Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Teaching with Primary Sources


     Primary sources offer direct insight to show case history as it was happening. Original photographs, newspaper articles, journals, diaries, speeches and artifacts give details to the time and place of the event.,
      Lesson: 1. Selecta primary source to share with the class (check out The Library of congress American Memory.
  2. Make copies of the document and also a graphic organizer and distribute them to students
 3.  Provide the historical context of the primary source document. Help student fill in the Organizer. Students can work on their own or in groups of 2 to 3 to do this.
4. Students study the document to help them describe what they observe. They can record observations on their organizer. Have students ask questions about elements of the source that seem important. See if students can determine the purpose f the document.
Other questions to ask: 1) how dependable do you think this source is?
2) Would you recommend this source for others to use.

5. Have students rank the document from 1 to 10. 10 being the most dependable. Have them support reasons for their ranking.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Breakout boxes

Breakout boxes – in libraries

     Breakout boxes are an active and immersive problem solving experience where groups of students work together to solve problems and get answers.
   The problem / task can be customized and coordinated to ane content / lesson area. The activity can have students practicing a skill, introduces new concepts, or review material at the end of the unit.
  The breakout boxes come with a large box, a small box, several locks, an invisible ink pen and a UV flashlight.  You can also use a timer if you want to limit time of activity.  
    Breakout edu has many educational activities on their site, created by the company or by educators who put their units on the site. Envelopes hidden in books, under tables, puzzles purchased cheaply, games made on the computer are other ways to create engaging activities. You can also use scavenger hunts. Virtual reality headsets, and other digital resources to create clues and activities for students.
   Creating different kinds of clues require students to work together to figure out answers.
Coming soon- benefits of breakout boxes.





Thursday, May 17, 2018

Historical Fiction- Graphic organizer


Name _________________________________________________     Date _________________________________________
 Analyzing Historical Fiction




 Chapter/ Pages __ to __





Historical

Characters:


Events:
Fictional

Characters:


Events:



Chapter/ Pages __ to __



Historical

Characters:


Events:
Fictional

Characters:


Events:

Chapter/ Pages __ to __



Historical

Characters:


Events:

Fictional

Characters:


Events:


Chapter/ Pages __ to __




Historical

Characters:


Events:
Fictional

Characters:


Events:





 Chapter/ Pages __ to __





Historical

Characters:


Events:
Fictional

Characters:


Events:



Chapter/ Pages __ to __



Historical

Characters:


Events:
Fictional

Characters:


Events:

Chapter/ Pages __ to __



Historical

Characters:


Events:

Fictional

Characters:


Events:


Chapter/ Pages __ to __




Historical

Characters:


Events:
Fictional

Characters:


Events:




Historical Fiction Lesson


   When reading Historical fiction many students have trouble sorting fact from fiction. A graphic organizer can give students a way to organize the elements of a historical fiction book. Students can also analyze how the book presented the true elements of a given time period.
    The process: Describe the elements of a historical fiction book. Remind students that historical fiction is based on a historical event or person and may include fictional events and people to complete the story.  Fictional characters may also drive the plot and give perspective to the event.

     Have students read a historical fiction book that is related to your unit of study. While reading, students can work on completing the organizer. For each chapter, students can note character, events, and compare fact and fiction.  Have students focus on only a few elements, key events and character or plot. Students can keep track of historical accuracy by sorting events and characters into the historical and fictional section.

 They may also use author’s notes, textbooks, online search or other sources to check for accuracy.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

EduBreakout Boxes

     The other day, the Science teacher and I did the first try out with the breakout boxes. These boxes have online links to puzzles/ activities/lessons  that require small groups of students to work together to solve problems and unlock the boxes . Each clue reveals more clues to further the result and to get the boxes open to get the solution and the prize!
     The online activities are extremely detailed and also give the teacher step by step instructions to seeing up the boxes. Most have a video that accompanies it to show the process.
     The students really enjoyed the activity. One student told the Science teacher " This is better than gym class!" Students read directions, looked around the room for more clues and worked together to solve the hints and clues, The only trouble we really encountered was resetting the lock at the end of   each period.