The groups dove deeply into their initial study of Rome despite balancing
exams in this and other classes. They did so through a combination of
lecture, reading, and a US Public Broadcasting Service clip (during which
the teacher was able to integrate previously-discussed information about
Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus onto a timeline on the white board).
Within this time period, one group--4A--did an improvised current affairs
activity, given how the exam period had put them significantly ahead of 4B
and 4C.
The activity--which used an article from La Nación--focused on the Costa
Rican Government's final effort to reform the public school calendar (a move
that would likely eventually impact that of private schools as well).
Great passions were unleashed unlike the teacher had yet seen, with strong
opposition--to include the near-ingestion of the document by at least one
student--the order of the day. The teacher struggled to calm these passions
and reframe the discussion onto the facts; the potential Positives and
Negatives of the proposal.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
August 8-19
Great creativity was demanded from the three fourth grade classes, which
created civilizations from scratch.
Students crafted posters that addressed the key aspects of any civilization
(customs, religion, social structure, etc).
Subsequently, classes began their exam review, using the Concepts being
studied (progress, tolerance, faith, leadership, and conquest) as the lens
through which to reassess the material.
The point was stressed that never have we found such clear descriptions of
civilizations as they had demonstrated in their Projects. In other words,
that history--particularly ancient history--is speculative, and that
archaeologists and historians have to piece bits of information together to
create a narrative.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
July 26-August 5
Students were welcomed back to class with a reminder about extra help (on
Fridays and ("by appointment") and the introduction of Bellworks, which
provide a chance to reflect on the previous day's lesson or a current events
issues.
Also introduced was a framework for analyzing history; a set of concepts
that would be used for the rest of the school year. These concepts
(Progress, Tolerance, Faith, Leadership, and Conquest) were discussed in
class, with students pressed for their perspective on what they meant to
them, currently.
On Progress, students were asked:
-Is Progress better or just further along?
-Is more technology Progress, using your definition?
-How can we measure Progress?
On Tolerance:
-In your words, what is Tolerance?
-Is Tolerance always good?
-Can people countries be too Tolerant?
On Faith:
-What do you have Faith in?
-Do some people misuse Faith?
-Is Faith something we believe or something we need to demonstrate?
On Leadership:
-What is Leadership?
-What makes a good leader good and a bad leader bad?
-Do individuals or small groups lead better?why?
On Conquest:
-Is Conquest good, bad, or does it depend?
-What does it mean to conquer another land?
-What parallel could be drawn between conquering a land and ?conquering? a
person, romantically?
Discussions evolved based on responses to these open-ended questions, with
students asked to elaborate and give examples, and with classmates urged to
put these responses in their own words feed off of them.
Students subsequently were introduced to and read the unit on Ancient
Greece?their last before the Exam--and analyzed the material using these
concepts (they also watched a brief History Channel clip on Sparta).
On Athens, Sparta, the Peloponnesian War, and Alexander the Great, 4th
graders discussed such questions as:
-Which civilization reflects more Progress/had more Tolerance/showed more
Faith, Athens or Sparta?
-What were the differences in Leadership between the two societies?
-What did Alexander have Faith in?
-What does the fact that Alexander's empire fell apart without him suggest
about his Leadership?
Finally, students were assigned groups for their Projects, in which they
will have to create ancient civilizations from scratch, garnering
inspiration from those we have studied.
Fridays and ("by appointment") and the introduction of Bellworks, which
provide a chance to reflect on the previous day's lesson or a current events
issues.
Also introduced was a framework for analyzing history; a set of concepts
that would be used for the rest of the school year. These concepts
(Progress, Tolerance, Faith, Leadership, and Conquest) were discussed in
class, with students pressed for their perspective on what they meant to
them, currently.
On Progress, students were asked:
-Is Progress better or just further along?
-Is more technology Progress, using your definition?
-How can we measure Progress?
On Tolerance:
-In your words, what is Tolerance?
-Is Tolerance always good?
-Can people countries be too Tolerant?
On Faith:
-What do you have Faith in?
-Do some people misuse Faith?
-Is Faith something we believe or something we need to demonstrate?
On Leadership:
-What is Leadership?
-What makes a good leader good and a bad leader bad?
-Do individuals or small groups lead better?why?
On Conquest:
-Is Conquest good, bad, or does it depend?
-What does it mean to conquer another land?
-What parallel could be drawn between conquering a land and ?conquering? a
person, romantically?
Discussions evolved based on responses to these open-ended questions, with
students asked to elaborate and give examples, and with classmates urged to
put these responses in their own words feed off of them.
Students subsequently were introduced to and read the unit on Ancient
Greece?their last before the Exam--and analyzed the material using these
concepts (they also watched a brief History Channel clip on Sparta).
On Athens, Sparta, the Peloponnesian War, and Alexander the Great, 4th
graders discussed such questions as:
-Which civilization reflects more Progress/had more Tolerance/showed more
Faith, Athens or Sparta?
-What were the differences in Leadership between the two societies?
-What did Alexander have Faith in?
-What does the fact that Alexander's empire fell apart without him suggest
about his Leadership?
Finally, students were assigned groups for their Projects, in which they
will have to create ancient civilizations from scratch, garnering
inspiration from those we have studied.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
June 20-24
Students completed the lesson on Early Central American civilizations,
watching a brief movie on Teotihuacan (in what is today southern Mexico).
They were also reminded of their opportunity to re-do In-Class Works on
which they had performed poorly, and given class time to ask questions and
tackle the task.
It was then time to begin the Persian Empire. The teacher lectured and drew
a timeline on the board, which led to a more general discussion of the
difficulty of communication in ancient times, a task magnified by the size
of a number of empires.
The teacher mapped the plan on the whiteboard for the outside activity,
which would take the students on the Persian "Royal Road"
and show them one strategy in which the Persians tackled the communication
challenge.
To demonstrate the 3-month horseback trip across the empire, one student
"rode" another student (carrying his feet while the "horse"
traveled on his/her hands) to deliver the message given by the teacher to a
student at the other end of the field.
Subsequently, the faster, 1-week horseback trip was demonstrated, using four
"horses" stationed en route to deliver the message.
In the effort to read the Persian Empire lesson, students' focus was
improved by writing questions on the board on which the students would be
informally quizzed.
watching a brief movie on Teotihuacan (in what is today southern Mexico).
They were also reminded of their opportunity to re-do In-Class Works on
which they had performed poorly, and given class time to ask questions and
tackle the task.
It was then time to begin the Persian Empire. The teacher lectured and drew
a timeline on the board, which led to a more general discussion of the
difficulty of communication in ancient times, a task magnified by the size
of a number of empires.
The teacher mapped the plan on the whiteboard for the outside activity,
which would take the students on the Persian "Royal Road"
and show them one strategy in which the Persians tackled the communication
challenge.
To demonstrate the 3-month horseback trip across the empire, one student
"rode" another student (carrying his feet while the "horse"
traveled on his/her hands) to deliver the message given by the teacher to a
student at the other end of the field.
Subsequently, the faster, 1-week horseback trip was demonstrated, using four
"horses" stationed en route to deliver the message.
In the effort to read the Persian Empire lesson, students' focus was
improved by writing questions on the board on which the students would be
informally quizzed.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
June 13-17
Classes completed their look at Ancient Africa
(post-Egyptian New Kingdom), subsequently moving back to the Americas
to study the civilizations of Monte Alban and Teotihuacan, both
located in what is today southern Mexico.
The 4th graders copied a chart with columns for both of these
civilizations. The chart was completed for the Monte Alban boxes, but
the teacher left it to them to complete the corresponding sections for
Teotihuacan.
Students also had to imagine they were transported to one of the two
civilizations and conjure up a "day in the life," mixing facts from
the book with their own ideas of what they might do on any given day.
The concept of Critical Thinking was also introduced, students copying
in their notebooks a blank chart including the "Three Thinkers" (Naive
Nancy, Selfish Sam, and Fair-Minded Fran). The teacher went through
the five minute movie clip, pausing to solicit information to fill in
the chart on the whiteboard (and in each student notebook). The notion
that "we all have all three types of thinkers inside of us" was
stressed.
Students then tackled a Homework based on the Three Thinkers in which
they had to write about a situation in which they had been like Sam or
Nancy, and how they could have been more like Fran.
(post-Egyptian New Kingdom), subsequently moving back to the Americas
to study the civilizations of Monte Alban and Teotihuacan, both
located in what is today southern Mexico.
The 4th graders copied a chart with columns for both of these
civilizations. The chart was completed for the Monte Alban boxes, but
the teacher left it to them to complete the corresponding sections for
Teotihuacan.
Students also had to imagine they were transported to one of the two
civilizations and conjure up a "day in the life," mixing facts from
the book with their own ideas of what they might do on any given day.
The concept of Critical Thinking was also introduced, students copying
in their notebooks a blank chart including the "Three Thinkers" (Naive
Nancy, Selfish Sam, and Fair-Minded Fran). The teacher went through
the five minute movie clip, pausing to solicit information to fill in
the chart on the whiteboard (and in each student notebook). The notion
that "we all have all three types of thinkers inside of us" was
stressed.
Students then tackled a Homework based on the Three Thinkers in which
they had to write about a situation in which they had been like Sam or
Nancy, and how they could have been more like Fran.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
June 6-10
Classes began the week reviewing their knowledge of Early American
Civilizations in preparation for the Quiz on Tuesday. Immediately
following the Quiz, students copied a timeline on African
civiliations, post-Egyptian New Kingdom, which would prepare them for
the movie and reading they would do.
The BBC video the students watched focused on Ethiopia's past.
Narrated by an art historian, the movie touched on issues the class
had and would continue to see in the textbook, and highlighted
Ethiopia's legends of connections to Hebrew King Solomon and the
country's possession of the Ark of the Covenant, which allegedly
contains the Ten Commandments. A brief clip of Raiders of the Lost Ark
(an Indiana Jones movie) was also shown to spotlight how the search
for the Ark has long captivated archaeologists.
After discussing the movie and previewing the material, classes read
the lesson on African civilizations.
Civilizations in preparation for the Quiz on Tuesday. Immediately
following the Quiz, students copied a timeline on African
civiliations, post-Egyptian New Kingdom, which would prepare them for
the movie and reading they would do.
The BBC video the students watched focused on Ethiopia's past.
Narrated by an art historian, the movie touched on issues the class
had and would continue to see in the textbook, and highlighted
Ethiopia's legends of connections to Hebrew King Solomon and the
country's possession of the Ark of the Covenant, which allegedly
contains the Ten Commandments. A brief clip of Raiders of the Lost Ark
(an Indiana Jones movie) was also shown to spotlight how the search
for the Ark has long captivated archaeologists.
After discussing the movie and previewing the material, classes read
the lesson on African civilizations.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
May 30-June 3
The 4th grade group viewed a 10-minute movie that both highlighted the
discovery of Caral (America's oldest known civilization) and
encapsulated much of the material that students had learned so far
this year. It did so by identifying unifying themes among early
civilizations. It also made clear historians' lack of definitive
answers for the question of what had led to Early Man crossing the
"Great Divide"(the leap between nomadic life and civilization). During
the film, students had to track responses to four key questions.
After watching and analyzing the film 4th graders took In-Class #2, a
fill-in-the-blank exercise which gave each student a role in the
advent of Early American Civilizations.
Subsequently 4th graders took a breather from the textbook, completing
a "Devil's Advocate" activity. Introducing the activity, the teacher
stressed the importance of exploring the other side of a given belief,
whether it concern a legal case or a historical "fact." After the
teacher modeled a couple "Devil's Advocate" examples, students were
split into four groups. Each group had to record on the whiteboard a
list of five arguments of why either:
- brushing your teeth is bad;
- war is good;
- 4th graders should be allowed to drive; or
- beaches in Guanacaste are ugly.
The 4th grade class closed the week by reviewing for the following
week's quiz on Early American Civilizations, for which most students
appeared well-prepared.
discovery of Caral (America's oldest known civilization) and
encapsulated much of the material that students had learned so far
this year. It did so by identifying unifying themes among early
civilizations. It also made clear historians' lack of definitive
answers for the question of what had led to Early Man crossing the
"Great Divide"(the leap between nomadic life and civilization). During
the film, students had to track responses to four key questions.
After watching and analyzing the film 4th graders took In-Class #2, a
fill-in-the-blank exercise which gave each student a role in the
advent of Early American Civilizations.
Subsequently 4th graders took a breather from the textbook, completing
a "Devil's Advocate" activity. Introducing the activity, the teacher
stressed the importance of exploring the other side of a given belief,
whether it concern a legal case or a historical "fact." After the
teacher modeled a couple "Devil's Advocate" examples, students were
split into four groups. Each group had to record on the whiteboard a
list of five arguments of why either:
- brushing your teeth is bad;
- war is good;
- 4th graders should be allowed to drive; or
- beaches in Guanacaste are ugly.
The 4th grade class closed the week by reviewing for the following
week's quiz on Early American Civilizations, for which most students
appeared well-prepared.
Monday, May 30, 2011
May 23-27
The 4th grade class turned in their homework (an article on Costa
Rica-China relations) and then took quiz #1 on Tuesday, which covered
Early China civilizations.
They then made a trip back around the globe, learning about early man
in America and the first civilizations here. Learning that nobody is
"really" a Native American--that until between 30,000 B.C. and 13,000
B.C., there was nobody here--students saw a timeline and also a
fill-in-the-blank imagining students' trip from Asia, across the
Bering Strait land bridge, and to what was then a nameless land.
Students also had to come up with four questions and four answers,
using important information from the lesson.
Using the services of students to help review the material in front of
the class, the teacher then moved on to the first American
Civilizations (the Olmecs and Caral people), reviewing the key points
before having students review them on their own.
Also during the week the teacher introduced procedures to maximize
class learning time (including making a "thumbs up" to go the bathroom
instead of having to interrupt to ask to go).
Rica-China relations) and then took quiz #1 on Tuesday, which covered
Early China civilizations.
They then made a trip back around the globe, learning about early man
in America and the first civilizations here. Learning that nobody is
"really" a Native American--that until between 30,000 B.C. and 13,000
B.C., there was nobody here--students saw a timeline and also a
fill-in-the-blank imagining students' trip from Asia, across the
Bering Strait land bridge, and to what was then a nameless land.
Students also had to come up with four questions and four answers,
using important information from the lesson.
Using the services of students to help review the material in front of
the class, the teacher then moved on to the first American
Civilizations (the Olmecs and Caral people), reviewing the key points
before having students review them on their own.
Also during the week the teacher introduced procedures to maximize
class learning time (including making a "thumbs up" to go the bathroom
instead of having to interrupt to ask to go).
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