Of course all credit was earned by providing support for any response using facts from the Revolutionary Era. Even so, it was really interesting to see how students chose to respond. Here is a breakdown of the position 8th grade students chose for the essay.
On the recent test covering the American Revolution, the final essay questions asked: If you were an American living in Boston in 1776 would you have been a Patriot, Loyalist, or would you want to stay out of the conflict and try to go about you life? Explain your decision in terms of the events of the 1760's and 1770's. Support for you answer may include your stance on British Taxation, American Protests, the Intolerable Acts, Fighting at Lexington and Concord, Arguments made byCommon Sense and the Declaration of Independence, etc.
Of course all credit was earned by providing support for any response using facts from the Revolutionary Era. Even so, it was really interesting to see how students chose to respond. Here is a breakdown of the position 8th grade students chose for the essay.
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It seems like it has been so long time since my last blog post. In fact, it was at end of the Constitution Unit. Since then we have studied The Columbian Exchange, Settlement patterns of Europeans in the Americas, the French and Indian War, as well as our continuing 8th Grade Debate Unit. Aside from social studies and history content such as people, events, and effects our focus has been on the skill of finding and using evidence to support claims and create arguments. In the Columbian Exchange unit students wrote essays around the claim that the Columbian Exchange was the most important event in history. Students gathered evidence from a video as well as online sources and made the case in written format. Because of a peer feedback process as well as teacher collaboration using Google Docs, these essays were top quality. The student gathered so much evidence to show that the exchange transformed a continent and impacted millions of people at the time.
In the French and Indian War Unit we have continued to look for evidence in addressing the essential question: how did the French and Indian War create america? Most people would argue it was the American Revolution, but students have been gathering evidence to make the case it started years earlier. Through a self-designed project students will be presenting their evidence soon after February break. The Debate Unit has been awesome! Last week nearly every 8th grader participated in an actual debate. Up this point instruction has been centered on how to make arguments, finding evidence, and debate format. Students were assigned their team along with a challenging topic requiring some research. Some of our debate topics were: “newspapers are a thing of the past”; “voting is a responsibility”; ‘testing of medicines and products on animals should be banned”. Armed with evidence and carefully crafted arguments, students practiced public speaking and careful listening while engaged in competition with another equally prepared team. Once again, most students met the challenge and the resulting work was impressive. Interestingly, the skill of finding and using evidence exists in all other content areas and provides some interesting opportunities for teachers to work together. As the year continues, we will continue to work on finding and using evidence within the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. This essential skill that will not only be useful in high school, but also many aspects of everyday life especially civic involvement. Note: This post also appeared on the FWSU Blog on January 29, 2014 Student Jurors returned not guilty verdicts in two cases heard in a criminal trial simulation held in the 7th and 8th Grade Applied Core Mock Trial class at GEMS. The class was formulated by 8th Grade Teachers Mary Bove and Eric Hadd to address some of the shifts required by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as well as to extend learning from core subjects in a more interactive way. Criminal Procedure and rights of the accused are natural extensions of the 8th Grade Constitution Unit while argumentation, use of evidence, close reading, and speaking and listening are key to the new English Language Arts Standards. In one case Casey Clevenger, a talented computer student, was accused of vandalizing a school computer lab and hacking the grading database to change grades. In the end, it was not proven that Clevenger committed either crime. In a separate case Beck Martin, a high school student, was accused of murder when a fellow student, who had discovered his cheating on an exam, was found dead on rocks below a beach cliff. Once again the evidence presented to the jury was not enough to elicit a guilty verdict. Throughout the class, students worked in teams to represent the prosecution and defense while using evidence to create a compelling narrative and craft convincing arguments designed to lead the jury to a conclusion. As each witness testified, the answers helped sway the jury one way or another. As in a real criminal trial, the burden of proof rested on the prosecution which needed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Although both sides worked hard on the case, the prosecution faced a greater challenge. Both cases were based on materials generated by the Constitutional Rights Foundation and American Bar Association. These packets contain a basic fact situation, witness statements, evidence exhibits, and courtroom rules and procedures.
Students were responsible for keeping a journal throughout the process that the teachers were able to use for assessment of understanding of key concepts, effective use of evidence, and teamwork. Mock trials proved to be an effective resource to get students engaged in civics concepts in an authentic way while also addressing the increased academic rigor of the Common Core Standards. As a student wrote in her final reflection, “I know this will be helpful to me in the future. I am actually debating whether or not I might want to be a lawyer, partly because this mock trial convinced me that I’m really good at it.” As we prepare for a test on the Constitution unit, I wanted to share a map that I stumbled upon upon about a year ago. It is the work of Neil Freeman, Artist and Urban Planner. His blog titled Fake Is The New Real contains the entire blog post on electoral college reform. The map below shows our nation carved up into 50 states with equal population. While Mr. Freedman admits this is not a serious proposal, I find it incredibly interesting. If we were were to redraw the borders in this fashion, we would not have to worry about one person's vote being worth less than another person's. As I have pointed out before, our current system makes our vote in Vermont more powerful than a vote in California. The issues caused by winner - take - all in the current electoral configuration would also be solved. Of course we would need to adjust these borders every few years for this new system to work. Perhaps going with the popular vote would be the most effective electoral college reform?
This year our 7/8 Schedule features a new class called applied core. The idea behind this time is to give students new ways to explore content and create new projects. My most recent Applied Core class was called Telling Stories of the Past. The students researched and produced four short videos that are connected to their community, past and present. Check out the videos below. The Constitution and Bill of Rights are part of all our daily lives. After all, the rights we enjoy as citizens are spelled out and protected by these founding documents. Reminders of the role they play in our lives are literally everywhere. I don’t go a day without encountering references to the Constitution in current events, popular culture, or entertainment. On Wednesday I will be giving students an assignment to search out connections to the Constitution that they encounter in daily life outside my classroom. Students will be completing a short write up for each and submitting their work portfolio style. View the full assignment and directions. Here is an example of a Constitutional connection (sorry 8th graders may not use this specific one) Also notice it is connected in more than one way! Saturday Night Live November 2, 2013 11:30p.m Channel 5 - WPTZ- NBC Universal Television Summary:
In this clip the Actress/Comedian Kate McKinnon played the role of Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services. The topic of the sketch is the website healthcare.gov, where citizens are supposed to be able to use to sign up for insurance under the new healthcare law. The sketch mocks the website as a flop and casts the Secretary and entire Obama administration as inept. Connection to the United States Constitution: The Secretary of Health and Human services is a high ranking Government official. According to Article 2, Section 2, Clause 2 members of the President’s Cabinet must be approved by 2/3 of the Senate. The First Amendment to the Constitution Protects Freedom of Speech. In America we are free to criticize our government without fear of being arrested or punished. SNL frequently exercises the first amendment in order to make people laugh. Although my guess is that President Obama and Secretary Sebelius did not laugh. One of the products students created at the conclusion of the Geographic Inquiry was an infographic. An infographic is a visual representation of information and data. Students were required to use a map as well as a chart, graph, or graphic organizer. Check out the awesome student work samples below!
As our classes make steady progress on the Geographic inquiry, a familiar theme emerges -Geography is all about diversity. This simple idea of diversity defines geography beyond where something is located. Diversity leads us to ask interesting questions about the world around us, we naturally want to know how and why characteristics differ from place to place. What a boring world it would be if every location had the same characteristics and all people shared a similar way of life. Fortunately our landscapes do change from place to place, along with the natural processes and functions or the land and the cultures of people who live there. Students have formulated so many great geographic questions according to their own interests and spent several classes researching, exploring, and drawing conclusions. Clear examples of diversity can be seen in the student research questions. Here are a few examples:
So many interesting topics and they are all geographically interesting thanks to our diverse world. Check out my slideshow featuring some of the places I have been, the pictures demonstrate the idea of geographic diversity quite well. Where have you traveled and how did it differ from Vermont? Please take a minute to post a comment. The year is off to a great start! Each year I begin with a study of geography using two drastically different approaches. First we study basic geography of the United States with an emphasis on states and capitals. I want students to know some fundamentals without having to go back to a map each time a current event or history topic is location dependent. The second approach is an inquiry-based project, which greatly expands the students’ understanding of geography by requiring them to ask questions and perform authentic research on a topic of their choice. I wanted to bring the dynamic and engaging nature of this Geographic Inquiry to the more rote learning goal of states and capitals. How could I have students demonstrate creativity and innovation instead of only asking them to memorize? My solution was to have them invent a game. View the States and Capitals - The Game I was amazed at what the students were able to create. Almost all the games were highly playable and motivating while targeting the essential learning. Games requiring strategy and skill were especially popular on the day they were played in class. As the teacher, I took the opportunity to assess group work dynamics, work habits, and time management. I am always especially concerned with these as they represent the largest aspect of class participation.
I asked the students for feedback and on the project and here is a sampling of their comments. “ I think this project should be done next year. It was fun and challenging at the same time.” “Going through the process of making a game helped me learn more of the states and capitals "I would like to do this again, it was a great way to study.” “There were so many creative ideas.” “The process of making a game was actually pretty intense working with four perfectionists.” “A littler more time would be better so people don’t rush to finish.” “It was alright. I feel like I would have gotten more out of direct study. less fun, but quicker and more beneficial.” I was pleased with the thoughtful and productive feedback. These 8th graders have a strong voice! This week we start the process of Geographic Inquiry and learn what geography really is and how it interests us all. I am excited to return to school and anticipate an awesome year of teaching and learning. Over the first few days of school students and I will engage in a dialog about expectations and the learning process. What do I expect of students in my classes? Here is a preview.
A dialog is a back and forth, so I will, of course, ask students what they expect of me. Their voice is a critical part of the process and our collaboration will set the stage for a successful year. Teachers are always learners and I am excited to explore and learn with the 8th graders this year. Throughout this year and into the future you will hear more and more about the Common Core State Standards. This National set of standards sets a new level of performance for students. As I continue to formulate new learning opportunities based on the standards, students can expect to be challenged, but also find the freedom to solve problems in new ways, create products of their own design, and use technology effectively. I like to compare the process to my summer project of building a tree house with my daughter. It was hard work, but it was also very rewarding. Parent contact is important and I have a goal to reach out regularly when when things are going well. In other words, parents will not be hearing from me only because something bad is happening. It is important to celebrate success. Be Awesome! Eric Hadd 8th Grade Social Studies |
8th Grade Social StudiesStudent and Teacher posts about what is happening in class and in the world CategoriesArchives
November 2015
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