http://theteacherscafe.com/Reading/Free_Resources_Activities.php- This site has everything a teacher could want.  It lists sites for specific subject areas and offers free worksheets.  Click on worksheets and reading activities and you problems are solved. 

http://www.elementaryschooltutoring.com/crctskills.html- Here is another site that is loaded with practice in all subject areas.  It is colorful, inviting, and easy to navigate.  Make this your “go to” site for the school year.

http://www.nvo.com/ecnewletter/teacherstools/- Wow!  Anything your heart desires is right here.  Assessment Tools, Awards and Certificates, Flip-Books, Pop-Up Books, Bulletin Boards, Calendars, Flashcards, Forms and Templates, Game and Puzzle makers and more will keep any teacher happy!  Have fun here!

http://schools.dcsdk12.org/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=114452&- This kind teacher developed a site for his students.  It has everything a kid would need to enhance their school performance.  Take a look at all that is offered and just choose what you need.  This site is loaded!

http://www.boardman.k12.oh.us/bdms/websites/websites.htm- Oh my, what fun you will have with all the activities that are free to use.  This is a very easy site to navigate.  Click on any area of interest, and you will be taken to additional websites that offer free materials and practice.

Certain tips for Teaching young learners

1)            Organization     :           A well managed and organized classroom is the key to a successful learning environment. Organizing a classroom takes time, sincere dedication and determination but once things are put together, the classroom would run smoothly. Less time would be spent looking for instructional material and more time would be spent being with the children. 

                                            i.      Space organization               :           Young learners need a lot of space during the task oriented activities and to explore the environment to the fullest. Considering that children have short attention span and they feel a sense of security when things/material are well laid out on specific places, organizing the material to ensure proper display and ultimate use of the space should be the priority. This also aids in implementing discipline in the class. In the light of short attention span, it is always advised to have a lot of activities of 5-10 minutes range; besides, the important thing is to carry on between different activities with minimum downtime and disruption to the flow of knowledge in the classroom.

                                          ii.      Subject matter                      :           Lesson plan should be formulated before hand with details of the subject matter, the activities to be conducted and the backup plan in case of emergency. Young learner should be aware of the short goals to be achieved at each step of activity to act as self motivating factor. A brief pictorial lesson plan can be drawn on a chart and placed in one corner of the classroom.

2)                                 Rewards and Recognition

Rewards are always a great way to promote positive reinforcement in the classroom. Nothing works better for young learners than a decent amount of praise. Rewards and recognition helps in increasing the motivational level of the classroom and helps in getting the attention on the desired activity, with even more rigor. Keep certain rewards upfront on display to get the entire class work for a desired goal.

Thumbs up, clapping hands and a huge smile on a teacher’s face will definitely help the kids realize that they did a great job and made you pleased. Creating a way of rewarding your students helps in the long run. Putting up posters on the walls with the students names to keep record of their good work is one example. Rather than punishing students for bad behavior, try rewarding them for good behavior. Stickers, stamps, and little gifts are wonderful ways to reward students that behave well.

3)                                 Self development and qualities

Nothing is implementable without a good teacher. A good Teacher for young learner is one

                                                                    i.            who can be looked upon as a role model for the learner,

                                                                  ii.            can motivate the learners,

                                                                iii.            provides conducive environment for development,

                                                                iv.            knows the art of entering the children’s world and can act and role play

                                                                  v.            knows how to handle children

                                                                vi.            have good personal qualities like enthusiasm, kindness, sincerity, patience, humorous, intellectual, curiosity, and respect 

Of all the teaching methodologies, the Reggio Emilia Approach seems to be the most innovative approach to education. The reason lies in its benefit in the child’s development in the early years.

Child’s developmental stages can broadly be classified as Physical, Motor Skills, Cognitive, Language, social and Psychological. The Reggio Emilia approach is an unstructured and out-of-the-box approach to stimulate the different developmental stages at different periods of time.

It encourages the students to explore the environment deliberately made for them by their teachers. Children define their own curriculum. It helps children in mastering the physical, motor skills, and providing base for Cognitive and psychological developments.

The class room does not have designated seats for children however provides for more space for play and physical activities. The classrooms have different work stations like music, art, fun, play etc and children are encouraged to explore the workstations and learn different arts and skills. For children, it’s a hands-on learning experience, and they develop hands-on skills. The children are encouraged to accommodate new environments and ideas, thus creating new knowledge and learning.

Children are a part of the community, and they often take walks through the neighborhood to learn about the world around them. This helps the child to socialize with the environment and has a huge psychological affect. 

The approach also focuses on solving real-life problem among peers, with numerous opportunities for creative thinking and exploration and enhancing the cognitive skills

Children are also encouraged to depict their understanding through one of many symbolic languages, including drawing, sculpture, dramatic play, and writing. This helps in setting up base for language skills

Parents are viewed as partners to their child’s education. Teachers respect parents as each child’s first teacher and involve parents in every aspect of the curriculum. This aspect has again been a unique feature of the approach.

Teachers are seen as co-learners and observers, and the environment itself is a “third teacher.”  This gently helps the child to learn to socialize to different elements of the community. Besides, the unique part of the approach is the focus on Teachers development through constant observation the children in the absence of any defined curriculum or defined mandate and guidelines for teaching. Teachers involve themselves as a researcher to create the curriculum based on the observation. Teachers do not act as facilitators; they don’t impart knowledge, but assist the children to create their own knowledge. Teachers facilitate and then observe and document the child developmental progress for reference and further enhancement purpose.

Applying Constructivism to the Social Studies Classroom

Renea Ross

University of Pittsburgh

Elementary Education 1173

March 23, 2012

Jadallah, E. (2000). Constructivist learning experiences for social studies learning. The Social Studies, 221-225.

Myers, P., & Savage, T. (2005). Enhancing student comprehension of social studies material. The Social Studies, 18-23.

Obenchain, K., & Morris, R. (2011). 50 social studies strategies for k-8 classrooms. Boston: Pearson.

Applying Constructivism to the Social Studies Classroom

            “Who would like to read from the textbook next?” the teacher asks, ignoring the collective sigh of the students as some shift restlessly in their seats, stare out the window or pass notes to one another when the teacher is not watching.

            “Who cares what happened to the pioneers,” one student grumbles under his breath to another. “What does it have to do with me?”

            Creating a relevant and engaging social studies curriculum for students can be difficult for some teachers if they do not understand how children construct knowledge, and how that construction applies to the classroom.

            According to the article, Constructivist Learning Experiences for Social Studies Education (Jadallah, 2000), there are two constructivist theories that teachers should consider when developing the social studies curriculum. The cognitive constructivist theory proposed by Piaget suggests that children gather information about the world through direct experiences and enquiry, whereas the social constructivist theory proposed by Vygotsky implies that children develop knowledge through social interactions or sharing their ideas and beliefs with others and consequently creating schemas of their learning by listening and analyzing others thoughts and opinions.  In order to create social studies that is relevant to students, Jadallah (2000) recommends applying not only the cognitive constructivist theory, but the social constructivist theory as well.

            Students want to know why history, geography, or any social studies discipline is important, and how it relates to them on a more personal level. Meyers and Savage (2005) contend that reading social studies requires processing and analysis skills as well as memorizing important names and dates and utilizing a carefully selected textbook, which exposes students to a wide range of cultures, histories, and other social studies disciplines. Teachers who utilize social studies textbook content must be cognizant of and sensitive to “…backgrounds and experiences, motivations, interests, attention spans, and beliefs…” (p. 19) of the students. Engaging students in the content is the key to aiding students in understanding social studies relevancy.

            In order to engage the interest of students and build upon any prior knowledge the students may possess, teachers should model strategies such as think-aloud to assist in the comprehension of not only the content of the textbook, but also its arrangement. For example, to scaffold comprehension of social studies material, teachers should model asking questions such as, “I wonder why…” or “I wonder what…” To further aid students in comprehension, teachers should draw students’ attention to the arrangement and organization of the text and content by pointing out subheadings and bold type vocabulary and explain their uses and purposes (Myers, 2005).

            More importantly, however, is that students should be subjected to a wide range of social studies materials and strategies, and should not be limited to the classroom or the curriculum textbook. This begins with the teacher’s decision of which social studies concepts are important and the techniques in which to not only present the information, but also the method of application utilized by students to demonstrate what they have learned in order to promote relevancy and interest (Jadallah, 2000).

            The curriculum decisions a teacher imposes in the classroom stems from the purpose of receiving an education, which is to “…have students develop the knowledge skills, attitudes, and values…” (p. 224) that enable all human beings to “…participate in a constantly changing society” (p.224). Teachers enable students to become citizens who are cognizant of their rights and responsibilities as human beings. Central to this purpose is the development of experiences within the classroom, which act as a stimulus for constructing meaningful understanding and connection to social studies concepts in students (Jadallah, 2000).

            In order to deepen the comprehension of what citizenship signifies, teachers may present students with strategies that facilitate the organization of their thoughts on paper by utilizing graphic organizers such as KWL charts, webs, and concept maps. One such graphic organizer, recommended by Obenchain and Morris (2011) is the decision tree, which is often used in economics for mapping decisions related to money, time, and products, but for the purposes of understanding citizenship, can be employed to demonstrate the results of what might transpire if we as citizens relinquish our rights or neglect our responsibilities (Obenchain, 2011).

            To expand upon the concept of citizenship, students could apply Obenchain and Morris’s (2011) digital storytelling strategy, in which students apply audiovisual media such as video clips, podcasts, and slideshows of historical artifacts, pictures, or events to an oral report. Through digital storytelling, students could delve into the lives of citizens in their communities by recording interviews, or they might research what life is like for those who have no rights by developing a documentary (Obenchain, 2011).

            Not only does this strategy involve students in research using primary and secondary sources, but actively engages them in the social studies concept. Students can also be assembled into small groups to contribute information or media through the implementation of individual roles, but who, as a group, must collaborate to complete the project (Obenchain, 2011). This strategy is beneficial to not only the students by actively engaging them, but by also applying to both Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s constructivist theories.

            When developing the social studies curriculum, teachers should remember to create an engaging and relevant atmosphere to attract and retain student attention as well as promote the comprehension and importance of concepts. This can be accomplished by utilizing graphic organizers, which not only apply to Piaget’s cognitive constructivist theory, but aid students in the comprehension of complex concepts and allow them to visually organize information. In addition, by applying strategies such as think-aloud to model the questions that good readers should ask while reading content related information, and by organizing group projects, students are socially interacting by building and accommodating schemas of knowledge, which applies to Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism.

References

Jadallah, E. (2000). Constructivist learning experiences for social studies learning. The Social Studies, 221-225.

Myers, P., & Savage, T. (2005). Enhancing student comprehension of social studies material. The Social Studies, 18-23.

Obenchain, K., & Morris, R. (2011). 50 social studies strategies for k-8 classrooms. Boston: Pearson.

I have found out at over-night retail jobs that employees have no night life. Their night life consist of working. There’s no time for adequate dating, sharing, or caring. An average full-time overnight-er is compensated for their time per hour than an day shift worker. Nights are not easy for everyone.

Night-shift has been found too be hard for many. Many found it hard too adjust to sleep habits. An full time over-night shift employee actually spends time each day of the week except one. Although you’re not spending totally a full eight hours on the job, you’re still working some hours on a given sixth day. An overnight-er actually has two nights off, but not a full two days off. A night-shifter may spend more time trying to recover sleep during the day off, rather than enjoying the day off shopping, cleaning, or going to the gym.

As a night-shift worker there are some important factors to remember. You need to set priorities when you estimate in your life what is important. I believe you can say, “Making money to pay bills is the most important”; Well therefore prevent from performing possible hobbies that can interfere with your job. 

1. Hobbies: Have a hobby will prevent you from having a bored life. When you notice that your hobby is not appealing, maybe it’s time for another. I encountered co-workers who were excited about going to the gym. That’s a good thing, but months later, I can tell the gym performance seized. The question is why? Their answers may be, they found a relationship with someone which was the leading reasons for the gym, and not just for a work-out. Behaviour change can happen when a major event happen in their life.

I once I knew a co-worker who text-ed or called occasionally. But the phone calls seized and texts seized. The main reasons for the calls and the texts before was for reasons of boredom. But the reasons for the seized calls and texts was because the person found a mate, got married, and had children. So the modified life-style, also modified his habits and behaviour.

The human race naturally seeks completion where there’s void. Many night-shift co-workers may not have anyone at home to go home too. Many can find there life boring, time flying by fast, and single. Most employees that work at night, their spouses don’t want them missing throughout the night. But the family must work-it-out if the main source of the income is a night shift.

Try to avoid a hobby that could potential injury you or prevent you from working. Unless the hobby directly ties you to work. Example: A professional football player would be found in the gym, because it ties in with his work. But getting injured in a gym, affects his paycheck on the field, if he’s benched due to a physical injury.

2. Weekends: Another night-shift issue is working on the weekend. I found night shift workers when they’re young would wish one of the three major retail nights off. The three major weekend days are, Friday, Saturday, and Sundays. Most younger employees want one of those days off for their personal life. You will have priority if you considered all days were equal to you, and made yourself available for any day and time.

3.Sunday: The next issue about night-shift working into a Sunday, is the religious belief. Some employees want Sunday off or leave early, or get off on-time with no room for flexibility. They want to worship and go to church. A night-shift worker may find it hard to have worked that Saturday night into Sunday morning, and be back to work that night. If they go to church during that Sunday. You need to face the facts about retail businesses that operate on Sundays, the business first. They will staff the business with workers willing to work on Sunday to meet customer demands. Sometimes it requires bold steps to mention to the employer, you wish Sundays off. But the overall point is, business first, and able working bodies second.

4. Transportation: Having adequate transportation is important. You can have a job, but if you’re relying on a vehicle to get to work, it requires maintenance. I still hear workers borrowing gas money. It’s not the cost of the fuel, it’s the employees money issues. It can’t be the per hour salary, because the employee knew the pay at the hiring process. So what is it? Well it could be; #1. What kind of gas guzzling vehicle is the person driving? 2. How far does the person live? 3. Not having a gasoline budget or setting money aside for transportation issues. The list can continue if you don’t modify. Simply cut out some of the factors, example: carpool or move closer to the workplace. However carpooling means you’re relying on someone to be on time when picking you up, or leaving work at the same-time, so no ones waiting on the other. I found a retail business can careless how you get ot work, as long as you show up for your scheduled shift time. Some workplaces don’t consider your hobbies, gas, car, religious beliefs, you’re issues, or personal problems, as long as you show up to your job.

5. Manage Yourself: Truth: Most work places may not care or have time to manage your personal issues unless, it’s the workplace to care for clients businesses and issues. Most workplaces want you at work to work. However I found that co-workers in corporations wonder why you have no problems. It’s because you must manage you’re issues, so your company can manage you.

6. Stale: When you’ve worked at a place so long, sometimes you become one of the fixtures. The person knows all the gossip of every person and the different changes within the company. To me that person has become boring. I can have worked for a company the same amount of years as the other and still seem new, and revived, why? Because you need to be free from being stale or a fixture. Co-workers who continue to talk about things in front of their noses will never see the long-term goals. So their vision to me is boring. It seems like they’re bored. Even the company pacify them. But the real issue is that you’ve been working there for twenty years and nothings changed about you. You haven’t moved up, nor contributed to the company, you’ve just been there like a wart on a frog, and leaping around to nowhere. How boring! Employees like that are usually full of, “what the company should do, or this, or that” but changes never happen within that twenty year employee, I find them boring. Any co-worker can complain, but one whose been there for twenty years or more, move up, out, or shut up from complaining and  boring the new hires. The unsatisfied, been working for the company twenty year co-worker is like ice cubes in your supposed to be hot soup.

Billy Sunday and wife (LOC) (Photo credit: The Library of Congress)

Night Shift (film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH JOANNE (Photo credit: marc falardeau)

Cover of Night Shift (Keep Case)

It instructs The Students especially in grammar. It provides vocabularies with direct translation to memorize.

In Eropa, in the 19th century, it was predominant method in teaching English. Nowadays this method is

ineffective by itself. It is commonly used in the traditional instruction of the classical language.

It consist of a process of training in the rules of language which make it possible to all students to correctly

express their opinion, to understand the remark which are addressed to them, and to anallyze the text which

they read.

2.The Direct Method

It is also called Natural Method, is a method that refrains from using the learners native language and just

uses the target language. Around 1900, it was established in Germany and France. This method places

great stress on correct pronunciation and the target language from outset. It advocates teaching of oral skills

at the expense of every traditional aim of language teaching.

3.The Audio-Lingual Method

It has students listen to or view of language models acting in situation. Students practice with a variety of

drills, and the instructors emphasizes of the target language at all times.

3. Communicative Language Teaching

CLT is an approach to the teaching of language that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the

ultimate goal of learning a language. Despite a number of criticisms, it continues to be popular, particularly

in Europe, where constructivist views on language learning and education in general dominate academic

discourse.

4. Language Immersion

It puts students in a situation where they must use a foreign language, whether or not they know it.

This creates fluency, but not accuracy of usage.

5. Minimalist/Methodist

Paul Rowe’s minimalist/method approach. This new approach is underpinned with Paul Nation’s three actions

of successful ESL teachers. There is a focus on language in context functional practices.

6. Directed Practice

It has students repeat phrases. This method is used by U.S. diplomatic courses. It can quickly provide a

phrasebook type knowledge of the language.

2. Which civilization had nothing to do with king Charles and Alfred the Great? (Vikings, Nomads of India, Normans, or the Scandinavians)

3. The Japanese in an attempt to defend itself against the Mongols, erected a wall defense along the shore of?(Hazaki, Taliman, Hakozaki, or Tamahawk)

4. The first to record the composition of gunpowder is contributed to?(Aleppo, Ghazis, Philip the II, or Roger Bacon)

5. The rival period between France and England over territory and trade is known as?(The Hundred Years, Growing Pains, Mid-Pacific Wars, or Trade Wars)

6. The founder of the city Baghdad, a civil and religious leader?(Aleppo, Al-Mansur, Charlemagne, or Pope Urban II)

7. The Feudal System is recognized as a?(Circle, Square, Pyramid, or Flat)

8. The Toltecs founded their own capital city of Tollan. The name symbolically means?(City of Want, City of Desire, City of Reeds, or City of Legends)

9. The Black Death, found in rats carried the a disease to Europe known as the?(Bubonic Plague, Shingles, Inflammation, or Fever)

10. What had nothing to do with the Crusades?(Constantinople, Holy War, Japanese, or Catholic Church)

11. The meaning of Outre-mer?(Nightmare, Plague, Overseas, or Sunlight)

12. The clans that had nothing to do with the Mongols unification?(Naiman, Keraits, Yung Lo, or Tartars)

13. Which isn’t considered a member of the Polo family?(Rico, Marco, Maffeo, Nicocolo)

14. Who was the first Christian archbishop of Peking?(Giovanni de Plano Carpine, William de Rubuquis, St Louis IX, or Giovanni of Monte Corvino)

15. The best description of the Feudal Manor system?(Coins, Holidays, Self-Storage, or Self-Contained)

16. The contributors/founders/technology to make firearms?(Indians, Huns, Chinese, or Africans)

17. The homeland of the first Aztecs?(Mexico, Canada, Germany, or Sweden)

18. The Astrolabe is best described as a device that made to?(Isolate, Glow, Navigate, or Smooth)

19. When the manuscripts of science was once lost, copies of manuscripts were found in?(China, India, Rome, or Persia)

20. What has nothing to with the Battle of Hastings?(Crossbow, Sling-shots, Warhorses, or Welsh longbow)

21. The Galileo Galilei pendulum has something to do with?(Necklace Jewelry, Horse-Hoofs, Time Clocks, or Buttons)

22. What has nothing to do with the Muslim faith?(One True God, Mecca, Ferris Wheel, or Angel Gabriel)

23. The patron saint of ecology and founder of the Franciscan Order of Friars?(St Francis of Assisi, St. George, St. Thomas Aquinas, or St. Lucious)

24. The leader of England during the Wars of the Roses?(Henry the V, Henry the VII, King James, or King Richard)

25. Ferdinand II, Isabella I and Charles I reminds history about control in?(Norway, Spain, Mexico, or Italy)

26. The Pope that split the earth North to South between Portugal and Spain?(John II, Urban, Alexander VI, or Harold II)

27. He discovered a passage to Asia by sailing around Cape of Good Hope and crossed to India?(Vasco da Gama, Columbus, Santos Stepahon, or Captain Cook)

28. The title Oba, is referred to?(Doctor, Magician, Father, or King)

29. He was made commander-in-chief of voyages to the Western Oceans, visiting Malacca and Sumatra?(Ching Li, Harold II, Cheng Ho, or Georg Bauer)

30. He discovered the Cape of Good Hope?(Bartolomew Diaz, Columbus, Vasco da Gama, or Henry of Portugal)

Portugal Corrida (Photo credit: George Eastman House)

The tomb of Vasco da Gama, in the Jerónimos Monastery, Lisbon. Français : La tombe de Vasco de Gama, dans le monastère Saint Jérôme, à Lisbonne. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cross of Vasco da Gama at the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Deutsch: Dom Vasco da Gama, Graf von Vidigueira (* um 1469 in Sines; † 24. Dezember 1524 in Cochin, Indien), portugiesischer Seefahrer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Answers for questions 1-30

1. fort clemens

2. Nomads of India

3. Hakozaki

4. Roger Bacon

5. Hundred Years

6. Al Mansur

7. Pyramid

8. City of Reeds

9. Bubonic Plagues

10. Japanese

11. Overseas

12. Yung Lo

13. Rico

14. Giovanni of Monte Corvino

15. Self Containment

16. Chinese

17. Mexico

18. Navigate

19. Persia

20. Sling Shots

21. Time Clock

22. Ferris Wheel

23. St Francis of Assisi

24. Henry the VII

25. Italy

26. Alexander VI

27. Vasco da Gama

28. King

29. Cheng Ho

30. Bartolomew Diaz

1. In the Roman Republic a ‘Dictator’ were appointed for 6Mon, 2yrs, or 4yrs to take charge??

2. Democracy was first developed in Britain, Italy, or Athens??

3. The Philosopher Plato is known as one of the ‘exponents’ of religion, musician, or political ideas?

4. Which character had nothing 2 do with revolt of the Hellenic League? Alexander the Great, Sparta, or Nicolas Copernicus?

5. There were two groups of men fighting 4 control of the Roman Republic, which wasn’t? (Caesar, Pompey, or Galileo)

6. The formation of the 2nd Triumvirate in 43BC included these members except? (Mark Anthony, Johann Gutenberg, Lepidus, Octavian)

7. The Emperor Constantine, Constantinus Magnus, set up a coin with his image facing? (left, front-wards, or toward the right)

8. History: Constantine divided the Roman Empire into two. Was it East & West, or North & South capitals?

9.History: Which two dynasties are part of Chinese history? (Chou, Lin, or Chin)

10. Which leader has nothing to do with Hoplites? (Alexander the Great, Darius, Philip the II, the Persians)

11. History: In the Peloponnesian War and the Battle of Mantinea which group has nothing to do with it?(Greeks, Persians, Spartans, or Erasmus)

12. After the death of Alexander the Great, who wasn’t a chief governor? (Antigonus I, Perdiccas, Copernicus, or Ptolemy I)

13. Which leader had nothing to do with the Fall of Rome? (Agricola, Odovacar, or Attila)

14. __________was the first to establish the First Olympic games? (Africa, China, Germany, or Greece)

15. The main reason behind building the 1400mile long, Great Wall of China was for? (tourist, jogging, walking, or defense) 

16. The first Emperor of Rome? (Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, or Augustus)

17. Which isn’t one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? (The lighthouse at Alexandria, Colossus of Rhodes, the Statue of Zeus, or the Great Wall of Berlin) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvYV12onOFY

18. The first European to sail across the Indian Ocean was named? (Columbus, Hippalus, Johann, or Paracelus)

19.Which isn’t one of the seafaring region of Scandinavia? (Norway, Russia, Denmark, or Sweden)

20. The period between 4000-1000BC is known as? (The Dark Ages, New Stone Age, Cold War, or Black-Out Years)

21. The word, pecus refers to? (money, weather, fruit, or technology)

22. The Latin word ‘pecuniary’ in Latin means? (gold, silver, energy, cattle)

23. The Red Eyebrows in history best describes a situation in? (India,  Mexico, Iraq, China)

24. When it comes to Geometry, the founders in attributed to the? (Chinese, Greeks, Africans, Indians)

25. The Old Appian Way is known as? (Water path, Sky, Rock Road, Sand Trap)

26. A flint-like black stone? (Schist, Crystal, Brick, Clay)

27. The first standardized gold coinage by? (Krugger, Caesar, Alexander the Great, Croesus)

28. The first geographer and mathematician who was the first map-maker  that applied mechanism and navigation to maps? (Geolileo, Claudius, Henry VI, or Eratosthenes)

29. The founder and physician of medical theories is? (Caesar, Galileo, Galen, Erasmus)

30. A king and son of Jesse? (Galead, David, Redar, Edward)

31. Known as a blind poet? (Vedas, Croesus, Homer, Ottoman)

32. The meaning of polytheism? (Study of plants, Study of many gods, Study of Planets, or Study of Fish)

33. The name ‘K’ung Fu-Tze’ relates to? (Confucius, Caesar, Galen, or Johann)

34. Who wasn’t known for being a ‘Teacher’?(Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, or Spartan)

35. The practice of worship of gods, magic potions, sexual yoga, astrology, alchemy, and other divination practices of Hsien Taoism were influenced by? (Chan Tao Ling, Galen, Plato, St. Antony)

36. The thought of monasticism and the founder of closed living? (St. Richard, King James, St Antony, Brother Elbert)

37. The Prophet Muhammad took Hegira from Mecca to Medina. What best describes Hegira? (Rest, Run, Refuge, Flight)

38. What would best describe the Magna Carta? (dessert, wine, document, or fish dish)

39. The erection of Parliament and representatives of Commons can be contributed by? (Peasants, Emperor Shi, Caesar, or Simon de Montfort)

40. As Parliament began to grant money to kings, who most likely was one of them?(Edward III, Samson the II, Pope Urban the II, or Ibn Battutah)

Alexander Muir Public School, Toronto, 1902 (Photo credit: Toronto Public Library Special Collections)

Galen Hunt (Photo credit: Derrick Coetzee)

Galen, Lori, Althea (Photo credit: ChrisL_AK)

Galen – Ina K Tournament 2006 (Photo credit: ChrisL_AK)

The answer key to World History:

1. 6Mon

2. Athens

3. Political Ideas

4. Nicolas Copernicus

5. Galileo

6. Gutenberg

7. Left

8. East & West

9. Chou/Chin

10. Philip the II

11. Erasmus

12. Copernicus

13. Agricola

14. Greece

15. Defense

16. Augustus

17. Great Wall of Berlin

18. Hippalus

19. Russia

20. New Stone Age

21. money

22. cattle

23. China

24. Greek

25. Rock Road

26. Schist

27. Croesus

28. Eratosthenes

29. Galen

30. David

31. Homer

32. Study of many gods

33. Confucius

34. Spartan

35. Chin Tao Lin

36. St. Antony

37. Flight

38. Document

39. Simon de Montfort

40. Edward the III

Renea Ross

University of Pittsburgh

Elementary Education 1173

January 23, 2012

Klein, D. (2005). Voyages of discovery: experiencing the emotion of history. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 18(1), 7-10.

Burstein, J. (2005). Planning and teaching with multiple perspectives. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 18(1), 15-17.

The Advantages of Implementing Role Play and Multiple Perspectives in the Classroom

Imagine seeing America for the first time from the deck of Henry Hudson’s ship Hopewell, as it entered the snowy, icy, Hudson Bay. Imagine the disappointment on the crew members’ faces and Hudson’s face as they slowly began to realize they had not discovered a shorter route to the East Indies, but instead had stumbled upon a frozen climate, disease and starvation as they weathered the winter aboard a cramped vessel, trapped by floating icebergs.

            This is exactly what Daniel Klein II had his third grade students do as he delivered a social studies unit on Henry Hudson that spanned the course of two sixty minute class periods. In order to more thoroughly explore, and become more emotionally invested in the series of historical events leading to the mutiny aboard the Hopewell and Hudson’s eventual expulsion from the ship, Klein pretended to be Hudson, showing his map with its plotted course to the Orient and broadcasting the possibility of discovering wealth beyond measure, to his students who were considered potential crew members for his voyage. Next, the students were shown a sack with which they could fill with objects they would like to bring along for the voyage. The lesson then progressed to the students designing the ship and listing the types of functions performed by crew members, such as “…swabbing the desk, hoisting sails, and keeping a lookout for land and icebergs, as well as cooking” (Klein, 2005, p. 8). Once the crew functions had been established, each student alternated role-playing the different responsibilities until they found one that suited them, and then, in unison, as though truly aboard a sea vessel, each student performed their chosen task (Klein, 2005).

            Through the strategy of role play, Klein was teaching his students what life was like aboard a ship during the 1600’s. He was teaching history from the perspective of the sailors aboard the Hopewell. According to the article Planning and Teaching with Multiple Perspectives (2005), Joyce Burstein Lisa Hutton indicate that school textbooks are often restricted to the exploration of a topic or an event through a single viewpoint, but by using several perspectives of that one topic, teachers can create a community of accounts stemming from a single event which makes learning more three dimensional and real for students. It not only helps them to make connections, but also builds a foundation for helping students to understand complex ideas and situations (Burstein, 2005).

There is also an argument among some teachers that using the strategy of role play and implementing the multiple perspectives surrounding one event stimulates a child’s innate curiosity and makes them want to learn more about the topic. For example, Klein had a student in his classroom during his Henry Hudson unit that struggled with reading and comprehension because lecture did not interest or motivate her, but who, after the Hudson lesson, had borrowed and read three of Klein’s several Henry Hudson books and shared with him a map which plotted Hudson’s course to America; the same course she and her class had reenacted. Klein had successfully engaged a struggling student in his lesson through role play and multiple perspectives. That student then enriched her learning by extended reading outside the classroom (Klein, 2005).

            Klein’s lesson was not entirely based on his students mimicking the role of sailors aboard the Hopewell. According to 50 Social Studies Strategies for K-8 Classrooms (2011), Kathryn Obenchain and Ronald Morris agree that teachers should “Ask students to evaluate the motivations of the characters, the conditions of the society, and the results of the actions of the characters.”(p.172). Klein asked students to place themselves in the position of Hudson’s crew as they navigated the perilous, icy waters of the Hudson. He had the students make decisions about whether or not to stay in the Hudson Bay or to continue onward with a different route. He placed the students in the same situation as Hudson’s crew by surrounding the ship with icebergs and having the students decide what they should do next. He even introduced the idea of fellow crewmates stealing food, and at intervals distributed slips of paper to the students revealing which of them had survived the cold, disease and starvation, and which had expired. This last, the paper deciding the fate of the crew members, producing some unexpected comments such as, “I don’t want to look” (Klein, 2005, p. 7), or “Not me. It’s not me” (p.7).

Obenchain and Morris concur that during role play students should be given plenty of opportunities to deepen their understanding of an event or topic through analyzing the different views or perspectives (Obenchain, 2011). Following Obenchain and Morris’s outline for role play, Klein’s students were asked how and why they felt about their captain, the situation and the voyage. They were asked how they would confront Hudson if they were actual seamen aboard the Hopewell. By doing this, Klein gave the students a deeper understanding of what seamen endured under captains like Hudson, what the conditions were like on the ship during the time that Hudson’s men were trapped by icebergs and the emotional toll it took on the crew members (Klein, 2005).

The end results of Klein’s unit were students who, being placed in the same situation as Hudson’s sailors, experienced the same emotional frustration as the actual crew members. For example, those students who had been accused of stealing food vehemently defended themselves. Without leaving the confines of his classroom, Klein had offered his students a real-time glimpse into life aboard Hudson’s ship (Klein, 2005).

Just as the article, Planning and Teaching with Multiple Perspectives explains, “Students are burning to report their version of what happened” (Burstein, 2005, p. 15), Klein’s students reacted in much the same way through reflection and discussion. They were eager to discover more about Hudson’s explorations as well as “…their adventure” (Klein, 2005, p. 10).

Using role play and implementing multiple perspectives into learning not only creates connections for students and builds strong foundations for the expansion of simple ideas to more complex ideas, but can also create a more thoughtful social interaction between children and their peers because they have had the chance to explore and reflect upon multiple viewpoints.

References

Burstein, J. (2005). Planning and teaching with multiple perspectives. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 18, 15-17.

Klein, D. (2005). Voyages of Discovery: Experiencing the Emotion of History. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 18, 7-10.

Obenchain, K. R. (2011). 50 Social Studies Strategies for K-8 Classrooms. Boston: Pearson.

Children’s Literature in the Social Studies Curriculum – Three environmental Lorax themed lesson plans.

Homeschool Share – Lorax lesson plans to download; free!

Food Chains With The Lorax - Lorax-themed food chain lesson plan.

Word Choice with The Lorax – Teaching writing skills using Dr Seuss’s story.

Merkel Middle School Lorax Lesson Plans – Five more Lorax based lesson plans.

The Lorax: An Environmental Issue – Another Lorax lesson plan; from the Alabama Learning Exchange.

Green Lesson Plans - The Lorax.

Lorax lessons from Seussville - Education from the official Dr Seuss site.

As well as the well-known original book of the Lorax there are a number of Lorax-themed books that are also very educational – Lorax Book Collection.