American Republic since 1877
The way I teach history is to allow the students to construct their knowledge regarding the topic using available resources. As their teacher, I am more of a facilitator, using scaffolding, modeling, and creating rubrics to guide them. I like to integrate as much technology as possible into the projects that students are working on using as many options as available for students to obtain the necessary information. I would rather have students create their PowerPoint presentations than to sit in their seat and watch the one that I created. When students are motivated, the teacher has less discipline problems, and learning is accomplished.
Below are a few examples of projects that I have guided students with in the past.
Modern research overwhelmingly suggests that student learning is enhanced when cooperative groups are used in the classroom. Like many other teachers, I was uncertain of how much learning was taking place when I set up cooperative groups. I struggled with noise and control issues and off-task behavior by some students. I found a solution, though.
A cooperative group activity occurs whenever a student works with another student. Cooperative groups do not have to be large groups. Smaller groups ensure that all students are engaged and contribute to the group effort. Smaller groups also guarantee that members perform multiple tasks so that real learning occurs. I often combine two or more small groups into a larger group for short comparative tasks such as a web quest. After making this small adjustment, I am able to assign cooperative group tasks to students at least once a week and student performance, and learning has increased in my classroom. Jeopardy - need PowerPoint on your computer and then press F5.
Integrating technology into your social studies curriculum can have its pitfalls. Because something often goes wrong when you least expect it, here is some advice about technology, computers, and students.
Make sure the hyperlinks work -- check them yourself.
Design assignments that go from easy to complex. Students have varying degrees of success with computers so start with simple, concrete assignments and move to complex, abstract assignments.
Vary the selection of sites for students. You can use a search engine and a museum site for one assignment and then use a historical document page and a statistical site for another assignment. Varying the sites makes assignments more interesting.
Make sure you have given students enough information to find what you want. Do not give them a question that can lead to thousands of different answers on different sites.
Design Web assignments so that students with less Internet experience can achieve some degree of success. Have computer-literate students become mentors for their classmates.
Have alternative assignments in case the Internet is temporarily down.
Divide students into groups of three or four. Tell students that it is 1777, and one member of their group has been arrested for joining the revolutionary struggle against Great Britain. This person will be sent to London to be tried on charges of treason. Hanging is the punishment for those found guilty of treason. Each group must prepare a defense using only one source - the Declaration of Independence. One person from each group will speak to the class, acting as either the defendant or the defendant's attorney. After all the presentations, the class will vote to determine which person did the best job of defending himself or herself or the client.
Graphs can be difficult to interpret and understand. Help students by having them create their own graph. To help students begin thinking abut graphs, separate students into small groups. Then explain that each group should take a quick survey of classmates and make a graph to show their survey results. Suggest that students make either a bar graph, line graph, or circle graph to show their data. To prompt students' thinking, ask the following questions,
Do you play on a sports team? Which sport(s)?
What do you plan to do after high school?
About how much time do you spend watching TV each day? About how much time did you spend watching TV when you were 10 years old?
After students are done graphing their data, invite each group to share its work. Discuss the types of graphs students made and their reasons for choosing them. Each group should then take the graph that another group has prepared and transfer the information into another type of graph.
Provide individualized activities and assignments for a variety of student ability levels. Develop learning packets for chapters and units of study with varying formats, levels, and types of assignments. Assign points and contract students based on their selection of activities to be completed.
The Influence of the East on the West -- The Crusades brought Europeans into contact with Muslim and Byzantine civilizations in the Middle East. Traders followed the European armies eastward and brought back spices and silk. They also brought back the concept of paying with money instead of trading goods.
Gather students into small groups and ask them to research other areas where the contact between the East and West during this time period influenced European culture. Assign each group one of the following areas: architecture, art, literature, science, or language.
Give them one week to prepare an oral presentation.
List on the board various empires that have ruled vast territories for some period of time such as the Ghana, Mali, Songhai, Greek, Roman, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and British. Tell students that none of these empires has been able to remain in power indefinitely. Have students research to find out what factors contributed to the decline of each of these empires.
Building a Model - Have students work in small groups to create a model showing lines of longitude and latitude on a Styrofoam ball. Encourage students to use library and Internet resources to help figure out how to build the model. Remind students that degrees of latitude and longitude relate to the 360 degrees of a circle with the center of the circle located in the exact middle of the sphere. Offer students a hint: They will need to cut the Styrofoam ball into quarters in order to measure the angles.
Enlightenment Thinkers - Ask students to brainstorm a list of grievances about the school. With students, weed out any illegal issues or silly grievances. Combine similar complaints into one.
Then ask the class to agree on one issue that needs to be changed. Allow for ample time for them to debate and discuss together. Tell them that the issue they agree on must be within the control of the principal to change. Once they agree on an issue, work through the process of their choosing a representative to take the issue to the school principal.
Then create a scenario in which the student representatives present their issue calmly and thoroughly, but the principal disdainfully dismisses their complaints. Explain that their feelings of being unfairly dismissed stem from their living in a country that is built on Enlightenment principles. Discuss those principles.
Creating a Pamphlet - Pamphlets were commonly sued for communication in colonial America. Have students work in small groups to create a pamphlet that expresses the views of one of the religious groups in colonial America. Encourage students to use library and Internet resources to learn more about the views of the group they select.
Visual Arts - Have students create a set of fashion sketches for the typical wardrobe of the Puritans. The sketches should include an ensemble for a woman and one for a man. Encourage students to use library and Internet resources to learn more about clothing and fashion in colonial times.
Designing a Flag - Have students work in small groups to design a flag for one of the colonies. Have students prepare a drawing of their flag and determine the actual dimensions for the flag. Then have the groups prepare a brief written explanation of the colors and symbols used in the flag. Display the flags and explanations around the class.
Supporting a Point of View - Have students work in pairs to write editorials supporting or opposing James Oglethorpe's point of view with regard to the imprisonment of debtors. Have the pairs discuss the issues and decide who will write each editorial. Then have them critique each other's editorials and make improvements based on the feedback. You may ask for volunteers to read their editorials to the class.
Preparing an Oral Presentation - Organize the students into groups of four or five. Assign each group one of the immigrant groups in early colonial times. Have the groups research the immigrant group to discover the reasons why they emigrated, where they settled, how they maintained their cultural identity and how they participated in colonial society. Have groups present their findings in an oral presentation to the class.
Founding Fathers web quest