http://www.ncmuseumofhistory.org/workshops/WWII/LessonChain.htm

A time line is a great way to help your students get a grasp on the events and things that took place in World War 2. This lesson has the kids construct one from 2 readings on North Carolina in the War. I love this lesson and would use every but if it in my classroom. It also has leading questions for slow or EC learners.

http://osp.its.state.nc.us/positiondetail.asp?vacancykey=4324-60034790&printit=no

This lesson is one that is very thorough and one that teaches about a great man in American history, Martin Luther King. Most of my students will know his, I have a Dream Speech, but they dont know much about the man. He was a pastor and a humanitarian. He sought non-violent ways of getting what he wanted.

I would use everything in this lesson to help my students, it is all good and very useful. I like using the real texts and real speeches in the lesson. I like giving my students the time to break down and analyze these texts to see what they can devise from it. Everything I need for this lesson is linked up and ready to go. This is a great lesson and one that I plan to use.

1. Can this work in a middle school setting?

2. Will my students take to this as these kids did?

3. Can this also be used in a Social Studies classroom?

Questions

1. Can we get the students not interested in the story interested by using these poems?

2. Will our kids think this method is a little hokie, especially older kids?

3. Can this method be used in higher order thinking skills?

Listening To Voice

Greece Central School District-New York

http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Reading/Reading%20Strategies/listeningtovoice.htm

This concept is probably one of the most complex pieces to understand when reading a text; this is due to the interrelationships of so many of the elements that create what we call “a writer’s voice.”  This complexity could cause some people to say that this concept is too difficult for my students to deal with; however, it can be used as a way to pique students’ interest, as a way to intrigue them before they even begin reading a text. 

Definition:  Voice can be defined as the writer’s awareness and effective use of such elements as diction, tone, syntax, unity, coherence and audience to create a clear and distinct “personality of the writer,” which emerges as a reader interacts with the text.

To study “voice,” and by doing so, develop one’s own writer’s voice, the distinct elements or building blocks need to be clearly defined for our students.  This process should be carefully scaffolded; depending on the grade and skill level, it is not necessary to have your students understand all of the particulars of each of the elements given below before they can begin to interact with a text and “listen to a writer’s voice.”  For instance, under Diction, you may only introduce tone; under Tone, you may only use characterization, you may not introduce Syntax until later on; you can then build on these basics as your students’ understanding grows and develops.

Diction refers to a writer’s word choice with the following considerations:

• denotation / connotation of a word
• degree of difficulty or complexity of a word
• level of formality of a word
•  tone of a word (the emotional charge a word carries)

* all of the above will often create a subtext for the text

Tone refers to a writer’s ability to create an attitude toward the subject matter of a piece of writing; the tools a writer uses to create tone:

• diction
• figurative language
• characterization
•  plot
• theme

Syntax refers to the arrangement–the ordering, grouping, and placement–of words within a phrase, clause, or sentence. Some considerations:

• type of sentence
• length of sentence
• subtle shifts or abrupt changes in sentence length or patterns
•  punctuation use
• use of repetition
• language patterns / rhythm / cadence
• how all of the above factors contribute to narrative pace
• the use of active and/or passive voice

Unity refers to the idea that all of the ideas in a written piece are relevant and appropriate to the focus.  Some considerations include:

• each claim (assertion, topic sentence) supports the thesis
• each piece of evidence is important and relevant to the focus of the paragraph or the piece of writing as a whole
• occasionally, a writer may choose to purposely violate the element of unity for a specific effect (some humorists / satirists will sometimes consciously do this)
•  it is important to consider what has been omitted from a piece and examine the writer’s intent in doing so

Coherence refers to the organization and logic of a piece of writing; some considerations include:

• precision and clarity in a thesis and supportive arguments
• the arguments ordered in the most effective way for the writer’s intent
• the sentences and paragraphs “flow smoothly” for the reader; there should not  be any abrupt leaps or gaps in the presentation of the ideas or story  (unless the writer makes a conscious choice for a specific and appropriate effect)

Audience refers to the writer’s awareness of who will be reading his / her piece of writing; some considerations are:

• Who are the targeted readers?
• How well informed are they on the subject?  What does the writer want the reader to learn as a result of this piece?
• What first impression is created for the reader and how does the author’s voice shape this first impression?
• How interested and attentive are they likely to be? Will they resist any of the ideas?
• What is the relationship between the writer and the reader?  Employee to supervisor?  Citizen to citizen?  Expert to novice? Scholar to scholar?  Student to teacher?  Student to student?
• How much time will the reader be willing to spend reading?
• How sophisticated are the readers in regard to vocabulary and syntax?

I would probably implement this strategy with the 8th grade Social Studies text. I went to a workshop back in May on the Social Studies text and the book has great resources using voice. The reader tells a story from that time. The inflections in the readers voice bring out the seriousness of the event or time period. Also hearing things can trigger the momeory from something that is read. The voice is a powerful way of getting a message across, much more powerful than just reading a text.

Guided Reading

Instructional Strategies Online

http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/guided/guided.html

Guided reading is a strategy that helps students become good readers. The teacher provides support for small groups of readers as they learn to use various reading strategies (context clues, letter and sound relationships, word structure, and so forth). Although guided reading has been traditionally associated with primary grades it can be modified and used successfully in all grade levels. For example, older students may need to learn new strategies to understand how to read an information book in a way that is going to give them access to the information they are seeking.

I have been to workshops where I have learned to use this strategy and it really works. A worksheet that helps the students read the material can be valuable for all students, but especially struggling readers. The students also look for the context clues to help them answer the questions. Many students we will encounter are struggling readers and therefore cannot just paick up the text and understand it. This strategy can be very useful for these kids.

1.02 Analyze expressive materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:

• monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed.
• reviewing the characteristics of expressive works.
• determining the importance of literary effects on the reader/viewer/listener.
• making connections between works, self and related topics
• drawing inferences.
• generating a learning log or journal.
• maintaining an annotated list of works that are read or viewed, including personal reactions.
• taking an active role in and/or leading formal/informal book/media talks.

Identifying Similarities and Differences

What Works in Classroom Instruction- Robert Marzano

http://www.middleweb.com/MWLresources/marzchat1.html

 The ability to break a concept into its similar and dissimilar characteristics allows students to understand (and often solve) complex problems by analyzing them in a more simple way. Teachers can either directly present similarities and differences, accompanied by deep discussion and inquiry, or simply ask students to identify similarities and differences on their own. While teacher-directed activities focus on identifying specific items, student-directed activities encourage variation and broaden understanding, research shows. Research also notes that graphic forms are a good way to represent similarities and differences.

I would use this strategy while teaching the Civil War, The students would find the similarities and differences between the North and the South. There were many different ideas and thoughts the the two sides agreed on and did not agree on. This would help the students understand the things that created this War. Many students believe the War was all about slavery, which is not true. I would have the kids use Venn Diagrams and metaphors to help them organize the material.

1.02 Analyze expressive materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:

• monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed.
• reviewing the characteristics of expressive works.
• determining the importance of literary effects on the reader/viewer/listener.
• making connections between works, self and related topics
• drawing inferences.
• generating a learning log or journal.
• maintaining an annotated list of works that are read or viewed, including personal reactions.
• taking an active role in and/or leading formal/informal book/media talks.

This strategy can take a difficult concept and make it easy to understand. This is valuable for EC or ESL students. Many students learn better visually and this is a great way to reach those kids.

Using Word Splash in the Classroom

Learn NC

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/2025

A wordsplash is a set of key terms or concepts related to a given concept, typically displayed in an interesting visual presentation. Used as a pre-reading strategy, wordsplash can tap into students’ prior knowledge about a topic before they encounter it in the classroom. This technique can help teachers become acquainted with what students already know before beginning a lesson, and can engage students by enabling them to contribute before the lesson gets off the ground. Wordsplash can also be used as a helpful summarizing device to help students synthesize information as they read or after they finish reading.

This strategy can be a great one for helping students learn and become introduced to new key terms in my Social Studies classroom. Many terms we encounter in Social Studies are new terms we have never seen before. These can be places or even dates used in the textbook. This strategy can be used as a pre reading activity to help the students become familiar with the new concepts. I would probably use this in a way where the students would come up with their own definition of what they think the term means or what significance the term has.  I would probably use this in a lecture. I would give the students the words in an eye-catching way to help them peak their interest to look for these words in the lecture.

This strategy would satisfy a English Language Arts objective more than a Social Studies lesson.That objective is:

1.02 Analyze expressive materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:

• monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed.
• reviewing the characteristics of expressive works.
• determining the importance of literary effects on the reader/viewer/listener.
• making connections between works, self and related topics
• drawing inferences.
• generating a learning log or journal.
• maintaining an annotated list of works that are read or viewed, including personal reactions.
• taking an active role in and/or leading formal/informal book/media talks.

I know that learning new terms was a difficult thing for me to master when I was in school and a guide for these terms would be very helpful to the students. I would use the wordsplash as that guide. Knowing what to look for in a lecture can be the light blub that helps the students to understand what you are talking about.

Education World

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/01-1/lp221_01.shtml

This lesson would be used in an 8^th grade Social Studies classroom to help them understand the basics of the Civil Rights movement and its purposes.

In this lesson the kids would be constructing time lines about the Civil Rights movement to understand the length of time it took minorities to achieve equal status in this country. The lesson would also incorporate what role North Carolina played in the Civil Rights movement. I would use this video of a first hand account of the Greensboro sit-ins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfb3Gi6J9RE

I do not see many modifications to this lesson for EC students. The lesson is pretty easy, but still very rich in learning experiences.

I love the Civil Rights era and I am very passionate about equal treatment for all races. In the area in which I live, I think it is very important to educate all students about why and how minorities got their Civil rights.