tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46771467741060456472024-03-14T01:32:21.318-04:00Virginia World History TeacherThe ideas and teachings of a World History I teacher from Central Virginia. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-30300750576550210852015-04-27T18:00:00.000-04:002015-04-27T18:00:01.442-04:00SOL Review TestAt the beginning of our SOL review I gave the students a release SOL test. For those of you not familiar with SOL release tests they are old SOL tests that are no longer in use and are available to the public. The test is 60 questions. In addition to the student simply writing their answer I gave the students a purple sheet that is fill with a grid. The grid looked like this:<br />
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There were 60 boxes for the students to write their answers and the keyword. During the test, students were to keep the SOL blank. Before I handed out the test I went through this short presentation. <br />
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Students were to identify the key word from this practice release question. Once we determined the key word(s), Great Wall of China, I had them tell me all they could remember about the Great Wall. Answers included: it's in China, it was started by Qin Shi Huangdi, it was built to keep invaders from the north out, it's long, and it's made of wood and stone. I then had the students look at the possible answers given. I asked them which one of the options sounds like something we just mentioned? The students came to the conclusion that C is the correct answer. <br />
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Having students do the test this way takes longer than I was expecting. I thought that students would take the entire class period and then the next day we would go over the answers. However, some students ended up taking two entire class periods and we went over the answer the third day. Most students did the keyword- I did not make it mandatory.<br />
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When we went over the answers, I had the SOL strand (SOL2.3) written on the test. Once we went over all of the answers I encouraged students to identify patterns of missed SOLs. I also pointed out that SOL 5 (Greece) and SOL 6 (Rome) make up 25% of the test.<br />
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I got this idea from a fellow social studies teacher who teaches at a middle school across the county. She has had success with this during the SOL. She encourages the students to use their scratch paper in a similar way. Again, your fellow teachers are your best resource!<br />
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Happy Teaching!<br />
CUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-62789823437294216192015-04-26T08:41:00.001-04:002015-04-26T08:41:43.521-04:00SOL Review<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-leQmb5gTvqc/VTzcdo4Mk3I/AAAAAAAAB2Q/wiU9wT-xYKI/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-leQmb5gTvqc/VTzcdo4Mk3I/AAAAAAAAB2Q/wiU9wT-xYKI/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>At our school we are in the thick of SOL review. We wrapped up the our last new content, The Renaissance, right before Spring Break. This has allowed me to give the students a release test (which I'll blog about soon) and then use another WHI teacher's notes to review.<br />
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On Friday, I wanted to shake things up. Overall, students have a difficult time with geography: blank maps, labeling places, identifying a place on a map stump my students. I brainstormed with a fellow 8th grade teacher and she gave me the idea of the students creating their own review. I identified six SOL strands and divided the students into six groups. Students were given paper, butcher paper, mini-dry erase boards, makers, and index cards to create a review lesson to present to the class.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TCPLZ9BeLbI/VTzcoInpNaI/AAAAAAAAB2Y/B9puck-k0sU/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TCPLZ9BeLbI/VTzcoInpNaI/AAAAAAAAB2Y/B9puck-k0sU/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B(2).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Students work busily for about fifteen minutes and then present their lessons. They were to identify important land features, water feathers, and explain how the geography influenced the civilization.<br />
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I was pleased to see that students drew maps for each of their lessons. Drawing and creating are at the top of Bloom's taxonomy and hopefully the lesson they created will help them come SOL day on Thursday.<br />
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Happy Teaching!<br />
CUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-34346028243526390312015-03-16T21:37:00.000-04:002015-03-16T21:37:37.368-04:00Captain of their own shipI am on a sub-committee for personalized learning. Our task on this sub-committee is to investigate instructional methodologies. We were tasked last week to identify characteristics needed for rising high schoolers. These characteristics would enable these rising 9th graders to be successful in a personalized class setting; however, I think these characteristics would help any student become successful. <div>
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Here is the list we generated:</div>
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<li>independence</li>
<li>organization</li>
<li>self-assessment</li>
<li>self-advocation</li>
<li>self-monitor</li>
<li>self-motivation</li>
<li>invested in SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) goals</li>
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Surely, you noticed that five of the seven goals start with self. The group was discussing what this meant. A group member, who is a math/science lead teacher, said, "It's like they need to be the captain of their own ship". What a great thought! Students are only truly successful when they are in the drivers seat of their education. </div>
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Now for the million dollar question: as educators, how do we get students to realize this? This part of the discussion was a bit more difficult. We discussed having teacher buy-in to this idea and emulate these ideas in the classroom. Also identified was the teachers ability to make a connection with students. </div>
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I am planning on having this conversation with students this Friday. No coincidence, that is when report cards go out. Additionally, I've thought about having some kind of theme like this next year. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-62757574152016828612015-02-17T09:44:00.000-05:002015-02-17T09:44:31.352-05:00Keeping up with....the progress Last go around, I spoke with each student once a week. I checked the grade book and them bring me their current task sheet. It worked well but there wasn't a tangible way to keep a record for the students. I devised this quick "My Progress" sheet. I copied it on yellow paper and had the students fill in the last date with the last day I will be using class time for the personalized unit. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A screen shot of "My Progress" sheet. </td></tr>
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The first time we chatted I went to every student in the class. That was a bit tedious and I did not have time for students who needed my help with quizzes or other questions. The last school day we had (we are on day two of a snow break) I had students with last names A through J. Yesterday I would have had K through R, and then today would have been the rest of the alphabet. I was going to skip one day and then start the process again. </div>
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Most students have kept up with it. I like this method better than the other one because the ownership is put back on the student. Of course, I still keep up with progress through their grades. </div>
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Another interesting part of this unit are the snow days. I am planning on sending out a remind text about keeping up with their unit. Many of the activities can be done at home. I have a few days to play with and can scoot the due date back a bit but we will have to move on soon. </div>
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Happy Teaching!</div>
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C </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-72813289716771690462015-02-15T11:17:00.001-05:002015-02-15T11:19:07.169-05:00Half way there! Friday wrapped up our half way point. I have some students who have finished all 8 task sheets. They now need to complete the capstone project and take the test. However, I have some students who are still on their second or third task sheet. I try not to worry about that; after all, it is personalized and students should move at a pace that is best for them. Patience is something I'm still working on.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the 8 task sheets for the unit. The others followed the same principle. </td></tr>
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To create the task sheet I identify the information that I want to reinforce from the column notes. The column notes (based off of the VA SOLs) is always the first task. Last time I had the assignment for the column notes in the paragraph above the tasks and many students did not see the assignment and went pretty far along in the process without doing any column notes. Column notes are the backbone of my lessons and a student will be hard pressed to be successful without that information.<br />
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The activities are things that I did in the past and some activities are new. I worked closely with an ITRT here in the county to help me. She also taught WHI and put some of her old lesson ideas in these tasks. Another place I found information was either googling the information plus the words "lesson plan" or I scoured Pinterest. <br />
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This is one of the difficult parts for me. I want to be sure to convey the important information but also keep the students engaged. As with everything, this is an ever evolving process. I already have some ideas for next time.<br />
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This is the capstone project task sheet. Students are to pick one activity and one SOL strand to work with (there is one that encompasses all of the SOLs).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Capstone for Middle Ages Personalized Unit. </td></tr>
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This capstone is new this go around. I wanted to students to take the information and move up the Bloom's scale from comprehension to creating.<br />
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I really enjoy personalized learning. It is different from the traditional role of a teacher. But that's okay. Personalized learning is about the student- not me. I enjoy challenging students and watching them meet those new goals.<br />
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Happy Teaching!<br />
CUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-55788120188550604322015-02-01T08:27:00.000-05:002015-02-02T20:27:56.098-05:00Let's Get Personal!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am about to embark on my second personalized unit. I created my first personalized unit for our Rome study. That one lasted four weeks. This go around we are studying the Middle Ages for approximately three weeks.<br />
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First, let's discuss what personalization is in education. It's the insertion of choice and voice and the removal of place and pace. Let's first talk about what I've put into the lessons: choice and voice.<br />
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The idea of choice and voice is moving away from the direct instruction where the teacher drives the content delivery. This is very active for the teacher and extremely passive for the student. Giving the student choice can through what is known as a choice board or task sheet.<br />
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Each SOL has a task sheet. A change that I made from the last personalized unit with in regards to the task sheet are each SOL has its own task sheet and each task sheet has six tasks. Click the link below to view a pdf of my task sheet.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-Z-8BeS70sFZ3RlX2NjaXJ1T1k/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-Z-8BeS70sFZ3RlX2NjaXJ1T1k/view?usp=sharing</a><br />
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Voice comes into play a couple of ways: First, I asked students what they thought and what they would like to see change the first time around. I took the suggestions under advisement and implemented most of the suggestions. One of the suggestions is on the task sheet- the option to test out of the majority of the work. This rewards students who come to class with prior knowledge who do not need to spend as much time on a strand that they already know. I set up a fill in the blank quiz on Schoology. The quiz is timed and the student must score a 100 in order to test out.<br />
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So let's now discuss place and pace. Pace is much easier to allow for. Students are given a dead-line for everything to be completed (all tasks sheets, the capstone (see later post about this) and the summative assessment. What they do between the introduction and deadline is up to them. I expect them to work while in the classroom. However, I tell them they probably won't finish if they just work in class. Most students utilize their connections class (think study hall) to get the work completed. Another great benefit is for students who are absent. I currently have a student who is a page at the state capital and this program is perfect for someone in this situation. The ultimate strategy for this type of learning environment is to rid the student of specific periods where they need to be in a specific room for a specific piece of time. In this scenario the student would come to school, check-in with teachers that they need to see and then work on assignments given to them: either through the choice boards/task sheets or independent assignments. I imagine it like a school/college hybrid.<br />
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In the next few posts I will be narrating how things are going in our class, challenges, and happy moments from our personalized unit.<br />
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Happy Teaching!<br />
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C<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-78372294107874133142014-11-09T20:07:00.000-05:002014-11-09T20:07:00.036-05:00BioPoster Presentation<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3jZPIMAcn1c/VF1sReRaDxI/AAAAAAAABxM/xdUcBe2mdf8/s1600/IMG_1143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3jZPIMAcn1c/VF1sReRaDxI/AAAAAAAABxM/xdUcBe2mdf8/s1600/IMG_1143.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>According to SOL 5ef, students need to know twelve Greek contributors. Instead of having students reading about them or presenting a long power point I decided to let students take 2 half periods to research one of the twelve contributors and then create a bioposter. Again, I found this idea on Pinterest! <br />
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The idea is that students cut out a face (and an arm hole if there is room) and decorate their poster to reflect the person their project is on. Students could draw or print out their pictures. I also gave the students a rubric. One item that I forgot to add to the rubric is their presentation to the class- I'll be sure to add that next year!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gNpT9Abs6TI/VF1sRaiAhwI/AAAAAAAABxI/RhfR0I5kkXM/s1600/IMG_1146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gNpT9Abs6TI/VF1sRaiAhwI/AAAAAAAABxI/RhfR0I5kkXM/s1600/IMG_1146.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Students then half a class on the third day to present their posters. Students set up their notes prior to the presentations (folded the paper in eight boxes and I kept the contributors on the same row) and filled in the information as their classmates presented their posters. At the end I, or my co-teacher, went over the information to ensure that students got all of the needed information. <br />
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I took these pictures of some of the best ones from the morning presentations. I liked how the letters were big and colorful. <br />
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Happy Teaching!<br />
CUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-68930882213942210102014-11-07T19:46:00.001-05:002014-11-07T19:46:32.198-05:00Story TowerOur Ancient Greece unit has recently wrapped up and I want to share a couple of things the students created. <br />
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The first thing is a Story Tower. I found it on Pinterest as an English activity to help younger students place story action in sequential order. I thought to myself- "Self, why can't I do this for history?" After all, history is a long story. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eTv15RvWUIw/VF1isIYzXqI/AAAAAAAABww/vY0AMIRjaxs/s1600/IMG_1123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eTv15RvWUIw/VF1isIYzXqI/AAAAAAAABww/vY0AMIRjaxs/s1600/IMG_1123.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I chose to use it with SOL 5d The Persian War. Students need to know the two victories at Salamis and Marathon. We also discuss Thermopylae as a defeat. </div>
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For this activity you will need 10 index cards, five different colors of markers, and scissors. Students will need to separate their index cards into five pairs. The first pair (I chose green because green means go) said "Persian Wars: Greece vs. Persia" and the other "started as a result of Greek riots in Asia Minor". The next set of cards was in blue and read "Battle of Marathon 490 BCE" and the other "Greek victory over Persians". The next pair was written in orange "Battle of Thermopylae 480 BCE" and the other "Greek loss as a result of much larger Persian army." The fourth pair was written in purple "Battle of Salamis 480 BCE" and the other "Greek naval victory due to superior navy". The last pair was written in red (Red means end!). The first one said "Outcome of Persian War" and the other "More unified Greece for a time". <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N7OFhFqOimw/VF1ir5SgOpI/AAAAAAAABws/Fu5oXSRnVis/s1600/IMG_1125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N7OFhFqOimw/VF1ir5SgOpI/AAAAAAAABws/Fu5oXSRnVis/s1600/IMG_1125.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>To construct the tower have the student put their green pair off to the side and then stack the other four pairs on top of the others. Then one inch into each side cut a slit about 3/4 inch. The first level is the green, the next level is blue, the third level is orange, the fourth level is blue and then finally, the last level is red. <br />
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Students may have a difficult time building the tower. I would suggest using more heavy duty cards as flimsy index cards have a more difficult time staying up. <br />
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Once the students built the tower I gave them a paperclip to keep the index cards in their binder. <br />
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Happy Teaching!<br />
C</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-32361319513098790852014-10-13T22:14:00.002-04:002014-10-13T22:14:56.308-04:00Student Teacher and Self Reflection<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ytRszyrTJ4M/VDyGuEllS1I/AAAAAAAABvA/sPe9InDwMA8/s1600/student%2Bteaching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ytRszyrTJ4M/VDyGuEllS1I/AAAAAAAABvA/sPe9InDwMA8/s1600/student%2Bteaching.jpg" /></a>I realized that I have not posted in quite awhile and it is because I have had the pleasure of hosting a student teacher these past few weeks. It has been a great experience for me: I have enjoyed watching my student teacher grow as an educator and I have also enjoyed this time to reflect on my own teaching. <br />
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My student teacher has been with me and my students since the first week of school and he is wrapping up his time with us this week. I took over the teaching duties today. Like all preservice teachers my student teacher has his strengths and areas to work on. I have been so excited to see him continue to hone his strengths and being willing to listen to suggestions on how to improve his teaching methods. Personally, I think that is the key to continuing to be a great teacher: willing to reflect on your method and be willing to change areas that are not up to par. <br />
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So, what is the best way to determine one's strengths and weaknesses? Student teacher has had, to his horror or help, me in the back of the room coaching him. I cannot have someone in the back of my room all day, every day. I could video tape myself teaching. I could also have a colleague watch for one lesson and give me feedback. <br />
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Thinking about how to be a better teacher is the key to continually being a better teacher. <br />
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Happy Teaching!<br />
C<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-91547436428522721222014-08-21T21:34:00.000-04:002014-08-21T21:34:00.055-04:00Remind Text ServiceA colleague, Virginia Earth Science Teacher, alerted me to a service he had been using. It's called Remind (used to be called Remind101) that allows teachers to create texts to send to parents and/or students that remind them of certain things. It is similar to the texts you may receive from your doctor or dentist. Click <a href="https://www.remind.com/" target="_blank">here</a> to go to their website to find out more.<div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vIO34_W1V5U/U_KpAlReWnI/AAAAAAAABso/9Q-2SCe0VXM/s1600/remind.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vIO34_W1V5U/U_KpAlReWnI/AAAAAAAABso/9Q-2SCe0VXM/s1600/remind.jpeg" height="201" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have used it a few times and have been on the receiving end of my son't teacher's texts. There are a few reasons I like it:</div>
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1. It sends the texts from a number that is not your own.</div>
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2. Students/parents cannot reply to your Remind text.</div>
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3. You can choose which classes you want to receive your text. </div>
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4. Texts can be scheduled to be sent out at a later time. </div>
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There are a few ways students or parents can sign up: you can send them directly to Remind's website and they can use the code specific to their class, print out a QR code, send them an email invite or have them text a Reminder phone number with the class code in the message. </div>
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Happy Teaching!</div>
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C</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-83088427735304644502014-08-18T20:23:00.002-04:002014-08-18T20:23:48.633-04:00Paperless Meet the Teacher<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fO0WHvlJo6Y/U_KQYsVhqeI/AAAAAAAABsQ/z4UJ2vbnJ_Q/s1600/photo%2B(21).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fO0WHvlJo6Y/U_KQYsVhqeI/AAAAAAAABsQ/z4UJ2vbnJ_Q/s1600/photo%2B(21).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>I just finished day 3 of the 14-15 SY. We had Meet the Teacher last Tuesday and I decided to go paperless. As a parent myself I know how much paper a parent can come home with after meeting a myriad of teachers. I saw on Pinterest how teachers had used QR Codes for back to school. I thought that was such a great idea and decided to try it out myself. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4KqXuBQdsCw/U_KQYhtNENI/AAAAAAAABsU/H0JPeTSSd_8/s1600/photo%2B(22).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4KqXuBQdsCw/U_KQYhtNENI/AAAAAAAABsU/H0JPeTSSd_8/s1600/photo%2B(22).JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a>I have five sections of World History this year. I put out five groups of QR Codes with their corresponding class rosters. As you can see in the picture I have four different QR Codes: one for my email, one for my school webpage, one for this site that takes the parents to the intro video and then one for the Reminder text service (more about that in a later post). I think the QR codes were well received. Some parents and students needed to download the QR codes but that did not deter them from capturing the information on their device. </div>
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Keeping with the theme of this post, I thought I'd post a picture of "VirginiaWorldHistoryTeacher" so you could meet me! <br />
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Happy Teaching!<br />
C<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-68983357381470085662014-07-27T17:56:00.000-04:002014-07-27T18:49:43.369-04:00Parent Informational Video<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy7dlgAU2xfS1M_WA5wmhsHzdJ3vESAPN-14WPoLneGdpRlAB_jcg52Md6yEgOEMvcA0PtypbCMZWqlP57RFw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Hello parents! I have put this video together for you to answer questions you may have about the flipped classroom. </div>
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This video will be similar to the content videos that I have put together for your child. I use a program called Quick Time to record my computer screen and my voice. You will notice that I do very little editing. I will upload the content videos to a webpage called Schoology.com. This is a secure site that requires your student to log-in. We will create student log-ins in the first few days of the school year. Ask your student for their log-in if you would like to see how we use Schoology. </div>
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Your child's videos will be about this video's length, too. This video is six minutes. Most videos are five to seven minutes. </div>
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I also want to tell you a bit about this website. I blog about my experiences in the classroom. Please feel free to explore. I love teaching. I feel that one of the best ways to grow as a teacher is to see what others do in their classroom. My hope is to inspire other teachers. </div>
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Happy Learning!</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-35858002839347397382014-07-05T12:33:00.000-04:002014-07-05T12:33:14.691-04:00Four Rules of Teaching according to Mrs. WargoHappy Summer! <br />
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I have been wanting to share this but have not had the time. I'm helping a bit with summer school, taking our boys on day trips, and keeping our home straight and tidy (one of my favorite things to do over the summer- really, no joke!). <br />
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Mrs. Wargo is our boy's taekwondo instructor. Not only does she have 20+ years of taekwondo teaching experience, she also taught public school for many more years. She is one smart lady and I really respect her and information she has to offer. Our boys are JTIs or Junior Training Instructors. They help her and other instructors in different classes, they perform demos in public, and attend a special JTI class once a week. In this class they usually have some kind of life skill lesson. A few weeks ago she discussed the 4 Rules of Teaching. She spent the entire class on this and it was great for me, a teacher, to hear these reminders. <br />
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Her four rules of teaching are 1. Explanation, 2. Demonstration, 3. Correction, and 4. Repetition<br />
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<b>Explanation</b> involves explaining what you are going to teach. What is your mission or goal for today's class? How can you convey this information to your class? I personally have a daily agenda written on my whiteboard. Under the agenda I number the action items that I intend to cover. Additionally, as I teach in Virginia, I put the day's SOL information. This, too, is part of the explanation. <br />
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<b>Demonstration</b> is her next step. Now, she is teaching a very physical subject. I, on the other hand, am teaching World History. Her demonstration is a bit easier to see. What can I use to demonstrate the knowledge that I want my students to acquire? Of course I can lecture, show powerpoints, hand out skeleton/Princeton/column notes to students that have the pertinent information on it. Mrs. Wargo has "Demonstrate properly what you are going to teach." and "Have students physically demonstrate technique." Can you think of other ways you, as the classroom teacher, can demonstrate the knowledge you want your students to have?<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WhVhx3pYt3o/U7gnQskbUHI/AAAAAAAABqA/gL8sZFpH8RU/s1600/teaching.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WhVhx3pYt3o/U7gnQskbUHI/AAAAAAAABqA/gL8sZFpH8RU/s1600/teaching.jpeg" /></a><b>Correction</b> is the third step. Again, how do we, as classroom teachers correct? Of course we have students complete worksheets, problems, take quizzes, create items or recite information back to us. This is what we are correcting. I really liked her correction explanation and it reminded me of the management classes I took in my former life. You first want to correct the MOST important thing. Do not try to correct everything: it is exhausting for you as the teacher and it is deflating for the student. She uses the acronym PCP. I don't remember exactly what it stands for but I think it is positive, correction, positive. You want to keep things positive: point out something the student is doing well. Then you want to correct the misstep and then end it with a positive. <br />
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<b>Repetition</b> is the last step. This is best way to have students remember key information. Mrs. Wargo mentions that you should "start with the last thing correct and add from there". In certain classes it is easier to have repetition: math classes come to mind. So how do we offer repetition without getting that glassy eyed effect from our students? I personally use thinking maps, graphic organizers, creation of games, and other activities that show the information in different ways. What are some ways you offer repetition in class? <br />
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Happy Teaching!<br />
CUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-92204035944952660042014-05-26T21:12:00.000-04:002014-05-26T21:12:00.101-04:00Teacher Reflection<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“It is necessary ... for a man to go away by himself ... to sit on a rock ... and ask, 'Who am I, where have I been, and where am I going?” </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16380.Carl_Sandburg" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Carl Sandburg</a></b><br />
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What do you think? I think to be an effective teacher, one must keep an actively reflective mind. This reflection can happen in a myriad of ways: daily, weekly, quarterly and at the end of the year. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gd9iLotAPMw/U3v7i7pQ5WI/AAAAAAAABng/PkLUozpUv7M/s1600/Reflection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gd9iLotAPMw/U3v7i7pQ5WI/AAAAAAAABng/PkLUozpUv7M/s1600/Reflection.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><b>Daily</b>: a great way to reflect on what worked and what didn't is to simply write down your thoughts on your lesson plan. If you are like me, I keep my lesson plans for use later. <br />
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<b>Weekly</b>: I use the quiz or other student material to gauge student understand. If there is a weakness, what can I do to fix that weakness?<br />
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<b>Quarterly</b>: This is a big one for my school. We have quarterly assessments that each content creates and each teacher administers the assessment. We then "crunch the numbers" and determine where we have weaknesses. We then have to devise lessons to reteach and rework those lessons. We have to even fill out a form and provide our lessons to our department chair. <br />
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<b>End of the Year</b>: I have completed a few different ways and have seen other great ways to self-reflect. Last year I encouraged the members of my department to write themselves a letter to be opened during the first week of teacher workweek. <br />
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This year, my neighbor teacher, had students tell her specific things that they liked about her class and things she could work on. WOW! That was really brave of her to do a reflection like that. She had the parameters that it needed to be kind and include specifics- avoid "This class was lame!" or "This class was so great!". Why was it lame? Why was it awesome? She received some great information to use next year. <br />
Do you self reflect? If so, what do you do?<br />
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Happy teaching!<br />
CUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-51788768350758444922014-05-23T14:43:00.000-04:002014-05-23T14:43:00.398-04:00Old School JEOPARDY! The end of the year is in sight and I am still faced with that conundrum of what to do. We had a outdoor plans today and yesterday but as a result of three inches of rain we had to postpone until next week. YIKES! I had to scramble yesterday to find something to keep my students occupied but relative to class. <div>
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I thought about Jeopardy! but I didn't want to come up with all of the clues. Nor did I want to put it into the power point that may or may not work. Nor did I want to control the class as they did not pay attention to clues they had no investment in. So- why don't the kids create the clues? </div>
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Yesterday's task was to pick a topic from a list of broad topics: Renaissance, Japan, Middle Ages, Africa, Trade, Golden Ages, Rome, Greece, Mesoamerica, Stone Age, etc. Students had to come up with six Jeopardy! type clues. In addition to the clues they had to provide an answer key. This took most of the period. </div>
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Today I had to do some prep work. First, I picked the clues I was going to use. Then, I made the dollar indicators, taped the clue to the board and then used magnets to cover the clues. Each class had a tally helper. </div>
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These were my rules:</div>
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Teams called their name, once when they new the answer.</div>
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Teams could only call their name when I had finished the clue.</div>
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There were two daily doubles.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h9DIqnal17s/U3ZbwkVAP-I/AAAAAAAABm0/TZn52JwjY6I/s1600/photo+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h9DIqnal17s/U3ZbwkVAP-I/AAAAAAAABm0/TZn52JwjY6I/s1600/photo+(4).JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a>There was a Final Jeopardy! clue. </div>
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Overall, it went well today. I think the students enjoyed seeing their classmate's clues. </div>
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Happy Teaching!</div>
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C<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-76674289429089127512014-05-22T21:23:00.000-04:002014-05-22T21:23:00.677-04:00End of the Year Timeline <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's getting to be close to the end of the year. By this point my students have taken their end of course SOL tests. And now for the eternal end of the year teacher question: What on Earth do I do with these kids? </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YccVVwsX_mQ/U3QO2dvEEpI/AAAAAAAABlM/pM17u0vSa94/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YccVVwsX_mQ/U3QO2dvEEpI/AAAAAAAABlM/pM17u0vSa94/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>WHI is a high-school credit course and the county where I teach allows for students who pass their SOL test to be exempt from their exam. I have about 8 students that need to take an exam. So, these activities need to be helpful for those students who are taking the exam but not bore the students to tears. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2UGtPdvtU2o/U3QO2WPtyII/AAAAAAAABlI/yw86EAnSwws/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2UGtPdvtU2o/U3QO2WPtyII/AAAAAAAABlI/yw86EAnSwws/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>One activity that I chose to do was a timeline that started with our very first lesson in August. I then used our textbook to pick out approximately 55 other events. These events had no dates on them. I initially made a master list (that included the textbook page). I then transferred those events, less the page numbers, to another Word Doc. Once the pages were printed I shuffled them and rearranged them into six file folders. Students then divided themselves into six groups and were responsible for putting the events in chronological order. After the group had their events in order they started putting all of the other groups' events in chronological order. The activity took most of the period: this was a win-win! The timeline actually went out my classroom door into the hallway. </div>
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After the whole timeline was finished students went through the timeline and were told to look for two things that surprised them. To "surprise" them would mean that they didn't realize that an event happened before or after another event OR events were happening about the same time in other civilizations. This was turned in for a classroom check grade. </div>
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Happy Teaching!</div>
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C </div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-50005635223418451272014-05-19T21:58:00.000-04:002014-05-19T21:58:00.503-04:00HUGE thinking maps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yQwk_vOxhAM/U3QdUqsK7TI/AAAAAAAABmE/iJjzvQ_9VvQ/s1600/photo+2+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yQwk_vOxhAM/U3QdUqsK7TI/AAAAAAAABmE/iJjzvQ_9VvQ/s1600/photo+2+(1).JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a>To review for their Africa unit I had the students create a thinking map. The thinking map was filled in by a reading selection I gave to the students. When the student think they had correct answers they wrote the answer on a sticky note. One person in their group was responsible for writing the correct thinking map on paper to share with the group. <br />
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The one issue I had is that I had three different ones and it took longer than I thought. Perhaps I should have had fewer and with less information. However, I had hoped it would go quicker as this was a review activity. <br />
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Happy Teaching!<br />
C<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-25605168528052135352014-05-14T21:45:00.000-04:002014-05-16T10:26:32.698-04:00Memory<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sNBgWMTgNc8/U3QYP505xFI/AAAAAAAABls/C8QNbbXbwN4/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sNBgWMTgNc8/U3QYP505xFI/AAAAAAAABls/C8QNbbXbwN4/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zqsc5y8NiRk/U3QY6KeHTBI/AAAAAAAABl4/s53XQi77rkI/s1600/memory.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zqsc5y8NiRk/U3QY6KeHTBI/AAAAAAAABl4/s53XQi77rkI/s1600/memory.jpeg" /></a> Who remembers Memory? I do! So, why can't Memory work in the classroom, too? I had stations one day and one station was Memory review. I chose the religions we have studied this year, the architecture of different regions and then people and places in Middle Ages. The architectural Memory had a twist: each "match" had three index cards. One was the name of the building, one was a picture and the last was its purpose or where it was. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--ig7vX-WJYo/U3QX079AsFI/AAAAAAAABlg/k1G-qLZWeC4/s1600/photo+1+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--ig7vX-WJYo/U3QX079AsFI/AAAAAAAABlg/k1G-qLZWeC4/s1600/photo+1+(1).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>To keep the index cards separated I used blue ink for one of the matches and then the other match was in a different ink color: pink, green and black.<br />
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Happy Teaching!<br />
C</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-87619488908362189142014-03-26T22:57:00.001-04:002014-07-08T21:52:38.571-04:00UNESCO Resource<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ctQagJm_ric/UzOS4SKtbaI/AAAAAAAABjQ/4Qv7auu3swk/s1600/Unesco.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ctQagJm_ric/UzOS4SKtbaI/AAAAAAAABjQ/4Qv7auu3swk/s1600/Unesco.jpeg" height="200" width="195" /></a>During my recent unit on Renaissance I found the UNESCO World Heritage site. This is a description from the website,<br />
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"The World Heritage List includes <span style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">981</span> properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage <span style="line-height: 1.3em;">which the </span><a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/comittee/" style="color: #214a87; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">World Heritage Committee</a><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> considers as having outstanding universal value.</span></h6>
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These include <span style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">759</span> cultural, <span style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">193</span> natural and <span style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">29</span> mixed properties in <span style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">160</span> <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/" style="color: #214a87; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">States Parties</a>. As of September 2012, <span style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">190 </span><a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/" style="color: #214a87; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">States Parties</a> have ratified <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/convention/" style="color: #214a87; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">the World Heritage Convention</a>." </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UFPKgFvaV2Q/UzOS4ZaN3sI/AAAAAAAABjU/9itnweHXCrY/s1600/Mosque.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UFPKgFvaV2Q/UzOS4ZaN3sI/AAAAAAAABjU/9itnweHXCrY/s1600/Mosque.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
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The link to the website can be found by clicking <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/" target="_blank">here</a>. I like the overview (they call it the synthesis), photos and the videos. Check it out- I bet you will find something you can use.</div>
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Happy Teaching!</div>
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C </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-53116161572471369202014-03-22T18:45:00.000-04:002014-03-22T18:45:02.585-04:00Book PresentationThe county I teach in is divided into different zones. In each zone there are multiple elementary schools that feed into one middle school per zone. That one zone middle school then feeds the zone high school. Twice a year we have Vertical Team meetings. The members of the team are all of the social studies teachers in our particular zone. This coming week is our meeting and I am leading this time. <div>
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A dear friend of mine had a similar meeting in her zone a few weeks ago and presented a book to her team. The book is called "Teaching for Recall and Analysis: New Strategies for Improving Student Achievement in Social Studies" by R. Michael Pryor. After reading the book I would say I disagree with the "new" part of his subtitle. I have, or know teachers who, do all of the strategies. However, he did take these old strategies and breathe new life into them. Perhaps a better subtitle would have been "New Breathe to Proven Strategies for Improving Student Achievement in Social Studies". But no one asked me. </div>
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I thought I'd share her PPT and the information that I am going to present to the group. </div>
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This is the initial slide that goes over the purposes of the book. The author identifies some common problems within the social studies classroom: mastery of content, not just regurgitation of facts to be forgotten, performing well on standardized tests, students who have the ability but may not have the tools to be successful in Advanced Placement classes, ensuring that all time is used in the class- that bell-to-bell instruction and finally, giving different ways to show how you can allow students to show that mastery. <br />
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This slide discusses the main ways history "works". Of course, chronological flow is crucial to the teaching of history. Some teachers have different standards when it come to chronology: do you want students to know specific dates (The Battle of Hastings happened on October 14, 1066, the fall of 1066, in 1066, the early part of the 11th century or the 11th century) or do you want student to simply know that the Battle of Hastings happened before the Hundred Year's War? Either way, this is that chronological flow. Also, students need to know that events were caused by certain things or how did an event affect other happenings. On a side note, NPR had a fascinating article about how the 20th century would be different had WWI not have happened. There are two links to that story: story <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/03/12/285916073/without-world-war-i-a-slower-u-s-rise-no-god-bless-america" target="_blank">one</a> and story <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/03/13/288705963/a-farewell-to-carrot-cake-and-other-things-lost-without-world-war-i" target="_blank">two</a>. Then you have the tiers of facts, inferences and judgements about a person or event: What are the facts, what can you infer about those facts and then finally you synthesize or make judgements about those facts/inferences. Finally, the author discusses the comparing and contrasting (one of my personal favorites!). This can be done a few ways: Venn Diagrams, Think Map (c) double bubble are two ways that come to mind.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6hBeYJ6hHzk/Uy4KRvn20lI/AAAAAAAABig/3u9nMCI3rfc/s1600/Slide4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6hBeYJ6hHzk/Uy4KRvn20lI/AAAAAAAABig/3u9nMCI3rfc/s1600/Slide4.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a>Now we get to the new breath: the author describes how the old Venn Diagram can be revamped. One idea he discusses is the use of colored Venn Diagrams: the teacher has colored balls that match the colors of the Venn Diagram and the students/teacher toss the ball to classmates. If the student catches the green ball they have to give something that goes with WWI (see picture), if the student catches the yellow ball they have to give something about the Spanish American War. In addition to the yellow and green ball you would have a blue one too: yellow and green make blue (right?!). If the student caught the blue one they would have to give something that they both had in common. In addition to the interactive Venn Diagram, the author suggested using three bubbles for three topics that have similarities and differences. The third suggestion he had was combing that sequence with the Venn Diagram and have multiple interlocking circles that are order and then could be described and have something in common with the next event. <br />
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Another strategy Pryor offers is the use of timelines. He suggests that the teacher make LARGE cards (either photocopied or written on large index cards) and students can make create their own floor timelines. A game for this would be to make it into a race- once the students are finished they ring a bell or shout their team name when they have correctly placed the items in chronological order. <br />
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The third strategy, not included in this powerpoint, is the History Wall. In a History Wall, the teacher places pictures of people, events, things, etc on a wall in the classroom. It can be changed as the unit changes or the teacher can keep it going throughout the school year. A few activities suggested were the use of a spotlight (the book had an overhead projector highlighting areas; however, I have not had an overhead in my room for four years- perhaps a flashlight or some other way to highlight information?). Students were to write as much information about ONLY the highlighted area. Another strategy was call out with sticky notes two or three items on the wall and have students write how they are related (cause and effect) to one another. I personally would like to do this next year and keep it up the entire year as the World History curriculum goes back in time to cover new civilizations. </div>
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This is the wrap it up slide. As educators we want students to be creating. I heard a wise teacher say: You shouldn't be working hard- you've already been to school. If the students can create it- let them. After all, isn't that the highest part of Bloom's?! </div>
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If you are interested in the book, click <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Recall-Analysis-Strategies-Achievement/dp/1449564941" target="_blank">here</a>. It's an easy read and does have practical strategies that could be used for most any subject. </div>
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Happy Teaching!</div>
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C </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-77459148972948907202014-03-17T09:56:00.001-04:002014-03-17T09:56:57.917-04:00ReadWorksSurprise! Another snow day!! I think we are up to nine for the year thus far. I REALLY hope this is our last one. Okay- I'm done complaining.<br />
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I wanted to share this great resource with you. It is called <a href="http://readworks.org/" target="_blank">ReadWorks</a>. It has wonderful resources, for World and U.S. History, to use in the classroom. <br />
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Over the past few years I have noticed that our SOL has become an reading SOL. Students must read through information to find the question and information to use to answer the question. <br />
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Also, I found it half way through the year so I think this would be a great resource to use for SOL review as well. It may remind them of information from early in the school year. <br />
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On another note, I planned to start my last unit today: I wrapped Japan, MesoAmerica and Africa together. I am excited to show the students pictures of my travels to Tulum. <br />
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Happy Teaching!<br />
CUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-75946347959428354352014-03-12T21:48:00.000-04:002014-03-12T21:48:16.466-04:00Renaissance ReviewIn preparation of our upcoming Renaissance test I put a Venn Diagram review together. In a Word document I made a table and filled the spaces with important Renaissance concepts, people, books or works for art. I put "Northern Renaissance", "Italian Renaissance" and "Both" on three sticky notes. Students then placed the slips of paper under the post-it that it corresponded with. When students were finished I went around and verified accuracy. After each groups was checked we discussed items that stuck out in the Venn Diagram: Italian words look "Italian", the items in the middle were more economic concepts or schools of thought while the "Renaissance" columns were people or works of art. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Beginnings in Florence<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Genoa<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Medici Family<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Michelangelo<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Catholic Church<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Flanders<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Humanism<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Rebirth<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Erasmus<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Van Eyck<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Petrarch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Trade<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 18.0pt;">Higher Living Standards<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Praise of Folly<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Utopia<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Machiavelli<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">The Prince<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">“David”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">“Arnolfini Portrait”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">“Portrait of a Lady”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Sistine Chapel ceiling<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">“The Last Supper”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">“Mona Lisa”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Gutenberg<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Growing Wealth<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Trading centers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Letters of Credit<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Rules against usury<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 16.0pt;">Adoption of Arabic Numbers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 22.0pt;">Sir Thomas More<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Tip: to keep the slips in the correct envelope, I had the students number each slip with the same number that correlated to the number on the envelope I gave them. That way, when the inevitable slip falls out I know that the slip goes with that same numbered envelope. </div>
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Here are some pictures of students hard at work!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-85708132863846654062014-03-02T13:55:00.000-05:002014-03-02T13:55:22.684-05:00WordleThis past week my students had an assignment to log onto schoology.com and post to our discussion board. Their assignment was to post one thing they learned and a question for their classmates. They then had to answer to questions their classmates posted. I blogged about <a href="http://schoology.com/">schoology.com</a> in this <a href="http://virginiaworldhistoryteacher.blogspot.com/2013/09/am-i-first-year-teacher.html" target="_blank">post</a> if you want to more about it. <div>
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At the end of the week I copied and pasted our discussion into <a href="http://wordle.net/">wordle.net</a>. Here are our wordles. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-78LDJj1FZfI/UxN9jBGryuI/AAAAAAAABfk/6Gu9RFcZWjo/s1600/First.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-78LDJj1FZfI/UxN9jBGryuI/AAAAAAAABfk/6Gu9RFcZWjo/s1600/First.jpg" height="310" width="400" /></a></div>
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I really like the wordle.com pictures becuase the words that are the largest are the ones that were used the most in the student's posts. I plan on printing them out and hanging them on the wall tomorrow. </div>
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Happy Teaching!</div>
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C</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-74086886642424305522014-02-26T22:27:00.002-05:002014-02-26T22:27:47.895-05:00Our new metaphor <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w6ymj6ct3Xg/Uw6vWfl69pI/AAAAAAAABfQ/BZgzgrW4ASs/s1600/fishingsign.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w6ymj6ct3Xg/Uw6vWfl69pI/AAAAAAAABfQ/BZgzgrW4ASs/s1600/fishingsign.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Over the weekend I was vacuuming, which I find cathartic but that's another story, and was thinking about school. An old saying popped into my mind: "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime." This quote is by a Jewish Spanish philosopher named Maimonides. <br />
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I wrote the quote on my white board; however, I wrote <span style="color: red;">give</span>, <span style="color: red;">a day</span>, <span style="color: red;">teach</span>, and <span style="color: red;">lifetime</span> in another color. At the beginning of each period I had the class read the quote and I asked them what it means. Each student was correct in their interpretation. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m6U0wBlvqRI/Uw6uxhF7aJI/AAAAAAAABfA/0TS7VZ-iFqE/s1600/greenfish.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m6U0wBlvqRI/Uw6uxhF7aJI/AAAAAAAABfA/0TS7VZ-iFqE/s1600/greenfish.jpeg" /></a>I then asked them why I chose to write those specific words in color. I got, "You wanted them to stand out." or "They are important." Well, yes, that is correct but I wanted more information. I had to prompt them more. From each class I finally got that they saw the quote as a metaphor for our new PBL class. SCORE!<br />
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My next question was: is it easier to be given a fish to eat or fish for it, reel it in, clean it and then prepare it? Every time I was told that getting a fish is easier. I then asked them which class is easier: the old way of me talking and assigning work or the new way. I got, "I like this way better". I had to remind students that this is not what I asked. I then repeated the question, "Which class set up is easier." That is when I saw the lightbulbs go off: yes students, this way is harder and you are going to have to dig in to get the "fish". However, when you work for something you are going to retain that information much longer. <br />
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I'll keep the quote up. <br />
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Happy Teaching!<br />
C<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4677146774106045647.post-27181615068058353822014-02-23T14:41:00.001-05:002014-02-23T14:41:33.910-05:00Test DayHere I am on an unusually beautiful late February afternoon grading papers. I have finished grading the multiple choice section of the test and putting the grades in my gradebook. I wanted to share my data with you. <br />
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Overall, there was no major change in the test class averages. One class did not change at all. Two classes' averages changed only a point or two in either direction. Then two of my classes changed by four points: one class went up and the other went down. <br />
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I had some individual successes as well. I had some student's test scores jump by ten to twelve points. These students are typically the quieter, more reserved students who I think got more information in the small groups. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6lamdBrtS2o/UwpNdoX8GnI/AAAAAAAABeo/anKo4fBzCts/s1600/brain.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6lamdBrtS2o/UwpNdoX8GnI/AAAAAAAABeo/anKo4fBzCts/s1600/brain.jpeg" /></a>However, I had two students drop by thirty (YIKES!) points. One is a social butterfly and I have a feeling was not on task like they should have been. The other student is not as self-confident as I would like and does not ask for help even though I ask if everything is okay.<br />
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I am overall satisfied with my first flip. I think, in the long run, students will get more out of this type of classroom. I finished my lessons last night and will be diving the group into a different groups for their Renaissance chapter. The two major changes I have this chapter are no group project and students will listen to the notes in a station in the classroom. <br />
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On to the Renaissance!<br />
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Happy Teaching-<br />
C<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0