Lesson Plan

Curriculum Standard: Investigate the history and cultures of the regions of the Western Hemisphere (e.g., Canada, North America, Middle America, South America, and Antarctica).



Big Idea: Examine the characteristics of societies in the Western Hemisphere and trace their developments.



Preparation:

1. Introduce the regions of the Western Hemisphere.


2. Ask students if they know anything about any of these areas.


3. Go to www.brainpop.com/socialstudies.


4. Show students how to navigate around the site.


5. Break students up into groups.


6. Assign each group a topic

Guidance:

1. Groups use http://www.brainpop.com/ to investigate given topic.


2. The teacher walks around providing help with information and the website.

Application:

1. Groups work information into a lesson.


2. Groups teach the lesson to other classmates.

Assessment:

1. Each group will create an assessment that goes along with thier lesson for other students to take.
2. Teacher and class will work together to create a rubric assessing presentation skills (information, presentation, assessment, etc.)
3. Students will help assess each groups presentation according to the rubric.

Teacher Blog

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Chapter 5

As I read chapter 5, I thought about the many different texts that could be used in a classroom. Because of new technology, the possibilities are truly endless. I thought back to my years as an elementary student. I can remember reading my textbook in all subjects, including reading. It wasn't until fourth grade that I had a reading teacher who had us read books, not just stories out of a reader. But, it wasn't until fifth grade that I had a social studies teacher who incorporated more than just a textbook into her class. We were constantly reading or being read narratives in her class. It really brought the subject area to life for us. But, today there are so many more texts that can be used in any subject area classroom.
There are several things to keep in mind about texts. I believe it is very important to know what reading level children are on. Therefore you must know what reading level the texts are on. But, I also believe that sometimes a simple text can prove to be difficult for a student if that student is not interested in the text. It is extremely important to know what each child likes to read. Allowing the child the opportunity to deal with these texts will increase a child's want to read.
There are so many new digital texts out there for teachers to use in a classroom. It is very important for a teacher to realize that not all students are proficient on the computer. Therefore the teacher must be sure to give very thorough instructions on how to complete the assignment. Even though we are in a technological world, I agree with Conley, in that we should still use many different texts in the classroom.

Assessment

As I began reading this chapter, the idea of standardized tests was all I could think about. Standardized testing seems to be a pretty big deal right now. But, this chapter has a few different ideas about assessment. The idea of this chapter is that of ongoing assessment. These assessments do not have to take away from classroom instruction. In fact, Conley includes ways to incorporate some of these assessments. These low stakes assessments can not only help the teacher see where the instruction needs to go, but they can help teachers get to know their students. Teachers must know what motivates their students, what they like to read, and how they learn. Conley discussed finding out what kind of reading material engages students. This made me think of my high school library. I do not think I ever checked out a single book from the library. I was there from 7th grade to 12th grade. In six years, I was never able to find a book that looked interesting to me. I believe that had my high school done some sort of reading interest survey, many more students would have taken advantage of the library.
I was very intrigued by the section on classroom tests. Most of my school years were spent taking tests that had been created by the publishing company. They either required no thought, or were worded so terribly that no one could answer the questions. I think it is very important for a classroom test to be well thought out and very authentic. Having a student apply what they have learned to their everyday life makes it so much more real to them.
I have been required to turn in several portfolios over the years. I truly think that they are a good idea if they are implemented correctly. Conley suggests that what is included should be selected by the teacher and the student. I have always been told exactly what needed to be included. If something was not included, points were deducted. I feel that this is the wrong way to create a portfolio. Conley states that " A primary goal of portfolios is to involve students in evaluating their own work." In the way I was required to make a portfolio, I had no involvement of my portfolio.