Using Primary Sources in the Classroom

Teaching with Primary Sources.

Do you want to make your classroom more exciting? More relevant? Would you like to improve your students’ higher order thinking skills?  If you answered yes to any or all of the questions then you may wish to turn to primary sources of documents and artifacts in your classroom. It is not as difficult as you may think. The Library of Congress has many primary sources on its website that are readily available for classroom use. For example, if you will go to hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mtj.mtbib000156 you will find a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence authored by Thomas Jefferson (June 1776). You can also access important US Supreme Court Cases, The Bill of Rights, and the US Constitution. (Check out www.loc.gov)

Another excellent resource for obtaining primary documents for class use is the National History Education Clearinghouse. You can access this site at http://www.teachinghistory.org/.

Here are several questions to ask your students when working with original documents.

·         Who created the document?

·         Why was the document created?

·         What was going on at the time the document’s creation?

·         What makes this document worthy of your investigation?

This summer and extending into the fall, the Library of Congress is sponsoring a traveling exhibit entitled “Gateway to Knowledge”. This huge mobile museum has an outstanding array of copies of artifacts and important photos taken from the Library’s vast archives. Below is a list of current and upcoming stops on the traveling exhibit tour. The tour will end on September 24- 25 in our nation’s capital at the National Book Festival.

Current Schedule

Sept. 2-3	Monument Square, Portland, Maine
Sept. 6-7	Newport Public Library, Newport, R.I.
Sept. 9-10	East Hartford Public Library, East Hartford, Conn.
Sept. 13-14	Montgomery Township Lower Middle School., Montgomery, N.J.
Sept. 16-17	Urbana Regional Library, Urbana, Md.
Sept. 20-21	Culpeper County Library, Culpeper, Va.
Sept. 24-25	National Book Festival, Washington, D.C As always  your comments and suggestions are welcome

Teaching About September 11,2001

How do we make  this day important?

It is hard to believe that a decade has past since what may be considered the darkest day in the history of our country. This year the commemoration for the September 11^th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon will include memorial services, television programs, and many speeches.

A recent article in USA Today noted that September 11^th “was a memory for teachers but for students, its history.” Many elementarily students had not yet been born in 2001 and even high school seniors were only eight years old on the day of the attacks. Students need to know what happened and why. The question is – how to teach it. For most teachers and students, September 11 is at the beginning of the school and a quite a heavy and somber topic to address right at the beginning of school.  Since history is often best told in stories, students should be given the opportunity to read, see and hear about survivors, first responders, and families of victims.

There has been a considerable number of books recently published that deal with all of the above aspects of 9/11. CBS News has released a book and DVD entitled “What we Saw; The Events of September 11, 2001 In Words, Pictures, and Video.”  (Simon and Schuster ISBN 9781454626667)Another noteworthy book is “Angel in the Rubble: The Miraculous Rescue of 9/11’s Last Survivor.” (Howard Pub. ISBN 9481451635201).  Also take a look at “After the Fall: New Yorkers Remember September 2001 and the Years that Followed (New Press. ISBN 9781595586476) Check with your school and well as your local public library to see what is available and what might age appropriate for your students.

Finally there are dozens of web sites with teacher’s materials, photo and lesson plans suggestions for classroom teachers.  As educators we have an obligation to keep September 11 in the public conscience. Students should learn more about the events as they mature and can understand more.

You can find 9/11 material at the web addresses below.

www.tributewtc.org/program/toolkit.html

www.library.columbia.edu/indiv/ccoh/new_propjects/9-11.html

www.onlinelearningexchange.com/content/products/remembering911.html

http://www.learnabout9-11.org/

http://www.youngheroesofhistory.com/sept11links.htm

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/31/teaching-911-ideas-and-projects-from-teachers/

Photo Credit US DOD  010914-N-1350W-002

Happy New School Year

For some of you the 2011-12 school year begins this week.  For many others it is only a few weeks away. Since the last school year has ended the education landscape has changed significantly. Here are some of the changes you may soon be seeing.

On the economic front, the downgrade of the US government obligations to AA will have implications for public schools. It may make it more expensive for municipalities to float a bond issue.  Some districts may reduce or even curtail capital projects, like adding classrooms or constructing a new building.

For those of you just starting your teaching career, you may find that you will have to contribute more to a pension or health benefits program.  For many of you, there will no longer be the protections afforded by job tenure.  In states like Wisconsin, collective bargaining rights for teachers and other public employees have been gutted.

Many of you may still be seeking employment.  Whether you are a recent graduate or are a career- changer, the job market remains poor and the competition for teaching vacancies will be intense. There is a strong possibility you may have to settle for an aide’s position or that of substitute teacher.  You may need to consider relocating to another city or state. Hopefully these circumstances will not last indefinitely.

If you drive to work, you probably know that the price of gasoline is higher than it was last fall. If you travel on toll roads, there is a chance that the tolls will be increased. (They are discussing this for the bridges and tunnels around New York City)

The federal government is in the process of investigating fraudulent practices of for- profit universities. Some of you may be stuck with hefty college loans to repay to such institutions.   Here is a suggestion for those of you who are seeking an advanced degree or additional certifications- stick with traditional colleges and universities (state colleges are less expensive). If you feel that you need to take courses on-line, you will find that the traditional colleges are offering such courses.  Look for asynchronous courses that will allow you do your course work at your convenience. This takes a great deal of motivation and organization skill on your part, but it will be worth it down the road.

Men and women choose teaching as profession because they have a passion and a desire to work with children. The obstacles before you are formidable, but perseverance, passion and creativity will help you to succeed.

Best wishes a successful school year.

Teacher Job Quest 2011- The Game Has Changed

In 2008, the U.S.  Department of Education estimated that there would be a teacher shortage due to an increase in retirements of baby boomers as well as those who became frustrated with the profession for any variety of reasons. Apparently this has not been the case. Due to the poor economy, a great number of veteran teachers have delayed or postponed retirement because of the uncertainty of their pensions and benefits and the uncertainty of the financial markets where their retirement funds are invested. To make matter worse, many states and municipalities in a effort  to develop more austere budgets, have  cut school spending and have laid off teachers, even those  with considerable experience.

There is yet another side to this dilemma that is exacerbating the problem. Colleges of education throughout the country are still churning out teacher candidates every semester with virtually little hope for them to secure employment.  A recent article in the Miami Herald (Florida) spoke about the plight of Broward College. The school recently converted from a two year to a four year institution and began to institute a teacher preparation program.  Several of the recent graduates were able to land teacher positions but were laid shortly thereafter due to a lack of funds. It is my view that this situation may become more critical down the road as a number of potentially great teachers get frustrated with the system and move to other career options. This phenomenon can even be seen in the increase in applications for the Teach for America program. In 2010, there were over 46,000 applications and only about 10% of the applicants were selected to participate in the program. Many graduates, both recent and those out of school for a while are also clogging the substitute teacher roles. Many are desperate and want to find any work in the field. Neil Shnider, executive director of the American Associate for Advancement in Education has observed for  several years that the jobs ( for teachers( are “ just not there.”)

Some of you will no doubt  be successful in landing a teaching position for the fall. You need to be flexible as what what state, grade or subject. Look at private and parochial schools as well as public schools. Do not forget to take a look at the US Department of Defense schools at overseas military bases.(http://www.dodea.edu/offices/hr/onlineapplication/default.htm)

If you truly have it in your heart to become a teacher, you will find your way into the classroom. Good luck!

An apology

Dear fellow educators and bloggers. I am currently dealing with a family emergency and have been unable to post for a few weeks. I hope to back in the groove soon. Thanks for your support and patience.

Jeff Margolis

Summer School: Worth Another Look

A Time to Revisit Summer School Programs.

A recent article appeared in the Naples (Florida) Daily News about a pilot summer program that extends the school year. The school, Parkside Elementary, had received a grade of “D” partly as a result of low student performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.  A look at the school’s demographics tells a more sobering story.  According to the report, 97% of the students at Parkside receive free or reduce lunch.  Additionally, of the approximately 830 plus students, two out of three are eligible for the school’s English Language Learners Program. This means that for about two thirds of the students, English is not their primary language.  Disadvantaged children need the extra help. If we are ever going to help them break the cycle of poverty, if we are ever going to enable them to “catch up” to their peers, then we need to investigate new and alternative methods for teaching them.

 To view  a classic example of successful student achievement that was led in part with innovative summer programs, take a look at the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) academies.  KIPP, a public charter school program was founded by two alums of the Teach for America Program, Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin. Their program initially targeted low income, at-risk students in Houston and included extended school days, Saturday classes and summer programs. For more information about the KIPP Academy, take a look at their web site, http://www.kipp.org/

When summer programs are discussed, two issues usually come to the forefront. The first is the cost. In the case of Parkside, the additional costs for this summer amounted to $500,000.  Sometimes grant funding is available. There is no wiggle room on this issue. If we want an educated population, we have to pay for it. Politicians can’t say they are for public education and then proceed to cut program funding.

The other issue is parents and summer vacations. Many families have planned for summer trips and getaways. Many believe that their children need a “rest” from school.   But without belaboring he point, the issue is choices and priorities. You may know that I mentioned this before, but Dr. Benjamin Rush, a physician in colonial Philadelphia and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, believed that in order for democracy to survive we had to have an educated population.

For additional reading please view that article that appeared in Education Week last year.

http://www.summerlearning.org/resource/resmgr/news/10.5.10.education_week__is_s.pdf

The National Summer Learning Association has a valuable web site with information and suggestions for viable summer school programs.  You can locate that at http://www.summerlearning.org/

Summer Reading for Students

Summertime is Reading Time

I recently saw a sign in front of a local elementary school. The sign on the marquis said “Have a relaxing summer.” Now I am sure that many of students who have just completed the school year worked very hard, did their homework, studies for exams and had a productive school year.  For their efforts they do deserve some down time. However, a number of studies have confirmed that there is a loss of knowledge and learning skills that occurs after a 12 week hiatus from school. (See: “The Effects of Summer Vacation on Achievement Test Scores: A Narrative and Meta-Analytic Review, “Review of Educational Research Fall 1996 66: 227-268,)doi:10.3102/00346543066003227  .   In fact many classroom teachers lament the fact that they have to spend the first   few weeks of every new school year reviewing prior learning and re- teaching concepts.

If there is anything that parents and teachers can do it is to encourage students read during their summer vacation. Although there are a number of school districts around the country that have summer reading lists for student, most schools do not.   There was a recent article that appeared in USA Weekend (June 17-19, 2011) entitled “Inspire your kinds to read.” The article discussed the website launched by writer James Patterson. The site www.readkiddoread.com is outstanding. It provides teachers and parents a wealth of resources for getting children to read.

The site provides a link for teachers with lesson plans for numerous children’s books.  You will also find reading lists broken down by age group. The list starts with illustrated books for very young children and moves up from there.  Many of the books are readily available from your local library. Parents may also want to consider summer reading clubs for their children where they can get together in an informal setting, talk about the books and share some refreshments.

There are multiple goals here.  One is to get children to like reading both for knowledge as well as enjoyment.  The other is to keep children’s minds active during the summer months so that when they return to the classroom in the fall they will be ready to learn.

Back in 1955 Rudolf Flesch wrote a most controversial book entitled “Why Johnny Can’t Read”, which began to reveal flaws in the way American school children were taught to read. In 1983 Flesch wrote a follow up book, Why Johnny Still Can’t Read, illustrating that almost 30 years later students still had difficulty in learning how to read. The crisis was more obvious with socio–economically students were not read to at home and many of these students never owned a book or even had a public library card.