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Debbie Moore

Museum - 3 views

www.ushmm.org/museum

Holocaust Museum History Social Studies genocide Darfur Archive

shared by Debbie Moore on 16 Oct 09 - Cached
  • Debbie Moore on 16 Oct 09
     
    The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is significantly more than just a museum and it is arguably the most thorough site on the Holocaust as well as other acts of genocide. Just reviewing the website and all that it offers can take several hours. Through the education filter, teachers can find complete information on how to teach the Holocaust or other acts of genocide. For example, the site offers online lessons, teacher workshops, essential topics, teaching resources, lesson plans, activities, and a list of common student questions. USHMM site suggests 5 guidelines for teaching the Holocaust, which include defining genocide, investigating the context and dynamics that led to genocide, understanding parallels to other genocides and analyzing American and world responses. A function that I find very useful and interesting is the "Mapping Initiative" filter where one can learn how to use Google Earth to view a Darfur Layer file. This file provides comparisons of before and after views of villages impacted by the ongoing events in Darfur. There is also a section of photographs, videos, and testimonies. In addition the USHMM maintains an archive consisting of wide variety of documents including photographs and films. Lastly, if field trips are a possibility, admission is free and there is a special children's exhibit called Remember the Children: Daniel's Story.
Lindsay Andreas

U.S. Standards Initiative Seeks to Equalize Benchmarks - washingtonpost.com - 1 views

www.washingtonpost.com/...AR2009101101456.html

skills knowledge local education federal great works Common Core State Standards Initiative

shared by Lindsay Andreas on 12 Oct 09 - Cached
  • can be accepted nationwide without leaving the impression that states and school boards have ceded control of what is taught.
    • Lindsay Andreas
      Lindsay Andreas on 12 Oct 09
       
      This sounds really great but I think we all know the reality. Local districts always freak out when they are asked to give up their discretion. Right or wrong, I really don't see things changing on that front.
  • His administration might provide money to help states develop tests aligned with the standards, if they are adopted. But the U.S. Education Department is not drafting the standards, and Congress will have no vote on approval.
    • Lindsay Andreas
      Lindsay Andreas on 12 Oct 09
       
      This seems like a reasonable compromise to me.
  • work backward through secondary and elementary grades to develop more detailed benchmarks for content knowledge and skills.
    • Lindsay Andreas
      Lindsay Andreas on 12 Oct 09
       
      Backwards planning, that seems logical, know where you want to end up so you can better understand what it takes to get there, very logical.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • on the proposal posted at www.corestandards.org. On Thursday, the Washington-based Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a prominent advocate of more rigorous standards, graded the effort with a B in both subjects.
    • Lindsay Andreas
      Lindsay Andreas on 12 Oct 09
       
      I'm always curious what these expert firms deem as good and bad, it all just seems so arbitrary. What does that firm even do? I feel like there are way too many hands in the cookie jar at this point, but that's policy making, oh well.
  • The math proposal spans equations, expressions, functions, statistics and several other topics. For instance, it says students should understand four core concepts about equations and be able to exercise six core skills.
    • Lindsay Andreas
      Lindsay Andreas on 12 Oct 09
       
      I'm obviously not a math person but I would think math standards are pretty straightforward, there really aren't the same kinds of debates over content like Social Studies and English. I'm sure there is more to it, but that seems to be the impression I get.
  • . "They would have gotten into a century-long battle over reading lists, multiculturalism, which authors to read and so on. They decided to duck that."
    • Lindsay Andreas
      Lindsay Andreas on 12 Oct 09
       
      This is what I see as the main problem with standardizing content in English and Social Studies.....bottom line we will never agree, so get over it. I realize that is cynical but seriously, especially, with the whole multiculturalism, it just seems never ending. I plan on taking on a multicultural approach but I'm sure there would still be some multiculturalists that would criticize that I didn't go far enough.
Laura Wood

Civics Lesson Plans - 22 views

www.ymcapa.org/lessons.htm

lesson plans declaration of independence John Locke Thomas Hobbes government civics citizenship constitution Rousseau

shared by Laura Wood on 01 Dec 09 - Cached
  • Laura Wood on 01 Dec 09
     
    AWESOME civics and citizenship lesson plans. High school level but very cool. Lots of stuff where you apply Rousseau's theories to paintings from the 60's etc. Lots of multimedia type fun stuff. Love them. A part of the "Youth Leadership Initiative"
  • ehutchins on 20 Oct 11
     
    Unfortunately, the four that I clicked on are dead links now. This site has not been updated.
kkasargodstaub

Xpeditions @ nationalgeographic.com - 9 views

www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions

geography maps socialstudies mapmaking

shared by kkasargodstaub on 19 Oct 10 - Cached
  • Mapmaking Guides
    • kkasargodstaub
      kkasargodstaub on 19 Oct 10
       
      Great initial resources for a geography class. Lots of definitions and easy explanations.
  • Hundreds of printer-friendly maps
    • kkasargodstaub
      kkasargodstaub on 19 Oct 10
       
      Teachers can find lots and lots of printer friendly maps to use in their classrooms.
  • kkasargodstaub on 19 Oct 10
     
    Excellent resource for geography. I particularly like the map making guides at the bottom of the page. It outlines the core information and content that students should know.
Maria Mahon

Initiative Focuses on Early Learning Programs - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...20child.html

Head Start Early Learning Education Reform Education Bills

shared by Maria Mahon on 24 Sep 09 - Cached
  • A result is that poor children, even many who have access to government-financed early care or learning programs, tend to enter kindergarten less prepared for school than those with wealthier parents.
    • Maria Mahon
      Maria Mahon on 24 Sep 09
       
      I was especially struck by this line when I thought back to Ch. 5 in Mathison - Defining the Social Studies Curriculum. It lists the goals of Goals 2000: Educate America Act. The first thing listed is "All children in America will start school ready to learn". The reality is that not all students start school ready to learn or at least at the same place. As this newspaper article acknowledges, many poor children enter less prepared for school than those with wealthier parents and this is, in some cases, despite some having access to learning programs. Would an influx of new funds from such a bill create a more organized and directed early learning strategy? And if so, I wonder how educators can really help parents take advantage of the available services.
  • ; a plan for reaching out to parents;
    • Maria Mahon
      Maria Mahon on 24 Sep 09
       
      I think a plan for reaching out to parenst will be a crucial step in making this worthwhile. Communities need to provide the structures that would enable to parents to take advantage of these options and that might include adult education or parenting classes, too.
  • Maria Mahon on 24 Sep 09
     
    This article provides a look at a bill that proposes to raise the quality of early learning and care programs that serve children from brith through age 5.
James Leslie

Texas board revises history books | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Texa... - 0 views

www.dallasnews.com/...RT.State.Edition1.4bcc6be.html

schools standards social studies

shared by James Leslie on 18 Sep 09 - Cached
  • Meeting with several writing teams for social studies in all grade levels, the board asked for several revisions in the first drafts laying out the new standards for history, government and other social studies courses in Texas schools.
  • Meeting with several writing teams for social studies in all grade levels, the board asked for several revisions in the first drafts laying out the new standards for history, government and other social studies courses in Texas schools.
  • Meeting with several writing teams for social studies in all grade levels, the board asked for several revisions in the first drafts laying out the new standards for history, government and other social studies courses in Texas schools.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • Meeting with several writing teams for social studies in all grade levels, the board asked for several revisions in the first drafts laying out the new standards for history, government and other social studies courses in Texas schools.
  • Meeting with several writing teams for social studies in all grade levels, the board asked for several revisions in the first drafts laying out the new standards for history, government and other social studies courses in Texas schools.
  • Meeting with several writing teams for social studies in all grade levels, the board asked for several revisions in the first drafts laying out the new standards for history, government and other social studies courses in Texas schools.
  • When some board members questioned why former Secretary of State and four-star Gen. Colin Powell was being dropped from the standards for elementary grades, they were told that former President Ronald Reagan was being substituted for Powell. That ended the questions.
  • When some board members questioned why former Secretary of State and four-star Gen. Colin Powell was being dropped from the standards for elementary grades, they were told that former President Ronald Reagan was being substituted for Powell. That ended the questions.
  • When some board members questioned why former Secretary of State and four-star Gen. Colin Powell was being dropped from the standards for elementary grades, they were told that former President Ronald Reagan was being substituted for Powell. That ended the questions.
  • When some board members questioned why former Secretary of State and four-star Gen. Colin Powell was being dropped from the standards for elementary grades, they were told that former President Ronald Reagan was being substituted for Powell. That ended the questions.
  • Another board member, citing her own experiences in elementary school, called on one writing team to include the Liberty Bell as a historical artifact that should be studied by students.
  • Two of those experts, evangelical minister Peter Marshall of Massachusetts and Wallbuilders president David Barton of Aledo, were asked about their earlier recommendations to drop labor leader CĂ©sar Chávez and former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first black member of the court, from the standards.
  • Marci Deal, social studies coordinator in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district, quickly cooled off one controversy that erupted when the writing team for sixth grade initially recommended that Christmas be dropped from a list of holidays of the major religions in a world cultures and geography course.
  • James Leslie on 18 Sep 09
     
    This article examines how the State of Texas went about designing new standards for history government and social studies. Also, there are comments that people have made for and against the new standards.
Joellen Kriss

'Race to the Top' - we expected better - 0 views

www.sfgate.com/...article.cgi

Reforms Race to the Top Obama Policy

shared by Joellen Kriss on 18 Sep 09 - Cached
    • Joellen Kriss
      Joellen Kriss on 18 Sep 09
       
      Strong start, right out of the gate!
  • From the perspective of a classroom teacher, reform must be rooted in classroom practice and supported by research.
  • Public education faces complex problems and won't be fixed by simplistic solutions. Standardized tests can be a useful tool among others to assess student learning. But it is too narrow of a measure on which to base a student's grade, let alone gauge a teacher's performance.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • States must enact a laundry list of federally mandated "reforms" to qualify for the competition. Duncan and Obama call this initiative "Race to the Top."
    • Joellen Kriss
      Joellen Kriss on 18 Sep 09
       
      Hittleman talks about how they'd looked forward to education law that helped, and race to the top doesn't look that much different from NCLB
  • funding mandates are controversial because they have never been shown to improve student learning.
    • Joellen Kriss
      Joellen Kriss on 18 Sep 09
       
      Totally on target with the fact that there's so much more to education than tests and standards.
  • No Child Left Behind, an education law that focused on one-size-fits-all standardized testing.
  • A portfolio that includes multiple-choice tests but also essays, research projects, homework and classroom presentations gives a much more complete picture of student achievement.
    • Joellen Kriss
      Joellen Kriss on 18 Sep 09
       
      A very well rounded argument, bringing in all of the factors outside of the classroom that affect learning.
  • Likewise, to judge teacher effectiveness solely on student test scores ignores a range of factors outside a teacher's control, including support (or lack of it) in the home, changes in the student's situation from year to year, or even whether the student happened to be sick on the day of the test.
    • Joellen Kriss
      Joellen Kriss on 18 Sep 09
       
      At the end of the day, teachers want reforms that WORK, made by people who know about teaching from first hand experience.
  • We are for reforms that work, which include standards-based and common curricula that have multiple source assessments; student data available for classroom teacher use based on a comprehensive approach; smaller class sizes; new teacher mentoring; and peer assistance and review. What we oppose are reforms based on the latest bright idea that has caught the eye of a politician or pundit with no experience teaching.
  • Joellen Kriss on 18 Sep 09
     
    Marty Hittelman offers one of the most comprehensive, well rounded opinions on the current policy reforms being enacted. It covers everything, which might be something I think because I agree with it all, but just read it. It's pretty good.
Alan Edwards

"The Public Be Damned" A Thematic and Multiple Intelligences Approach to Teaching the G... - 3 views

www.oah.org/...cantuarticle.htm

lesson plan American history 19th century multiple intelligence

shared by Alan Edwards on 11 Oct 09 - Cached
    • Alan Edwards
      Alan Edwards on 11 Oct 09
       
      This article and lesson plan was created by two professors (a secondary social studies prof and a history prof) at Ball State University. It was published in The Magazine of History, a publication of the Organization of American Historians. Each edition of the magazine includes a section on educational materials. Often they include websites that are helpful for teachers and students.
    • Alan Edwards
      Alan Edwards on 11 Oct 09
       
      The first part of this website is a brief summary of important themes of American history between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the 20th century. The second half of the page is a 5 lesson plans on the time period. Each of the lesson plans is designed for a different multiple intelligence.
    • Alan Edwards
      Alan Edwards on 11 Oct 09
       
      The mathematical intelligence lesson asks students to compare rents charged to white and black tenants in the late 20th century. This reflects the move to the cities as well as racial discrimination. The information on rents comes from Jacob Riis' How the Other Half Live. Like all the other lesson plans offered, they include procedures, handouts, and possible assessment questions. This is a great resource for teachers who are looking for fresh ideas and methods of incorporating MI into their classrooms.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • Urbanization--Logical/Mathematical Intelligence. The first activity allows students to compare the rents charged to white and black tenants during the Gilded Age.
  • Rise of Jim Crow--Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence. Paul Laurence Dunbar's poetry provides an ideal vehicle for students to analyze the various perspectives taken by African Americans toward Jim Crow laws and civil rights. Lyrics of Lowly Life (1895) illustrates one perspective, the accomodationist paradigm adopted by Dunbar and others during this period.
  • V. Immigration--Body/Kinesthetic Intelligence. In his 1890 landmark book, How the Other Half Lives, Jacob Riis discussed the dismal conditions in which thousands of New York immigrants lived. Most of the residential tenements were "unventilated, fever-breeding structures" that housed multiple families. Riis's floor plan of a twelve-family tenement provides an ideal prompt for an activity that illustrates the dark, cramped living quarters germane to these Gilded-Age dwellings.
  • VI. Westward Expansion--Naturalist. Like many Americans during this period, John Wesley Powell was lured by the majestic beauty of the West. Following his service as a Union army soldier (in which he lost his arm at the Battle of Shiloh), Powell ventured westward. In 1869, he initiated the Powell Geographic Expedition, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution. Powell recorded his experiences in a diary, which today serves as an outstanding resource for students to better understand the transformation the West went through during the Gilded Age.
  • VII. Industrialization--Interpersonal. During the Gilded Age, technological innovations provided an impetus for unprecedented industrial growth and urbanization. While laborers fueled this growth, they certainly did not reap the rewards. Instead, they found themselves economic victims of industrialization and urbanization. In an 1884 study, the Illinois Bureau of Labor Statistics detailed the economic status and living environment of numerous laborers in Chicago, Illinois.
  • VIII. Imperialism--Intrapersonal. Numerous Americans witnessed firsthand the impact of imperialism on indigenous people, through their military service during the Spanish-American War. One particular American soldier, James Miller, discussed what he witnessed during his exposure to the war in Puerto Rico.
  • IV. Politics--Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence. One of the most effective instruments at the disposal of politicians has always been the campaign song. The Populists, perhaps more than any other political party or movement in the late nineteenth century, were prolific songwriters. The Populists were often quite critical of monopolies, railroads, and old party bosses in their songs. The 1890s campaign song My Party Led Me, by S. T. Johnson, provided voters with a rationale for leaving their old political party and joining the Populist cause.
  • III. Populism--Visual/Spatial Intelligence. Political cartoons have always been a popular and powerful means for critiquing society's ills.
Lindsay Andreas

Holiday sales could launch e-book readers as mass-market must-haves - washingtonpost.com - 0 views

www.washingtonpost.com/...AR2009110404834.html

technology in education digitalized books e-book readers special

shared by Lindsay Andreas on 06 Nov 09 - Cached
  • Sales of electronic books jumped 68.4 percent last year and skyrocketed 177 percent to $96.6 million for the year through August, according to the Association of American Publishers. That's not counting the millions downloaded for free at public libraries, where e-books are fast becoming one of the most popular features. And Amazon has said that its e-book reader, the  Kindle, has become the best-selling product on its Web site.
    • Lindsay Andreas
      Lindsay Andreas on 06 Nov 09
       
      At the National Book Festival, they had an entire mobile unit pushing the e-book movement. If you have a DC Public library card, they have a lot of electronic options!
  • "To me, it's just inevitable," says Haber, who knew printed books were goners when people told him they liked to touch and feel them. "I heard the same thing from LPs and CDs. The mass market, they want convenience and experience."
    • Lindsay Andreas
      Lindsay Andreas on 06 Nov 09
       
      Since our class is a certified green course, I thought this statement was rather appropriate.
  • Amazon executives have made near-instantaneous content a company goal. The latest Kindle, which began shipping last month, holds 1,500 titles and can wirelessly download books in 60 seconds. The company envisions a day when any book ever printed in any language can be downloaded in one minute.
    • Lindsay Andreas
      Lindsay Andreas on 06 Nov 09
       
      Talk about the great equalizer of the future! If this idea goes big and they can produce it for a more mass audience, this has unbelievable potential. You could potentially have access to so much information. The other thing that is slowly grabbing my attention is the fact that it would cut down on back problems. I had to carry around McKinley's AP US history book last week, and I just about died. If schools picked up on this technology they would just buy e-readers and no more carrying around 50 lbs + of textbooks. They would be more likely to read for homework if they didn't have to drag those beasts back and forth everyday.
jbdrury

Capital Gains FAQs - DC Public Schools, Washington, DC - 1 views

dcps.dc.gov/...de50edb2b17a932c69621014f62010

faq capital gains DCPS cash awards to students

shared by jbdrury on 23 Nov 09 - Cached
    • jbdrury
      jbdrury on 23 Nov 09
       
      Emery Educational Campus is one of these fifteen participating schools.
    • jbdrury
      jbdrury on 23 Nov 09
       
      I feel this website could have gone into greater detail explaining exactly how much money these students might be earning.
    • jbdrury
      jbdrury on 23 Nov 09
       
      The assessments done at our school are created by the teachers. The students are also judged considerably based on their classroom behavior. A sort of giveaway is the awards for wearing the proper uniform.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • The Capital Gains program is a partnership between DCPS and Dr. Roland Fryer, economics professor at Harvard University and the founder of Harvard’s Education Innovation Laboratory (EdLabs). In addition to Washington, DC, EdLabs and Dr. Fryer work with school districts in Chicago and New York City on similar incentive initiatives.
  • jbdrury on 23 Nov 09
     
    I know we've all heard about the rather controversial Capital Gains program - where DCPS is paying students cash awards for good academic performance and behavior - but I wasn't certain how much anyone really knew about the specifics of the program. I just recently learned that my own school - Emery Educational Campus - is participating in Capital Gains. I can say that my own students do not seem to take the program very seriously, or at the very least not enough to study more to make certain they perform well on the mandatory assessments (said one student: "I don't really care about the extra money").
  • Lindsay Andreas on 23 Nov 09
     
    They have "Tech Tickets" at McKinley, it's just a huge joke because the rewards are like breakfast with Mr. Pinder the principal, who they hate. Last Wednesday, they started joking around about starting a black market for tech tickets, at least they are inventive about it. But it doesn't motivate them.
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