Thematic Unit Power Point

This is the unit we will embark upon after the first of the year.
Continuing Our Travel Through History

Civil War Project Rubric

Please go to the following site for the evaluation rubric for the Civil War Project.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24192332 -

[Civil war project rubric]

Gradebook

Petit VanOrnumDeyden Grades

Colonial Day

We took a trip back in time to the year 1780 and experienced life as a colonist. These are pictures of some of the colonial wardrobes that was very common to see on men and women back then. We were able to make a leather wristband, candles, homemade apple cider, blockprinting, and played with colonial toys and games.

Playing with Technology

Aloha all,
I have spent, again, about two and a half hours trying to download an avatar like Kelli added to our blog without success. It was fun and easy, but how easy is it if I cannot put it where I intended. Now I can't even log in to the site to try again.
I hope all is well you you all, and that you are able to spent quality holiday preparation time with your loved ones.
A hui hou (which means until next time) ame Mele Kalikimaka (and Merry Christmas).
Myra

Class Lesson 3 in the Civil War Project

Welcome back to our blog. Your third step in this project is to make sure you do enough each day to insure you have addressed each of the requirements listed in Step 2, and to have enough time to put on your final finishing touches. Here is a guide to help you. Please print it out so you can easily refer back to it.

Monday, December 14
Research time in the computer lab. This is where we begin. I have supplied you with one website to start your information quest. Use it first. Choose your specific topic there, print out your information. Make sure you find as many artifacts and visuals as you need to make your project interesting. List the site on your "References" list, and go on from there. We will spend only one day finding information.
Remember; Write down each website you visit on your "References" list!

Tuesday, December 15
Read the info you printed out and learn about your topic. Start organizing your information. Make sure you put your information in your own words! This is when you decide how you will present your information, whether you present a creative composition in the form of a poem, a song, a painting, a model, a slide show, or a report. You are responsible to report to us what format you have chosen on this day. Make sure you have thoughtfully decided because changing later will cost you quality of product. If you have any other ideas for your presentation, check with us first.

Wednesday, December 16
Start building your presentation. This will be your main work session to pull your project together. Any supplies you need will be made available to you. Use this time to be productive!

Thursday, December 17
Finalize your project. Proofread and edit any written portion. Finish adding artifacts and visuals. Have a peer check over your project as you check over theirs. Add any "bells and whistles" now. Make sure you have your list of references included and properly formatted. Practice your presentation. Use the rubric from step 2 to help polish it up.

Friday, December 18
Presentation Day! Be ready to present your project to your peers. Also be ready to learn from others. Use the rubric to evaluate yourself and two other presenters. Turn in your project.

Proceding with your Civil War Project

Now that you have checked out the website and have chosen your topic, decide how you want to present your information. You may chose to write an expository paper, or you may chose to create a poem, a song, a model, or a painting. You may also choose to create a Powerpoint slide show. If you choose a more graphic presentation of your information you need to make sure the facts are easily seen in chronological order. Use the rubric below to help guide your work.

Facts are clearly and accurately presented using age-appropriate vocabulary. 4-5 points

The presentation is neatly and attractively constructed, and is easy to understand and learn from. 4-5 points

Project is thoughtfully and creatively constructed. 4-5 points

All references are listed with proper formatting, and are prominently displayed. 4-5 points.
A superbly done project would earn 18 -20 points. Well done would be 14-17.

Introduction to the Civil War

After reading Harriet Tubman, Conductor on the Underground Railroad, by Ann Petry, you should be able to make the connection between the perceived necessity for slavery in the southern states and the anti-slavery environment of the northern states, and the tension between the north and south that this caused. You also found tensions building in Congress as laws were passed which promoted the return of runaway slaves once they reached a northern free state. This was a red flag to the northerners, indicating they were not fairly represented in congress, and further widening the gap between north and south.

Check out the link below and choose one of the topics from the left side bar. In your first response entry say why you chose your topic and what you intend to find out.
The site to visit is: http://americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/printable/section.asp?id=5

Middle School Fun

Though coolness is optimally important to this age of students, we need to remember middle schoolers are still children when they are allowed the safety to express their childhood hearts. This was a simple but appealing opportunity to play act with stick puppets which happened to be candy canes.

Christmas Fun...

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Have you ever...

Have you guys ever used BrainPOP? If so, What are some of your favorites about this software? If not, you should definitely look into it! IT is such a valuable resource for your students to add a little something extra to your lesson!! Go check out the site. The web address is www.brainpop.com Have a great week!

What are your thoughts?

Hey guys!!

Just wanted to know what your thoughts are...Would you rather take classes in a classroom setting with face to face interaction OR would you prefer online classes to work at your own pace? Any thoughts on the topic would be great! Thanks!

Four Psychological Perspectives on Learning -Kelli

According to Smaldino, Lowther and Russell, “Learning is the development of new knowledge, skills, or attitudes as an individual interacts with information and the environment, (Smaldino, Lowther and Russell, 2008)”. There are four main components of learning: cognitive, affective, motor skill, and interpersonal. These all lead into the four Psychological Perspectives on Learning, which are the Behaviorist Perspective, Cognitivist Perspective, Constructivist Perspective, and the Social-Psychological Perspective.The Behaviorist Perspective encompasses what psychologist B.F. Skinner was passionate about in the 1950’s. He discovered that reinforcing or rewarding the desired response would lead to positive results. He was very interested in learning new skills, instead of focusing on reflexive behavior. Skinner’s theory was built upon the reinforcement theory, which was a series of tests performed on pigeons. From this, it was gathered that the same type of experiment would work on humans. Behaviorists mainly base all their research on observable behaviors and don’t focus so much on what is going on internally with the subject. The Cognitivist Perspective involved work from the Swiss Psychologist Jean Piaget. These types of psychologists look more at the mental processes that people use in responding to their environment. It looks more in depth at how people process thought, use problem solving skills, and makes decisions. “Cognitivists create a mental model of short-term and long-term memory, (Smaldino, Lowther and Russell, 2008)”. Cognitivists gathered that new information is mostly stored in the short-term memory, where it is rehearsed until it needs to be stored in long-term memory. If teachers use this type of perspective in their classrooms, students become more self-motivated and independent in their learning. The Constructivist Perspective looks at the involvement of students in meaningful experiences. Constructivists feel that the main role of teacher instruction is to provide students with different ways to assemble and organize knowledge. They feel that this type of learning occurs most effectively when students are engaged and involved in unique and authentic tasks that are directly correlated to meaningful contexts. The main goal of a teacher in the aspect is not necessarily to teach the new information, but to create situations that stimulate the students own thought and conclusion on the topic. The Social-Psychological Perspective looks at the effects of the social organization of the classroom on learning. They look at the group structure of the classroom, whether it is more independent study over small group. They look at the authority structure and how much control the students have over their assignments and activities. Lastly, they look at the reward structure of the classroom. They look at how the teacher encourages cooperation from the students or if it is geared more towards competition for any type of rewards. It has been discovered that cooperative learning is more effective and benefits the students more than a competitive and individualistic learning environment. All teachers have their own way of doing things. Whether you use one perspective or all perspectives, that’s what makes us all very different. We have to gear the way we teach toward the types of children that we deal with. That’s what makes us all unique and wonderful in our own way. Our main purpose is to teach and as long as we are doing that in a way that will shape our students futures, that’s all that matters.
Reference:Smaldino, S., Lowther, D., & Russell, J. (2008). Instructional technology and media for learning (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Activities to Motivate and Engage

We are making cookies as a result of a field trip to a sugar plantation museum where they used a wood stove to cook the sugar cookies served to us. We happened to visit this museum on the last day of operation for the only remaining sugar mill on the island. Thus ended a 120 year old industry, and jobs for many of our students' parents or relatives. The photo on the left is our display of yarn-art Revolutionary flags and where they were designed. We had been reading and learning about the Constitution and other documents of the time.

Technology and Psychological Perspectives on Learning

Technology has become a highly versatile tool for educators. However educators need to understand that the way they view how learning takes place for the student depends on how effectively technology can be employed.
If an educator understands learning to be a strictly reflexive behavior then higher level thinking tasks are not introduced, taught, or learned. Behaviorists deal with short and long-term memory and provide for practice of skills taught. Constructivists view learning as a process through which the learner builds upon prior experiences and knowledge, constructing their own understandings. Social-Psychology is an understanding that the social settings within the classroom effect the quality and amount of learning, that cooperative learning is more beneficial for the student than competitive and individualistic learning.
It is necessary for educators to draw upon all of these views to use what works for the teaching task. I agree with the authors that creating a student-centered classroom contributes to more student involvement in learning, a higher level of engagement. However, I am finding that, for the middle school level, where socializing is the absolute priority, some kind of system that rewards time focused upon the task is necessary.

Reference
Smaldino, S., Lowther, D., & Russell, J. (2008). Instructional technology and media for learning (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.