Student Achievement and Assessment / Schell & Fisher

Effective assessments measure student knowledge and skills as well as helping a teacher evaluate their instructional practices. Formal assessments should not be the primary goal for teaching social studies. Formal assessments are important but informal assessments are just as important. As an educator, we must decide when and how we will assess  students, but a lot of times it is out of our control. Feedback must be immediate and specific if we want students to learn. we must develop test after we have taught and make sure it is based on what we taught. This helps you and your students see progress.

Assessments / Daniels and Bizar

Standardized test scores correlate with socioeconomic status. Most all schools on probation serve poor children. The economically advantaged kids do better and usually one factor is that they are the kids of the parents who make the test. Teachers are expected to teach in creative ways, however, students will be tested differently. Standardized test results place pressure on teachers and they are hesitate to take risks. In all schools, to effectively evaluate student growth and learning there should be a balance of assessments. Therefore, this may help avoid teachers only teaching to standardized tests.

Exploring with the Red Capes

Today while meeting with the Red Capes on our integrated unit, we had an opportunity to explore the grounds of the John Wheeler House in historic Murfreesboro. Kudos to Susan for setting up the mini exploration. Susan's neighbor showed us around the grounds at the Wheeler House. The grounds were beautiful and he was very knowledgeable about the area. He shared some interesting facts with us. The Wheeler house used to be a hardware store and later transformed into living quarters. Mr. Wheeler was married three times and the father of nineteen children. Another fact I found interesting was that the kitchen and dining area were separated, so if there was a fire it would not destroy the whole house. The cooks had to whistle when they brought the food to the dining area. This way they knew they did  not eat any of the food. We were able to look in the windows but were not allowed to enter the house. It was still a great experience.  

Task 3: North Carolina's Three Regions

I like the idea of a lesson revolving around the three regions of North Carolina. I teach fourth grade. The artwork to be used would be John Beerman, Three Trees, Two Clouds; Claude Howell, Ocracoke Harbor; and Elizabeth Matheson, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, 1982.

• Background information on Three Trees, Two Clouds http://www.ncartmuseum.org/artnc/object.php?themeid=5&objectid=41
• Background information on Ocracoke Harbor

http://www.ncartmuseum.org/artnc/artifact.php?artifactid=55

• Background information on North Wilkesboro, North Carolina 1982

http://www.ncartmuseum.org/artnc/artifact.php?artifactid=56

This lesson is for grade 4 and the content areas are art, language arts, and social studies. In this lesson the students will examine 3 sample works of art. They will discuss the artists use of color and how it relates to the  characteristics of their region. As I introduce the regions, students will guess what part of the state each picture represents and why.  Each student will do independent research on on an assigned region and also work in small groups to create a game to help learn and review key vocabulary, famous places, and other information about the region. I will divide the students into groups of three or four and assign each group a region. The students will research their region using books, internet, etc. Students will create a game to review key vocabulary. The game board must be in the shape of their assigned region. The game cards must be based on information from their research, The questions asked must address climate, landforms, bodies of water, natural resources, major cities, recreation, industry, farming, and cultural interest. Students must include directions with their game. The group will present the game to the class. For language arts, students will create a travel brochure for their assigned region. They must include facts and at least one special attraction. Also students will be asked to write a haiku poem. Projects will be evaluated using a class rubric.        

Task 2: Melber & Hunter / Strategy 8

Connecting With Cultural Institutions

Learning through field trips (strategy 8) is the task I chose to modify for use in my classroom. I teach fourth grade and each year we are required to attend an Animal Ag. Day sponsored by our county. All fourth grades in  the county are invited. Students visit several stations were volunteers discuss crops, livestock, forestry, 4H, aquaculture,etc. Strategy 8 gives me an idea of how I can make the experience more meaningful for my students. I can tie the trip to a theme. Students are required to take a pretest before the trip. Therefore, they can be required to take notes as they participate. I could use clipboards with pencils attached or maybe ziplock bags.may have to teach students to take notes or students could draw what they learn at each station. Students can listen for the correct answers to post test questions. The post test is given once students return to school. They could use their notes to help with the test.     

Teaching Social Studies / Schell & Fisher Chapter 4 / Task 1

After reading chapter 4, it is obvious that thoughtful planning is necessary for successful teaching. Experiences we had in the past as students and teachers effect the way we teach.The strategies that we choose or any decisions that we make all reflect on our appreciation and understanding of social studies. I do not remember any social studies from elementary school and from high school I can only remember memorizing facts.

Units may be based on topics, themes, concepts, or big ideas.Topics, themes, concepts, and big ideas will be helpful when trying to put together facts  and skills so students will find social studies meaningful. Topics help students make connections. Themes allow us to integrate social studies into other content areas. Concepts focus student learning on social studies. 

I like the idea of presenting the big idea at the beginning of the school year and adding information over time in a graphic organizer. The strategies for generating interest that I particularly like are storytelling using your own personal anecdotes to engage student interest and mysterious artifacts to help students pay more attention to detail. A cooperative learning activity I plan to use is jigsaw reading. This activity provides students An opportunity to practice social skills like listening, taking turns, and sharing. We must not only know what to teach but also the best way to teach if our students are to be successful. 
  

End of Year Reflection

As I approach the end of another school year, my thoughts are about the many challenges we have faced this school year. However, the good days I do believe have outweighed the bad, and I wont complain. We have learned a lot about each other. We both are looking forward to our summer vacation. We still have a few days left and staying focused has really become a difficult task for us all, but we will make it. I do not know what the  new year will bring , but I am sure it will be a rewarding experience.