Setting the stage for teaching new social studies standards

Reference

Massachusetts' educators will begin teaching new social studies standards in the year ahead. Colleagues and I have reviewed the standards and figured out ways to set the stage for these new standards at the start of the year with a focus on the main points of fifth grade. Our efforts will include the following activities:

• Past, Present, Future Personal Timelines
• Reviewing the United States Constitution and creating class constitutions.
• Looking at context and meaning with the famous phrase, "All men are created equal."
• A read aloud that takes place where we live and tells about the King Philip's War

These activities will help to connect students to the social studies standards by connecting these standards to their own lives and present time.

Today I focused in on the Past, Present, Future Timeline Project. The focus of this project is to engage students in creating timelines and thinking about time periods in their own lives. Also we'll use these timelines to engage in an initial conversation about how the past impacts the present and future. We'll hang these timelines up and reference them throughout the year as we study the time periods and significant events of early American history included in the standards for fifth grade. 

As I worked on the project today, I found the activity to be a good one--I could feel my brain at work as I chose a number of significant events from the past, the present, and what I hope to be the future. I used a similar timeline strategy that our tech teacher used last year which is outlined in the video below:

I used a combination of collected images and images from a Google search to complete the timeline. It took me a good two hours to complete this first draft so I expect it will take students about 4-6 hours to complete their copies. Fortunately the tech teacher has agreed to collaborate with us and work on the project in tech class. We'll support the efforts in the classroom too with this timeline prep and giving students time to work on their projects here and there during classroom time.  

This is a worthy start-of-school project for many reasons. First, the project provides students with the chance to tell their story and discuss who they are and what they've experienced with each other. Also, the projects prompts students to think about what's important in their past, present, and future. Further the project, as noted before, sets the stage for one of the main themes in the new Massachusetts social studies' standards which is that the past impacts the present.

I'm sure I'll update my project exemplar and the project prep in the days to come on my own and with colleagues. Also if you have any suggestions, please share. Thank you!

First Days of School: Developing a Dynamic Teaching/Learning Team

What we do in the first days of school sets the stage for the entire year.

I like to use the first days to initiate positive relationships, build team, assess needs, interests, and passions, and begin to teach the standards-based curriculum set.

This plan requires attention to detail, preparation, and the ability to flexibly fit the lessons and efforts to the the needs and interests of students, colleagues, and system-wide initiatives.

To do this well, I create and prepare a number of early year lessons, and then prioritize and embed those lessons into the start-of-the-school year.

Right now the lessons I've created and will foster include the following:

Homeroom Team Building, Social Studies, and Science Lessons

Day One

1. What's your name? Read name list. Discuss importance of names. Show funny name video.
2. Review sign in, lunch count, and class jobs procedures.
3. Review supply list. Make sure that every child has supplies he/she needs. Organize and store supplies. Collect summer math study packets (review in evening).
4. Review room set up, assign studio stations and discuss set-up, expectations, and share.
5. Review recess rules, recess.
6. Focus on What is a team? What makes a team strong? Introduce notecard tower activity. Students work with team to create note card towers. Students complete lab reports, meet and share. 
7. Review and practice transition and lunch routines. Review schedule.
8. Begin read aloud. Visualization and Empathy to understand historic context and roles as we read historic texts including James Printer, a Novel of Rebellion. 
9. Review homework: make a word find of classmates' and teachers' names by hand on graph papers so every child get to see and read each others names. 
10. Review end-of-day routine and recess.

Day Two

1. Collect homework. Review names, jobs, needed forms, news board, and routines again. Just Breathe: Making the most of the mindful moment and other morning routines. 
2. Tell the story of our United States Constitution, and review school handbook which is like a constitution for our school. What makes our school handbook similar or dissimilar to the United States constitution? Active Reading: The Student Handbook: What do we do well and what can we get better at--how can we shortlist the handbook rules and protocols to a memorable phrase, sign, poem, or acronym? How can we make these rules and protocols are own?
3. Work in teams to determine our class government? Share ideas. Work on using handbook and class government ideas to write a class constitution. 
4. Review transition, recess, and lunch routines. Recess
5. Work with folders to create window collages of what everyone sees and knows about you (outside of folder) and parts of you that people might not know and that you want to share in this activity. (Integrating SEL chapter 6)
6. Review homework: Parent/Guardian timeline interview
7. Read Aloud
8. Recess

Day Three

1. Review names, jobs, and routines again.
2. What is the Declaration of Independence? 
3. What was the context of time, place, and experience that led Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence and what does the phrase "All men are created equal" mean today? How can we rephrase this for our classroom?
4. Read the Declaration of Independence together. Discuss history of "All men are created equal" and if that stands the test of time? How can we rephrase that statement for modern times and for our grade-level team?
5. Review transition, recess, lunch routines. Recess
6. Review timeline project. 
7. Time Line Prep: parent interview, template, Dream Me activity, and ImportantChanges (Integrating SEL p. 82-84) Coordinate with tech teacher. Prepare for the project which will be completed in tech class. Self Awareness with Timelines: Students will create a time line that includes a parent or guardian's main event before they were born from birth onward, their own main events, and 4-5 events they imagine for their future. This will be done in technology class. Prepare for this activity with early-year homework and classwork including "Dream Me" activity from chapter 6 in Integrating SEL. 
8. Read Aloud

Many early year activities
come from this book. 

Days Ahead in Homeroom

• Review TeamFive website together. Introduce computer use, protocols, safety, digital citizenship. 
• Marshmallow-Spaghetti Towers
• Team Talk: What is a learning community? What makes a learning community successful? What matters when it comes to being a successful learner? What matters when it comes to being a positive learning community member?
• Complete class constitution, sign, and hang up for all to see. 
• Set up showcase portfolios and complete Happiness Surveys at start of year. Review this with colleagues -- front page cover ideas and back cover potentially "one word posters."

• Your one word project and Video with Students. Teach/Review Google Draw.
• Personal Assessment: Godilocks Games (p. 94-95) is a good activity for children to do an early assessment of themselves. This will provide good information for teachers and family members as they goal set with and for students.  (SEL book)
• What is a Hero? Who are your heroes? Identifying honorable characteristics, finding people to look up to, learn from,  and follow in real time, history, and literature, sharing the story of Malala.
• What is your point of view or perception? The birds story, a discussion on classroom needs, wants, and desires.
• Peer Pressure: Do I Dare Do It (Integrating SEL p. 84-86)
• Study Skills: What do you really think? (Integrating SEL - chapter 6, Socratic Method)
• Humor Helps: Integrating SEL p.89-90. I'd like to turn this into an activity where students can create a cartoon, write a paragraph, or write and act out a script. I may integrate this with the writing, art, and/or tech teacher. Students love the integration of humor into the classroom and as one who is very serious, I can see how helpful this would be. 
• Behaviors at School: To get a head start on conflict resolution and language related to bullying behaviors, students and teachers will use the pyramid on top of the page to discuss the kinds of behaviors that can happen at school, and the appropriate ways to prevent and if needed respond to those behaviors in an effort to build a more caring and helpful classroom community. 
• STEAM Teamwork: Crossing the peanut butter pit (Integrating SEL - chapter 5), Alphabet Actors (p. 94), Can-moving activity (p. 102) and similar activities such as note card towers (p. 108) and marshmallow or gumdrop structures.
• Where do you want to live? Introduction to environmental education (Integrating SEL - chapter 6)
• Solar Ovens STEAM activity - embed SEL questioning and activities from Integrating SEL, chapter 6 egg drop activity.
• Resilience/Grit Activity. Integrating SEL p. 86-87
• Curiosity: A Critical Element: Use this lesson from Integrating SEL, Chapter 6 as introduction to current events learning/teaching.
• Think Positive activities and study Note that several of these activities can be integrated with physical education and music class too. 
• Self Control Lessons (Integrating SEL chapter 5)
• The Conflict Within (p.106) - this might fit nicely with the writing program
• Trust Walk (p. 104-105)
• Difficult Choices (p. 105-106)
• Deserted Island (p. 107)
• Reflection (p. 109-110)

Days Ahead in Math Class

• History of people, skin shade, timeline - "The past affects the future." video
• Pattern exercise
• Boaler "Everyone can learn math" Ted Talk
• Create math class norms, math study spaces/groups and routines for the math classroom. 
• What's your number?
• Review summer study, warm-up on facts while learning about equations, expressions, signs using Google draw, games, and more.
• Introduce and set up reflection journal
• Symphony Math introduction, practice during RTI blocks
• Early year assessments.
• Establish Math Routines, Teach Tools:
• How to use math tools: rulers, calculators, tiles. . . .Using visualization in math and science as we learn about and practice with essential tools: color continuum, number lines, rulers, thermometers, place value chart.
• Equations and Expressions: Using self control and choice to assist your learning and performance (Integrating SEL. . .p. 62-68)
• Math reflection/metacognition - the math journal
• Begin First Unit: Place Value

Take a Thoughtful Approach to Unexpected Twists and Turns

Life is filled with unexpected twists and turns. You can plan on one event, but then something gets in the way and you have to change your plans. That happens.

As much as possible I try to stick to the plans set, but at times life has a way of pulling you in a different direction. So rather than attend the MTA Conference as planned, I'll attend to a number of personal needs and issues instead. This was unexpected, but it's the right thing to do.

Every chapter in life has its pushes and pulls. I always look back on a time early in my career when an older colleague had expectations for me that I could not fulfill. At that time I was consumed with my classroom efforts and my busy home life with young children. Then there was a period when I could devote lots and lots of time to extra education events as well as family and the classroom, and now I find a number of family needs pulling me in a new direction.

I think it's important to listen to the calls that life makes for you--it's important to read the signs and symbols both overt and subtle around you as you decide how and where to spend your time and energy. For example, I am happy that during my children's early years, I did make room for them and my most important professional responsibilities--it was a choice that was important to me and a choice that laid a good foundation for them. I'm similarly happy that I was able to invest considerable effort and time into deepening and growing my professional repertoire in the last twenty years as that has provided me with a strong foundation as I teach and work with colleagues in and outside of school with respect to teaching well and supporting the profession. And now, life is calling me in different ways--ways that find me focusing on the day-to-day needs for my close and extended family as well as for the students I teach and colleagues I work with.

Life throws all of us unexpected twists and turns, and what's important is that we take a thoughtful approach to those unexpected events and make decisions that help us to stay true to ourselves and the directions we deem most important. Onward.

Run Your Numbers; Save for a Rainy Day

As I readied to pay a hefty college bill today, I ran my numbers.

I found myself thankful to an older, wiser colleague who encouraged me to open up a 403B retirement account years ago.

To put a bit of money aside every pay check into one of these accounts is hardly noticeable, and it does add up. That helps later on in life in retirement or when big expenses hit.

I was never too savvy when it come to money. I have always been so busy in life working and taking care of children that I hardly stopped to run the numbers with regard to the money we earn, the taxes we pay, the interest we accrue on loans and our daily/weekly expenses.

Yet, it pays to make the time to pay attention to this as it can help you and your family.

What should you do?

It may sound silly, but no one ever gave me this advice.

First, make a chart of what you make and what you spend each month. You can easily do this by recording your big bills and reviewing your credit card statements and other receipts.

Analyze your expenditures--where do you spend too much and where can you save more?

Think about what you put away, and if you can increase that. Figure out how that will affect your paycheck and your taxes.

Make a long term plan that includes earnings and savings--see where you can possibly make more and save more over time.

As educators it pays to get as high up in on your salary charts as soon as possible--the quicker you get there, the more you'll make.

It's also important to assess how much you spend on the classroom each year, and possibly find other ways to support classroom supplies via grants, advocating for district/taxpayer support, and more.

Many people hire outside agents to help them with this and that can be helpful too.

However you choose to save and take charge of your finances is your decision, but it's best to make time to do this rather than experience financial troubles later on.

What will you do?

Many outwardly and privately think me foolish to write so much about he threatening and dangerous words and actions of Trump, his family members, cronies, and fans. Yet having been witness via reading and elsewhere of the destruction that hate, destruction and crime can bring to lives, as well as the knowledge that to stay passive is to give the green light to this kind of activity, I know that to speak up and stay alert is the right thing to do today.

Yet to write from home day after day and intersect with social media alone is not sufficient. Yes, getting your words and viewpoint out there may have some impact, but you have to act too--you have to direct your actions in ways that positively influence and inform others.

So what will I do--what actions will match my words?

First, I believe that service starts at home. So as I've tried to do all my life, I will do what I can to support my family and loved ones to live well and reach their dreams.

Next, I chose to teach, and I believe good teaching matters. Hence, a considerable amount of my time will be spent reaching to meet the both individual and collective teaching/learning goals to help every child succeed at school with happiness--I want our students to develop the capacity to live good lives, to help one another, and to contribute to the communities they live in and belong to.

After that I'll continue daily reading, research, writing and advocacy. I'll learn what I can and do what I can to forward the following:

• laws and policies that support environmental protection, 
• personal and collective rights and freedoms, 
• no prejudice, 
• a healthy balance between collaboration and competition, 
• good laws that sustain order and good living for all

I'll dig into what these main areas of life specifically mean in terms of time and activity more in the days to come, but for now, I've got a good shortlist to follow. Onward.