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Jordan Manuel

Cold War - 1 views

    • Jordan Manuel
       
      This site makes excellent use of primary source documents to portray the climate of Soviet-US relations in the Cold War. Telegram cables between the govts and reports from USSR Central Committee meetings.
    • Jordan Manuel
       
      I would make wide use of this site in a U.S. history class. I would be able to show my students the Soviet perspective on US activities during the Cold War, which I think would be valuable as a comparison to our historical accounts of the same events.
    • Jordan Manuel
       
      As far as usability, it is a rather basic site. However it does provide a wealth of primary source documents that would be helpful for any social studies teacher.
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    U.S. and Soviet Perspectives on their relations amidst the Cold War.
Kenneth O'Regan

Truman Library - Social Studies web sites - 1 views

  • The National Assessment of Educational Progress has a website where released U.S. History items may be found
    • Kenneth O'Regan
       
      Some items on this site might not be entirely up to date. It appears to me that this link is no longer active.
  • A website on the flags of the world
    • Kenneth O'Regan
       
      Other websites, like this one, seem to be a little bit suspect. Use discretion.
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    Say what you will about Harry Truman, but his library website has a vast cache of social studies links and resources, organized by topic. Some of the items go beyond social studies and into the realm of homework help and other teaching strategies. You may need to a dig a little bit to find exactly what you are looking for, but you can probably somehow get to it from here.
Margit Nahra

That's Not Fair! Examining Civil Liberties With the U.S. Supreme Court - ReadWriteThink - 4 views

    • Margit Nahra
       
      I like the emphasis on choosing a topic that students know little about -- good for stretching students out of their comfort zones.
  • encourage students to pick one they know little about or that is particularly relevant to current events (e.g., racial justice, immigrants' rights, or free speech)
    • Margit Nahra
       
      These cases would be good to use in modeling the activity for students.
Adrea Lawrence

Educators and Students - Maps of Indian Territory, the Dawes Act, and Will Rogers' Enro... - 0 views

  •  
    The National Archives Digital Classroom: Primary Sources, Activities and Training for Educators and Students.
Kyle Adams

Sheppard Software - educational games and activities for kids of all ages. - 0 views

  •  
    Great website full of educational games. I especially like the scaffolding techniques used for enhancing geography skills.
Debbie Moore

Social Studies - Group | Diigo - 0 views

    • Debbie Moore
       
      Today's conversation starter is about the controversy developing over President Obama's plan to deliver a speach to public school students on Tuesday. This would be a great opportunity to for students to explore a variety of related topics such as (but not limited to) conservatism versus liberalism, rights of parents and families, and President's use of power.
    • Laura Wood
       
      Is this supposed to be here? If not, where is it supposed to be?
    • Debbie Moore
       
      I observed my cooperating teacher using this site (Census in Schools) for a 6th grade geography class. The students responded positively and were actively engaged in the lesson. The students were able to work with their own individual maps while exploring and answering essential questions. The site also has information and materials appropriate for all other grades. I think that this site could also be used for U.S. History since the first census orginiated for the purpose of creating a representative government.
Laura Wood

Millennium Development Goals - 0 views

    • Laura Wood
       
      Each button at the top stands for one of the development goals. Each page contains video clips, a short web game (very simple) and information about what that goal is, what students around the world are doing to make a difference and suggestions for actions more students can take.
    • Laura Wood
       
      The "Add your voice" portion has a place where students can send in videos that they have made about the Millenium development goals. There's also a Youth Action Guide that you can download and print for your classes!
    • Laura Wood
       
      For each goal there is: * Information about the goal * Information on how much progress has been made towards that goal * Projects that other students have done * What still needs to be done * Links to more information This information is not particularly engaging but it is condensed in an easy to find location. It's certainly not a game or anything and kids won't be tricked into learning by any cool effects or anything.
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    • Laura Wood
       
      From the Millenium Campaign website: "*End poverty by 2015.* This is the historic promise 189 world leaders made at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 when they signed onto the Millennium Declaration and agreed to meet the "Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).":/goals The MDGs are an eight-point road map with measurable targets and clear deadlines for improving the lives of the world's poorest people. World leaders have agreed to achieve the MDGs by 2015."
    • Laura Wood
       
      This short (3.34) youtube video is much more enticing than the webpage. http://www.youtube.com/mcampaign Perhaps a teacher could show the video and then ask students to research one of the goals using this site. The culmination could be designing an action to participate in on the date of action. This year that is Oct 16th-18th. May be a good introductory activity to get kids to see the importance of global issues before launching into global history (or concurrently :-) Website for the event: http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/
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    The UN's Millennium Goals as they have constructed them for kids. It's still a ton of information and not in the easiest or most engaging format but it might be a great place for students to get started examining world issues like Hunger, HIV/AIDS or Infant Mortality and what they can do.
jbdrury

Re-thinking Newsweek and U.S. News Rankings - 0 views

  • Re-thinking the Rankings
  • B-CC had been ranked as the nation’s 64th best high school on the 2008 Newsweek list, but it was missing from U.S. News’ top 100. One parent e-mailed: “Should I be worried?”
  • In the 2009 Newsweek rankings, released in June, four county schools (Richard Montgomery, B-CC, Thomas S. Wootton and Winston Churchill) were ranked among the nation’s top 100, with two others (Walt Whitman and Walter Johnson) narrowly missing
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    • jbdrury
       
      Not to detract from MCPS, but I have often wondered if the fact that the designer of the index happens to live in the Bethesda is at all a coincidence?
  • Most years, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has more schools in the top 100 of both lists than any other school system in the country
  • rankings validate that the school system is “seeing the benefits of providing the academic support that allows our students to aim high and achieve at the highest levels.
  • But do the rankings really mean much?
  • I feel obliged to question the validity of the methods used to rank high schools.
    • jbdrury
       
      This is the basic explanation for how Newsweek ranks its schools; interesting to note that it is based almost solely on a sort of "preparation for college" mindset
  • for ignoring graduation rates and achievement gaps among socioeconomic and ethnic segments.
    • jbdrury
       
      The author speaks directly with the designer of Newsweek's index
  • Mathews’ goal is to improve students’ academic preparation, especially in lower-and middle-income neighborhood schools. His solution is to expose more students to challenging course work, and he unapologetically describes his purpose as “advocacy as well as evaluation.
  • He says the Challenge Index’s key attributes make it the singular best measure of a school’s quality: It can be easily understood; it points directly to implementing positive change through rigorous course offerings; and it can be applied meaningfully to all schools—unlike quality evaluations based on traditional measures such as test scores, which, he says, are inherently biased toward schools in wealthier, upper-middle-class neighborhoods.
    • jbdrury
       
      As a side note; this is my former social studies teacher and the person I credit most with making me want to become a teacher
  • Walter Johnson Principal Christopher Garran
  • Critics
  • have attacked the Challenge Index for not effectively capturing what it purports to measure (school quality), in part because it doesn’t gauge student achievement, only the number of rigorous course exams taken.
  • Newsweek ranks schools based on the Challenge Index, which was developed by Washington Post education reporter (and Bethesda resident) Jay Mathews. A school’s Challenge Index score is the number of Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and Cambridge tests taken by all students in a school year divided by the number of graduating seniors. (AP courses are well-known; IB and Cambridge also consist of rigorous courses for which students can receive college credit. Like AP, their standardized exams are graded by outside examiners.)
    • jbdrury
       
      U.S. News also uses its own "college prep" index, but includes standardized test results, and takes socio-economic and racial differences into account
  • U.S. News’ approach
  • far more computationally complex
  • a school must do significantly better on standardized state English and math tests than statistically expected given its economic makeup; be in the top half of its state (approximately) in the performance of its minority students
  • “College Readiness” formula combines two components: the percentage of 12th-graders who had taken an AP or IB exam during or before their senior year; and the percentage who passed at least one exam—equivalent to an AP test score of 3 and an IB score of 4.
    • jbdrury
       
      He also directly quotes the manager of the U.S. News' index
  • U.S. News project, cites three ways its methodology is superior: “We measure success [tests passed]—not just quantity of tests taken. We factor in how well schools do in serving economically disadvantaged students and minorities. And we recognize schools within their respective state.”
  • The U.S. News rankings have been attacked by education experts for intermixing highly selective “elite” schools, such as Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va.—currently their top-ranked school in the U.S.—with schools having open admissions
  • Unlike U.S. News, Mathews eliminates some academically elite schools, setting the cutoff at the level of the highest average SAT/ACT scores of any “normal enrollment” school in the country.
  • “It would be deceptive for us to put them [schools above this threshold] on this list [because] the Challenge Index has been designed to honor schools that have done the best job in persuading average students to take college-level courses and tests. It does not work for schools that have no, or almost no, average students.”
  • As of 2009, schools with AP exam pass rates lower than 10 percent (schools that would have made the list in previous years) have also been eliminated from the main Newsweek ranking. Most of these schools, which are typically located in low-income neighborhoods, have recently introduced their students to academically challenging courses as a form of “shock therapy.”
    • jbdrury
       
      A summary of the author's thoughts; pro's and con's of both methods
  • Just as the Challenge Index is too limited in its concept of best schools, the U.S. News procedures try to cover too much. The crux of the problem is combining three essentially different criteria (college readiness, overcoming economic disadvantage and minimizing ethnic group disparities) into one ranking. Schools that excel in one aren’t necessarily those that excel in the other(s). Some schools that do the greatest job of preparing their minority students might not have total-school achievement scores that are among the best. Other schools characterized by superlative overall college readiness might score only slightly above average relative to their economic profile. In trying to incorporate “economic disadvantage” and the reduction of ethnic group (minority) achievement gaps together with schoolwide high achievement, the U.S. News ranking risks confounding different educational objectives. Depth and breadth of performance, and exceeding expectations, should be reported separately, rather than conjoined. Separate rankings would be easier to understand, more informative and less disputable—although perhaps less likely to help sell magazines.
  • Several principals, including Whitman’s Goodwin, noted how nonacademic programs that help students succeed and are a huge part of some students’ lives (arts, music, sports, civic activities, etc.) are not examined.
  • comparing large and small schools can be misleading
  • eferring to the many qualitative features that go into making a great school, Doran says, “The rankings are measuring the brain of the school—not the heart of the school.”
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    Having grown up in Bethesda, I am well aware of the preoccupation with the ranking of U.S. schools. This article shares some insight into how two of the more popular (or circulated) ranking systems come up with their results.
Lindsay Andreas

Oxfam Education: - 3 views

  •  
    Defining citizenship eduction in a global society is an increasingly relevant and important education issue today. This site has really great resources for exploring global citizenship. In particular, I liked the global citizenship chart, it is easy to read and it defines key elements by age level. There is also an entire page of related links that could provide further explanation.
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    Dude this is rad. I hadn't seen this before but just searched for citizenship and it came up. Thanks for posting!
Debbie Moore

Census in Schools - 0 views

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    This site is sponsored by the U.S. Government, Census Bureau. It is speicfically designed as an educational resource for students, teachers and schools. The Census Bureau will provide lesson plans, maps, worksheets and other educational material free of charge to any teacher.
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    I observed my cooperating teacher using this site (Census in Schools) for a 6th grade geography class. The students responded positively and were actively engaged in the lesson. The students were able to work with their own individual maps while exploring and answering essential questions. The site also has information and materials appropriate for all other grades. I think that this site could also be used for U.S. History since the first census orginiated for the purpose of creating a representative government.
Laura Wood

Rethinking Schools Online - 0 views

  • Check out these Rethinking Schools Publications
    • Laura Wood
       
      Rethinking schools offers some fantastic resources for teachers. The Rethinking Globalization text has activities for all ages to start making students aware of the global nature of our lives and to help them to take action instead of being passive consumers of world goods/culture.
  • Teaching for Environmental Justice
    • Laura Wood
       
      Articles, resources, and publications from teachers and educators that subscribe to critical pedagogy. The information is based in opinion, theory, historical documents, and cool lesson plans and curriculum ideas. I recommend checking out the articles that are here, and checking out some of their publications from a library (or from me, I have "Rethinking Globalization").
    • Laura Wood
       
      MAPS!
  •  
    Rethinking Schools is an organization committed to equity and to the vision that public education is central to the creation of a humane, caring, multiracial democracy. While writing for a broad audience, Rethinking Schools emphasizes problems facing urban schools, particularly issues of race. Rethinking Schools tries to balance classroom practice and educational theory. It is an activist publication, with articles written by and for teachers, parents, and students. It also addresses key policy issues, such as vouchers and marketplace-oriented reforms, funding equity, and school-to-work.
  •  
    This is my go-to site! Thanks for posting it!
Alan Edwards

Dave's ESL Cafe - 0 views

    • Alan Edwards
       
      Dave's ESL cafe is a site that is maintained by Dave Sperling. I cannot find any information about the man and his affiliations on the website, but he does have contact info.
    • Alan Edwards
       
      Dave collects and posts lesson plans, strategies, and assessments for teaching English language learners. Dave appears to have exclusive control on what gets posted, and there are a lot of helpful ideas from educators around the world.
    • Alan Edwards
       
      I think this site is a great resource for teachers with ELL students. It maintains a large selection of works collected from educators. Many of the lesson aim at creating a more active and fun classroom. Also, if the forum was up and running it would also be a great place for teachers to help one another with their teaching dilemmas.
  •  
    Dave's ESL Cafe includes a wide selection of strategies, lesson plans, and tools for teaching English language learners. There is a section for teachers as well as a section for students themselves.
Joellen Kriss

take the mental_floss geography challenge - 0 views

  •  
    Mental Floss is a magazine that gives a very...quirky view of the world. It introduces little known facts and information that we might not have sought to find in addition to providing us well known facts and information in a new and usually very different perspective. This link is to the "Geography Challenge" an online quiz that extensively tests ones knowledge of the world and could serve as a fun way to present the world.
  •  
    I will probably spend hours at a time playing map games. Save me from myself........
Alan Edwards

Powers of Persuasion - Poster Art of World War II - 0 views

    • Alan Edwards
       
      The national archives lesson plans uses a great selection of US domestic propaganda posters during WWII.
    • Alan Edwards
       
      The site provides lesson objectives, activities, and a worksheet. If I were teaching I would ask the students about the messages behind the posters as well who the intended audience was. Also, I'd like for students to make their own propaganda posters on issues that matter to them.
    • Alan Edwards
       
      This is a government site with a clear means of contacting the archives via email or tele.
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  • Background Guns, tanks, and bombs were the principal weapons of World War II
  • Guns, tanks, and bombs were the principal weapons of World War II, but there were other, more subtle, forms of warfare as well. Words, posters, and films waged a constant battle for the hearts and minds of the American citizenry just as surely as military weapons engaged the enemy. Persuading the American public became a wartime industry, almost as important as the manufacturing of bullets and planes. The Government launched an aggressive propaganda campaign to galvanize public support, and some of the nation's foremost intellectuals, artists, and film makers became warriors on that front.
  • The Documents
  •  
    The national archives has a killer selection of US government propaganda posters from the second world war. They have some classic works as well as more obscure and controversial pieces. For students and teachers alike, these posters could help explain the government's greatest hopes and fears during the war.
jbdrury

Paul B. Weinstein | Movies as the Gateway to History: The History and Film Project | Th... - 5 views

  • Finally, students gain an increased appreciation of the power of mass media to shape perception and to affect interpretation of the past. This heightened awareness should enable them to be more discriminating in processing the images and information bombarding them daily.
  • Finally, students gain an increased appreciation of the power of mass media to shape perception and to affect interpretation of the past. This heightened awareness should enable them to be more discriminating in processing the images and information bombarding them daily.
  • Finally, students gain an increased appreciation of the power of mass media to shape perception and to affect interpretation of the past. This heightened awareness should enable them to be more discriminating in processing the images and information bombarding them daily.
    • Adrea Lawrence
       
      It looks like the same highlight is repeated...repeatedly.
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  •  Finally, students gain an increased appreciation of the power of mass media to shape perception and to affect interpretation of the past. This heightened awareness should enable them to be more discriminating in processing the images and information bombarding them daily.
  •  Finally, students gain an increased appreciation of the power of mass media to shape perception and to affect interpretation of the past. This heightened awareness should enable them to be more discriminating in processing the images and information bombarding them daily.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • , a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
  • , a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
    • jbdrury
       
      I am adding this sticky note at the top to make certain anyone looking at this post checks out "Appendix B" at the bottom of the page.
    • jbdrury
       
      The main idea is to join primary sources to the film.
  • These shortcomings, however, can actually be turned to advantages when students and instructors utilize film as a gateway to history.
    • jbdrury
       
      This is a rundown of the technique Weinstein uses for his undergrad students. It involves a wide variety of film choices, which may be unrealistic for a social studies class. However, the principle remains the same even if it were for just one film.
    • jbdrury
       
      This pamphlet, found at the bottom of the page in Appendix B, could be very useful.
  • Every student receives a pamphlet I have developed, "History Written With Lightning," outlining the rationale for using commercial film as a historical tool and describing specific elements to be examined for accuracy, such as costumes, sets, chronology, and behaviors (see Appendix B).
    • jbdrury
       
      This is a common argument made by those advocating the use of film or TV in the classroom; however I feel it is an extremely valid point. I hope I don't offend anyone here, but FOX news is a great example of why students should be provided with critical thinking skills that are applicable to moving images.
    • jbdrury
       
      I must admit my jaw dropped at this comment. For those unfamiliar with Griffith or his "The Birth of a Nation", wikipedia him/it. We should all be comforted that his statement did not come true.
  • This assignment I have outlined can be adapted to suit the specific goals of any instructor at college or secondary level. For example, students could be required to consult one or more primary sources as part of their research, or the instructor could assign one or more specific readings to be studied in conjunction with a film. At one time, I matched films with chapters in the course's anthology reader as the starting point for research.
    • jbdrury
       
      Weinstein provides a list of potential films and matches them to specific time periods, which is useful, but in my opinion a bit dated. This list could definitely be expanded upon by some more recent films.
  • HISTORY WRITTEN WITH LIGHTNING
    • jbdrury
       
      This is the handout that he provides to his students at the beginning of the semester - I think sharing this with the social studies classroom before using films would set students up for the rest of the year to critically analyze films.
  • Because we are so accustomed to the moving image, we sometimes become indifferent to the hidden messages, social content, and meaning of what we watch. In other words, we do not view from a critical perspective.
  • filmmaking pioneer D. W. Griffith
  • One wide-eyed reviewer consequently greeted Griffith's Civil War epic, The Birth of a Nation (1915)
  • Facts can be twisted, timelines conflated, endings revised for perceived audience satisfaction.
  • Griffith confidently predicted that "in less than ten years...the children in the public schools will be taught practically everything by moving pictures. Certainly they will never be obliged to read history again."
    • jbdrury
       
      These "what to look for" subheadings could form the basis of any number of in-class and out-of-class activities for students to engage with the film.
  • What to Look for in Historical Films
  • 1. The History
  • 2. Setting, Details, and Design
  • 3. Behavior
    • jbdrury
       
      Important point on the dangers of presentism in a historical film.
  •  Beware of one of film's greatest—at least to the historian—sins: presentism.
  • Presentism is a serious flaw in any film that seriously aspires to present a believable picture of the past.
  • 4. Agenda, Values, Effects
  •  
    Paul Weinstein wrote this article primarily geared towards undergraduate history professors, and how they might use film in their classroom. However, much of this is still applicable for us as secondary social studies teachers. In particular, his Appendix B has a sort of study guide he provides for each of his students at the beginning of the semester to get them thinking about how to analyze film for its historical perspective.
Laura Wood

What Kids Can Do - 4 views

  • stay informed
    • Laura Wood
       
      From the website: "Based in Providence, R.I., What Kids Can Do (WKCD) is a national nonprofit founded in January 2001 by an educator and journalist . . . they felt an urgent need to promote perceptions of young people as valued resources, not problems, and to advocate for learning that engages students as knowledge creators and not simply test takers. Just as urgent, they believed, was the need to bring youth voices to policy debates about school, society, and world affairs. Using the Internet, print, and broadcast media, WKCD presses before the broadest audience possible a dual message: the power of what young people can accomplish when given the opportunities and supports they need and what they can contribute when we take their voices and ideas seriously. The youth who concern WKCD most are those marginalized by poverty, race, and language. On this website, WKCD presents young people's lives, learning, and work, and their partnerships with adults both in and out of school. Our community of readers stretches from youth organizers in some of this country's toughest urban areas to policy makers at the national level. We believe that a good story well told crosses geographies, generations, class and race, and position. Our publishing arm, Next Generation Press, honors the power of youth as social documenters, knowledge creators, and advisors to educators, peers, and parents. WKCD is a grant maker, too, collaborating with youth on multimedia, curricula, and research that expand current views of what constitutes challenging learning and achievement. Starting in 2006, WKCD began working with youth worldwide. WKCD has become an international leader in bringing the promise of young people to the attention of the adults whose encouragement can make all the difference."
  • Youth in Policy: Civics2
    • Laura Wood
       
      Here they have collected various articles about how youth around the country and around the globe have been actively involved in policy making and shaping. This may be great to get teachers and students started thinking about project ideas or to inspire students (and teachers!) that students really can make a difference.
  • Want to bring public attentionto your work? WKCD invitessubmissions from youth andeducators worldwide.
    • Laura Wood
       
      ARG! My diigo isn't working at all. Very frustrating. I have to highlight stuff four times and then add the comments in on this page. Technology is not my friend this week.
    • Laura Wood
       
      So if you do a rad civics project with your students, students can then write an article about what they did and send it in to WKCD. They will then put it up on this cite and your students will have something to be uber proud of. This is another reason to make sure you photo document rad projects.
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    • Laura Wood
       
      Similarly, one of the links on this page is to news articles from around the country where kids are making a difference. A teacher might assign students to check out some of the ways that students are getting things done and getting noticed in order to inspire kids, get their creative juices flowing, etc.
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    Articles on what kids in the US have done politically, with pictures! Collected by a journalist and an educator.
  •  
    This is the organization run by the author of "Fires in the High School Bathroom." As the only permanent staff are journalists and web designers (and the staff is tiny!). I believe they just collect and make available student stories (as well as apparently offering grants!) rather than actually participating or spearheading any projects themselves. They do publish works every so often - I believe collections of the things students have done.
Maria Mahon

Immigration History--Lesson Plans, Primary Sources and Activities from The Tenement Museum - 4 views

  •  
    While not located in the DC area, the Tenement Museum in New York City has a great website. You can dowload primary sources and other great resources. Navigating from this page is helpful.
Laura Wood

Teachable Moment - free lesson plans and topical activities for k - 12 - 6 views

  •  
    So rad! Social Justice lesson plans on current events. AHHHHH!!! I looked through a few. Looks like they just have articles and then questions on them. So they'll pick a topic and then amass a number of readings on it and write critical thinking questions. So rad. One of the lessons is how to teach Freire to 5th graders. I'm in love! Happy Thanksgiving!
  •  
    Laura, This is awesome and perfect for one lesson in my curricular unit..thanks a bunch!
James Leslie

Considerations in Teaching Culturally Diverse Children :: Educational Resources :: ADD,... - 2 views

  • There has been growing concern about how best to meet the educational challenge of learner diversity. Some researchers (National, 1991) have raised questions about the efficacy of teacher education programs which attempt to deal with learner diversity and which explore changes in prospective teachers' roles in modifying instruction. However, other researchers (i.e., Banks & Banks, 1989; Bennett, 1990; Sleeter & Grant, 1988) have recommended that the following be included within the teacher education curriculum: At least one course in multicultural education that takes into consideration the needs of all students Information about the history and culture of students from a wide number of ethnic, racial, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds Content about the contributions made by various groups Information about first- and second-language acquisition and effective teaching practices for working with students from limited English proficient (LEP) backgrounds Field experiences and student teaching opportunities with students from varying backgrounds
  • This background is important for the teacher to have in order to understand the rights and responsibilities of students as well as of teachers and parents. While having this information may not eliminate the stereotypes or misconceptions that teachers have about groups, it can serve to inform more directly future instructional decisions which they will make.
  • Many African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asian Americans have had educational experiences where they suffered as a result of negative social, economic, and educational policies (Banks & Banks, 1989). Practices such as referral of these students in disproportionate numbers to special education classes continue even today. With additional information, teachers may be able to ask further questions or request technical assistance in providing appropriate instruction before a referral is considered.
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  • Communication can be increased by using the home language for conferences and providing written notices in both languages for those parents who have difficulty with English. Community liaisons, aides, translators, or volunteers who are bilingual can assist in this area. The teacher can solicit more participation and cooperation from parents if the message is communicated appropriately.
  • The incorporation of information about first- and second-language acquisition and effective teaching practices for working with students from LEP backgrounds is critical for teacher planning. Information about the language strengths and needs of students will be helpful for working with special personnel such as bilingual teachers and English as a second language teachers.
  • here is a need for field experiences and student teaching opportunities to work with diverse students. Prospective teachers can benefit interacting with these students before they enter the field and while they are still able to dialogue with teacher educators and teachers in the field. It can be a time to design instructional activities which can be applied within a variety of contexts and with different learners. With changes in school populations projected within this decade, it is important for prospective teachers to also have contact with the populations which they will ultimately serve.
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    This is an article on the challenges that can occur in teachings classrooms of diverse children.
Elliot Borg

Learn About Congress: Interactive Learning Modules - 4 views

  • module allows you to c
  • the typical textbook process with the more realistic "dynamic" process, and you will see how our untidy process
  • has produced solid results
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • This module illustrates ways in which Americans can participate in the democratic process, and highlights individuals who have made a difference by getting involved
    • Elliot Borg
       
      Many of these links correspond with instructional goals. Social studies classes are supposed to make students into informed citizens, so teachers could find "The importance of civic participation" very useful.
    • Elliot Borg
       
      I would find this site very useful for teaching an American government class. It is a useful supplementary site to show how our principles of government as found in the Constitution manifest themselves today.
  • Developed for students as well as the general public, these interactive learning activities are designed to give you a fresh perspective on how the United States Congress works, your role in the process, and peoples' perceptions about Congress. To open the modules, click the graphic.
    • Elliot Borg
       
      This site provides links to other organizations or foundations that have created lessons. They also have state standards and lesson plans for teachers to use as guides.
  •  
    This site explores various aspects of current political life (E.g. criticism of Congress, how Congressional members decide to vote, how the legislative process works, etc) via interactive links for students to explore for themselves
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