Strategies and Tools
Presentation
Political Cartoons
As you can see from the pictures on this site, political cartoons are a very engaging, visual method by which to get students interested in the content. While cartoons of the era may be more difficult to unravel, part of what we will focus on are the ways in which the cartoons are sending us the message they want to get across and how we are going to interpret it. Ideally this will make "getting" political cartoons, past or modern day, more more accessible and informative for students.
Youtube.com
Technology is a way of life for students today and Youtube is at the forefront of that revolution. Students are likely very familiar with the site and the way it works, as well as how to best navigate it. However, for those who don't, this section will be a way to introduce it to them. Student will have the opportunity to use it as a resource for information or may want to upload any video projects they complete for others to watch. Either way, this is an absolutely indispensable tool.
Communication
Reading Aloud
This is a history class and there is just no way to get around a large amount of reading that comes with that fact. For those who struggle this can be a very daunting prospect, and one that this strategy is meant to soften. Students will read aloud in class from the textbook and other documents as a way to obtain the information audibly, as well as a method for the class to actively read and discuss the sometimes complex information in a way that is understandable to all.
Weebly.com
For anyone reading this, the website that allowed this site to exist is Weebly.com. Weebly is a site creation tool and is extremely user friendly for people of all ages. Again, technology plays a large part in student's lives today and giving them this website, as well as the tool to make their own is can only encourage students to pick what works best for them.
Organization
Graphic Organizers
Given the often far-reaching and complex nature of the historical subjects, students need information presented with as much clarity as possible. We will be doing this in class by using any number of different graphic organizers to present the information as clearly as possible in a visual manner for better comprehension. Hopefully, this will encourage students to make use of charts, graphs, and timelines on their own to better their work in the future.
Interaction
Civics Games
Right along with the theme of technology are video games. iCivics offers a number of online educational games that aim to get students interested in the material by coming at them from the role of entertainment. This is a great way to keep kids interested while incorporating the material at the same time.
Collection
Document Analysis
Certainly one of the more complex and challenging activities on this list, document analysis is nonetheless a necessary component, not just of learning history, but learning in real life. Students need to build the skills that allow them to break down a piece of text into it's parts and determine what is working and what is not. They also need to be able to evaluate the message to see if it holds up based on the information present and if it is persuasive in its goal.
Docsteach.org
Very closely associated with document analysis, docsteach.org is a site centered around activities that help students work through and understand primary sources (actual originating documents, such as the Bill of Rights itself, rather than a paraphrased or interpretation of the Bill of Rights). Primary sources are often old, and use difficult language to talk about the content which is why having these activities available to help unpack them is so crucial. This site is in association with The National Archives, another great source for information.
Collaboration
Project-Based Approaches
Group and social learning can be very effective way to help those students who may learn best by being verbal and hands on. By using group projects to harness students' natural inclinations, we can engage them with the material while using their own preexisting abilities as a method of learning.
Presentation
Political Cartoons
As you can see from the pictures on this site, political cartoons are a very engaging, visual method by which to get students interested in the content. While cartoons of the era may be more difficult to unravel, part of what we will focus on are the ways in which the cartoons are sending us the message they want to get across and how we are going to interpret it. Ideally this will make "getting" political cartoons, past or modern day, more more accessible and informative for students.
Youtube.com
Technology is a way of life for students today and Youtube is at the forefront of that revolution. Students are likely very familiar with the site and the way it works, as well as how to best navigate it. However, for those who don't, this section will be a way to introduce it to them. Student will have the opportunity to use it as a resource for information or may want to upload any video projects they complete for others to watch. Either way, this is an absolutely indispensable tool.
Communication
Reading Aloud
This is a history class and there is just no way to get around a large amount of reading that comes with that fact. For those who struggle this can be a very daunting prospect, and one that this strategy is meant to soften. Students will read aloud in class from the textbook and other documents as a way to obtain the information audibly, as well as a method for the class to actively read and discuss the sometimes complex information in a way that is understandable to all.
Weebly.com
For anyone reading this, the website that allowed this site to exist is Weebly.com. Weebly is a site creation tool and is extremely user friendly for people of all ages. Again, technology plays a large part in student's lives today and giving them this website, as well as the tool to make their own is can only encourage students to pick what works best for them.
Organization
Graphic Organizers
Given the often far-reaching and complex nature of the historical subjects, students need information presented with as much clarity as possible. We will be doing this in class by using any number of different graphic organizers to present the information as clearly as possible in a visual manner for better comprehension. Hopefully, this will encourage students to make use of charts, graphs, and timelines on their own to better their work in the future.
Interaction
Civics Games
Right along with the theme of technology are video games. iCivics offers a number of online educational games that aim to get students interested in the material by coming at them from the role of entertainment. This is a great way to keep kids interested while incorporating the material at the same time.
Collection
Document Analysis
Certainly one of the more complex and challenging activities on this list, document analysis is nonetheless a necessary component, not just of learning history, but learning in real life. Students need to build the skills that allow them to break down a piece of text into it's parts and determine what is working and what is not. They also need to be able to evaluate the message to see if it holds up based on the information present and if it is persuasive in its goal.
Docsteach.org
Very closely associated with document analysis, docsteach.org is a site centered around activities that help students work through and understand primary sources (actual originating documents, such as the Bill of Rights itself, rather than a paraphrased or interpretation of the Bill of Rights). Primary sources are often old, and use difficult language to talk about the content which is why having these activities available to help unpack them is so crucial. This site is in association with The National Archives, another great source for information.
Collaboration
Project-Based Approaches
Group and social learning can be very effective way to help those students who may learn best by being verbal and hands on. By using group projects to harness students' natural inclinations, we can engage them with the material while using their own preexisting abilities as a method of learning.