Matt+Snyder

Hello to all visitors of my wikipage! My name is Matt Snyder and I am a senior here at Michigan State University studying History. I am also seeking my Secondary Education Certification through the College of Education. I find History to be fascinating, and am currently writing my Senior Honors Thesis about the role of honor in Japan's defeat in World War Two. I am considering pursuing a PhD in History and a career in teaching at the college level.

I spend most of my time outside of class as a Resident Mentor in Case Hall, reading about History, and playing sports. As a Resident Mentor, I work to create a positive on my floor, provide a positive role model to my residents, and enforce policy to help keep the dorm safe. When I have free time, I read as many first hand accounts and oral histories as possible to further my understanding of history and the attitudes of the people who helped shape it. When I am not working or reading, I play on the Michigan State Men's Volleyball Team and am very active in Michigan State's IM Sports teams. I also enjoy windsurfing and sailing. In the future, I would like to coach basketball or volleyball at the high school level. I hope you all have a great day! Cheers, Matt

Research

Slave Rebellion in Demerara

Ukrainian Loyality in World War Two

Letter to Mentor Teacher

Lesson Plan: 11th Grade United States' History- 9/11 and Its Impact (45 Minutes)

Warm-up Activity (9 Minutes) Watch Youtube video <[]>, which shows the reactions of the newscasters of various stations. This will set the serious mood for the class and help grab the students' attention. It will also provide context to the students.

Discussion (10 Minutes) Discuss how the video made the students feel and what the students remember hearing about the attacks. Who do the students feel was responsible for the attacks based on what they remember hearing about and the reactions from the newscasters.

Lesson (12 Minutes) Powerpoint. Discuss the history of the terrorist attacks of Al Qaeda, including the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, USS Cole in 2000, and attacks following 9/11. Talk about the radicalism of the Al Qaeda group and differentiate between Al Qaeda and Islam. Explain US response to attacks, such as the military reaction and increased security. Explain the basic ideas behind the Patriot Act.

Reflection (5 Minutes) Have the students respond to the prompt of whether or not they believe the possible prevention of terrorist attacks is worth surrendering privacy. Put it into the context of thinking about both racial profiling and the deceased of 9/11 and their families. Also, remind them that there is no right answer and that everyone will have different views.

Discussion (9 Minutes) Facilitate the discussion of the reflection prompt by having students volunteer responses and respectfully responding to each other.

Unit Plan Unit Title: The Enlightenment

Day 1 Topic: Introduction Objectives: Event: Questioning session to diagnose prior knowledge about the Enlightenment and the general time period. Show a slideshow of important people from the Enlightenment to determine if the students recognize the figures. Create a K-W-L chart about the Enlightenment era. Give an introductory lecture highlighting why the students should care.

Assessment: Recording prior knowledge.

Day 2 Topic: Philosophy in the Enlightenment Objectives: Event: Students are broken up into groups and assigned different categories, such as religion or science, and have them create a presentation for the class explaining how the understanding of their subject changed during the Enlightenment. Students will then present their subject to the class during the last half of class.

Assessment: Presentation of subject by students.

Day 3 Topic: Key figures of the Enlightenment Objectives:

Event: Lecture briefly on the importance of several key figures of the Enlightenment, emphasizing the effect they had on how people view the world then and today. Then have an open discussion including the entire class of how what these figures did affects the students today, or whether or not the impact of these people is still significant.

Assessment: Class participation.

Day 4 Topic: Reviewing the significance of the Enlightenment Objectives: Event: Reenforce the impact of the Enlightenment on everyday life for the people of world during the era. Complete the K-W-L chart. Divide the classroom in half and use the review game “Jeopardy”, to review and further educate students on the significance of the Enlightenment era.

Assessment: Recording participation in evaluative game.

Day 5 Topic: Conclusion of unit Objectives: Event: Students are given time to complete an essay exam reflecting on the Enlightenment and how it is personally connected to their lives, touching on how key people changed the world we currently live in.

Assessment: Essay Exam.

Upper-level High School Elective Course

__**American Conflict**__

**Course Description:**

In this course, students will explore and form a deeper understanding of American conflict and its impact on the world. Students will need to have a basic understanding of world and American History for this course. This course will stress the analysis of primary sources to better understand the reasons for American involvement in various conflicts and wars, and emphasize the foreign perspective on the conflict. The goal of this course is to expand the students' skill-base in analyzing primary sources and thinking critically.

Students will examine the motivations of both the American and foreign belligerents to be involved in each conflict, and the attitudes of the populations in each country. Furthermore, students will analyze propaganda that each nation utilized and the underlying messages presented through the propaganda. Additionally, students will think critically about racism that existed in these conflicts, and whether or not the influenced the strategies that were implemented. The major conflicts that will be examined are the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War.

**Course Units:**

Unit 1: The Civil War

This unit will concentrate on expanding the students' understanding of the Civil War beyond just an issue of slavery. Readings will focus on individual soldiers' state loyalty and the issue of state rights. Furthermore, the students will analyze propaganda of the war, including the use of songs to rally soldiers to their respective causes. Finally, students will examine the use of stereotypes and racism by soldiers of both sides to better understand the war.

Unit 2: World War I

This unit will examine several posters used by both sides during World War One. The readings and excerpts will focus on trench warfare and the individual soldier's experience, and the similarity of the experiences shared by both sides. This unit will also analyze the views on American isolationism from all sides. The students will debate the use of gas as a weapon, with one half of the class being advocates, while the other half is the opposition to the use of gas.

Unit 3: World War II

The first half of this unit will focus primarily on the Pacific Theater. Students will research the role that racism played in the Pacific Theater and the differences in ideology between the Japanese and the Allies. The battle of Wake Island will be a point of focus for this unit in examining the role of an individual battle on propaganda. In the second half of this unit, the students will read excerpts from both the German and Soviet perspectives, and discuss whether or not the Eastern front was a race war. Throughout this unit, students will be encouraged to explore the motivations of troops front all sides of the conflict.

Unit 4: The Vietnam War

This unit will examine both the American and Vietnamese point of view in this conflict, starting directly after World War II, when the Vietnamese were attempting to create an independent nation. Students will analyze the different roles that Communism and nationalism played in the conflict, and how they influenced and motivated soldiers on both sides. The topic of a draft vs. volunteer army will be debated, in addition to a debate over the validity of the conflict.

**Possible Texts:**

Excerpts from Civil War diaries; //Storm of Steel//, by Ernst Jünger; //Over the Top// , by Arthur Empry; //Japanese Destroyer Captain// , by Tameichi Hara; //The Wehrmacht Last Witnesses// , edited by Bob Carruthers; //Pacific Alamo// , by John Wukovits; and //Patriots// , by Christian Appy. These texts will show a first person perspective of the war through the eyes of both sides. Each shows the individuals' motivations for being involved in each respective conflict, and how each view his or her enemy. Additionally, this unit will utilize posters and political cartoons to expand the students' understandings of what the belligerents saw during the war.

**Student Assessment:**

Students will be expected to complete several written assignments comparing perspectives. Additionally, students will be assessed based on their precipitation in class. Finally, students will be assessed through an essay exam at the end of each unit, which should reflect on what they have learned throughout the unit.

Study Guide


 * 1) Lesson plans
 * 2) What is a lesson plan?

>> Description: >> Purpose: >> Description: >> Purpose: >> Description: >> Purpose: >> Description: >> Purpose: >> Description: >> Purpose: >> Description: >> Purpose: >> Description: >> Purpose: >> Description: >> Purpose:
 * 1) What are the eight components of a lesson plan? Describe each component and its purpose in this next section.
 * 2) Component:
 * 1) Component:
 * 1) Component:
 * 1) Component:
 * 1) Component:
 * 1) Component:
 * 1) Component:
 * 1) Component:


 * 1) Reflection on lesson plan components- which component seems the most difficult to utilize to you and why?
 * 2) The importance of reflection when planning- list an example of how you could use each of these approaches to reflection as a teacher.
 * 3) Reflection-in-Action-
 * 4) Reflection-on-Action-
 * 5) Reflection-for-Action-


 * 1) Why would the peer coach model be effective for a new teacher?
 * 2) What is action research? Why is action research useful to a teacher?
 * 3) Why is motivation important in the classroom? What are some motivating factors often found in the classroom? What are some sources of extrinsic motivation? Why might one be intrinsically motivated?
 * 4) When is a student experiencing “flow”? How do perceived challenges and abilities factor into a student's experience?
 * 5) What is the difference between a student experiencing apathy and a student experiencing anxiety?
 * 6) How does one's self-efficacy impact one's locus of control? Give an example of this.
 * 7) What is the difference between classroom management and discipline? Can classroom management occur without discipline?
 * 8) What are some advantages to relational teaching?
 * 9) Did any of the “Ten Current Truths about Effective Schools” stick out to you? If so, why?
 * 10) Describe the role of the teach in each approach to classroom management.
 * 11) Behaviorism-
 * 12) Canter's Assertive Disciple Model-
 * 13) The Dreikurs/Albert Model-
 * 14) Ginott's Model-
 * 15) Glasser's Model-
 * 16) Jone's Model-
 * 17) Kounins Model-


 * 1) List 3 things that teachers can do to effectively manage the learning environment.
 * 2) What stuck out to you the most in this chapter? What strategies seem like they would be particularly effective in the classroom?
 * 1) What stuck out to you the most in this chapter? What strategies seem like they would be particularly effective in the classroom?
 * 1) What stuck out to you the most in this chapter? What strategies seem like they would be particularly effective in the classroom?
 * 1) What stuck out to you the most in this chapter? What strategies seem like they would be particularly effective in the classroom?

Thoughts on Unit Planning October 10, 2011

My colleague correspondent said that she works with other teachers around her department to develop a unit plan. Then, the teachers collaborate and examine the state standards for education, building off the predetermined requirements that are provided. They then turn to the textbooks, and see what is provided there, and build around both the standards and the textbooks. From there, the teachers talk about what they think the standards and textbooks leave out, and create a unit that provides for those weak areas. Then, they come up with big questions that they think need to be answered in the unit. Essentially, they look at the big questions and standards, and create lessons to help address and teach about them. I feel like my colleague correspondent's response was very similar to what we had talked about in class. Basically, it follows the formula that we discussed in class, where we create big questions, and then build from there. I am not surprised by this, as the teacher I spoke with went through MSU's teacher education program, and said that the program and unit planning ideas seem very similar to when she went through the program. She said that the unit planning is very structured at her school, and offers less freedom than what we are offered in our class.

From what we have talked about in class, I think I have a fairly good grasp on how to approach unit planning. I understand how to build off of the big questions in order to create lessons that work toward that goal. I feel it is difficult to judge if the students gain self knowledge; perhaps that is something I will learn with time and experience.



Lecture Title: Halloween


 * 1) Intro (7 minutes)
 * 2) Tell story about trick-or-treating from childhood, including details about dressing up so nobody would recognize me, jumping out of brushes trying to scare people, and competing with fellow trick-or-treaters to see who received the most candy. Then tell story about coming home and watching a scary movie after trick-or-treating, and being scared throughout the next week.
 * 3) Each aspect of my Halloween is derived from traditions that come from all over the world.
 * 4) Preview body of lecture- Guising, souling, and the history of fear and Halloween
 * 5) Guising (5 minutes)
 * 6) Guising definition- disguising oneself in a costume and going door to door for gifts such as coins or food
 * 7) Dates back to 1895 Scotland- children go door to door with turnip lanterns and costumes in order to earn treats.
 * 8) Dressing as the dead in white clothes but blackened faces
 * 9) Celtic tradition for dressing as evil spirit to please them
 * 10) Souling (5 minutes)
 * 11) England and Ireland origins, possibly adapted from Southern Europe. Medieval origins.
 * 12) Souling definition- poor people going from door to door on Hallowmas, to receive food for praying for the dead on All Souls Day
 * 13) Hallowmas is also called All Saints' Day, where the Roman Catholic Church would pray for all saints
 * 14) All Souls' Day is a day in which the Catholic Church remembers the dead, saying prayers for them. Thus, it makes sense that they would give food to the poor to have more people praying for their dead loved ones.
 * 15) Referenced by Shakespeare in 1593, this practice is old!
 * 16) Fear and Halloween (5 minutes)
 * 17) According to Anglo-Saxon folk lore, supernatural events would occur on this date
 * 18) No evidence that this existed in pre-Christian times
 * 19) Celtic festival Samhain- a time when physical and supernatural worlds were the closest. Fear of spirits leads to sacrifice
 * 20) This fear is carried over to America today, though through modern media, keeping Halloween scary
 * 21) Show trailer for //Halloween// the movie
 * 22) Conclusion (3 minutes)
 * 23) Tie guising, souling, and fear back to my personal Halloween experience
 * 24) Any questions?
 * 25) Have a safe and happy Halloween

Lecture Topic- Japanese Honor Based tactics

>>> 4. Used in Battle of Leyte Gulf and in defense of islands
 * 1) Bushido Code
 * 2) 12th century
 * 3) Stresses death before surrender
 * 4) Devotion to master and emperor
 * 5) Phased out during the Meiji Restoration
 * 6) Renewed 1930s to push propaganda and restore old Japanese ways
 * 7) Applied during training
 * 8) Banzai Charges
 * 9) Imperial Japanese Army
 * 10) How the Code was applied
 * 11) Avoid dishonor
 * 12) Avoid surrender
 * 13) High failure rate
 * 14) American weapons
 * 15) American positions
 * 16) Japanese lack of support
 * 17) Examples- Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and Saipan
 * 18) Kamikaze
 * 19) Definition- Divine Wind
 * 20) History- storms in 1274 and 1281. Destroyed Mongolian fleets.
 * 21) How the Code was applied
 * 22) Honor for emperor and family
 * 1) Yamato Suicide Mission
 * 2) Biggest battleship world has seen
 * 3) Defense of Okinawa- beach, low fuel, low supplies
 * 4) How the code was used- honorable defense of home island, for Emperor
 * 5) Thoughts to ponder...
 * 6) What other countries utilized tactics similar to Japanese tactics in World War Two?
 * 7) Did the honor tactics achieve any successes throughout the war?

When teaching the subject of Geography, there are several concepts that are often appear to be straight forward, but upon deeper examination, are much more complicated and deep than they initially appear. For example, the Segall article addresses the issue of people interpreting maps as a science, when maps really are artistic interpretations of the world that represent the ideas and biases of the cartographer. Segall emphasizes that students are not typically trained to question images and maps, but because a map is a round object projected upon a flat surface, the cartographer must make choices about how to do that and where distortions should be. I agree with Segall, that we need to stress to our students that they should search for the answer to why certain areas of the map are made more important and how the artist's experiences and opinions impacted the map. In a similar manner, Schmidt's article addresses the issue of how to approach the concept of boundaries in a classroom. Schmidt thinks that teachers should have students think about what boundaries are and mean, and who creates boundaries. Additionally, she wants students to think about why we draw boundaries where we do and the political implications that result for these boundaries. Schmidt finds it problematic that textbooks and teachers often do not offer an explanation of the rationale for the creation of boundaries. In addition to the Segall and Schmidt articles, the Wasserman article discussed the importance of the rapidly growing world population. Wasserman thinks that students, and society, have become desensitized to the implications of 7 billion people living on the earth, and believes that people need to look beyond the numbers themselves and see the consequences that are associated with the growing population. I agree with each of these articles, as I feel that many concepts dealing with Geography are taken at face value and not given the analysis that they deserve. Segall provides several ideas on how to introduce students into questioning the bias of maps, techniques that are helpful for introducing how to think deeper about other areas of Geography. For instance, by having students draw their own maps and defend why they made them a certain way, Segall is able to demonstrate the differences that occur between maps. I will utilize the strategies outlined in all three articles to promote deeper learning in my future classroom. Segall's technique could also be applied to a Government class, by having students draft a constitution and exploring the differences between them, which would help demonstrate the logic and reasons for different government types. Ultimately, each of these articles helps reinforce the idea that teachers should challenge their students to think deeper than simply locations when referring to Geography. All of these readings are similar to the strategies for concept formation found in the //Instructional Strategies// book by Larson and Keiper, as they emphasize the “Noting Differences” and “Noting Similarities” sections of the chapter. All four sources strive to get the students to think more deeply about why the differences or similarities are important between sources. Thus, each of these sources is very relevant to my growth as a teacher and the development of my teaching style.



Reflection #1

A. My favorite memory from a Social Studies classroom was in a high school United States History class. My class was covering the Vietnam War, and my teacher set up the classroom like a courtroom, assigning each student a role, whether it be lawyer, defendant, or a variety of other roles. I was assigned to be a lawyer in defense of the United States government's actions in Vietnam, questioning my witnesses, such as President Johnson, and cross-examining the prosecutor's witnesses, such as Jane Fonda. Each student was to research their person if they were assigned as a witness, and act as that person would, and know the events that the person was related to. Overall, it was an awesome experience, as every member of the classroom was engaged and worked hard to help their respective team. As a result, we learned a great deal that we probably would not have learned about through a textbook lecture.

B. My worst experience in a Social Studies classroom was in AP Government. I had a teacher who required us to make outlines that covered at least one point from every paragraph in the textbook. Each outline was worth only ten points, but failure to complete two outlines would result in the loss of a letter grade. This may not seem bad, but when there was the possibility for over a thousand points in a semester, the outlines felt like a punishment. I feel that I did not learn anything in that class, other than forcing students to make near twenty page outlines for every chapter is a horrible and very ineffective idea.

C. I want to teach Social Studies because I want to make a difference in students' lives. Far too many students have a strong dislike for Social Studies, as they feel that it is just memorizing dates and names. All it takes is one good teacher to completely change that perspective, and I really want to be that teacher. I feel that History can be fascinating to students if they have a teacher that is able to encourage them to make a personal connection to it; that every student deserves to experience the thrill of a fun, educational, and interactive History classroom. That is why I want to teach History, so I can make it personal to my students.

Reflection #2

I believe that there are a multitude of characteristics that point to a teacher being good, but the most important of these characteristics is demonstrating genuine concern about the students and a want to establish a personal connection with the students. I feel that good teachers are the ones who take the time to learn about each of their students, getting to know each student, and demonstrating to each student that his or her teacher is interested in helping him or her succeed. Through a teacher showing that he or she cares about his or her students and their respective academic careers, the students will be better motivated to work harder and succeed more. Furthermore, a good teacher acts as a positive role mole for his or her students. Through setting a good example for his or her students, a teacher is much more likely to earn respect and have students follow his or her example than if he or she was to provide a negative role model. Finally, I feel that a good teacher avoids the use of “favorites” in the classroom, as it can alienate the students who do not fall under that category, while negatively affecting the relationship between students who are favorites and those who are not. Thus, it is important for each student to be treated as equal in worth as the next student. While there are countless more aspects that help create a good teacher, these are three characteristics that I see as especially important and worth being mindful of in the classroom.

In order to improve my teaching, I feel that I need to practice teaching a lesson to a large group of people, as I have yet to do this in a classroom, with the exception of TE301, and am unsure of how my students will view me. I know that I need to work on being more confident when presenting information to a large group of people, but I know that this will fade with experience. Based on my “introduction to the class” last week, I would also say that I need to try to avoid making my speaking appear scripted, but I also feel that that is one of those skills that comes with experience. Ultimately, I feel that I just need some time in the classroom to get enough experience to learn more of my weaknesses and strive to improve those weaknesses and my confidence.

Reflection #3 None of my instructors brought up September 11th's anniversary in class this last week, as I am only in Geography classes which are fairly specific. I was surprised by this, as I assumed that they would have at least touched on 9/11, but none of them did. It seems as though an event as significant as the tenth anniversary would have been mentioned, but perhaps they wanted to avoid potential conflict or stirring up emotions.

I feel that teachers should touch on the history of 9/11 in their classes, and how it related to their respective disciplines, such as how 9/11 affects Geography or Economic Geography and how 9/11 is being remembered historically. It is also important for social studies teachers to teach about extremism and how there is a difference between Islam and Muslim extremists. Additionally, teachers should be ready to facilitate discussion about conspiracy theories, as many of the students have been exposed to them via word of mouth or the internet. It is important that students know the true unfolding of events in order to not cheapen the deaths of the victims of 9/11. 9/11 has drastically effected American and world history and continues to impact the students today; thus, it is important for students to learn about 9/11 and its consequences.

Social studies teachers can incorporate 9/11 through a variety of ways. Through utilizing technology, teachers can show students news clips or sound clips and have the students respond to how the clips made them feel through reflective writing. That way, the 9/11 experience can be made personal to the students. Another way a social studies teacher can introduce 9/11 into the classroom is through reading poetry about 9/11 and discussing how 9/11 is remembered through American media and other art forms. You could reconnect it to the students by having them write a poem or paragraph about how 9/11 affected, and still affects, them today, including the after effects, such as increased airport security and the Patriot Act. Time should be given for discussion of the events on 9/11 and the reason for the variety of conspiracy theories that exist.

9/11 is a teachable subject, but needs to be approached with sensibility and caution, as it is an emotion evoking topic and is prone to generate debates over what happened and the American military reaction following 9/11. Teaching the historic concepts of what happened and the history of terrorism help make 9/11 teachable. Additionally, 9/11 is very teachable because it is a historically significant event that has had an effect on the lives of all students in the classroom today.

Reflection #4 While reading the conversation between Edwin and Phyllis, I felt very frustrated until I got to the last page, where Phyllis's attitude seemed to make more sense. Initially, it seemed that Edwin had a wealth of reasons and goals to want to be a teacher, and though one may not need to be a teacher to accomplish those goals, Phyllis consistently shut him down with a reason that his goals are not legitimate reasons to want to become a teacher. It seems that Edwin has great intentions, with goals that teachers should hope to achieve, while Phyllis has more of a pessimistic, yet realistic view. Upon rereading Edwin's comments, I found them to be lofty and unrealistic. When I put the conversation in context of Phyllis's philosophy at the end of the conversation, her comments seemed less negative and made a lot more sense. As a consequence of my second read through, Edwin seems like the stereotypical student cadet, while Phyllis seems like the experienced veteran.

I agree with Phyllis on most of her points, as I feel that teachers do have the potential to do a great deal of harm to their students. I also think it is a good goal to try to cause less harm with each day. As a teacher, one must always be careful about the hidden curriculum, and be very mindful of what they say and teach and how they say or teach it. Edwin and Phyllis's conversation emphasizes that every action a teacher takes will have an effect on his or her students, supporting the idea that the most important thing is not why one wants to be a teacher, but what kind of teacher one becomes. This made a great amount of sense to me, because everyone has his or her own motivation to be a teacher. Ultimately, that reason will not have nearly the impact on students as the kind of teacher that person is. If teachers bring Edwin's enthusiasm with Phyllis's philosophy, they will be able to provide the students with a good, safe environment, where students learn without many of the negative consequences of less thought through curriculum.

Coop Lesson Plan.