Walking into Grandma’s house on Thanksgiving day, do you smell turkey in the oven, the warm pumpkin pie, hot bread, and apple cider on the stove? Does your family have other traditions that speak about your own customs and history?
What if we invited our students to make historical meals that would travel them back in time to the customs, traditions, and scents of meals from the past? In a unique way, we would engage a learning style that could be coupled with research on not only finding the recipes but why the people we study used those ingredients. Some possibilities include asking students to research on the web the appropriate recipes for the period the class is studying, how and why those ingredients were chosen, and report about their experience cooking, smelling, and tasting the food. Students might also research their own family’s unique recipes, where they came from, and how they are still important to their family’s customs and experiences.
Below are a few web sites with historical recipes.
http://www.historyforkids.org/crafts/index.htm
http://www.shootingstarhistory.com/kidshistory/crafts.htm
http://www.foodtimeline.org/
http://www.foodbooks.com/recipes.htm
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/ethnic/historical/
http://www.reciperewards.com/Historical.html
As you celebrate Thanksgiving, take a moment to experience some of your family's unique traditions and customs and consider some shared meal traditions you may have with other families. Students in the future might research these very meals and traditions to learn about you!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Get Engaged
How do we engage students and provide opportunities to actively experience history?
The University of California One outlines a cohesive plan at The History Project Website . Instructors “apprentice students in age-appropriate ways” to “learn to work with sources, consider different perspectives, analyze and interpret information, and marshal evidence in support of their conclusions.” This project includes a lesson plan template, a linear research method, and a sample lesson. Additionally, you’ll find here numerous image and primary source document resources including Our Documents website that houses 100 key US primary sources with images of the originals, transcripts and lessons plans. Hippocampus.org has primary source documents included in its lessons in appropriate places such as the Virginia Charter in the Jamestown Lesson.
But we’ve talked about utilizing primary sources before. I really want students to engage history. Mission Inn Museum in California is getting closer to what I am thinking of with their Hands-On History Lesson Plans and their Family Voices Project. In the Family Voices Project students are “given the task of choosing a family-related object or tradition and conducting research on their chosen subject with their families. Project artists- including a writer, a storyteller/singer, and a photographer- work with the students through numerous workshops to teach the students how to preserve their family heritages through written, oral, and visual techniques.” What a way to make history relevant to the student and a life-long mission!
The Family Voices project could be adapted to any classroom or online learning environment, but the students would become their own artists. As a group project each student could be responsible for creating a piece of the project to illustrate a tradition or historical significance of an object. A history must be able to research a topic but also be able to tell the story in a creative and interesting way so others will listen. This project certainly gets the students involved in research but also how to share their knowledge with others in dynamic ways.
Next time get ready to engage your sense of smell!
The University of California One outlines a cohesive plan at The History Project Website . Instructors “apprentice students in age-appropriate ways” to “learn to work with sources, consider different perspectives, analyze and interpret information, and marshal evidence in support of their conclusions.” This project includes a lesson plan template, a linear research method, and a sample lesson. Additionally, you’ll find here numerous image and primary source document resources including Our Documents website that houses 100 key US primary sources with images of the originals, transcripts and lessons plans. Hippocampus.org has primary source documents included in its lessons in appropriate places such as the Virginia Charter in the Jamestown Lesson.
But we’ve talked about utilizing primary sources before. I really want students to engage history. Mission Inn Museum in California is getting closer to what I am thinking of with their Hands-On History Lesson Plans and their Family Voices Project. In the Family Voices Project students are “given the task of choosing a family-related object or tradition and conducting research on their chosen subject with their families. Project artists- including a writer, a storyteller/singer, and a photographer- work with the students through numerous workshops to teach the students how to preserve their family heritages through written, oral, and visual techniques.” What a way to make history relevant to the student and a life-long mission!
The Family Voices project could be adapted to any classroom or online learning environment, but the students would become their own artists. As a group project each student could be responsible for creating a piece of the project to illustrate a tradition or historical significance of an object. A history must be able to research a topic but also be able to tell the story in a creative and interesting way so others will listen. This project certainly gets the students involved in research but also how to share their knowledge with others in dynamic ways.
Next time get ready to engage your sense of smell!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Games!
I freely admit that I have always disliked playing video games; however, in today's world with modern students, instructors can expect that video games will engage and teach their students at all levels of education in ways traditional education does not.
I prefer free games that are easy to access for me and my students. Some games are very simple crossword puzzles and matching games such as those found at one site for Elementary Children and this free resource. Others can be more involved like the ones on this BBC site where role playing and experimenting with different scenarios teaches about the past. One site with a wide variety of game types and topics is History.com.
A resource that I enjoyed included many games from several periods of US history including one two player game where you act as British or Colonials battling it out for control of the Colonies. Another role playing game at pbs.org tests if you can Strike It Rich in the California Gold Rush.
A simple five question game about myself that both my husband and I had fun taking was "Which Founding Father are You?" at http://www.constitutionfacts.com/. Surprisingly, this quick game got a conversation going in my house (He was Hamilton and I was Madison)... this game might be a fun way to engage or "hook" students in a more in-depth discussion about founding fathers.
You may be asking yourself "How can I assess learning from a game?" I know I have debated the use of games. However, I am beginning to realize that the rehearsal of information presented in new, dynamic, and interesting ways and the problem solving in these games has as much value as some other more traditional practice activities. There are, of coarse, games that are much cooler and detailed that are not free. But those are for another day...do you have any free games you like to use with your classes?
I prefer free games that are easy to access for me and my students. Some games are very simple crossword puzzles and matching games such as those found at one site for Elementary Children and this free resource. Others can be more involved like the ones on this BBC site where role playing and experimenting with different scenarios teaches about the past. One site with a wide variety of game types and topics is History.com.
A resource that I enjoyed included many games from several periods of US history including one two player game where you act as British or Colonials battling it out for control of the Colonies. Another role playing game at pbs.org tests if you can Strike It Rich in the California Gold Rush.
A simple five question game about myself that both my husband and I had fun taking was "Which Founding Father are You?" at http://www.constitutionfacts.com/. Surprisingly, this quick game got a conversation going in my house (He was Hamilton and I was Madison)... this game might be a fun way to engage or "hook" students in a more in-depth discussion about founding fathers.
You may be asking yourself "How can I assess learning from a game?" I know I have debated the use of games. However, I am beginning to realize that the rehearsal of information presented in new, dynamic, and interesting ways and the problem solving in these games has as much value as some other more traditional practice activities. There are, of coarse, games that are much cooler and detailed that are not free. But those are for another day...do you have any free games you like to use with your classes?
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Returned from Disney and ready to Go
I've missed communicating with you in this history blog that was dormant for the summer.
While away, my family took a vacation to Disney World where my two daughters had many dreams realized. This was our first visit, and I have to say that Disney World is more than cartoon characters and good marketing. It was an amazing place where technology, creativity, and learning came together. My oldest daughter left inspired to be an imagineer when she grows up, and really aren't we all hoping that our children will have the opportunity to use their creativity to solve, build, and inspire others.
While visiting Epcot, we traveled in the giant sphere on the old ride that illustrates historical moments in the development of communication and writing. It concludes with a brief look at computers and the internet. My young daughters can't imagine a world without instant communication, yet left the ride understanding that our level of information sharing today was a gradual progression of learning and inventing. What a hands-on, multi-learning style way of teaching history!
I teach US History Online using the Hippocampus.org content and often hear from college level students that this is a more active, engaging learning experience than simply reading a textbook and sitting in class. I believe it is the first step to creating a course that inspires students to learn more.
What's next? Join me in the upcoming months for some ideas on how to engage student's imaginations, communication skills, and all learning styles.
While away, my family took a vacation to Disney World where my two daughters had many dreams realized. This was our first visit, and I have to say that Disney World is more than cartoon characters and good marketing. It was an amazing place where technology, creativity, and learning came together. My oldest daughter left inspired to be an imagineer when she grows up, and really aren't we all hoping that our children will have the opportunity to use their creativity to solve, build, and inspire others.
While visiting Epcot, we traveled in the giant sphere on the old ride that illustrates historical moments in the development of communication and writing. It concludes with a brief look at computers and the internet. My young daughters can't imagine a world without instant communication, yet left the ride understanding that our level of information sharing today was a gradual progression of learning and inventing. What a hands-on, multi-learning style way of teaching history!
I teach US History Online using the Hippocampus.org content and often hear from college level students that this is a more active, engaging learning experience than simply reading a textbook and sitting in class. I believe it is the first step to creating a course that inspires students to learn more.
What's next? Join me in the upcoming months for some ideas on how to engage student's imaginations, communication skills, and all learning styles.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
School Projects
I had a different blog post in mind, but after an arduous weekend that included tears and frustration of helping my first grader do a school project on Giant Pandas, I decided to change my plans. Last weekend I learned that in one week we had to write a paper, do an art project illustrating their animal, and be prepared to present information to the class. I say we, because a 7 year old is not capable of doing the research on their own even if they have strong writing and reading skills, and the supplies for an art project must be acquired and assembled with adult supervision.
What does this have to do with this history blog? Assignment relevancy and instructor leadership! Letting our students pick a topic that interests them most and creating assignment guidelines that students can meet are essential basics to an assignment. In this assignment, the parents became the teacher guiding our seven year old through the process of research, writing, editing, and creating a final project. While we are actively involved in our daughter’s education, I wondered about parents who simply did not have time this week to take that role. Should the teacher really have lead students through this process during the school day? Would this have given the teacher the opportunity to monitor student’s ability and witness their personal growth? Should teachers in high school and early college education assume that students have certain skills rather than leading them to the final quality product? Rather than assuming that it is the student’s responsibility to find help if they need it, should we offer that support in our courses. Doesn’t ignoring this basic need open the door to plagiarism and other academic dishonesty? Shouldn’t instructors provide examples and other support to help students be successful? Some would argue that this is handholding, but I would argue we are leading students to a product they can be proud of and meets our expectations.
As a kid, I remember these assignments and that feeling of dread of loosing play time and other family weekend time when they were assigned. As a teacher, I can guess which objectives might be the goals with an assignment like this, and yet as a parent, I argue that those are not the objectives met. My daughter did not learn research skills though we tried, nor did she learn composition writing or reading skills though we tried. However as a family, we pulled together to support her which emphasized learning and education. She learned about the value of spreading the work out over a week and finishing what she started even when it wasn’t fun anymore. This evening after completing all her hard work, she feels pride in herself and her work and enjoyed spending time with us. By not taking the initiative to provide support to our students in higher education and leaving it up to the student to find support a support system, don’t we leave this feeling of success and learning up to chance?
What does this have to do with this history blog? Assignment relevancy and instructor leadership! Letting our students pick a topic that interests them most and creating assignment guidelines that students can meet are essential basics to an assignment. In this assignment, the parents became the teacher guiding our seven year old through the process of research, writing, editing, and creating a final project. While we are actively involved in our daughter’s education, I wondered about parents who simply did not have time this week to take that role. Should the teacher really have lead students through this process during the school day? Would this have given the teacher the opportunity to monitor student’s ability and witness their personal growth? Should teachers in high school and early college education assume that students have certain skills rather than leading them to the final quality product? Rather than assuming that it is the student’s responsibility to find help if they need it, should we offer that support in our courses. Doesn’t ignoring this basic need open the door to plagiarism and other academic dishonesty? Shouldn’t instructors provide examples and other support to help students be successful? Some would argue that this is handholding, but I would argue we are leading students to a product they can be proud of and meets our expectations.
As a kid, I remember these assignments and that feeling of dread of loosing play time and other family weekend time when they were assigned. As a teacher, I can guess which objectives might be the goals with an assignment like this, and yet as a parent, I argue that those are not the objectives met. My daughter did not learn research skills though we tried, nor did she learn composition writing or reading skills though we tried. However as a family, we pulled together to support her which emphasized learning and education. She learned about the value of spreading the work out over a week and finishing what she started even when it wasn’t fun anymore. This evening after completing all her hard work, she feels pride in herself and her work and enjoyed spending time with us. By not taking the initiative to provide support to our students in higher education and leaving it up to the student to find support a support system, don’t we leave this feeling of success and learning up to chance?
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