Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Essay Example

This lesson should be given in the students’ everyday learning environment. The seating may need to be arranged for a less formal layout and to allow for an accessible classroom discussion. The after/ RT activity should be conducted near a blackboard, whiteboard, projector, or other large writable display area. This lesson emphasizes comfort and incorporates reading but does not require high skill levels in writing. The students should not pair up, as the diversity of the classroom should enhance meaningful contributions to class discussion.

Standards and Objectives

 Your State Core Curriculum/Student Achievement Standard(s):

To view standards: Go to TaskStream Standards Manager under Programs & Resources. Then go to Browse Standards (Standards Wizard). Select your state. Select standard(s).

B.4.3 Examine biographies, stories, narratives, and folk tales to understand the lives of ordinary and extraordinary people, place them in time and context, and explain their relationship to important historical events

B.4.4 Compare and contrast changes in contemporary life with life in the past by looking at social, economic, political, and cultural roles played by individuals and groups

B.4.5 Identify the historical background and meaning of important political values such as freedom, democracy, and justice

C.4.1 Identify and explain the individual’s responsibilities to family, peers, and the community, including the need for civility and respect for diversity

E.4.5 Identify and describe institutions such as school, church, police, and family and describe their contributions to the well being of the community, state, nation, and global society

E.4.6 Give examples of group and institutional influences such as laws, rules, and peer pressure on people, events, and culture

E.4.7 Explain the reasons why individuals respond in different ways to a particular event and the ways in which interactions among individuals influence behavior

Lesson Objective(s):

(e.g., what students will accomplish by the end of a single lesson; needs to align with core curriculum/student achievement standard)

• to provide students with collaborative and individual strategies for use before and after reading about history
• to optimize on social learning to promote a positive learning environment
• to aid students in developing specific reading skills which are necessary to their comprehension of history and the behavioral sciences
• to aid students in evaluating gaps in learning
• to develop critical thinking
• to encourage students to compare and contrast different time periods and locations

Materials and Resources

 Instructional Materials:

Materials needed for the lesson (e.g., textbook, construction paper, scissors, PowerPoint, guided note templates)

• an exciting chapter from a relevant historical topic
• blackboard/ white board/ projector and writing materials (for teacher)
• textbooks
• instruction sheets for the homework detailed below

Resources:

Supplementary information and/or places where you found information for the lesson

Klinger, J. K., Vaughn, S., Arguelles, M., Hughes, M., & Leftwich, S. (2004). Collaborative Strategic Reading: “Real-World” Lessons From Classroom Teachers. Remedial & Special Education, 25(5), 291-302.

McClanahan, B. (2009). Help! I Have Kids Who Can’t Read in My World History Class!. Preventing School Failure, 53(2), 105-112.

MONTE-SANO, C. (2011). Beyond Reading Comprehension and Summary: Learning to Read and Write in History by Focusing on Evidence, Perspective, and Interpretation. Curriculum Inquiry, 41(2), 212-249. doi:10.1111/j.1467-873X.2011.00547.x.

Williams, J. A. (2010). Taking on the Role of Questioner: Revisiting Reciprocal Teaching. Reading Teacher, 64(4), 278-281. doi:10.1598/RT.64.4.6

Instructional Plan

 Sequence of Instructional Procedures/Activities/Events (provide description and indicate approximate time for each):

1. The teacher will ask the students to share what they know about World War II. (5 min.).
2. The teacher will review the unit’s learning regarding countries, cities, landforms, etc. of Western Europe and apply the Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) strategy by asking all of the students to review the table of contents for the relevant textbook chapter. (10 min.)
3. The teacher explains that cultures can become very different under different control, so geography can be important to understand why things happen. (2 min.)
4. From Jane Yolen’s The Devil’s Arithmetic, the teacher reads pages 73-76 of Chapter 10 (“ ‘Look!’ ” Shmuel cried…large boots by her head.”- 4 min.)
5. The teacher asks the students to make guesses about where and in what time period the excerpt is set and what will happen later in the book. (5 min.)
6. The students then summarize what they have learned, collaborating aloud as a class, and ask the teacher questions (10 min.)
7. The teacher asks the students if anything in the excerpt reminded them of events in their own lives and asks them which details best helped them understand what was happening and how this place and time was different from America today and Europe today. Alternate between abstract and literal questions. (Make sure to emphasize the closeness of the European geography and continually mention various countries. 5 min.)
8. The students write their favorite country or time (besides now) on a piece of paper. (Note: you may even inform the students that they could even use the future if they so wish. 2 min. )
9. The students are assigned homework in which they take their favorite time period and locate a book, story, poem, family story, song, etc. which relate to it. These are turned in as homework, and volunteers may present their findings during the first ten minutes of the next class day. If any students choose a futuristic time, then they may choose to accentuate the similarities and differences of how things were predicted and how they actually occurred. The teacher will give a brief explanation and inform the students that a homework instruction sheet is being distributed (5 min.)
10. Pass out assignment sheets which give more explicit details (2 min.)

Identification of Student Prerequisite Skills Needed for Lesson:

(e.g., anticipatory set, schema, purpose of lesson for students, connections to previous learning, definitions of terms reviewed)

Prior to beginning the lesson, the teacher and students will engage in a collaborative strategic reading (CSR) brainstorming session which identifies what they already know and the main titles, subtitles, headings, etc. Williams (2010) advised following a certain sequence of events: a) predicting, b) questioning, c) clarifying, and 4) summarizing.

 Presentation of New Information or Modeling:

 (e.g., term definitions, concepts, processes and/or approaches)

Modeling predictions for RT and modeling questioning for CSR emphasize student perceptions. Williams (2010) writes that students respond more positively to reasonable, accurate connections with historical text. Modeling CSR might require a bit of showmanship. A student may be asked to pick from any books in the classroom (besides the textbook and readings for this unit), and the teacher may demonstrate how the Contents, Index, Chapter headings, etc. can help let the reader know what to expect.

Guided Practice:

 (e.g., teacher directed, scaffolding, check for student understanding – including any questions to ask or anticipate from students)

During the CSR activities, the teacher will gently guide the students with questions. The students will read a short and exciting chapter or excerpt from a piece of literature set in the time period to be covered in the historical unit. For example, a short chapter from The Devil’s Arithmetic could generate more interest in the events of World War II and also produce empathy and an understanding of how the past relates to the present. Simultaneously, the students are exposed to more reading, strengthening a skill area which they will require for every core class. Williams writes that- after comprehension- students learn to discuss their perceptions and support their argument with evidence from the text (2010). Bringing this discussion into a social learning environment encourages cooperation. Students are supported by teacher modeling (p. 279). Students experience an empowering role reversal in the reprieve from intense questioning and in the role of importance and mutual education.

For the teacher, preparing for the questions of the students is important to the quality of student engagement. Minimizing the disruptions in the questioning process allows learning to occur with ease. Gentle leading with RT should alternate between abstract and literal thinking (Williams, 2010). The students should be able to use question words to assess their own gaps in learning in an informal way very similar to the K-W-L (Know- Want to Know- Want to Learn) strategy, but CSR also stresses the importance of verification through re-reading and examining context clues (McClanahan, 2004, p. 108). Students who establish deeper personal connections to the learning are more likely to retain the information therein, placing questioning in a large-scale ability to summarize their knowledge and their experiences and to identify key information (p. 280).

Clarification is important because there are a wide range of understanding levels and of cultures and interests in today’s classroom. For example, if a student correctly stated that the persecuted Jews in WWII “did not have much money”, then it is necessary to ensure that the students understand the difference between the American lifestyle and the slave-like state of the prisoners. Multiculturalism will be important, as the dialogue will likely reveal differences of economic and cultural situation.

McClanahan (2004) writes that requesting a ten-word summary helps students to synthesize the learning and their own perceptions (p. 108). This also allows the students to discuss which points and details best capture what was learned. The summary provides an informal explanation of what mattered to the students—whether their responses tend to emphasize emotional responses, personal connections to experience, a fascination with the time period and history, etc.

 Independent Student Practice:

(e.g., teacher monitored, check for student understanding – including any questions to ask or anticipate from students)

At the end of class, the students write their favorite country or time (besides now) on a piece of paper. (Note: you may even inform the students that they could even use the future if they so wish.) The students take that time period and locate a book, story, poem, family story, song, etc. which relate to it. These are turned in as homework, and volunteers may present their findings during the first ten minutes of the next class day. If any students choose a futuristic time, then they may choose to accentuate the similarities and differences of how things were predicted and how they actually occurred.

Culminating or Closing Procedure/Activity/Event:

 (e.g., review terms, concepts, and/or learning process; establish connections to the next lesson; check for student understanding – including any questions to ask or anticipate from students)

The students are asked to write down their favorite time period and location. They are then informed that they will need to locate a song, book, story, poem, family story, etc. which relates to this time and place and write at least one hundred words about how their view of that time and place has changed. If they cannot find a creative source, then they may just write about what they know and how they discovered this information. Either way, the emphasis of this homework is on the creative and personal understanding of history; the students should be informed that this homework will be graded based upon how much thought they put into the assignment- not graded according to the grammar rules.

Pedagogical Strategy (or Strategies):

(e.g., direct instruction, cooperative learning groups, partner work)

McClanahan (2008) recommends many strategies for combining historical learning and reading. She suggests that such strategies be divided into the categories which target vocabulary, general learning, and study support. While peer tutoring and partner reading have a place among educational best practices, the initial instruction should involve a more direct interaction between the students and the teacher. Thus, of the strategies suggested by the author, reciprocal teaching (RT) was selected. Certain strategies are suited for different phases of the Before-During-After (B-D-A) learning approach.

 Differentiated Instruction:

Describe accommodations for such groups as English Language Learners, hearing impaired, learning disabled, physically disabled, and/or gifted/accelerated learners.

Klingner et al. (2004) emphasize that the importance of inclusive lessons in general classrooms which are also educating students with reading disabilities and that students are not likely to receive the support of Special Education resources during Social Sciences. McClanahan (2008) reminds teachers that RT methods have been successfully implemented into the instruction of students with learning disabilities. Informally, RT also serves an additional purpose as an assessment of communication and comprehension. Nonetheless, opening a learning dialogue is crucial to the learning relationship in any classroom and especially in a classroom in which students may feel embarrassed by their academic progress.

Student Assessment/Rubrics:

Describe how you will know if students have met the objective(s) for this lesson (include pre- and post-assessment plans—formal and/or informal, summative and/or formative, etc.).

 The following rubric ranks student performance in a variety of areas- with one being the lowest and three being the highest. It considers educational standards and goals as well as the challenges and personal variations of students in inclusive classrooms.

References

Klinger, J. K., Vaughn, S., Arguelles, M., Hughes, M., & Leftwich, S. (2004). Collaborative Strategic Reading: “Real-World” Lessons From Classroom Teachers. Remedial & Special Education, 25(5), 291-302.

McClanahan, B. (2009). Help! I Have Kids Who Can’t Read in My World History Class!. Preventing School Failure, 53(2), 105-112.

MONTE-SANO, C. (2011). Beyond Reading Comprehension and Summary: Learning to Read and Write in History by Focusing on Evidence, Perspective, and Interpretation. Curriculum Inquiry, 41(2), 212-249. doi:10.1111/j.1467-873X.2011.00547.x.

Williams, J. A. (2010). Taking on the Role of Questioner: Revisiting Reciprocal Teaching. Reading Teacher, 64(4), 278-281. doi:10.1598/RT.64.4.6