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I am a History Teacher at Providence hall Jr. High Charter school. I have a love for helping students reach their potential. I created this blog in order to showcase my ideas for my classroom. Only a few of these lessons have been tested in an actual classroom and any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for visiting, Mr. Owen
Showing posts with label Unit Plans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unit Plans. Show all posts

Sunday, March 5, 2017

John C. Fremont Document Based Question

Document Based Questions (DBQ)  are a great way for teaching students to use Primary and Secondary Sources and formulate their own conclusions. For this DBQ I took an article for Utah Historical Quarterly and simplified it and broke it scaffold it with a question to help students understand its significance.
The question that students were to keep in mind during this assignment was: How were Mormon Settlements Influenced by John Fremont's Reports of the Great Basin?
Students would then read the documents intrprite and read maps, and answer questions to help students understand what they should be looking for.
Depending on the level of students they would then come up with a Thesis and Essay to answer the first question.

The Full Document Based Question is at the Following Link to a Google Doc:
Fremont Mormon Settlement Document Based Question

Baugh, Alexander L. "John C. Fremont's 1843-44 Western Expedition and Its Influence on Mormon Settlement in Utah." Utah Historical Quarterly 83.4 (2015): 254-69. Print.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Memorial Project

This is a fun way to get students thinking about symbolism and remembering the past. It also gives students the freedom to choose how they would like to present their research. For this project I put it into Utah's Struggle for Statehood, but it could be adapted for almost any unit. They begin by selecting a topic within Utah's Territorial time frame to research. Then they select the the way that they would like to present their research; drawing out in detail a memorial (or building a small replica),  designing installation art, or a miscellaneous/ performance (interpretive dance, monolog, musical composition, or something else). They then do the research, write a process paper explaining their symbolism and present it to the class.

Memorial
This is the Place Monument commemorating the Mormon Pioneers entry into the Salt Lake Valley and all of the other explorers before.

Resembles a weeping willow in Budapest, Hungary.  On each metal leaf is a name of a Hungarian Jew who die in the Holocaust.
http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/survival-and-legacy/legacy-and-memory/holocaust-memorials/#.VRnAbDvF8mc

The memorial at Iwo Jima to remember the United States victory at Iwo Jima.  The sculpture is based off of the famous picture taken the day of the victory.

 Installation Art

This is an installation art piece that represents the Japanese Internment in the United States during World War II.  Many people who were Japanese or of Japanese descent on the West Coast were forced from their homes and sent to internment camps until the end of the war.  This art piece is a collection of luggage tags that the Japanese had to put on their suitcases.  It shows the number of people that were sent away.

This installation art piece is in remembrance of 9/11.  "In observance of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, Illegal Art has marked each of the 110 floors on the sidewalk with chalk, starting at 5th Avenue and 14th Street and heading north for 1,368 feet (417 meters), the height of the taller of the two towers.  Passersby, like yourself, are encouraged to walk the height of the once standing building along 5th Avenue and write any words that expresses your feeling or experience related to 9/11."
http://www.examiner.com/article/heartfelt-diy-9-11-memorial-encourages-interaction

This the Rubric and information that is given to students:

 Remembering Events of Utah History
The State of Utah has decided that people are forgetting what happened many events that happened in Utah History.  You will compete in this competition choosing to create one of the following a memorial, an installation art piece, or a miscellaneous project.  Below are the requirements for each category.  IN TOTAL YOUR PROJECT IS WORTH 45 POINTS

Step 1: Choose form one of the following topics:

Utah War
Mountain Meadows Massacre
The Walker War
Utah Black Hawk War
Trans Continental Railroad             
Coop. Stores
Mining in Utah
Minorities
Pony Express
Other_______________________

Step 2: Pick a Genre
MEMORIAL:
A memorial is an object, which serves as a focus for memory of something or someone.  Examples are plaques, sculptures, monuments, statues, fountains, or parks.  (You cannot do a plaque or a park – nor can you simply do a statue of an American Indian).  Memorials are often very symbolic in their design.  For example, some Holocaust memorials include barbed wire, symbolizing the wire used to contain them.  If you choose to do a memorial you must have:

______  A well-drawn design of your memorial (this is not a quick drawing) (20
            points)
______  An incorporated symbol that has a connection to your topic (5 points)
______  A one-page typed description that includes: (20 points total)
            ______ HOW and WHY you chose your design (5 points)
            ______ What is your incorporated symbol and why did you choose it (8
                         points)
            ______ A location for your memorial (where would you put it and why) (2
                        points)
            ______Sources and Research What happened! (5 points)


“INSTALLATION” ART:
“Installation” art is an art piece that is 3-D that can be found within a museum or in a site-specific space.  While a memorial has symbolic elements, “installation” art is completely symbolic and raises awareness.  It also can be interactive.  It is art that really makes the viewer think about what is symbolizes, but it also makes them look inward.  If you choose to do an “installation” art piece you must have:

______  A well-drawn design of your “installation” art (this is not a quick drawing)  
            (20 points)
______  Symbolism (How is it symbolic) (10 points)
______  A one-page typed description that includes: (15 points total)
            ______ HOW and WHY you chose your design (3 points)
            ______ Describe how your art is symbolic and what you want your viewers to
                       experience (5 points)
            ______ A location for your “installation” art (where would you put it and why)
                       (2 points)
______Sources and Research What happened! (5 points)


MISCELLANEOUS
We know that there are those of you out there that have other talents that may not fall into the 3 categories above and we would like to give you the chance to participate as well.  In this category you may: write a song (music and/or lyrics), choreograph a dance, write a spoken word poem or write a 5 minute monologue (each recorded and sent to Mr. Owen  (See me for examples) If you choose to participate in this category you must have:

______  A recording of the piece (20 points)
______  A one-page typed description (25 point total)
            ______ HOW and WHY you chose this particular form of art (8 points)
            ______ Your process in creating this art piece (6 points)
            ______ What do you hope your audience will feel and take away from
           seeing/hearing your performance (6  points)
            ______Sources and Research What happened! (5 points)


Step 3: Research Topic and complete requirements for your chosen Medium.


Step 4: 2-5 minute presentation about your Project.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Bell Ringers for the Gilded Age Unit



Objective: Students will share what they know and communicate reactions through writing in a Journal.


Preparation/ Materials: each student should have a journal/ or history notebook. Teachers must be able to post quotes, and pictures on the board.


Instruction: Explain to the students that at the beginning of each class period they will be given about five minutes to write in their history journal a reaction from a question, quotes or photographs. On Fridays instead of a writing prompt they will need to share current events. writing should be a full paragraph with complete sentences, points will not be given for poor or incomplete sentences. The goal is improvement over the weeks and months students should show continues improvement in writing and higher level critical thinking.


Conclusion: At the end of the unit have students revisit their journal entries and see if any of their opinions have changed.Have the students write how their opinions have or not.


This is a list of Quotes, Questions and Pictures that pertain to the Gilded Age:

Indian Wars


"From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
   Nez Perce Indian Chief Joseph.




Rail Road

“If you have to pay money to have the right thing done, it is only just and fair to do it. If a man has the power to do great evil and won’t do right unless he is bribed to do it…it is a man’s duty to go up and bribe the judge.”

- Collis P. Huntington, Southern Pacific Railroad Agent




Industrial Issues

“It really seems hard when we look back upon what we have done…that we should feel compelled to fight
for our lives against political adventurers who have never done anything but pose and draw a salary.”
-Joseph Wharton, Industrialist (nickel & steel)


“Fellow workers. ... This is the Continental Congress of the working-class. We are here to confederate the workers of this country into a working-class movement that shall have for its purpose the emancipation of the working-class from the slave bondage of capitalism. ... The aims and objects of this organization shall be to put the working-class in possession of the economic power, the means of life, in control of the machinery of production and distribution, without regard to the capitalist masters.”
-“Big” Bill Haywood, IWW organizer (1905)


“ANARCHISM:--The philosophy of a new social order based on liberty unrestricted by man-made law; the theory that all forms of government rest on violence, and are therefore wrong and harmful, as well as pointless.
If not for the spirit of rebellion, of the defiance on the part of the American revolutionary fathers, their posterity would still wear the King's coat. If not for the direct action of a John Brown and his comrades, America would still trade in the flesh of the black man. True, the trade in white flesh is still going on; but that, too, will have to be abolished by direct action. Trade-unionism, the economic arena of the modern gladiator, owes its existence to direct action.
Will it not lead to a revolution? Indeed, it will. No real social change has ever come about without a revolution. People are either not familiar with their history, or they have not yet learned that revolution is but thought carried into action.”
 -Emma Goldman (1910)


“Men may die but the fabrics of free institutions remain unshaken."
Chester Arthur


"So long as all the increased wealth which modern progress brings goes but to build up great fortunes, to increase luxury and make sharper the contrast between the House of Have and the House of Want, progress is not real and cannot be permanent."
 "Progress and Poverty," Henry George,









Immigration


"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teaming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
Emma Lazarus in 1883


“Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave the country.”







Politics
"I want it understood that I am the grandson of nobody, I believe that every man should stand on his own merit." Benjamin Harrison


“I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.”
Theodore Roosevelt

“Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”
Theodore Roosevelt

“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.”
Theodore Roosevelt

“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”
Theodore Roosevelt

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
―Theodore Roosevelt

“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children's children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”
― Theodore Roosevelt



Monday, March 18, 2013

Sensitivity Module: Senior Interview



Sensitivity Module: Senior Interview  
State Standards
Utah: US2: 7/ 8
 
Honors U.S. History II
My thoughts for this unit are to make it for an honors or leadership class. It involves a lot of work on the teacher’s part and places a lot of responsibility on the students, and until it could be perfected I would not recommend it be done for a standard History class.
Interviewing elderly about their childhood (1940’s or 1950’s) unfortunately the placement of this lesson will change over the years the original lesson was with WWII vets and there are not many left.
The ideas for this lesson come from Values Clarifications: a Handbook of Practical Strategies for teachers and Students (Simon©1972) Strategy Number 45
Objective: Students will gain a greater respect for those that lived through history by interviewing the elderly in their community. This will give a primary source on growing up in these periods.
Before begging this unit contact a local Nursing Home, Assisted living center or Senior Citizen organization and see if there are any seniors that would like members  (no more than two) to come and visit them and ask them about their early years. Find out general information to give to the students such as: Birth, Place of birth, perfusion, family status, and best times to meet with them, as well as any other things that may be nice to know.
Before assigning seniors to students teach the students the importance being professional with these seniors, and preparing them to be the interviewer. Take a class period to have them practice interviewing as pares and then have them write down a list of questions that they would like to ask their senior. There are many movie clips that can be shown to help this way. Also remained the class that when taking a recorded interview and typing it out it is customary for folklorist to write exactly how it is said with ums and accents sounded out…
If you have made arrangements with a nursing home or assisted living center, and time permits class time could be used to go as a class and do the interviews, otherwise arrangements will need to be made on an individual bases, the interview should take at least a half hour but not go much longer than an hour. If the students want to visit more have them return another day…
From the interview students will write a report, or the stories that they learned.  A rubric will need to be created for students to fallow according to the desired outcome. 
Flow, Spelling and Grammar 15pt
Strong introduction 10pt
Narrative (story 3-4 paragraphs from interview) 50pt
Reflection 20pt
Above and beyond (just over the top good) 5pt
Total 100pt
Extra: if this project is a success and there are a few students that bond and create a great report and interview have a life time achievement night to honor one or two of the seniors that were interviewed. Have the students do most of the work and expound on their lives. Have them make a presentation and honor the seniors at a “big event” a dinner with the class their family and friends or whatever fits your community.
It is my hope and belief that by having young people interact and learn from these seniors they will gain a greater respect for their elders and grow to become more understanding of others.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Professionl Learning Community (PLC) Meeting Notes & Template

PLC (Professional Learning Community) Meeting Agenda after primary curriculum has been determined and assessment has begun. Adapted from notes on guest speaker Doug Snow Logan City School District 9/20/2010
 
Five Steps:
Step 1-collect and chart data
Step 2-analyze strengths and obstacles
Step 3-Establish goals: set, review, revise
Step 4-Select instructional strategies
Step 5-Determine results indicators
 
Assessment Analysis Sheet for Goal #1
Teacher
#of students that took assessment
#students Proficient
%Students Proficient
#Students Not Proficient
% Students Not Proficient
# and names of students likely to be proficient after instruction- students who are relay close
# and names of students likely to be proficient after instruction-student who have fare to go
# and names of students Not likely to be proficient after instruction- students in need of extensive support
 
Have fellow teachers collect data and discus results as a team, other teachers may have insight or know the student and how to help them better.
 
Cause Data Tracking Sheet for                  Assessment
Teacher
% of h/w devoted to writing in content area
%of effective teaching strategies that are deliberately used  to support learning goals
% of lesson plans that were collectively created
% attendance at data team meetings
Did you use the common scoring rubric?
Did you score the assessment collectively?
Is the assessment connected to “Power Standards”?
 
This Cart can be used to show the effectiveness of the PLC and how the outcomes came about.
As PLC’s Make Goals they need to fallow S.M.A.R.T. Goals:  Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Framed