SOL Exams

As I review for the SOL Exam, I have noticed that my students continue to connect content from early units to more recent content. I chose to focus on connections in every lesson, and it seems to be paying off. We created a flip chart to compare political, economic, and social/cultural items for the major units. We also added non-linguistic representations to each section, and my students created a complicated Venn diagram to compare and contrast. Their work really impressed me!

Making Connections

We have been analyzing the Black Death and Crusades. Students are able to relate the impacts of the Crusades to modern day issues in the middle east. This has allowed them to better understand cultural diffusion and how it has affected the world today. They are also able to relate the symptoms and impacts of the Black Death to modern illnesses and diseases. They were able to discuss how treatments and modern technology may have helped the people infected with the disease. Making connections has really been an important aspect of lesson planning.

Making Connections....today while discussing the fjords in Europe a student stated "Mrs. Webb that's like the Grand Canyon"

MAKING CONNECTIONS

I decided in September to devote time to making connections in every lesson this year. I am seeing the pay off now that we have passed the halfway point in the school year. It has become second nature to my students. After using explicit instruction and guided feedback again and again, my students finally achieved independence! Now they are posing questions to me and to each other as they discuss new material. For example, today we introduced the Frankish rulers and their alliance with the Pope. One of my students posed a question to class. He asked, "How does the Chinese concept of mandate of heaven compare to the Pope symbolically giving power to the Frankish ruler?" After some table discussions, another student asked, "How are our rulers blessed by others in positions of authority?" After a bit of discussion, another student remarked, "If the Franks had lost the Battle of Tours, everyone might be a Muslim and we might not have religious wars in the Middle East today." It is so refreshing to see the payoff from the hardwork and what seemed like a lot of redundancy.

World Religions Chart

My students are in the process of completing a chart on the 10 World Religions. They have to cover 8 characteristics and make a connection to how it affects the world today. They are very excited about the activity and are making great progress! I used the Flip video recorder and sent it in to SURN to share with others. Its a great activity!

Happy New Year!

The literacy strategies are paying off! Early on I decided to focus on making connections in every lesson. My students now routinely make connections with every content item. We engage in some lively student-centered discussions based on making connections. It seems to have a life of its own! I am excited to see how much my students are taking away from the discussions. Wow! I am pleasantly surprised. Making connections seems to be second nature to my students--they don't even think about doing it, they just do it!

Flip Video Camera

I have discovered a fabulous new tool that I can use in my classroom, the flip video camera! I recently learned how to use this wonderful device. As a novice, I am still exploring how to use it in my classroom to enhance instruction with technology. I am capturing images and videos of my students as they create materials for their portfolios. These files are deposited in a share folder where my students and administrators can view them and critique them. I am excited about this new tool! It is also extremely user friendly. I just love that I am an old dog learning new tricks. What new things have you discovered lately? I'm always snooping around for new ideas.