 12

(A) Good teaching to me, is being able to relate to your students. Relating to your students gives them a connection to you, and gives the students a reason to want to listen to you and learn from you. A good teacher is also able to connect the lesson to the students surroundings. I believe the ability to relate and make connections to the students is very important. Another attribute I feel good teachers need to have is patience and flexibility. I have heard multiple teachers say that you need to be flexible in your lesson plans. If you don't have flexibility in your planning and patience to change as you learn what works and what doesn't work in your planning. (B) I feel I am strong in the areas of presenting lessons and speaking in front of the class. I am quite comfortable speaking in front of classes because I have had a lot of practice while subbing and also in classrooms. Another strength I have is the ability to see when students need extra help and I can usually understand what is restricting them from completing their work. I was able to work on this skill during TE 302 in the middle school classroom I was in. One of the weaknesses I have in teaching is being able to step up and tell someone/co-teacher when something isn't going well. I feel that this will need to be worked on if I will be planning lessons with people and other teachers. Telling people when they are wrong is something I definitely have to work on. (C) As I said before one weakness I have is being able to tell people when there is a problem in the planning. I will need to work on this. I also would love to work on planning lessons and executing them. Another thing I need to work on is understanding the state standards and knowing where students are supposed to be at each grade level.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">Response 1: September 7 <span style="color: #8800ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">A) My favorite memory from a high school social studies class, took place in my Government class. We had a lesson on writing bills and then had debates about them, like they would in Congress. The reason I remember this lesson above others is because it gave the liberals (Democrats) at our school a time to express ourselves. There were very few liberals at my high school and Government always gave us a safe environment to express our true feelings about politics. <span style="color: #8800ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">B) My worst memory took place in Junior High, 7th grade. Our teacher was trying to have us learn about Canada, but to do so, she took old old old songs and changed the words. To this day I still say, "I heard it through the grapevine, life in Canada is so fine..." This would have been an okay idea if the songs had been fun for our age group or even shorter songs, plus "singing" can be very embarrassing for some people. <span style="color: #8800ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">C) I want to teach Social Studies because the topics covered are in my main areas of interest. I love to travel and learn the stories behind everything. I also enjoy understanding the way the politics of the world work. I love knowing why the world steps in on one conflict but not another. I also believe it is amazing to know both sides of the story and great to be able to decipher the way people are thinking about their world and how they fit into it, socially, culturally, geographically, etc. <span style="color: #8800ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">I find it compelling to teach students about the societal aspects of their life, and also the history behind the way things are today. I feel that if all people paid more attention in their social studies classes, maybe we would have a little bit more civility and understanding of others, especially based on culture and other societal norms.