tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9534667484505546182024-03-18T09:14:19.163-04:00US History Teachers BlogThis is a webpage written by high school teachers for those who teach US history who want to find online content as well as technology that you can use in the classroom.History Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17951055071592873308noreply@blogger.comBlogger1906125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-55243230658792215772017-09-08T17:23:00.001-04:002017-09-08T17:23:57.641-04:00Weather Underground and Hurricane Irma<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cptme8p5Wa6sJt9nzwpkb2EvFcaiA9n9vO5dXT3x9v4NMIcrgz7BroNtX1Od92Bd7x5ay9BJ8KgDBNEUem30DjrS5se5Ps0nFW5fiz2TcrCcE3ZmXelfnbBLHfxBUNze2tlZnPc_3tg/s1600/Wunderground+Graph.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="449" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cptme8p5Wa6sJt9nzwpkb2EvFcaiA9n9vO5dXT3x9v4NMIcrgz7BroNtX1Od92Bd7x5ay9BJ8KgDBNEUem30DjrS5se5Ps0nFW5fiz2TcrCcE3ZmXelfnbBLHfxBUNze2tlZnPc_3tg/s320/Wunderground+Graph.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snippet of Weather Underground Graph</td></tr>
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As you have surmised by now, one thing I stress as an educator is cross-curricular learning and relevancy. Current events have always been one of my favorite ways to do both. <a href="https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/triple-trouble-cat-5-irma-cat-3-jose-cat-1-katia">This</a> article, from Weather Underground, provides not just good analysis of the hurricane, but also provides some insightful information on the Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928 and the devastation that caused. There are some interesting mini-lessons that students could do to tie in both science and engineering into a history lesson. There's also some interesting potential to discuss the difficult decisions that have to be made when severe weather threatens an area. The article briefly mentions the water pollution that will inevitably occur as a result of the Army Corps of Engineers decision to drain some of the lake water to prevent flooding. There's some great material for a debate. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15163152358351295767noreply@blogger.com147tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-71595603017868819852017-04-07T16:49:00.000-04:002017-04-07T16:49:02.795-04:00Loopy<br />
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<img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLNosZVni6qGfTUzQrrO-WKF2sVpZGkcMXMiuiGqhexkURw4i_jokenGQ-6Oe96U12kX0ibrlCWygB0IkfaJhPrnwNYVPPGcrGfPTegpF9gS0ukwuwqyCfmk_TqpSwzgU9FF62s2L-nQ/s320/loopy.png" width="320" /></div>
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One of the things I always stressed in facilitating history instruction involved teaching students to think about how history helps us understand why things are the way they are today, and how it can continue to shape the future. I always enjoyed helping kids make those connections between a series of past events leading into present day. <br />
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Since moving into evaluation, I've been finding that evaluators call this process 'logic modeling' - basically the process of mapping out the different possibilities that might happen given the introduction of a certain program, service, etc. <br />
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Enter <a href="http://ncase.me/loopy/">Loopy</a>. I first saw this from a <a href="https://twitter.com/edublogs/status/850394999632080896">tweet</a> from Edublogs, via Larry Ferlazzo. As an open-source platform (you can access the code in GitHub), it's free to use and allows students to generate their own 'logic models': mapping out how one event might lead to another. This <a href="http://ncase.me/loopy/v1/?data=[[[1,181,181,0,%22automation%22,0],[2,486,175,0,%22profits%22,0],[3,369,482,0,%22job%2520loss%22,4],[4,567,513,0,%22frustration%22,4],[5,752,432,0,%22political%2520unrest%22,4],[6,655,283,0,%22tax%2520revenue%22,3]],[[1,3,-88,1,0],[1,2,-150,1,0],[2,1,-137,1,0],[3,4,-27,1,0],[4,5,-32,1,0],[2,6,12,1,0]],[[331,197,%22vicious%2520cycle%250Aof%2520automation%250Aleads%2520to%2520short-%250Aterm%2520job%2520loss%252C%250Athen%2520frustration%252C%250Athen%2520political%250Aunrest%22],[733,143,%22CHALLENGE%253A%250Athink%2520up%2520and%2520model%2520your%250Aown%2520solutions%2520to%2520this%2520problem!%250A(hint%253A%2520what%2520tax-funded%2520programs%250Acould%2520mitigate%2520job%2520loss%2520due%2520to%250Aautomation%253F)%22],[489,383,%22%253F%253F%253F%2520what%2520goes%2520here%2520%253F%253F%253F%22]],6]">sample</a>, for example, looks at automation and what some of the outcomes might be. It's a basic model, but would be something students could use to generate ideas on any number of historical scenarios. <br />
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Looks like it's part of a larger collaborative called <a href="http://explorableexplanations.com/">Explorable Explanations</a> - something I'll be exploring over the weeks to come. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15163152358351295767noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-71619223971890695212016-11-08T12:30:00.003-05:002016-11-08T12:30:56.706-05:00<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXv_LC8lXs8SGVaJwYmQWc7aVlFFzsfSJSbsekoUFBVrvliL4oRgzUcdwrwdjNIi8DbCTYFiku8T129kMI_7l5BuTqp2lJEqfvLVmfwCQNFmTHUuGEUeOmm5VxkIje8eUI1vRvCvz9KaE/s1600/LovingCouple.wikipedia+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXv_LC8lXs8SGVaJwYmQWc7aVlFFzsfSJSbsekoUFBVrvliL4oRgzUcdwrwdjNIi8DbCTYFiku8T129kMI_7l5BuTqp2lJEqfvLVmfwCQNFmTHUuGEUeOmm5VxkIje8eUI1vRvCvz9KaE/s320/LovingCouple.wikipedia+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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By now, I'm sure most are aware that the Loving story has been made into a movie. This past weekend, it premiered at the <a href="http://virginiafilmfestival.org/">Virginia Film Festival</a>, and was featured in an article in our <a href="http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/local/columns/loving-premier-shines-light-on-caroline-sweethearts/article_a47be75b-4eb9-5bc2-8b69-768b16b6d5a9.html">local paper</a>. For many of the students in localities around me, the incidents in this case took place in a neighboring county, making it a great way to introduce relevancy. There are a number of great resources out there, some of which have been highlighted on this blog in the past. If you are in a different part of the country, it might be worth looking into whether any similar cases went before courts in your area, and having a discussion comparing them. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15163152358351295767noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-77498824945957795992016-11-01T09:10:00.001-04:002016-11-01T09:10:09.490-04:00The Movement to End Child Labor in the U.S.<br />
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<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-sight/wp/2016/10/31/20-haunting-portraits-of-child-laborers-in-1900s-america/?hpid=hp_no-name_photo-story-b%3Ahomepage%2Fstory"><img alt=" Washington Post Article on the Movement to End Child Labor" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_tJS7H_X4t9o00-MTft8NrLE6KVIOprHLFkWI-eoEUGgd5qiDBjben0iwMdPXf8HAj00DHWZAnrTdcSw72VXXKBvsu3g0OTlYEumhRYy0G4DLX-u59CAl2OTWzcNDfA5qdrB8RfyZEbs/s400/WashingtonpostChildLabor.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Movement to End Child Labor in the U.S.</span></div>
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While you probably haven't made it to the Progressive Movement yet, this <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-sight/wp/2016/10/31/20-haunting-portraits-of-child-laborers-in-1900s-america/?hpid=hp_no-name_photo-story-b%3Ahomepage%2Fstory">set of pictures</a> by Lewis Hine on child labor in the Washington Post looks like an interesting discussion piece and another great way to include primary documents in your classroom. It might also be interesting to compare/contrast Hine's photography approach with Dorothea Lange and her pictures of migrant farmers during the Great Depression. Some great discussion topics could stem from these pictures involving discussion on labor laws, childrens' rights, the role of the media in shaping public opinion - all of which would be great ways to tie in the past to the present. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15163152358351295767noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-60754685499749618942016-10-21T17:06:00.001-04:002016-10-21T17:06:48.959-04:00<br />
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Incorporating Geography and </h2>
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Economics in Your History Lessons</h2>
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<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/world/which-countries-get-the-most-foreign-aid/?hpid=hp_no-name_graphic-story-a%3Ahomepage%2Fstory"><img alt="Washington Post Article on U.S. Foreign Assistance" border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSQN04OkeamvI2_gJxom_byh06m3FXEFuf7FBX2YFuxQhpTByO18usmxPXhY_nlq2TAqd-nwdfW9JFWYtl-XOpSioswTdI1dmv6nXZd9Z9QPEl20_VQWLTBNvDG8XdwLOQfR5gqS1ias/s320/screenshotcartogram.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I saw an <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/world/which-countries-get-the-most-foreign-aid/?hpid=hp_no-name_graphic-story-a%3Ahomepage%2Fstory">article</a> on in the Washington Post this week providing a set of cartograms highlighting the spending by the U.S. on foreign assistance. I love incorporating cartograms periodically with my students; it's a great geography skill to review or teach, and it really allows them to visualize quantitative information in a different way. This article also allows you to incorporate some discussion of macroeconomics principles. There's definitely plenty of material for group discussions and debates. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15163152358351295767noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-13958811468655437602016-10-07T17:08:00.001-04:002016-10-07T17:08:29.495-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh3-2C8OBuLY4rj-14lyg4LgPIp6aBBtsUoByN7ctMSXl0LyLHNhYoxRK0Q0o6VJkM4e8n3qWGwRaW189h3HkaYxfGttovW6JlcboPSKiOszYc995wQvmkLbHeNOC52uep0rIAm8FuLQ/s320/NYTimesscreenshot.png" width="320" /></div>
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Storytelling and Politics</div>
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A few weeks ago, I finally sat down to watch the Sandra Bullock movie <i>Our Brand is Crisis. </i>It would be great to incorporate portions of this movie into a discussion on campaigning, particularly given the current election cycle. (Note: It has an R rating, so proceed according to your school policy.)<br />
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Then, a couple weeks ago, I saw this <a href="http://nyti.ms/2cOFwFI">video</a> in the New York Times, where a real life political strategist talks about the story lines that campaigns strive to create. He definitely gives some of his own opinions in the piece, so I would talk to students about that before-hand, but it might be an interesting pairing with the Sandra Bullock movie and a discussion on this year's election.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15163152358351295767noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-69665877424202023632016-08-19T14:03:00.000-04:002016-08-19T14:03:05.908-04:00<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHUO6kPgldy1-UdJAKNUPLXUd-wHZrp3wmWvveQjK4TMcDCRuxRDbYaCudeYjTY6J6hEmsEAoOe8ll2ROVw0FVOouCXyp5z60aaWiuN7_J3_0veVBIwIv_2R2Aojvc5M_2bIfLqY2kdU/s1600/20160819_135409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHUO6kPgldy1-UdJAKNUPLXUd-wHZrp3wmWvveQjK4TMcDCRuxRDbYaCudeYjTY6J6hEmsEAoOe8ll2ROVw0FVOouCXyp5z60aaWiuN7_J3_0veVBIwIv_2R2Aojvc5M_2bIfLqY2kdU/s320/20160819_135409.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Presentation Options</h2>
This is the first year in over ten years that I will not be in the classroom as fall gets ready to start. I've taken a new position doing program evaluation in my district. As such, I'm getting nostalgic for all the bulletin board creating, lesson planning and classroom set up this time of year always involves. <br />
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I still get to create presentations, however, and I have been looking for some new tools to shake things up a little bit. Many of us know about <a href="http://www.prezi.com/">Prezi</a>, and this blog has also covered the potential available with <a href="http://www.powtoon.com/">PowToon</a>, but I was looking for something that would take some PowerPoints and help step them up a few notches. <br />
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I found this <a href="https://www.customshow.com/best-powerpoint-alternatives-presentation-programs/">blog post</a> by a company focused on presentations that had a great listing of various alternatives, including the ones mentioned above. <br />
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A few I'm looking at for this school year include:<br />
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<a href="http://www.emaze.com/">emaze</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.slidedog.com/">SlideDog</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.projeqt.com/">Projeqt</a><br />
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SlideDog basically allows you to use existing presentation pieces (PowerPoints, Prezis, PDF files, etc.) and create a play list with all of them into one large presentation, while emaze and Projeqt both allow you to import an existing PowerPoint and 'glam it up' or create a presentation from scratch. SlideDog involves a download, while the other two are cloud based. All three have a free option, hence their initial appeal. <br />
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Happy lesson creating!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15163152358351295767noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-38378341173392532742016-06-14T14:48:00.000-04:002016-06-15T14:44:02.838-04:00New Archive of 20th Century Resources<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HKgf2QGIWyE9LiMB2MFP6IxrNv0BXlmTX1fuKlCGgv51SrWttpxVYcrOR1sCYRtoyQkuZg9JAr20wB7PMMJq3TSfLH8-mnCgUmN2ufvSErwVQhF_5OVGKiINsenzmMToZHAW-bdRnuo/s1600/Churchill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HKgf2QGIWyE9LiMB2MFP6IxrNv0BXlmTX1fuKlCGgv51SrWttpxVYcrOR1sCYRtoyQkuZg9JAr20wB7PMMJq3TSfLH8-mnCgUmN2ufvSErwVQhF_5OVGKiINsenzmMToZHAW-bdRnuo/s400/Churchill.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.churchillarchiveforschools.com/" target="_blank">Here is a cool new online archive</a> of 20th century resources surrounding Winston Churchill.<br />
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The archive includes primary sources such as images, cartoons, and documents.<br />
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One of the most interesting parts of the archives are the investigations of significant issues designed for high school students.<br />
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Find out <a href="http://www.churchillarchiveforschools.com/themes/the-themes/key-events-and-developments-in-world-history/what-went-wrong-at-gallipoli-in-1915" target="_blank">what went wrong at Gallipoli</a> or if Britain <a href="http://www.churchillarchiveforschools.com/themes/the-themes/key-events-and-developments-in-world-history/could-britain-have-done-more-to-help-the-jews-in-the-second-world-war" target="_blank">could have done more for the Jews</a> during WWII. The website gives you an overview of each issue along with a chart of primary sources to help students come to a conclusion.<br />
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The database is divided into four themes:<br />
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<li>Key developments in world history</li>
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<li>Anglo-American relations in the 20th century</li>
<li>Churchill: Discussion, debate, and controversy</li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-77752416611254563612016-05-08T10:35:00.000-04:002016-05-08T10:35:08.113-04:00Use Google Classroom as Discussion Board or PollYou can use Google Classroom as a discussion board. You can pose a question and students can respond and comment on each others.<br />
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Here's how.<br />
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Open Classroom and click the "plus" sign.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNY873HMBmoh7vnUbzKGR2koYgHd1RCMhn0Tvgv_8aKEu0HJBlH6mMNtXBx-eNBMZftkG5WrNG9onP7L9UXtbuaRhaScMkTdWiIR4tJ6AgLZtIiMVmQ6R9V2EzCWxASVkO61LpIEELYc/s1600/plus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNY873HMBmoh7vnUbzKGR2koYgHd1RCMhn0Tvgv_8aKEu0HJBlH6mMNtXBx-eNBMZftkG5WrNG9onP7L9UXtbuaRhaScMkTdWiIR4tJ6AgLZtIiMVmQ6R9V2EzCWxASVkO61LpIEELYc/s200/plus.jpg" /></a></div>
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Next, click "Question."
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpXD0EX59nuzPKAvedqeVrQuVUFQmicCrgo8Vx30THgmpHmmT9eHxtzxh16YZ3pmOkj4Rp30a7NW88QiWugBkmtTByL5kFbKWFpSBTHvycFaTQsWCPkyezFKSQw5DmGHDZ_qwRYLLzpo/s1600/question1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpXD0EX59nuzPKAvedqeVrQuVUFQmicCrgo8Vx30THgmpHmmT9eHxtzxh16YZ3pmOkj4Rp30a7NW88QiWugBkmtTByL5kFbKWFpSBTHvycFaTQsWCPkyezFKSQw5DmGHDZ_qwRYLLzpo/s200/question1.jpg" /></a></div>
Add your question. Mary Catherine Keating, a teacher at Chantilly High School who showed me this feature, asked her students which cause of World War 1 was most important--alliances, militarism, imperialism, or nationalism.<br />
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Once a student responds, then he or she can see other comments and responses. After a student submits the comment, you get an email notification of the post.<br />
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You can also use Classroom<b><u> to poll your students</u></b>. Mary Catherine often uses this feature as a bell ringer.<br />
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The process is similar to creating a discussion board<br />
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<li>Go to the plus sign</li>
<li>Click create question</li>
<li>Hover over "Short Answer"</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaB_Hk-YGgIXDg8yUe_1sG1r2ry1YO8t7dQYSmaCyBHG4XEVJd8G5E_APV_z0pHik5ZEnQPkOsnhknahj9WH7RCopY-yLx4Q5J3i1E7oigkg8jcIS_9mg3z-RRQSjAIBYDxQFYAMbDLZg/s1600/short+answer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaB_Hk-YGgIXDg8yUe_1sG1r2ry1YO8t7dQYSmaCyBHG4XEVJd8G5E_APV_z0pHik5ZEnQPkOsnhknahj9WH7RCopY-yLx4Q5J3i1E7oigkg8jcIS_9mg3z-RRQSjAIBYDxQFYAMbDLZg/s1600/short+answer.jpg" /></a></div>
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<li>Click on Multiple Choice</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5BUqBCj5wHbpO_UHOS2OnZA8MCEO9Mo4Yyuqm2gcbc-RlvWUIJZHnNR2uADU-bkVjONkJbLMTKG6k-Sf6OpuyW_QO-zc7cB6fPrOK14tf4B91ZDXZR_qR2HiwjSSBQYsOgZFiyWZ6Gkg/s1600/multiple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5BUqBCj5wHbpO_UHOS2OnZA8MCEO9Mo4Yyuqm2gcbc-RlvWUIJZHnNR2uADU-bkVjONkJbLMTKG6k-Sf6OpuyW_QO-zc7cB6fPrOK14tf4B91ZDXZR_qR2HiwjSSBQYsOgZFiyWZ6Gkg/s1600/multiple.jpg" /></a></div>
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Add your question with choices. Once you add the questions, Classroom will tally the responses. You can show the students the tally or hide it.<br />
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You could use the polling feature as a bell ringer as Mary Catherine Keating sometimes does, or perhaps as an exit ticket.<br />
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Here's<a href="http://googleforeducation.blogspot.com/2016/04/4-ways-to-use-polling-in-Google-Classroom.html" target="_blank"> a blog post</a> from Google for Education about the polling feature.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-58866747081298730742016-04-30T19:30:00.002-04:002016-04-30T19:59:36.195-04:00Intro to Birthplace of Student Civil Rights MovementJeff Feinstein, who writes for this blog, recently took his US history students on a field trip to the birthplace of the civil rights movement-- a fascinating museum in Virginia called the <a href="http://www.motonmuseum.org/">Robert Russa Moton Museum</a>.<br />
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Few people know that Moton High School provided three-fourths of the plaintiffs in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education school desegregation case.<br />
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Feinstein says that one student thought that the field trip should be required because it was so moving.<br />
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<a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/column-this-little-known-site-is-the-birthplace-of-the-student-civil-rights-movement/" target="_blank">You can read Jeff's column</a> about the trip <a href="https://www.blogger.com/Moton%20High%20provided%20three-fourths%20of%20the%20plaintiffs%20in%20the%201954%20Brown%20v.%20Board%20of%20Education%20school%20desegregation%20case.">here at PBS Education</a>.
The PBS NewsHour also mentioned the field trip toward the end of its Friday broadcast. You can can see it below. Just move to about minute 51.30.<br />
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If you live in Virginia and teach US History, you might also consider a field to this amazing museum.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-88645424461651337502016-04-26T22:15:00.000-04:002016-04-26T22:15:34.227-04:00Online AMA review sessionAMA stands for Ask Me Anything. I've scheduled two AMA sessions for my students in advance of next Friday's APUS exam.<br />
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Here's how it will work: First, I'll create a classroom in <a href="https://todaysmeet.com/" target="_blank">Today's Meet</a>. <br />
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Then I'll share the classroom code with my students via <a href="https://www.remind.com/" target="_blank">Remind</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdoVLoT2gAGydBIe0V-4msXy_ETPjt99vwOBHDPjoyvEqxjifc4gGTJW0G1OAqm-wkrVylrB5-AkqtEqnyW1KNYYVByVd_GGKMcr-UV80adLZQ4-1ER4R2WEiW2Uf86lOoIOkNhPsVnDu/s1600/1-remind.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdoVLoT2gAGydBIe0V-4msXy_ETPjt99vwOBHDPjoyvEqxjifc4gGTJW0G1OAqm-wkrVylrB5-AkqtEqnyW1KNYYVByVd_GGKMcr-UV80adLZQ4-1ER4R2WEiW2Uf86lOoIOkNhPsVnDu/s320/1-remind.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Today's Meet is a form of online open classroom. Under the AMA format, I'll moderate the discussion, answering any questions that my students have. I can also mix it up by asking other students to try to answer questions. When (or if) things slow down, I'll have prepared review questions of my own to get the students active and engaged.Jeff Feinsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052661531164518999noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-51188286112819672062016-04-23T06:19:00.001-04:002016-04-23T15:43:30.145-04:00I'm going to my first EdCamp todayI'm going to my first EdCamp event today.<br />
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EdCamp events are free, open-ended professional development get-togethers. There are no formal presenters. Participants come with ideas, interests, and a desire to collaborate. Because I have all three I've been eager to attend since I registered many months ago.<br />
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This YouTube video explains the format. The link comes from Eileen Yaeger, a terrific ESOL teacher currently at Washington Mill Elementary in northern Virginia.<br />
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What I'm really looking for at my inaugural EdCamp event is information about 1:1 implementation. My principal tells us that we're moving to the 1:1 model in 2017-2018 and I want to learn about</div>
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Interested in attending? Here's the link to the <a href="http://edcampnova.org/" target="_blank">EdCampNova website</a>, and you can Twitter follow @EdCampNova and #EdCampNova.</div>
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If you're in northern Virginia and would like to come, it will be held at Marshall High School in Falls Church from 8am to 1:30pm. Click <a href="http://edcampnova.org/register/" target="_blank">here</a> to register.</div>
Jeff Feinsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052661531164518999noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-586967396821499572016-04-22T15:43:00.000-04:002016-04-22T15:43:05.117-04:00Online Seminary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8QxDt0w3w5IjfzK-I9HEYfwtgGZkecYWa7BhXo0mRTVEBpfKHE6dtflwLONokXWuPBHIGPliz5uTusZim-rVL5zOJ5xyS-HyC-RDnwf3V0WWX56rlwNyuvWdUAgj1-FzDtlqp1isipU/s1600/USA-Green-1f4vea7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8QxDt0w3w5IjfzK-I9HEYfwtgGZkecYWa7BhXo0mRTVEBpfKHE6dtflwLONokXWuPBHIGPliz5uTusZim-rVL5zOJ5xyS-HyC-RDnwf3V0WWX56rlwNyuvWdUAgj1-FzDtlqp1isipU/s1600/USA-Green-1f4vea7.jpg" /></a></div>
Fairfax County, VA's high school social studies specialist, Craig Perrier, is hosting a webinar on <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Teaching U.S. History in a Global Context. Craig is a dynamic speaker and very invested in the topic so it will prove to be a useful discussion. If you are interested in it, one April 26th go at 8 pm Easter to <a href="https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2011622&password=M.740270526F81E996C8DD2CB7EC5C05">this link</a>. </span><br />
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eLearning Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00119280360226882972noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-38456273362878815852016-04-18T23:04:00.001-04:002016-04-18T23:04:38.347-04:00Quizlet ups its gameQuizlet, the popular online review app, now has a live version for whole classroom use. It's called Quizlet Live and you can learn about it <a href="https://quizlet.com/blog/introducing-our-first-collaborative-learning-game-for-the-classroom-quizlet-live" target="_blank">here</a>.<div>
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It's team-based and competitive, which will certainly increase student engagement. One feature I really liked: Just like the Chutes and Ladders review activity I did for my AP US History students and that I blogged about recently, Quizlet Live has a feature that resets student scores to zero if they get an incorrect answer. That promotes reasoned deliberation before answering a question. The game gives feedback to teachers that helps them identify the areas and topics that were most challenging to students, so that teachers can develop appropriate remediation strategies.</div>
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You can get additional information about Quizlet Live by clicking <a href="https://quizlet.com/features/live" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Jeff Feinsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052661531164518999noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-5399921122185452212016-04-18T22:49:00.001-04:002016-04-18T22:52:08.080-04:00Cool new exhibit on World War I at the Library of CongressHow did American art influence World War I, and how did World War I influence American artists? Those questions are addressed in a new exhibit opening in May at the Library of Congress.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eZPsdfpt4EYQ_eT7GGrpey-7XCZilQvusFrarsbs88CXqkr2Is40MN2oWfbaca3pFAGSQxexexbgbBkB4nTqRyRzXtawdABVot3Qs-8OTtw1QILa4IOvAMR2PN9S0rSsFbzHff-1obks/s1600/1-loc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eZPsdfpt4EYQ_eT7GGrpey-7XCZilQvusFrarsbs88CXqkr2Is40MN2oWfbaca3pFAGSQxexexbgbBkB4nTqRyRzXtawdABVot3Qs-8OTtw1QILa4IOvAMR2PN9S0rSsFbzHff-1obks/s320/1-loc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The exhibit, entitled "World War I: American Artists View the Great War," features numerous materials (like drawings, cartoons, posters, and photographs) from a wide variety of artists. Some were sponsored by the government (like those created through the Committee on Public Information) while others were by private individuals with no government connection.<br />
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Included in the collection will by work by James Montgomery Flagg (he of Uncle Sam fame). (Will this particular image be in the exhibit? We'll have to wait and see.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6IiYItOdC4l4CMN8xLyl9-th3J3DoTyRO4svBYyUyR_U4uKwTHZuE6tqfFFu02F12wo1qevc4DycMr9Q8DFw6AH5k6B3tyk_f1dwAtQw9e4uUeh2L2fUg7VYoK1mCWSdlQSL7Ofs1BSF/s1600/1-unclesam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6IiYItOdC4l4CMN8xLyl9-th3J3DoTyRO4svBYyUyR_U4uKwTHZuE6tqfFFu02F12wo1qevc4DycMr9Q8DFw6AH5k6B3tyk_f1dwAtQw9e4uUeh2L2fUg7VYoK1mCWSdlQSL7Ofs1BSF/s320/1-unclesam.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
The Library promises that it will supplement its onsite exhibition in Washington, D.C., with education plans, public programs, and an online exhibit. That online exhibit will be available once the physical exhibit space opens to the public on Sun., 7 May. You can read the press release announcing the exhibit <a href="http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2016/04/wwi-exhibit-opens-next-month/?loclr=ealocb" target="_blank">here</a>.Jeff Feinsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052661531164518999noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-21283498762036832852016-04-17T18:16:00.001-04:002016-04-17T18:16:40.397-04:00How we used EdTech in our APUS reviewThe AP exam in U.S. History this year is during the morning session of Fri., 6 May, so it wasn't too early to plan our review activities. Here's what my team did, and how we used technology to raise the level of engagement for our students.<br />
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Our review is loosely based on the children's game "Chutes and Ladders." (Teachers interested in remembering rules for the original Hasbro game can click <a href="http://www.hasbro.com/common/documents/dad2614c1c4311ddbd0b0800200c9a66/43EA24525056900B105B53AC74279484.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.) To prepare our variation, we printed 43 pages of released questions from the <a href="http://www.nysedregents.org/USHistoryGov/home.html" target="_blank">New York State Regents Exam for United States History and Government</a> and numbered every page in Sharpie from 1 to 43. The pages were scattered throughout our library.<br />
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(Why use review questions from a high school exam for our AP students? We chose them because they addressed core topics and were written in a way that would allow the students to assess quickly whether they knew or forgot the material.)<br />
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Students worked in pairs, and were assigned a starting station when they checked in. The first pair was assigned to start at station 1, the second pair a station 4, etc., so that students would not bunch up. The teams located their starting station, then answered each of the questions (usually 7-8) on their page.<br />
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Here's where the EdTech kicked in. Accompanying each question sheet was a separate sheet with a QR code with the correct answers. (Students were told to make sure their smartphones had a QR code reader in advance.)<br />
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This QR code, for example, gives the answers to Questions 22-29 for the June 2015 exam. (Try it for yourself to see.)</div>
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The students checked their answers once they had finished answering the questions. They could advance to the next numbered station only if they got every question correct. If they got even one question wrong they would have to return to their base station and start all over.</div>
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This activity was tremendously successful. Students were fully engaged throughout. It allowed for movement, using their smartphones as a learning phone and not a distraction, and collaboration as they worked out the answers. Best yet, students offered unsolicited praise both after it was over and the next day in class.</div>
Jeff Feinsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052661531164518999noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-70224692848776733182016-04-17T08:47:00.001-04:002016-04-17T08:56:51.281-04:00The New York Times discovers educational technologyEdTech has made it to the New York Times. The story (<a href="http://nyti.ms/23EDq3e" target="_blank">Kahoot App Brings Urgency of a Quiz Show to the Classroom</a>) by @natashanyt focuses on Kahoot, described as being "like a television game show sliced with a video game."<br />
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For teachers, the fact that a story about a single educational technology app like Kahoot makes the New York Times is a big deal. But let's hope that it's just a precursor of increased interest in the greater role educational technology can play in instruction. Technology is a simply a tool, but it is a tool with a high potential to inform and engage the diverse community of students we teach. Educational technology websites and apps can help students learn digital citizenship; get and stay organized; organize their research; collaborate with teachers and classmates on assignments; create new content; practice and review. It can also help teachers assess and remediate.</div>
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That's why many of us have been encouraging and promoting (like with this blog) greater classroom use of technology in our classrooms. More prominent discussion of the uses and benefits could lead to increased support in our schools and from our central office administrators.</div>
Jeff Feinsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052661531164518999noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-90473702157291639072016-04-04T14:59:00.001-04:002016-04-04T14:59:54.283-04:00iCivics.org<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I subscribe to education alerts from <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/">The New York Times</a>, which can be a great way to stay on top of what's going on with education policy. They also periodically cover different resources, such as these <a href="http://www.icivics.org/games">interactive games</a>, which were partially created by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. <br />
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While not every student will enjoy the games, they look like a great tool for giving students some application of key government concepts. I experimented with playing one called, "Do I Have a Right", which focused on setting up a mock law firm to handle issues of Constitutional law. Another game involves staging a race for the presidency. The games look like perfect tools for students who need more hands-on application of the civics and government concepts. I could see using the "Do I Have a Right" game to help students review the amendments before the SOLs begin in the next month. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15163152358351295767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-22374024643131790232016-03-30T20:25:00.003-04:002016-03-30T20:25:35.238-04:00More Nixon resources: Nixon's Trip to ChinaPresident Obama recently returned from an historic trip to Cuba. (This video [2:45] from the Voice of America shows and discusses his arrival.) You could use that current event to introduce your discussion of an analogous diplomatic initiative: the American initiative to normalize relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) that began under President Richard Nixon.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That initiative began with Mr. Nixon's 1972 trip to the PRC, which ended a quarter-century of isolation between those two nations. A terrific resource to use with your student's is <a href="https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/virtuallibrary/tapeexcerpts/chinatapes.php" target="_blank">this curated collection from the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum</a>. That site has excerpts of five taped audio conversations between the President and others. Each one is accompanied by a transcript. It would be fun to divide the class into five groups, assign each a different conversation, have them report out, then lead a whole class discussion of President Nixon's goals and methods in dealing with communist China during the height of the Cold War.</div>
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President Nixon's diplomacy also set up the next stage in that diplomatic relationship. More specifically, it set in motion a series of steps resulting in full diplomatic relations between the United States and the PRC during President Carter in 1979. (This video [4:20] shows President Carter's 1978 address to the nation announcing that agreement.)</div>
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Jeff Feinsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052661531164518999noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-72609331639493011612016-03-29T17:03:00.000-04:002016-03-29T17:03:34.484-04:00Make a Presidential Campaign adHere's an extension to an already terrific lesson plan from PBS NewsHour Extra. That lesson plan (<a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/lessons_plans/lights-camera-politics-create-your-own-presidential-campaign-ad-lesson-plan/" target="_blank">"Lights, Camera, Politics: Create Your Own Presidential Campaign Ad"</a>) invites students to create a TV ad for a candidate running for president in 2016. It relies on students using the archives at the incomparable Living Room Candidate website.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqp3cLAL1ikmqtwJuyW2hPMdfaPYdy9DQvkfZ0J0-94X5aAfNL54KbzImNypIFZaOTRHhItEWGwW4IoEJei9RojO1lnKH3Bnl_KPFB-vY1MrO7OBLbw1sRRp5aYD1nOx-WWn4McjNdrmz/s1600/1-living+room+candidate.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqp3cLAL1ikmqtwJuyW2hPMdfaPYdy9DQvkfZ0J0-94X5aAfNL54KbzImNypIFZaOTRHhItEWGwW4IoEJei9RojO1lnKH3Bnl_KPFB-vY1MrO7OBLbw1sRRp5aYD1nOx-WWn4McjNdrmz/s1600/1-living+room+candidate.gif" /></a></div>
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How about: Have students follow the exact same steps (investigate and discuss ads from the television era, starting in 1952), but then create an ad for a candidate running for president in the pre--television era?</div>
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<u>Adaptation</u>: Have students choose from among these elections:</div>
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<li>Election of 1800 (the electoral tie)</li>
<li>Election of 1824 (the corrupt bargain)</li>
<li>Election of 1860 (4 major candidates; Lincoln wins with under 40% of the popular vote)</li>
<li>Election of 1876 (the Electoral Commission)</li>
<li>Election of 1896 (William Jennings Bryan and the Cross of Gold)</li>
<li>Election of 1912 (4-major candidates; Wilson wins over Taft, TR and the Bull Moose Party, and Debs)</li>
<li>Election of 1948 ("Dewey defeats Truman" [or does he?] after the Dixiecrat walkout) (Okay, Truman wins)</li>
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Once they choose an election, the students make two ads (one each by opposing candidates) addressing a common issue that was important during that campaign. The students can upload their videos to YouTube, where they can be shared with their classmates.</div>
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<u>Extension</u>: Have students show their ads on their devices as students circulate through the class in a gallery walk activity. Students can tweet their reaction to the ads to a common hashtag, or comment on them directly on the YouTube site.</div>
Jeff Feinsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052661531164518999noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-65858384220933146202016-03-29T12:44:00.002-04:002016-03-29T12:44:50.636-04:00More Nixon resources: ResignationThe Richard Nixon Foundation has curated a terrific set of eight videos dealing with President Nixon's 1974 resignation. In this video (4:02), President Nixon discusses his decision to resign.<br />
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And in this video (4:19) President Nixon recalls his final day in office.<br />
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Jeff Feinsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052661531164518999noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-14753595475577398162016-03-29T12:31:00.001-04:002016-03-29T12:31:05.857-04:00Video resources to study President Nixon's foreign policyHere are some terrific short video resources to share with your students when you are studying foreign policy and diplomacy under Richard Nixon (from his vice presidency to his presidency).<div>
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Here's video (4:08) of the 1959 Kitchen Debate:</div>
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Here's a video (14:22) of President Nixon announcing the 1970 incursion into Cambodia.</div>
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In this clip (3:33), President Nixon announces his 1971 trip to China.</div>
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This clip (2:33) assesses the impact of that visit.</div>
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This clip (2:38) discusses withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam.</div>
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Jeff Feinsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052661531164518999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-85760100791835464722016-03-22T21:56:00.001-04:002016-03-29T19:44:12.272-04:00A Look Back to Primaries in 1968<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6C-wV4Sdwq4u-ClETLMazy5an9-jiGNy8YxG8fANnETfKOJI9Oh7qPgAmRxlyUjQSJQx1DgfFkNXCKIK0mR6g61fIfqvLchRWACBw4jutlkQ4jc08Lm_QL4d6G4cFb_3NUQ3l2OmOmAU/s1600/blogprimarywhiteboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6C-wV4Sdwq4u-ClETLMazy5an9-jiGNy8YxG8fANnETfKOJI9Oh7qPgAmRxlyUjQSJQx1DgfFkNXCKIK0mR6g61fIfqvLchRWACBw4jutlkQ4jc08Lm_QL4d6G4cFb_3NUQ3l2OmOmAU/s320/blogprimarywhiteboard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With all the primary chaos going on this year, it has been a government/U.S. history teacher’s dream for provoking thoughtful class discussion. It’s the perfect opportunity to include some discussion of other key election years, particularly the Democratic Primaries of 1968. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This <a href="http://stanfordpolitics.com/2015/10/democratic-primary/">article</a> from the Stanford Political Journal </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is slanted, but provides some nice parallels to the Democratic primaries this year. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is also this <a href="http://www.pbs.org/johngardner/chapters/5a.html">article </a>from PBS</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which gets into the convention itself. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, this <a href="http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/the-modern-history-of-the-democratic-presidential-primary-1972-2008/">article</a> from the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics on the changes Democrats made to their process after the 1968 election. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It includes a great explanation of how the Democratic delegate selection works. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some classroom ideas might include the following:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Divide the class into thirds, with each group reading a different article. Students can then hold discussion about each article’s information/perspective. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Read the articles at home or in class and hold a discussion about the parallels between the 1968 election year and this election year. Students might be asked to hypothesize what might happen at the Republican Convention during a very divided year. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A third activity might involve students reading the articles, holding a discussion, then redesigning the convention/primary/delegate system for one of the political parties. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I teach alternative education, and my students aren’t always known for their enthusiasm for history and social studies, but this has proven to be a topic of conversation they are initiating themselves. I also teach five subjects simultaneously (World History I and II, U.S. and Virginia History, U.S. and Virginia Government, and Economics and Personal Finance) and this provides a topic that can be connected to all of those subject areas in some way. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15163152358351295767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-35768097512296925912016-03-20T09:27:00.001-04:002016-03-20T09:27:58.367-04:00Resources on US-Cuban relationsPresident Obama is visiting Cuba today. His trip is to draw attention to his policy of seeking normalized diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States.<br />
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His trip is timely for our students, because US-Cuban relations are an important feature of the post-World War II era we're studying now. Here are some resources to share with your students about this topic.<br />
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Here's a video (4:26) biography of Fidel Castro.<br />
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This video (6:05, from the Council of Foreign Relations) is about the Bay of Pigs.<br />
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And this video (3:37) introduces students to the Cuban Missile Crisis.<br />
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Finally, click <a href="https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2012/fall/cuban-missiles.html" target="_blank">here</a> for a link an introductory essay and primary sources on the Cuban Missile Crisis prepared by the National Archives.Jeff Feinsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052661531164518999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953466748450554618.post-75740454298638456512016-03-18T13:12:00.000-04:002016-03-30T14:49:59.296-04:00"20 to watch" EdTech leadersThe National School Boards Association just published its list of the <a href="http://www.nsba.org/newsroom/press-releases/national-school-boards-association-names-%E2%80%9C20-watch%E2%80%9D-education-technology" target="_blank">20 educational technology leaders for the 2015-2016</a> school year. (I'm not on the list. #Disappointed.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Mm_LNb9AOnZXZlqhIHQxr__VfXD-WNnmk4PrQyR9GmA_b5ZBFzqJKPDGlh_9TDu7w0WYX1yR9hkg3qVhyA9GmkNMwyoQ1FoL6eansa78zxiVGsaATZoZkOnrGTkBhPz_jszVPNUO7Okw/s1600/1-nsba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Mm_LNb9AOnZXZlqhIHQxr__VfXD-WNnmk4PrQyR9GmA_b5ZBFzqJKPDGlh_9TDu7w0WYX1yR9hkg3qVhyA9GmkNMwyoQ1FoL6eansa78zxiVGsaATZoZkOnrGTkBhPz_jszVPNUO7Okw/s320/1-nsba.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The teachers and administrators selected to the list were recognized "for their ability to inspire colleagues to explore and embrace innovative technology solutions and instructional strategies that contribute to high-quality learning experiences for all students."<br />
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Congratulations to the all the honorees. The work they did to be recognized is impressive. What was really most exciting about the list was reading about the innovative ways that visionaries like these are using technology with their students. One teacher, Joanna Beck from Georgia, for example, uses technology to "help level the playing field for all learners" by introducing them to digital tools. One tool that she uses is <a href="https://www.remind.com/log_out" target="_blank">Remind </a>"to keep parents informed" and to "strengthen the home-school connection." Another teacher, Josh Stock from Kansas, coaches the school's LEGO robotics team and assigns coding projects to his students. Those coding assignments led to him conducting a video chat with his students with Bill Gates.<br />
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Kudos to the NSBA and this year's honorees. Their work validates the work that we are all doing in this area to encourage more technology integration into our instruction, and inspires us to do more.Jeff Feinsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052661531164518999noreply@blogger.com1