Free Stuff: History Channel's American History DVD Set

This is a great resource that should not be overlooked.  In late April the History Channel started running a new series, America The Story of US.  The series is really good and the episodes would make a great companion piece to any Social Studies class dealing with American history.

Currently, the History Channel is offering the DVD set free to all schools across the United States.  All that is required is for your principal to request the discs for your school.  Or you can do what I did and requested the DVDs yourself and then tell your principal you ordered some DVDs in her name.  The offer expires July 1st and the mailing of the discs will begin in August.

If you are a Social Studies teacher, you need to request these DVDs.  If you are not a Social Studies teacher, I know there is someone (or any entire content team) in your school that would appreciate the resource.

http://classroom.history.com/america-dvd/event/form

Can't wait for the discs to arrive or you want to preview the discs before mentioning it to your principal?  No problem.  The History Channel is also streaming select episodes of the series on their website.  Check it out!

Stream Episodes of America The Story of US at History.com
http://www.history.com/shows/america-the-story-of-us/videos/#america-the-story-of-us-cities 

Comics in the Classroom

About a week ago, a Social Studies teacher asked if I would help his students make a comic about an important event or person in history.  On the day of the assignment, a handful of students came tumbling into my room.  In hand, they each had blank sheets of paper, color pencils, markers, rulers, and various other arts-n-crafty supplies.

First, we sat around and discussed what historical event or person they wanted to focus on (this was an end of the year review project – thus the reason for such a wide open assignment).  After we had brainstormed some events and people from the year, we set out to make our comics.  It was then that we hit a road block.  Only one of the students in the class enjoyed drawing and the rest were not enthusiastic about making a comic.  One declared that she was going to draw stick figures and hoped she would not lose any points because of it.  I assured her that stick figures could be an artistic choice and that she could create a compelling comic using simple art.  I reminded her, and all the students, the ultimate goal of the assignment was to review the content, not learn how to make the best comics in the world.

However, this comment got the wheels turning in my head, “why not use the computer to make the creation of the comic easier and, maybe, more enjoyable?”  After a few minutes of research (while the students were storyboarding and outlining their stories) I found a number of free websites for comic creation. 

By including computers to help with the creation of our comics, I was able to enhance this assignment.   Students could still choose to draw the comics, but those that were more interesting in computers and digital art had a new option.  Additionally, because of the computer element students were exposed to many images and photographs relating to their topics.  Even though using the computer meant spending some time learning the program, many more students were engaged and interested in the project.  More importantly, students were also shown how to use the internet in a constrictive and creative way.  That night, every student finished their assignment for homework and a handful of kids continued to make comics of their own.

Here are some of the free, online comic generators I have found and/or used in my classroom: 

Comics Lab Extreme – Despite the association with Professor Garfield, this is the website we ended up using.  It is very kid friendly (and safe), has a great save feature, and so many options.  I recommend this site for free comic creation (but then again it is the one I've really messed around with).

Chogger – Very simple interface for creating a panel comic strip.  You can start making your comic without registering and can even upload your own images. 

Witty Comics! – This one does most of the work for you.  Pick your characters and backgrounds, just bring the conversation.

Make Beliefs Comix – Another simple comic generated that does a lot of the image creation for you and lets you focus on the dialogue.

And a few more to check out. 

• Pixton
• Strip Generator
• ToonDoo

Basically, I’d suggest checking out all of these sites and finding what works best for you and your students.   There are other options out there too, some are software based but those tend to cost money.  I like the free, online options because it guarantees your students can work on them wherever there is an internet connected computer.

It's time to start making some comics, digitally!

TED TV: Making Math More Meaningful

I am a junkie for TED Talks.  I have a number of TED Talks bookmarked and show them off to anyone willing to watch.  Currently, I am working on a piece for this blog that includes many of my favorite presentations, but until that is ready I have this more recently video to share.

In the following video, six year math teacher Dan Meyer gives an inspiring talk about the need to overhaul math instruction.  His main point centers on improving instruction in order to promote patient problem solving amongst students.  Even though his focus is on math, you could exchange it with any other content area and his point would be just as relevant.

Meyers recommends that teachers do the following to improve engagement:
    1.    Use multimedia
    2.    Encourage student intuition
    3.    Ask the shortest question you can
    4.    Let students build the problem
    5.    Be less helpful

I agree with all five suggestions.  Numbers 1 and 5 are areas that have been a strong focus of my instruction lately, while numbers 3 and 4 are still areas of weakness for me.
 

After watching Dan Meyer’s video and reading his blog, I know I can do a better job including multimedia and problem solving/developing in my lessons.

Book Review: When You Reach Me

What is it about?
(This review might contain minor spoilers)

When You Reach Me is a charming story about Miranda, a 6th grade girl living in New York City circa 1979. When she is not at home, Miranda spends most of her days hanging out with her best friend Sal. When she is at home, she busies herself with the usual and unusual 6th grader routines, like helping her mother prepare to be a contestant on the $20,000 Pyramid. Miranda seems to enjoy her life and never stops to think twice about it, until everything starts to change. Seemingly out of nowhere, Sal stops hanging out with her, she is forced to make new friends, and, most alarmingly, she begins receiving strange notes that appear to be coming from the future.

If I had to categorize this young adult book, I’d label it a sci-fi, coming-of-age mystery that tackles themes dealing with growing up, friendship, and family. Yet, it really isn’t a sci-fi novel and it’s barely a mystery. Yes, there are sci-fi elements but I use that term delicately since so much of the novel is grounded in reality. Throughout the book, Rebecca Stead carefully references A Wrinkle in Time and casual conversations about time travel to ease the reader into the possibility of jumping back and forth in the space-time continuum. Likewise, she takes her time laying out the mystery across the entire novel. The result is a very compelling read.

Rececca Stead is very cunning in her ability to draw you in. The book is divided up into very short chapters (most with titles that mirror the $20,000 Pyramid categories – i.e. “Things You Keep in a Box”) and each chapter reveals just enough details to keep the reader curious. Her writing is like a well crafted serialized television show, she does not end with frustrating cliff hangers; instead, she continually entices the reader with snippets of information. Over time, the mystery builds and before you know it, you have fallen down her rabbit hole and are fully devoted to solving Miranda’s puzzling predicament.

Who is this book for?

I feel what separates great YA fiction from mediocre/generic YA fiction is its ability to appeal to both adults and children. When You Read Me does a wonderful job catering to both audiences. By setting the novel in 1979, and repeatedly referencing A Wrinkle in Time and the $20,000 Pyramid, it easily gives a frame of reference for anyone over 25 that enjoyed Madeleine L’Engle’s book as a child and/or was a sucker for daytime game shows. More importantly, the book is well written and the characters are authentic representations of real people.

Most likely, this book will be primarily enjoyed by middle school age students. The short chapters make the book accessible to your average middle school reader and the discussions about time travel or the abundant use of foreshadowing supply plenty of enticing content to keep your advanced readers interested.

So, there you have it. I really grew attached to this book, even though it can be read in just one or two sittings. When You Reach Me is an enjoyable story about growing up and learning what love, family, and friendship is truly about. I recommend picking up a copy for yourself, your classroom library, or diving in a getting a class set (I’ve already added this book to my summer reading list for rising 7th graders).