The Gateway to 21st Century Skills: Making the Most of Online Resources

Out of your Core Subject Comfort Zone

2011-11-15T20:37:00.001-08:00

In order for students to excel on standardized tests, mostof their learning must focus on core subjects. Teachers are often most comfortable teaching in these areas, anyway, sincethey are the focus of most teachers’ formal training. Success in core subjects ultimately bringsfunding to schools. The amount of timeand money allocated to subjects like art, music, and P.E. demonstrates theattitude that these subjects are “extracurricular,” and less important than thecore subjects. With decreased funding, theregular classroom teachers who value these extracurricular subjects findthemselves scrambling to teach them as best as they can. As a science teacher by trade, the thought oftrying to teach my students about art (especially modern art) puts me way outof my comfort zone.

In situations like this, I am very grateful for the Internetand for the opportunity to borrow ideas and plans created by teachers who arespecialists. I don’t need to become a modernart buff to come up with a great plan. Ionly need to know how to find a great one online. I have always supplemented my lesson planningwith ideas I find online, but sometimes finding successful ideas can be hard. It also can be hard to judge the quality of aplan I find online and to figure out where it will fit in my curriculum.

Luckily, Joann does the hard work of discovering good planseach week that relate to our chosen weekly topic. These lessons have been cataloged on theGateway, making them easier to find in the future when you might want to teachabout that particular topic in your classroom. They have also been mapped to standards. After you select a plan you like, you can use the standards selectiontool at the bottom of the record to determine which standards the plan fulfillsin your state. Easy, right?

Now, back to modern art and my foray out of my core subjectcomfort zone. There are ideas on theGateway to help your students use their creativity to create their own modernart. This can be as simple as lettingthem create marbleaction paintings, a fun activity for kids from kindergarten up. Depending on the age of your students, youcan decide on how much art history and terminology you want to cover. It’s fun to witness the movement and physicsof the marbles as they roll around creating art. With a little creativity of your own, youcould find some good connections to different core subjects like physics, math,and language arts.

If you are ready to include even more art in yourclassroom, check out this plan for teaching middle and high school students tocreate modernfigure sculptures with sculpture wire and aluminum foil. You’ll be amazed by how they turn out! I have never made a sculpture like this before,but now it’s on my list to try. I thinkit would be a really neat follow up to a literature unit, with studentscreating models of their favorite character in a story.

These are just two examples of modern art activitiesfeatured this week on the Gateway. Whether you want to teach about art history, art terminology, or justget your students’ creative juices flowing, you should be able to findsomething to fit your needs.

We have heard from a few of you about certain topics youwant to know more about. Please continueto share your ideas and questions on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Thanks for being part of the conversation andlearning about new and useful tools and resources!

~ Peggy's Corner - November 11, 2011 ~

Modern Times: Teaching Modern & Contemporary Art

2011-11-15T20:31:00.001-08:00

Students rarely feel blasé about modern and contemporary art.Generally speaking, they are either captivated by it or bemused by it – “Geez,I could do that!” is a common response. Whatever theirattitude, student reaction to such art is honest and visceral. One byproduct ofthe “I could do that” attitude towards modern art is that students often findit more accessible and less intimidating than other types of art that stressrealism. Less intimidating materialtends to allow students to approach the subject with less trepidation and withmore tolerance regarding mistakes that can occur when creating their ownartwork.

Strictly speaking, contemporary art generally refers to art producedsince 1945, although the term now includes work done more recently. Modern artusually describes a movement that began in the late 1800s and lasted until the1970s, and includes types of art such as Surrealism, Cubism, Pop art, Fauvism,and others. Since the contemporary and modern art movements overlap, the termsare sometimes used interchangeably, although contemporary art more oftenreflects social issues than modern art. Common themes in contemporary art, forexample, include human rights, economics, global warming, and politics, whichprovide great opportunities for cross-curricular instruction. In many schools,art instruction often focuses on more traditional forms of art, where studentsoften imitate the works of various famous artists. While this method certainlyhas value, students can gain much more from the experience by simultaneouslylearning about and discussing not only the elements and principles of art &design, but also how to think, respond to, and express new ideas using a visuallanguage.

Art, however, is not simply about ideas. While one component of arteducation is certainly to highlight and nurture the creative spark in everystudent, students also learn valuable skills. Students learn how to translatetheir ideas into a workable piece of art – a complex process that involvesplanning, making mistakes, regrouping, editing, and execution. In this way,students develop confidence in their abilities to create their own art, and tothink of new ways to express themselves through art. In developing theseskills, they also begin to learn how to critically approach and appreciatevarious types of art. This week, I’ve selected three resources on modern andcontemporary art for various grade levels; many of the lessons are adaptable toa range of ages. Throughout the week, I’ll also be featuring several newlessons and resources daily on this topic on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so besure to give those a look.

ABug’s Journey

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-10-12.2815281589

Subjects: Visual art, Language arts

Grade: 3-5

Students will explore contemporary artist John Baldessari'smixed-media work of art inspired by a 16th-century drawing of a beetle. Afterwriting a story about a bug's journey, each student will create a mixed-mediarepresentation of a bug that is inspired by the contemporary artist's work.This lesson was created by the staff at the

J. Paul Getty Museum. The Museum offers ahost of resources for K-12 teachers and students, including professionaldevelopment opportunities, lesson plans, and interactive art features.

ColorScramble

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-10-13.7341215954

Subjects: Visual arts

Grade: 5-12

In the 1960’s, Frank Stella became known for his minimal geometricpaintings of concentric squares that used color to create visual movement. Eachconcentric square of color related to the next, whether they were harmonic orcontrasting colors. In this lesson plan, students consider color relations and“paint” a Stella-style work with colored masking tape. This lesson was producedby Dick Blick Art Materials, a supplier of art goods for artists and educators.Dick Blick also provides lesson plans for teachers that meet the NationalStandards for Visual Art Education.

Introductionto Modern Art: Practice and Principals

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-10-14.9880774739

Subjects: Visual arts, Writing

Grades: 10-11

In this lesson, students learn about several Abstract Expressionistsand identify the ways in which they use color, line and form to expressthemselves. Students will learn about such artists as Red Grooms, Frank Stella,Stuart Davis, and Hans Hoffman. In addition, they will also learn about StuartDavis, whose color theory may be contrasted with Hofmann’s. This lesson wascreated by PBS in support of its film Hans Hoffman: Artist/Teacher,Teacher/Artist. PBS provides many preK-12 educational resources andactivities for educators tied to PBS programming, many of which arecorrelated to local and national standards.

~ Joann's Picks - November 11, 2011~

Pour Some Sugar on Me

2011-11-07T22:03:00.000-08:00

Flu and cold season is upon us again and if you are anythinglike me, a day of 30 coughing kids can make you want to go home and dive into abath of hand sanitizer. Helping students understand what germs are and how theyspread is essential for the health of you and your students this winter. A class full of germ-conscious kids whoproperly wash their hands regularly would be great, right? Joann and I featured germ-related activitiesin our posts about germs last year. Besure to check them out on our blog archive hereand here.

On a similar note, Halloween traditions can bring up a wholenew set of healthy eating teachable moments for your classroom. As the kids are slowly coming out of thesugar rush of Halloween and building up to the feeding frenzy (more commonly knownas Thanksgiving) in America, teachers have a chance to set a good example andteach kids more about the food they are putting into their bodies every day. I know that I had more than my fair share ofadded sugar on Halloween, and as I was enjoying it, I started thinking aboutthe added sugar in my diet. There arelots of nutrition related activities you can implement into your class, butthis week I thought sugar would be a timely and appropriate topic.

How much added sugar are we really supposed to be gettinganyways? According to the American HeartAssociation, women shouldn’t have more than about 5 teaspoons a day (20 grams)and men shouldn’t have more than 9 (36 grams). Children should be limited to 3 teaspoons (or 12 grams) of added sugarper day. Most Americans get more than 22teaspoons, a fact that might surprise some of your students. These numbers don’t include the sugarnaturally founds in food like fruit. This is the sugar that is added into many foods for extra sweetness.

This fall, I want to help students hunt down the hiddensugar in their diets. They probably haveplenty of Halloween candy to use in this activity, so I plan to ask them toeach bring in a few pieces. If theydon’t have candy, they can bring in wrappers and containers from other popularitems like yogurt, cereal, soda, and other packaged snacks. Unfortunately, the nutrition informationisn’t on most fun-size candy passed out during trick-or-treating, so you mightneed to do some online research. Lookingup the information online is a good technology lesson in itself, or you canprovide students a list of sugar content in popular candies. This listis a good starting point.

When looking at ingredients, remember that the sugar contentis usually listed under carbohydrates. Sometimes it’s hard for students tofigure out which sugar is naturally occurring and which is added, but thenumbers will give you a rough idea of the amount of added sugar. The amounts are generally listed in grams, a weightmeasurement students might not be familiar with. They might be more familiar with a volumemeasurement like a teaspoon. What does agram of sugar look like? The following ideais for an activity that will let students see the amount of sugar in each oftheir snacks.

For this activity, I will start with 3 baby food jars (orsnack size zipper bags) in the front of the classroom, each one representing themaximum amount of daily added sugar that kids and adults should get per day (3,5, and 9 teaspoons). After a discussionof added sugars, I will let the kids research their own snacks and create jarsor bags of the amount of sugar in each of their snacks.

For kids old enough to do the math themselves, there isroughly 4 grams of sugar in each teaspoon (this can vary slightly bygranularity of the sugar, but it makes for a easy conversion for kids touse). They can simply divide the numberof grams of sugar by 4 to determine the approximate number of teaspoons ofsugar in the snack.

I will also make a few examples, so I am sure there is awide range of snacks. I will do anexample bag for a can of soda, a sweetened yogurt, and a typical serving of asugary cereal. Once the kids havecreated their bags of sugar, I will let them creatively present their resultsto the class. It might be a neatexercise to line up the bags with their wrappers in order of how much addedsugar they have. If we do this, we canmake a class chart so we can remember and compare our results.

Here are some more Gateway resources that will help youstudy added sugars with your class:

Reading Labels: WhichSnack is the Best Choice?

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2010-04-10.9162408692

Put Your FavoriteBeverage to the Test

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/32769

Good Snack, SmartSnack

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2007-10-09.8279893203

Sugary cereals

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/9203

Candy bar fractions

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2010-09-25.6576047958

~ Peggy's Corner - November 1, 2011~

The Dead Zone: The 1918 Flu Pandemic

2011-11-07T22:01:00.000-08:00

Pandemics are frightful things – a widespread illness that strikessuddenly and virulently, leaving thousands or even millions in its wake. Whilehorrific pandemics like the Black Death are today largely confined to the pagesof history books, modern-day pandemics such as cholera, malaria, and AIDScontinue to ravage many parts of the world. One of the most terrifyingpandemics occurred nearly 100 years ago, towards the end of World War I. The1918 flu pandemic swept the globe, killing an estimated 50-100 million peopleworldwide in the span of two and a half years. In the U.S., the flu struck overa quarter of the population; in a single year, the average life expectancy inthe U.S. dropped by 12 years.

The 20^th century saw two flu pandemics in addition to the1918 outbreak. The 1957 and 1968 outbreaks were relatively mild, with theglobal death toll reaching about 2 million and 1 million, respectively. In 1918, governments worldwide institutedstrict rules to try to prevent the spread of infection. In the U.S., storeswere forbidden to hold sales, and face masks were required to be worn inpublic. Public gatherings such as funerals and weddings were limited to 15minutes, and those who violated the flu mandates were required to pay heavyfines. Medical supplies and caskets were in short supply, and many communitieslacked enough manpower to bury their dead in a timely fashion. For many people, the horrors of war had beenreplaced by the even greater horrors of disease. Finally, at the end of 1920,the flu seemed to burn itself out, and life slowly returned to normal.

The 1918 flu pandemic offers rich primary source material for studentsto investigate; there are many photographs, personal letters, and news accountsonline. For younger students, the advent of cold and flu season is a good timeto revisit hand washing techniques and lessons on how germs are spread. Olderstudents can explore how viruses work and mutate, and discuss how pandemicsaffect communities, the economy, and public health policies. This week, I’veselected three resources on the flu for various grade levels. I’ll also be featuring several new lessonsand resources on this topic each day throughout the week on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so besure to check those pages regularly.

Let'sLearn the Flu FACTS

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-10-10.2852513394

Subjects: Health, Science

Grade: 1-3

In this lesson, students will learn the difference between a cold andthe flu, including the symptoms they each present. Students also learn someprecautions they can take to avoid getting sick. This lesson was produced by Scholastic,a leading children’s publishing, education, and media company.

Pandemic

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2008-12-30.0957862802

Subjects: Science, World History

Grade: 7-8

The focus of this teaching unit is to broaden students understandingof infectious diseases what they are, what causes them, how they are spread,and what can be done to prevent widespread transmission of these communicablediseases. Students will participate in a simulated outbreak and will also studythe events of a historic epidemic that occurred locally. Given what they havelearned, students will then be asked to predict whether such a widespread transmissionof an infectious disease could happen today. This unit is a product of the MainePublic Broadcasting Network, which offers educational TV, radio, and othermedia to the public.

Coldand Flu

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-10-10.1998814543

Subjects: Vocabulary, ReadingComprehension, Health

Grade: ESL Intermediate

This lesson, for intermediate ELL students, focuses on vocabulary andreading comprehension related to colds and the flu. Students will engage inpre-reading activities, read a passage about colds and flu, and check theirunderstanding in post-reading activities. Along the way, students will alsolearn about how to tell the difference between a cold and the flu, and how totreat the illnesses. This lesson was created by English-to-Go, part of theDeveloping Teacher web site for language teachers. The siteoffers web hosting for language classes and courses, as well as teaching tips, newsletters,lesson plans, and training courses.

~ Joann's Picks - November 1, 2011 ~

The Salem Witch Trials: A Google Search Story

2011-11-07T21:40:00.000-08:00

Creating activities and units that effectively placestudents “in the shoes” of key characters in the past is what sets the besthistory teachers apart from the good history teachers. Most people can describe events from the pastto their students. Many of them can evenexplain these events in a way that is meaningful and memorable. Some teachers take it to the next level byintroducing primary sources to their students, allowing them to see artifactsof the actual events so they can form a connection to the material they arelearning. The best teachers strive to createa bond between their students and the characters they are studying.

Joann featured resources this week that do a good job ofbringing the history of the Salem Witch Trials to life, and she will post morethroughout the week on the Gateway Facebook and Twitter pages. These lessons present the events in ameaningful and memorable way. Even withwell-planned lessons like these, it is nice to be able to modify certain parts forthe particular learning styles and interests of your students. One simple modification is to change orenhance the evaluation or summary activity at the end of the lesson.

A perfect concluding activity would “cement” the learningfrom the lessons, evaluate what learning has taken place, and form a lastingconnection between the students and the historical characters they are studying. This is a pretty tall order, and no singleactivity will be the best for every class, every year. I have been researching some neat tools andideas that I will share over the next few months as I try them out on my ownand with students.

For a historical event such as the Salem Witch Trials, itmight be hard for students to really empathize and connect with both the womenbeing accused and the accusers.

The mass hysteria that took place is almost unparalleled,especially in the timeframe of students’ personal experience. Writing some type of a story involving the charactersand events to share with the class is a good way to conclude a unit on theseevents. A traditional story created bystudents on paper is always a valuable use of time. It’s a creative outlet for your students anda good way to assess what they learned and can explain about the theme.

If you are looking to bring some more technology into yourclassroom, you can probably find a good online digital storytelling tool to usewith your students. This will addvariety to your classroom while still testing the same basic skills. There are plenty of free online tools to helpyour students create stories in new ways. These tools are are useful for other projects and demonstrations aswell. One very unique tool is the GoogleSearch Stories Video Creator. Until Itried it out, I had no idea how fun and educational it can be forstudents. A Google Search Storybasically tells the main ideas of a story by showing Google searches andresults on topics within the story. Youwill probably need to see one to really understand how it works. The first time I saw a Google Search Storywas during a 2010 Super Bowl commercial. Do you remember this one?

With the GoogleSearch Stories Video Creator, students choose seven events to tell a storyof what they learned. This will help themthink about the important parts of what they are studying and summarize theirlearning. I attempted to create a GoogleSearch Story from the viewpoint of an accused woman in Salem (if only she couldhave accessed Google!) I am sure yourstudents will be able to create even better stories when given the chance. Iincluded my process so you can see how it works. When you go the link, scroll down to thesection titled “Make your own search story” to get started.

First I chose 7 search topics:

1. Seventeenth Century Puritan beliefs

2. Salem, Massachusetts devil possession

3. Witchcraft

4. Salem Witch Trials

5. Proof of Salem witchcraft

6. Salem Witch Trials Punishment

7. Salem Witch Trials new findings

After seeing the results weren;t quite what I wanted, Ichanged my list to:

1. puritan supernatural beliefs

2. 1692 salem girls fits

3. 17^th century devil possession

4. salem witchcraft proof

5. salem witch trials

6. salem witchcraft punishment

7. 1692 girls affliction new evidence

I used the “tips” section to improve my search results. This will lead to some good learning aboutGoogle searches. I also made my videomore interesting by changing if I was searching the web, images, or news. The only caution I have is to monitor this sostudents aren’t accessing any inappropriate content. Your school’s internet settings shouldprobably keep it pretty safe.

Here is my final product.

I was happy with how it turned out, although I don’t thinkit demonstrates as deep of an understanding as writing a paper and pencil storyfrom the perspective of a person involved in the events in Salem. It would be really cool if students couldselect and highlight certain search results, too. I do think it is a great tool, though, andmight go well with some type of a longer presentation.

Do you us any digital storytelling tools in yourclassroom? Which ones do you likebest? Let’s talk about it all week onFacebook and Twitter. I will beresearching more tools, so please let us know what you want to know.

~ Peggy's Corner - October 27, 2011 ~

The Devil’s in the Details: The Salem Witch Trials

2011-11-07T21:35:00.000-08:00

In a small Massachusetts village in 1692, two young girls began havinga series of fits that quickly afflicted other girls and young women in thetown. Finding no physical cause for the fits, local physicians quickly dubbedit the work of the devil. The girls were thought to be possessed throughwitchcraft, and they quickly accused three village women of having cast theevil spells. As the news rapidly spread through the New England region, othergirls suffered similar afflictions in neighboring towns, and increasinglynumbers of women (and some men) were thus accused of witchcraft. In the span offour months, more than 150 people stood accused of witchcraft in the region,and 24 died as a result. Some died in prison, but the majority were executed byhanging, or in one case, being crushed under the weight of piled stones. Theevent marks a sad and bizarre chapter in American history, and is now viewed asa cautionary tale regarding mass hysteria, as well as legal and moral rushes tojudgment.

Life in 17^th century New England was fraught withdifficulties and moral repression. Belief in witchcraft and the supernaturalwas deeply ingrained in the community, and events such as infant mortality,crop failures, and the like were attributed to the works of the devil. SalemVillage, the locus of the hysteria, was known even before the Trials as ahotbed of discontent in the region. Villagers constantly bickered over property lines, livestock grazingrights, and perceived social slights and snubs. Religious extremism in the formof their Puritan beliefs also contributed to villagers’ moral intolerance,repression, and social isolation, making the town and others like it virtualtinderboxes waiting to ignite.

Over 300 years later, the Salem Witch Trials continue to fascinatehistorians and students alike. The topic is ripe with cross-curricularpossibilities, ranging from U.S. history, English Language Arts, civics,religion, sociology, jurisprudence, and other subjects. There is a vast amountof primary source documents relating to the Trials available online, making ita great opportunity for students to hone research skills. This week, I’veselected three resources for various grade levels that all focus on the SalemWitch Trials, and how such a travesty could happen. I’ll also be featuring several new lessonsand resources on this topic each day throughout the week on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so besure to check those pages regularly.

SalemWitch Trials

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2010-12-06.6887919622

Subjects: Language Arts; US History

Grade 3

In this lesson, students will be able to briefly summarize the SalemWitch Trials. They will learn about children’s lives in 17^th centuryNew England, and imagine what children’s lives were like during the Trials.This lesson was created by two teachers from Saugus Public Schools in Saugus,Massachusetts.

Dramatizationof the Salem Witch Trials

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-10-02.6386808020

Subjects: US History, Civics

Grade: 4-6

A simple play and follow-up activities can provide elementary studentswith an opportunity to compare fair and unfair trials. This activity can alsoprovide discussion of why we have certain fair trial (or due process)protections under the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This lesson wasproduced by the American Bar Association, a professional association forlawyers in the U.S. The ABA offers educational resources on the law aimed atstudents and for the classroom.

Colonial America: The Salem Witch Trials

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2010-12-06.9728953810

Subjects: US History, Writing

Grade: 9-12

In this lesson, students will learn the basic facts about the SalemWitch Trials and the different theories for the hysteria. They will examineprimary source documents, describe the characteristics of Puritanism and itsrole in 17th-century Salem, and write a fictional, first-hand account as ifliving in Salem Village in 1692, which reflects one or more of the theories.This lesson is a product of Discovery Education, which providesdigital resources to schools and homes with the goal of making educators moreeffective, increasing student achievement, and connecting classrooms andfamilies to a world of learning.

~ Joann's Picks - October 27, 2011 ~

Spooky October Lessons

2011-11-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

Ghosts, witches, and goblins, oh my! It’s October, and as the leaves begin fallingand scary decorations start to pop up around town, many students are buzzingabout what they are going to be for Halloween. Although many schools havebanned wearing costumes to school and have “harvest celebrations” instead ofHalloween parties or carnivals, the scary side of Halloween can be veryintriguing to students. Someenterprising teachers have found ways to bring the spirit of the season into their classrooms in creative and engagingways. If you want to do more with theHalloween theme this year than jack’o lantern and ghost crafts, try one ofthese ideas on the Gateway to bring “spooky” literature and ghost stories tolife.

There are lots of fun books that cater to kids’ fascinationwith everything Halloween, but it can be hard to figure out which ones areappropriate for your students. Common Sense Media provides book lists to helpparents and teachers decide which books they want to share with their children. One of their listsis dedicated to books about vampires, werewolves, and zombies forkindergarteners on up: just the list you need for October! Their reviews of the Twilight series are a must read forthose of you with students obsessed with everything Twilight. Another good “vampire-esque” book to read is Bunnicula by James Howe. Bunniculais geared toward younger vampire-loving students and this lesson from TeacherVision willhelp you find activities to integrate the book into your classroomactivities. You can also read more aboutactivities for reading The Spiderwick Chronicles with yourstudents.

Halloween conjures up images in my mind of witches in blackdresses riding on broomsticks. Althoughhistory books aren’t full of this classic view of the witch, events like theSalem witch trials show what a big role witchcraft (and suspected witchcraft)has played throughout history. Colonial America: The Salem Witch Trials, Salem Witch Trials Unit, and Which of You is a Witch? are 3 good places to start looking forwitch resources. A less historical, but very popular look at witches andwizards can be found in the Harry Potter series. Check out this HarryPotter Discussion Guide to make the most of these magical books.

I also found a couple more neat ghost resources in my Gatewaysearch today. After reading ghoststories or having your students write some of their own, it might be a gooddiscussion-starter to look at and discuss the historical photographs in Do You Believe? A Ghostly Gallery from the American Museum of Photography. It’s very interesting to see how spirits have been captured on film…oris it an illusion? PE Central hasall kinds of fun Halloween activities to get your kids moving. They may be ready to get up and run after allthese scary lessons! Ghost in the Graveyard is afun activity to introduce during this season.

A big benefit of using Gateway resources over other internetresources you may come across is the ability to see which of your statestandards are covered in each lesson. Remember to scroll down to the bottom of the Gateway description of theresource so you can try out the Standards Suggestion tool for yourself.

~ Peggy's Corner - October 20, 2011 ~

Boo! Gothic Fiction & Ghost Stories

2011-11-07T21:27:00.000-08:00

The human love affair with ghosts and monsters has a long history, andreached a zenith in the mid-to-late 1800s. Writers such as Mary Shelley, EdgarAllen Poe, Bram Stoker and many others crafted stories of the supernatural,delighting their audiences with frightening tales of mystery, curses, andsometimes madness. Commonly known as Gothic fiction, the genre is still populartoday, thanks to contemporary authors such as Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King,and Anne Rice.

Gothic novels are often characterized by their emphasis on atmosphericsettings such as graveyards, crumbling ruins, and bleak landscapes. Charactersare generally subjected to such torments as madness, murder, and supernaturalevents, while an undercurrent of unrequited or forbidden love frequentlyheightens the story’s tension. The genre aims to build suspense and provokestrong emotions in the reader, hence thoroughly immersing the reader in theworld of the novel. While the novels are a great deal of fun for teachers andstudents alike, they also often pointedly critique human nature and socialexpectations. A fun example is Jane Austen’s spoof of Gothic fiction,Northanger Abbey, which is ideal for high school students.

Younger students are already familiar with the Gothic fiction genre,although not by that name. They are well-versed in the characteristics of ghoststories and thrillers, and are always keen to try their hand at writing theirown scary stories. Reading ghost and horror stories in class is a great way tofocus on common gothic literary elements and how they can be usedmetaphorically, such as darkness, light, the depicted landscapes, variouscolors and the attributes associated with them, and so forth. Older studentscan plumb the depths of Gothic fiction much more deeply, reflecting on thenovels’ social and/or political commentary and how the setting and events mayreflect aspects of the human consciousness.

This week I’ve selected three Gothic fiction-related resources forvarious grade levels. While all examine the literary elements that arehallmarks of the Gothic fiction genre, the resources for middle and high schoolstudents encompass theatre and U.S. history and popular culture respectively,for additional dimension. I’ll also be featuring several new lessons andresources on this topic each day throughout the week on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so besure to check those pages regularly.

TheLegend of Sleepy Hollow

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-09-16.8361939797

Subjects: Language Arts

Grade: 4

Thisis a unit based on the classic story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving. Byreading the text aloud, with partners, and independently, students will improvetheir reading and comprehension skills. Students will make predictions, comparecharacters, discuss plot and setting, and rewrite the ending to this story.This unit was produced by the Core Knowledge Foundation, an independentnon-profit organization that develops curricula, publishes educational booksand materials, and provides professional development for educators.

The "ProducingEdgar Allan Poe Challenge"

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-09-20.1616529457

Gr 7-8

This lesson invites students into the macabre world of Edgar Allen Poethrough theatrical exploration of the text of The Tell-Tale Heart. Studentswill create and perform excerpts from their specific "productions" ofthis Poe classic. This lesson is provided by PBS, which provides preK-12educational resources and activities for educators tied to PBSprogramming. Many resources are correlated to local and nationalstandards.

FlanneryO'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find": Who's the Real Misfit? http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-09-16.8086704308

Subjects: English, Social studies

Grade: 9-12

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” raises questions about good and evil,morality and immorality, faith and doubt, and the particularly Southern"binaries" of black and white and Southern history and progress. Inthis lesson, students will explore these dichotomies—and challenge them—whileclosely reading and analyzing "A Good Man is Hard to Find." In thecourse of studying this particular O'Connor short story, students will learn aswell about the 1950s South, including evolving transportation in theU.S.-transportation fueled by the popularity of the family car and thedevelopment of the U.S. highway system; the landmark Brown v. Board ofEducation Supreme Court case that helped divide the "Old South" fromthe "New South"; and the literary genre known as the "SouthernGothic," or "Southern Grotesque." This lesson is a product ofEDSITEment!, which offers educational materials for teachers in the subject areasof literature and language arts, foreign languages, art and culture, andhistory and social studies.

~ Joann's Picks - October 20, 2011~

Mobile Learning: Teaching for Tomorrow

2011-11-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

“If we teach today as we taught yesterday,
we rob our children of tomorrow.” John Dewey

I have written about this quote before, and I love how itreminds me that teaching is a dynamic career. Teaching is not something you “get good at” so you can coast through theyears. Excellent teachers are alwayslearning and constantly adapting the tools and techniques they use with theirstudents. As the world changes andtechnology evolves, these teachers embrace these changes and bring new toolsand techniques into the classroom.

As I write this post on my laptop, I am checking out neweducation apps on my iPad and keeping in touch with my sister through textmessages on my cell phone. I am also downloadingpictures onto my desktop to share with my friends and family in my Dropboxaccount. Besides being a stellar exampleof my multitasking, this shows how technology-saturated my life has become (andthis is a typical weeknight for adults and kids in many homes.) Today’s technology allows us access to analmost unfathomable amount of information across multiple devices 24 hours aday, 7 days a week. Should this accessbe limited to the home, or is there a place for this mobile technology atschool?

Navigating a touch screen is becoming second nature to kidsas young as toddlers. The preschool setis learning their ABC’s through YouTube and interactive books andflashcards. Kids are sharing pictures,creating videos, and chatting real-time with far away friends as they playvideo games together. It seems like a shame not to harness the learning thatcan come from these types of interactions. By bringing some of this mobile technology into the classroom, we canhelp the school environment more closely mimic the world outside the classroomwalls.

Even if you are completely convinced that bringing mobilelearning into your classroom would be great, the logistics of actually doingthis can be overwhelming. It would begreat to have a class set of iPads, iPod Touches, smartphones, or tablets, butgetting them is not an easy task. A discussion of ways teachers have made this happendeserves a post of its’ own later on. Before we get into that, I want to share some neat things you can dowith these kinds of devices in your classroom. If you don’t have a class set of devices but want to dabble in mobilelearning, you could make many activities work with one mobile device at astation for your students to rotate through.

I am limiting the following few examples to the iPad forsimplicity’s sake. This isn’t to say that the iPad is the only or the bestmobile learning tool out there; it is just a very popular device so there is alot of discussion in the edublog world of iPad apps for the classroom. Please comment if there are other mobiledevices you would like to discuss in the future. We want to help you succeed in bringingmobile learning to your school!

What are some FREE mobile learning tools you can use in yourclassroom TODAY? Here are a few freeapps I have come across recently. Many thanks to Kelly Tenkely at iLearn Technology and Richard Byrne of Free Technology for Teachers for alwayskeeping me in the loop with their wonderful blogs!

Demibooks Composer is a new, freeapp available for the iPad. Basically, this is a tool thatwill allow your students to create interactive e-books for the iPad. Very cool! Students that enjoy being creative and teaching others with their workwill have a lot of fun with this app. Kelly Tenkely describes it best here.

Another handy free appfor education is Evernote, an app wediscussed in the past for helping teachers stay organized. It can also keep students organized, and itis a great way to archive student work and save paper. With Evernote installed (for free) on amobile device, students can capture audio, pictures, and their ownwriting. They can keep all of thisorganized into folders and they can send their notes directly to the teacherfor assessment and collaboration. Evernote is also available on the Android market, and works with a PC orMac.

This interesting free app is called Show Me. In the spirit of resources like the KhanAcademy, Show Me will allow students and teachers to create all different kindsof online tutorials with an iPad. As aperson who learns best by teaching, this is a very exciting idea for me. This app could be very useful for allowingyour students to help and tutor their peers and as a way for you to assessstudent learning.

One very creative teacher even figured out how to bring theever-popular Angry Birds to the classroom. Her plan used the game to teach math, history, and science. I love how this idea works across severalsubject areas and brings in a popular game that students are already interestedin.

There are so many more free apps for the iPad that would bea great addition to the classroom. I hopethis start of a list gets you excited and thinking about how some type ofmobile learning would benefit your class. Watch our Facebookand Twitter pages all week formore helpful discussions and resources. There are plenty more resources and ideas on the Gateway, so be sure to search there, too.

~Peggy's Corner - October 13, 2011~

On the Go: Mobile Learning

2011-11-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

Until recently, schoolsbanned the use of cell phones and other mobile devices by students during classhours. While some students argued that the devices could be helpful to thelearning process, teachers and administrators focused instead on those studentswho used the devices for non-learning related tasks, such as texting theirpeers and trolling the Internet. Although the abuse of mobile devices by students is still a validconcern, some enterprising educators have embraced mobile technology and are increasinglyincorporating it into the curriculum.

Mobile learning, orm-learning, is related to distance education and e-learning in that each methoduses forms of technology to enhance the learning process. Mobile learning,however, focuses particularly on learning with mobile devices such as tablets,cell phones, and iPod Touches. Mobile devices have the advantage of beingsmall, easily portable, and familiar to the vast majority of teachers andstudents alike. Their inclusion in the curriculum opens a wealth ofpossibilities, as students don’t need to be tethered to workstations or even aclassroom as they explore concepts relevant to their learning anytime, fromjust about any location.

Last fall, Project Tomorrowreleased a report about technology and education at a Congressional Briefing inWashington, DC. Their research found that 64% of teachers surveyed believe thatmobile devices could be beneficial for increased communication among parents,teachers, and students, as well as be used to access online textbooks at anymoment. The same study also asked K-12 students to envision what going toschool would be like in 2015, and many foresee classes where mobile devices areintegral to the teaching and learning process.

There are numerous accountsof teachers effectively using mobile devices in their classrooms, and perhapsmore schools will ease their current restrictions on use of the devices duringschool hours. Using devices such as iPads and smart phones can help address theneed for students to acquire 21^st century skills, and also help tofoster increased student-directed learning. This week, I’ve selected three resources that bring mobile technologyinto the classroom in meaningful ways. Each of the featured resources below isfrom Apptivities, an organization that aims to support teachers in using mobileapplications effectively to improve student learning. We’ll also be featuringlots of new lessons and resources on mobile learning each day throughout theweek on our Facebook and Twitter pages,so be sure to check those pages regularly.

Historical Detectives

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-09-28.1656118109

Subjects: World History

Grade: 1-6

Using iTouches or iPads,students will use images to draw conclusions about ancient civilizations. Inaddition, the students will add captions and speech bubbles to ancientcivilization images in order to explore their background knowledge on thesubject and/or to summarize information they have learned from the chapter.

Dictating Foreign Language Fluency

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-09-28.9585057880

Subjects: Foreign Languages(also ELL)

Grade: 6-12

An essential part ofimproving student’s fluency in a foreign language is providing practice inspeaking. However, for practice to be effective, students have to receivefeedback on their pronunciation skills. This apptivity is designed togive students an opportunity to document their fluency improvement.

To Kill a Mockingbird

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-09-28.4540014188

Subjects: English

Grade: 9-12

In this To Kill a Mockingbirdproject idea that uses iPads, the importance of perspective is first introducedthrough Dorothea Lange’s iconic Migrant Mother photograph and is reinforcedthrough images of the Jim Crow era. As a final project, students areasked to personalize Atticus Finch’s famous quotation about the importance of“walking in another’s shoes.” By shadowing an acquaintance for a two-hourperiod, using the pedometer and GPS features to track their physical movementand voice memos and notes to create an interactive diary, students will developtheir own sense of empathy and reach a deeper understanding of Harper Lee’sfamous novel.

~Joann's Picks - October 13, 2011~

Mission Possible

2011-11-07T21:01:00.000-08:00

You see them in the movies using their keen powers ofobservation and quick thinking along with the latest and greatest technology tokeep one step ahead of their enemies. These spies are the living a glamorous life. Their stories are the stuff of Hollywood, andlots of our students just can’t get enough. Joann is featuring resources this week that examine the history ofespionage, a riveting topic for students of all ages. When the topics of history parallel thethemes of their favorite films, your students are more likely to stay engagedand involved in activities and discussions. Much to these students’ dismay, we can’t spend the entire year studyingspies, but some enterprising teachers sneak a “spy” theme in throughout thesubjects to engage their students.

If you are studying a particular historical period, theremay be some excellent primary sources you can use that will tie the theme of spiesin perfectly. One unit, The WWII Spy Kit, does a nice jobof allowing students to discover the espionage that took place in WWII.

Spies throughout history have honed many skills and learnedto use all different kinds of technology to be successful. Why not take some time this year to have yourstudents learn the skills they will need to become “spies?”

Spies are good withpatterns.

Spies need to be able to communicate with secret codes andbreak other peoples’ codes when necessary. Your students can practice making and breaking codes and communicatingwith their classmates through code. Trythis code breaker activityor this doorman’s codeactivity to start. These kinds ofcode activities can be fun for students of all ages.

Spies are sneaky.

Let your students complete an assignment using invisibleink! It’s easy to do, and whatassignment isn’t fun when you get to use invisible ink? Look at this resource for directions on howto make (and read) your own.

Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages all week formore exciting espionage related resources! Have you done any neat spy activities in your classroom? We always likehearing what has worked for you.

Is there a topic you would like us to write about in thefuture? Joann is always adding newresources to the Gateway, and we want to know what you need.

~Peggy's Corner - September 22, 2011~

Spy Kids

2011-11-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

Most students, at one time or another, become enamored withspies and espionage. Spies live in the shadows, gather intelligence and use allsorts of evasive actions to avoid detection. They inhabit a world fraught withdanger and mystery, and their exploits are often riveting. What’s not to like?

The use of espionage to gather intelligence has a lengthyrecord in history. Sun Tzu stressed the importance of using political andmilitary techniques of “deception and subversion” in his seminal work The Art of War, written around 600 BC. Surveillance operations have also beendocumented as far back as ancient Egypt, where early pharaohs used trustedagents to spy on their subjects as well as political “frenemies” in Rome andGreece. The ancient Romans honed espionage to a fine art, using it as aneffective method in helping to govern their immense empire that spanned threecontinents. Indeed, Roman documents contemporary to the period indicate thatthe Roman intelligence community knew in advance of the plan to assassinateJulius Caesar in 44 BC. European governments in medieval times relied on spiesparticularly in times of war, while Queen Elizabeth I and her cabinetinfamously employed a vast network of spies, some of whom were double or eventriple agents.

The first documented case of spying in the U.S. occurred in1776, when Nathan Hale was executed by the British for spying on them duringthe American Revolution. George Washington realized early on that espionagewould be vital to winning independence from the British, and relied on hispersonal band of spies known as the Culper Ring to feed him information. Morerecent spies such as Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Anna Chapman, and scores ofothers continue to make headlines from time to time, but most spies remain inthe shadows for life. Today, nearly all countries use espionage to gatherintelligence on friends and foes alike, employing both traditional spies aswell as digital methods. According to recent news reports, the U.S. is the targetof “hundreds of thousands” or cyber-attacks daily, many of which originate inBeijing. Security experts believe the attacks are meant to infiltrategovernment, manufacturing, and military systems, and concede that a fairpercentage of the attacks have been successful. This type of espionage could bea great topic of discussion in social studies classes, as well as in lessonsdevoted to economics, health and safety, technology, current events, andothers.

My picks this week focus on spy-themed lessons that workacross the curriculum for a variety of ages. As always, we’ll also be featuringseveral new lessons and resources on this topic each day throughout the week onour Facebook and Twitter pages,so be sure to check those pages regularly.

Boston Spies’ Reporton the Redcoats

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2007-08-10.3639054937/

Subjects: US history, Writing

Grade: 3-5

In this lesson, students collect information about Britishactions in Boston, and send it by secret coded message to leaders inPhiladelphia. This is a fun lesson that incorporates research with primarysource documents, hands-on activities, and critical thinking skills. Thislesson offered by Beacon Learning Center, which offers standards-basedresources and professional development activities.

An American Spy withMoney to Spend

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2007-04-20.5605084370/

Subjects: Geography, Math (measurement)

Grade: 6-8

In this lesson, students pretend to be international spieson a mission. The lesson teaches across the curriculum, with the spies"visiting" different countries, and exchanging currency. This lessonis a product of Beacon Learning Center, an online educational resource andprofessional development center that offers a variety of in many subject areas,and are aligned to Florida's Sunshine State Standards.

The Spy’s Dilemma: AProblem in Intelligent Choice, and a Matter of Life and Death http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-09-12.4152596182

Subjects: US history, World history

Grade: 8-12

In this interactive online game, you are a Soviet agent inlate December 1945. Relations between your country and America have beenrapidly deteriorating. Your government is worried that the United States willturn its power against Soviet interests in the world. Your government has asked you to find outwhat you can about American foreign and defense policies and about Americanintelligence capabilities. You have 45 minutes to examine sensitive files fromPresident Truman's safe and select five you think will be most useful to yourcountry's leader, Premier Josef Stalin. Write down your reasons for selectingthe documents you choose. If you do well, you may be allowed to live. Thisonline game is a product of the Harry S. Truman Library & Museum, anonprofit organization that houses thousands of documents by President Trumanand his administration, and offers many educational resources for teachers andresearchers.

~Joann's Picks - September 22, 2011~

Circle of (Plant) Life

2011-09-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

The plants around us provide a perfect hands-on biologyclassroom for students of all ages. Fromplanting that first bean in a paper cup to conducting more involved andcomplicated high-school biology experiments, studying plants can be aneffective, concrete, fun, and low-cost way for students to explore the livingworld.

Kids start learning about photosynthesis from a very youngage. As toddlers begin exploring andplaying outside, their observations help them form ideas about plants and howthey grow. By preschool age, manystudents have had the opportunity to plant seeds and water them to see themsprout. They may find out that plantswill die when we forget to water them or when they don’t get enough sun. As students’ experiences with plants increase,their perceptions of the way plants grow may change. Often, by the time photosynthesis is formallyintroduced in the older grades, students already have some misconceptions aboutthe process. If we can includephotosynthesis in science lessons from kindergarten on, learning the details ofthe process and understanding the chemical reactions involved will be mucheasier and more rewarding in middle school and high school.

Since plants are living things, it’s natural for students tocompare the functions of the plants to human functions. Do plants eat, drink, and breathe likeus? How are they different? How are they the same?

One common misconception going into the study ofphotosynthesis is that that plants get food from outside sources such as waterand soil, much like humans get their food from outside. All living things need to eat in order tohave enough energy to stay alive. Plantsare the hard-working producers of the world, synthesizing their own food usingenergy from the sun. They use carbondioxide and water with the sunlight to make their own food internally.

FT Exploring has a very easy to understand introduction to photosynthesis. This resource describes photosynthesis in arecipe format and includes diagrams that simplify the concepts. It answers the questions of how plants eat,drink, and breathe, and shows how these functions are different for plants thanfor humans. Teachers could use this introductionfor a range of grades, going more in depth with the reactions for olderstudents and sticking to the more basic facts with younger students. The following diagram is from their site.

In order for a plant to carry out photosynthesis, water musttravel up into the plant from the roots. This is a fun phenomenon to explore, and would work well for primary orsecondary students. You can introducesimple chromatography experiments with coffee filters and markers or allowstudents to place the stems of white carnations into water dyed with foodcoloring. When bands of color travelout from a marker line or colored water travels to the tips of the carnationpetals, students will gain a visual understanding of how water can make its waythroughout a plant to take part in photosynthesis. Take a look at one of our 2010 blog postsabout falllessons to see come neat chromatography ideas.

Once students are on the right track with thebasic concepts of photosynthesis, their learning in the later grades will bemore successful. If you have olderstudents and are ready to go more in-depth with the topic, be sure to look atthis comprehensive highschool unit. This unit includesinquiry-based problem solving, hands-on photosynthesis demonstrations usingprops like tennis balls and balloons, and easy-to-follow procedures. Another experiment that could go along withthat unit is Glucose Factory, where students experiment to see how much glucoseis actually inside different plant parts.

~Peggy's Corner - September 16, 2011~

Plant Power

2011-09-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

Autumn doesn’t officially start until next week, but thesigns that the season is imminent are all around us. The nights have becomenoticeably cooler, and the days shorter. Trees are beginning to change color,and will soon begin shedding their leaves. For many plants, the lifespan of their hardworking leaves has come to anend; they will soon color, shrivel, and finally die. In some parts of thecountry, many plants will remain dormant for the winter, and only graduallyre-animate in the spring, when they unfurl new leaves.

Leaves are indeed the workhorses of plants. Through theprocess of photosynthesis, leaves absorb carbon dioxide and sunlight, andconvert the sun’s rays into energy in which to make food. Water, of course, isalso necessary for photosynthesis to occur, and is absorbed through the plant’sroots. Once energy is created, the plant is able to store reserves in itsleaves for future use, and emits oxygen as a waste product. It’s a remarkablyefficient process, and vital to the survival of nearly all living things.Animals and humans exhale carbon dioxide, which the plants take in, and in turnemit oxygen for our use. Photosynthesis occurs in some bacteria, algae, and inmost plants.

Leaves are, perhaps, the original solar panels. In autumn,the process of photosynthesis slows as the amount of daylight and precipitationdeclines. Food production wanes, and deciduous trees and other plants willessentially shut down over the winter months until increased sunlight andrainfall in the spring gradually prompt photosynthesis to resume. Fall is awonderful time to discuss the process by which leaves make energy, and thereare lots of materials available for classroom use. This week’s selected resources onphotosynthesis are for a variety of grade levels, and some can be adapted fordifferent ages. I’ll also be featuring several new lessons and resources on photosynthesisdaily throughout the week on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so besure to take a look.

But What ISPhotosynthesis?

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-09-08.4180484745

Subjects: Math, Botany, Biology

Grade: 3-5

In this lesson, students will experience aural, written,reading, and hands-on instruction in learning about photosynthesis. This lessonis a product of the College of Education at Western Michigan University.

Photosynthesis,Trees, and the Greenhouse Effect

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-09-03.7139319487

Subjects: Geography, Botany, Ecology

Grade: 6-8

In this lesson, students will study photosynthesis and thentransfer their understanding of this topic to a consideration of how trees canhelp reduce the negative impacts of the greenhouse effect. They will read a Webpage describing the greenhouse effect, carbon dioxide's role as a greenhousegas, and the role of humans in exacerbating this effect. This lesson wasproduced by National Geographic Xpeditions, which offers aplethora of tools, interactive adventures, and ideas relating to geography andthe world around us. In addition to lesson plans, the site offers daily globalnews, maps, interactive games for kids, and more. Lessons are aligned to the U.S.National Geography Standards.

Photosynthesis: UnitPlan

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-09-08.9596193654

Subjects: Botany, Biology, Ecology

Grade: 9-12

In this series of eight lessons, students will learn aboutthe light reactions of photosynthesis, the physical plant characteristics andtheir functions, and the role of energy in the metabolic processes in plants.They will also apply their knowledge to the topics of world deforestation andglobal warming. This lesson was created by Dayna Wilhelm, a graduate student inEducation at Virginia Tech.

~Joann's Picks - September 15, 2011~

September 11

2011-09-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

You probably remember exactly where you were and what you were doing on the morning of September 11, 2001. On that day, history gained a new day of infamy that will be a part of American History classes from now on. Although this piece of contemporary history is seared in their parents’ minds, it might be just another story for many students who are too young to remember the events themselves. In remembrance of the tenth anniversary of this tragedy, many teachers are planning to cover the events and the aftermath in some way. Teachers have a chance to use this awful event to continue the learning for future generations.

Studying September 11 brings up a whole list of issues for educators. This blog post from Teaching Tolerance is a good overview of things to think about before presenting lessons on 9/11 to your classes. One point I thought was especially important was that we need to be careful not to scare primary students with too many graphic images and audio clips, although they are sure to be inundated with these images on television during the tenth anniversary of the attacks. The site for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum has some excellent lesson plans and resources for teaching about the events and related topics with your class. Their K-2 fact sheet explains the events for a young target audience. This would make a very good introduction for elementary students who might be learning the facts of September 11 for the first time. A more detailed explanation that includes pictures and sound clips can be found in this interactive timeline.

Joann has collected and catalogued resources on the topic for the Gateway that we will feature in our columns and in our daily Facebook and Twitter posts. Be sure to look there first as you plan activities for your classroom. If you don’t live in New York, there is a good chance your students haven’t been to the site of the twin towers in New York City. When you introduce the topic of September 11, it would be really nice to take your students there. A good place to start introducing the events of September 11 to your students is a virtual field trip to the site using Google Earth. If you search, you can find some that have already been created, or you can create one of your own. The following animation will show you what the site looks like today and what the planned memorials look like.

In addition to teaching the history of the events of the day, the topic provides a good context for presenting lessons on tolerance, cultural differences, disaster response, heroes, and other related topics. A search of the Gateway for any of these topics will bring up a list of standards-aligned resources you can use.

One major issue brought up by the study of September 11^th is students’ understanding and acceptance of Islam. Studying the attacks might stir up feelings of prejudice in your students against Muslims or even the Middle Eastern culture. It’s important to study this religion in a balanced way so your students can form their own opinions. Read our blog post, Peace Through Knowledge to find some ideas and resources for incorporating the study of Islam in your classes. Another blog post from Teaching Tolerance discusses confronting Islamaphobia, and would be a good post to read before teaching about the subject.

Whether you study the events of September 11^th from a purely historical perspective or if you decide to take a different angle and study other issues related to that day, I hope you find some good resources here and on the Gateway. We’ll continue to share ideas all week, and we hope you do, too!

~Peggy's Corner - September 9, 2011~

9/11

2011-09-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

This week marks the 10^th anniversary of 9/11. For me, the only day that was worse than September 11, 2001 was September 12, 2001. By then, the shock of what had happened was starting to recede, and the grim reality of the utter devastation was sinking in. Most of our K-12 students are too young to remember much, if anything, about that day, but it remains a watershed event in American history. The legacy of 9/11 is that the U.S. is a changed nation, psychologically, politically, and culturally. It’s forever changed the way that we view our personal freedoms and security. A recent study indicates that emergency response personnel – the firefighters, police officers, and EMTs who worked furiously to save others at the World Trade Center – are being diagnosed with various types of cancers from the toxic dust at an alarming rate. The tragedy of 9/11 still resonates through each of us, every day.

The Memorial at the new World Trade Center site in New York City is scheduled to open on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, on September 11, 2011. The site includes the Survivor Tree, reflecting pools, and panes of glass from one of the original twin towers. It’s a reminder that even in the face of terrorism and tragedy, life does indeed continue, and we move forward as a nation and as people.

Many students learn about the events of 9/11, and why it happened, at school. For nearly a decade, school districts throughout the nation have held annual observations or remembrances on the date, sometimes following up with related lessons, and sometimes simply allowing the students to commemorate the event in their own ways. The social, political, economic, and historical events leading up to 9/11 and its aftermath are intricate and varied, and ripe for study. Terrorism, religious and social extremism, geography, tolerance, and world history are just some of the topics that can be explored in class discussions of September 11, and these and other topics can be adapted for different age groups.

My picks this week focus on the events of 9/11 and its aftermath. The resources are for a variety of grade levels, and many can be adapted for different ages. We’ll also be featuring several new lessons and resources on 9/11 daily throughout the week on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so be sure to take a look.

September 11 National Day of Service Lesson Plans

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-09-01.0805353918

Subjects: US history, Character education

Grades: K-12

These three lessons aim to teach valuable, heartfelt, and constructive lessons about the 9/11 experience, the way tragedies impact us as people, and the remarkable spirit of service that arose in response to the attacks. Students will learn about the incredible outpouring of support from people following the attacks, select causes or organizations

to support through service projects as a way to honor the victims of 9/11, and plan and execute those projects. While the lessons are aimed at the entire range of K-12 students, teachers may want to make adaptations for younger students. This lesson is a product of

911day.org, part of MyGoodDeed.org. MyGoodDeed.org is a national nonprofit organization that successfully led a seven-year effort to establish September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Lesson MV-11: Civil Rights in the Age of Terrorism

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-09-01.6648623912

Subjects: US history, Civics

Grade: 7-8

In this lesson, students will define and identify some American civil rights, analyze hypothetical cases, and discuss the impact of terrorism on these rights. This lesson is a product of the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education at the State of New Jersey Department of Education, which provides Holocaust and genocide education materials to the state of New Jersey and beyond.

The Post 9/11 Landscape

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-09-01.7854436879

Subjects: English Language Arts, US history

Grade: 6-12

In this podcast, teen readers will encounter page-turning suspense and hard-hitting social commentary in books exploring the political and cultural landscape of our post-9/11 world. Tune in to hear how graphic novels place the events of 9/11 in historical context, how war stories put a human face on the costs of military conflict, and how young adult novels imagine roles that teens can play in working for a better world. This lesson was produced by ReadWriteThink, which offers peer-reviewed lessons in reading and English/Language Arts.

~Joann's Picks - September 9, 2011~

Math Class is Tough!

2011-09-04T22:23:00.000-07:00

I remember the commotion started by Teen Talk Barbie when she announced, “Math class is tough!” in the early nineties. After only a few months, the phrase was taken out of the dolls’ vocabularies and Mattel swapped out the dolls that still said the phrase. These toys echoed a much larger cultural trend that continues to plague math teachers across the country: being smart and doing well in math doesn’t always make you popular. Social conditioning can lead students, especially those in their very impressionable adolescent years, to believe that math is very hard and “uncool,” and generally not worth their time and effort. It’s often seen as a required subject to pass, not a subject that will be interesting, fun, and ultimately very useful in life. Making math accessible and intriguing and even cool to these students is an obstacle that successful math teachers overcome. Math class can be tough, but students who enjoy it from a young age will enjoy it enough to make it worth the effort.

Great middle school and high school math teachers find ways to connect with their students to help them embrace and enjoy math, blending mathematical concepts into all different subjects. Integrating subjects like this can seem like a lofty goal for those of us who are constantly short on time, but there are plenty of Gateway resources to help you out. If you start a search for math resources, you can narrow your search with a secondary subject (such as art). When I did this search, I found a neat lesson about M.C. Escher artwork and the mathematical concept of tessellations.

You can intrigue your students by presenting real-world projects and activities that demonstrate the relevance of math in students’ lives. Tessellations and fractals are both math concepts can be taught with fun hands-on activities at many grade levels. Many adolescent students will balk at a discussion of interior and exterior angles, and how different geometric shapes can fit together. These same students might truly enjoy exploring the concept with manipulatives or interactive computer models. From simple pattern-building activities in the primary grades to some of the more complex activities available on the Gateway, using hands-on activities and visual aids is appealing and memorable to many students.

My favorite math and science teachers showed me how to embrace my inner “nerd,” helping me succeed in math despite the social pressure (and Barbie) telling me that math class is tough. In my calculus class, the community was so tight-knit that we created a class shirt that was actually cool to wear it around campus. In that classroom, I learned an important lesson: being a dork or geek is not a bad thing! In her book Math Doesn’t Suck, Danica McKellar takes an opposite approach by showing teen girls that math is actually cooler than they think, and not just a subject for the smart boys. The Wonder Years actress turned math guru’s books are a good resource to suggest to girls struggling (or not trying) in your class.

As a math teacher, you are a very important role model for your students. Your love for math will show, and if you get excited about math in your everyday life, your students will notice. If you have fun and embrace your own inner “geek,” maybe they will, too. Kids who learn to love math today will excel in it tomorrow. Good luck, and please let us know if you have successful math activities you want to share.

~Peggy's Corner - 9/1/2011~

Repeat After Me….

2011-09-04T22:19:00.000-07:00

It’s always fun to do something unexpected in the classroom, and to watch the kids’ reactions. It’s especially gratifying when the event furthers a curricular goal, or makes subject matter more palatable to the students. I remember one day in middle school where we math students weren’t particularly engaged in the material, and the teacher’s attempts to salvage the class weren’t working. She was a fine teacher, and we were normally motivated learners, but it was just one of those days where things didn’t click. She sighed, scrapped the lesson, and took out a large book of M.C. Escher drawings. While most of the students had seen some of his work before, the tessellation pictures were the ones we focused on. We marveled at the intricacy and precision of his work, and before long were discussing different types of symmetry and what types of shapes could and couldn’t be used to produce tessellations. It wasn’t the lesson the teacher had originally intended (or even wanted) to teach, but she did what gifted educators everywhere do: she took the class pulse, decided to change tactics by introducing something novel to the class, and wound up still delivering math content in a way that was memorable and valuable.

Tessellations are neat things. They’re created when a specific shape is multiplied and repeated over and over, until it covers the entire surface of a plane without any gaps in the pattern. Tessellations are sometimes also known as “tiling,” and can occur in nature as well as being a man-made product. The repeated shapes shown on brick walls, soccer balls, honeycombs, and the sections of an orange, for instance, are all examples of tiling, or tessellations. The use of tessellations as a decorative motif has been traced to the ancient Sumerians, who some 4,000 years ago decorated the walls of temples and other buildings with elaborate repeated patterns. It’s a fine blending of mathematics and visual art – a fairly rare combination – and can be a great topic to engage students who usually don’t like math. The trick is to consistently emphasize the mathematical properties of tessellations, and how they in turn make the artistic properties possible.

Tessellations can be taught across the curriculum and to a variety of age groups. Younger students can use pattern activity blocks to emphasize patterns and symmetry while working on their problem-solving skills. Older students can calculate distance using individual tile measurements, explore the different types of symmetry on a plane, and figure out which shapes tessellate and which ones don’t. All ages can create their own tessellations, using either simple shapes like triangles and squares or more complex irregular shapes. Tessellations can be studied in the art classroom, and in science by examining symmetry in nature, such as in animals and plants.

This week I’ve highlighted three hands-on tessellation lessons with activities for a variety of ages. Please be sure to read Peggy’s companion column where she discusses how to use these resources and others in the classroom. We’ll also be featuring several new lessons and resources on this topic each day throughout the week on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so be sure to take a look.

Exploring Tessellations

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-08-24.6118809390

Subjects: Geometry, Art

Grade: K-2

In these activities, students learn about tessellations and how to create them. They learn to tessellate with one shape, two shapes, and finally with three dimensional (3-D) shapes. This lesson was produced by the Geometry Playground at Exploratorium, a museum of science, art, and human perception located in San Francisco, California. The Exploratorium offers a host of materials for educators, including lesson plans.

Medieval Tessellations

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-08-24.0009022082

Subjects: Geometry, Art, World history

Grade: 6-8

The major focus of this lesson is to surreptitiously introduce the teaching of math concepts across the curriculum. Students will each produce a tessellation of original design that effectively uses shape, pattern/repetition and color to create a "beastie" inspired by bestiaries of the Middle Ages. This lesson is a produce of the Incredible Art Department at Princeton Online, and offers a plethora of materials for art teachers, art students, parents, homeschoolers and artists.

Let’s Tessellate

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2008-05-01.5810723795

Grade: 9-12

This lesson is a hands-on, technology-based project that will take place in the classroom and computer lab. Students will discover which regular polygons tessellate the plane by constructing polygonal tessellations. Students will also use a spreadsheet to calculate the area and perimeter of the polygons. This lesson was produced by the Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX), an education portal that provides lesson plans, education-related podcasts, best practices, and Alabama professional development activities. Lessons are aligned to Alabama Content Standards.

~Joann's Picks - 9/1/2011~

Where did that Healthy Eating Post Go? ...AKA Getting Organized for Better Teaching

2011-08-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

Eating disorders and body image issues can be life changing for students during the adolescent years. They are, at the very least, a distraction from learning and can escalate quickly into a major problem for your students. Seeing these types of issues in the school setting, has reminded me how important it is to include life skills in my teaching. We are in the business of teaching our students how to be healthy and successful as much as we are in the business of teaching them the specifics of our particular subject areas.

As I was reading Joann’s overview of eating disorders and body image, I thought about some previous posts we have written about nutrition and exercise. These columns are very relevant to teachers trying to tackle issues of self-esteem, body image, and healthy living in the classroom. If you are looking to encourage healthy eating, try implementing some ideas and resources from our previous posts, You Are What You Eat and Battle of the Bulge. Good health habits are not formed through healthy eating alone, and with current budget cuts teachers can’t always rely on a P.E. program to encourage exercise. Get Out and Run! and Brain Gym present physical education ideas that are easy for classroom teachers to implement during regular classroom time.

As I was searching our blog site to find these entries, I realized how hard it can be to find specific things online, even when I know exactly what I am looking for. Ideas I come across online every day can get lost in the shuffle if I don’t have an easy way to bookmark them to find them later. How often have you read a great idea in a blog or website that you decide revisit later, when you “have time?” The real problem is remembering what you wanted to come back to read and where you found it. (Finding the time is hard, too, but I haven’t come across any solutions for that one!) I am constantly reading blogs from my Google reading list, Facebook posts, and Twitter updates from fellow educators. I can “Like” them, retweet them, and join in discussions about the ideas, but that doesn’t help me easily organize the ideas so I can find them again when I am ready to use them.

It’s nice for teachers to be able to organize findings to use later, and we can pass on this very valuable skill to students for their own research and organization.

There are quite a few methods to keep track of notes and webpages you don’t want to forget. You can bookmark sites on your computer or use one of many online bookmarking tools. I haven’t worked with too many of these tools, and I would like to know if there are certain ones any of you suggest and have used successfully.

A friend of mine who is an avid technology user and kindergarten teacher suggested one method for organizing my online findings. (Thanks Mr. K!) I have been really happy with it, since I can access my saved pages on different devices like my phone or iPad. It’s been keeping me more organized, and hopefully it will help you stay a little more organized this year, too.

This blog post, A Web-to-Evernote Workflow that Works Everywhere, explains the process well. Basically, I signed up for two different accounts: Instapaper and Evernote. I dragged a “Read Later” button onto my computer’s toolbar from Instapaper’s site, and I click it anytime I come across a page I want to read later. When I find some extra time to look at my archived pages, I click a button in Instapaper to send the ones I like over to Evernote, where I can organize them however I like. I installed Evernote on my Android phone and my iPad, so I can access my notes and saved pages from anywhere. I can also access them on the web by signing into my account from any computer. Cool, huh?

I hope the resources and suggestions Joann and I present each week are immediately useful. If not, click “Read Later” and save these ideas and resources for later!

~Peggy's Corner - 8/26/2011~

The Body Shop

2011-08-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

A new book aimed at six-to-twelve year olds will hit the shelves in October, and it’s already generating a lot of comment in the press and from nutritionists. The book is entitled Maggie Goes on a Diet, and it tells the story of an overweight and insecure girl who diets and exercises her way to becoming a soccer star. While the author is careful to note that Maggie becomes “normal-sized” rather than paper-thin, the book has been roundly criticized by mental health and eating disorder experts for the message it sends. The author, no doubt, means well; with over half of all American adults either obese or overweight, the health problems associated with being overweight have skyrocketed over the past few decades. The target audience of Maggie Goes on a Diet, however, is worrisome. Educating children about good nutrition and the importance of exercise to keep their bodies healthy is one thing, but to stress dieting and exercise as a weight-loss method to gain acceptance and to become a “star” is quite another.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has announced that eating disorders in children have shown a rapid increase in recent years. It’s not difficult to figure out why – kids are bombarded daily with images of sleekly muscled men and ultra-willowy women who slink around selling products. Most of the celebrities that female students currently admire lament their clothing sizes, which usually top out at either 0 or 00. This culture of extreme thinness is indeed an illness, and eating disorders are considered the most prevalent form of mental illness in the world. The British supermodel Kate Moss, a perennial tabloid darling for her chain-smoking and drug use, has said that she keeps her famous figure waif-like by limiting what she eats. She came under fire last year for declaring that “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” – a sentiment that promptly appeared as a slogan on best-selling tee shirts aimed at pre- and adolescent girls. While the tee shirts were eventually banned in the UK, their success points to a very troubling question: What kind of parent would buy their young girls such a shirt, and why is it so vital to them that their daughters conform to an unrealistic super-thin “ideal”?

Studies have estimated that 8 million Americans suffer from eating disorders, including 1 million males. Schools have recognized that many eating disorders start in intermediate and middle school, and have responded with wellness classes and programs that emphasize proper nutrition and exercise to maintain a healthy body. Physical education classes, too, have been instrumental in educating students to the dangers of eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia, and binge eating, and districts nationwide have been offering healthier lunch options for students. While proper nutrition and exercise information is most often discussed in science, health, and PE classes, discussion on the role of media, society, and peer pressure in relation to body image can be integrated into classes in different subject areas. My picks this week focus on educating students on developing a healthy body image, and Peggy will discuss ways to use these resources and others in the classroom. Throughout the week, we’ll also be featuring several new lessons, tip sheets, and resources on this important topic each day throughout the week on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so be sure to take a look. It’s information that could have a very big impact on a student’s life.

Healthy Body Image: Teaching Kids to Eat and Love Their Bodies Too!

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-08-16.7462628853

Subjects: English Language Arts, Health, Social studies

Grade: 4-6

A comprehensive resource manual and lesson guide with scripted-lessons and activities for grades four, five, or six. The guide teaches kids to focus on a healthy lifestyle and preventing disordered eating. This guide was written by Kathy Kater of BodyImageHealth.org, which promotes healthy body image attitudes for students and adults.

Gender Stereotypes and Body Image

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-08-16.8529610999

Subjects: Writing, Health, Social studies

Grade: 6-7
The goal of this lesson is to make students aware of the dangers of gender stereotyping and the media's role in perpetuating gender stereotypes. This lesson was prepared by

Media Awareness Network, a Canadian non-profit organization that offers a wealth of digital and media literacy resources.

Eating Disorder Facts & Myths Lesson Plan

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-08-18.2048515931

Subjects: Health, Social studies

Grade: 9-12

Students will learn basic information about eating disorders including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Students will learn facts about these disorders and be able to identify common myths associated with the disorders. Students will learn about and discuss the media's influence on adolescent society in the areas of body image and eating disorders. Students will develop leadership skills by having the opportunity to promote awareness in their school community. This lesson was produced by Bright Hub, which provides K-12 educational resources and information for schools.

~Joann's Picks - 8/26/2011~

Social Networking for Good

2011-08-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

First of all, I’d like to say that I love Facebook. I move around a lot, and it has been a great way to keep up with all of my friends and family who live far away. For many people, sites like Facebook and Twitter are simply places to network socially. They provide a simple way to share with the world the answer to “What’s on your mind?”. There are plenty of ways we can change how we use social media for more than simply finding out what your friends are doing. In the past few years, educators have begun to embrace the collaborative value of these social networking sites with resource sharing, groups, and weekly Twitter “chats” (like #edchat) for all different educational topics. Instead of using these sites purely for fun and entertainment, teachers are including some very valuable professional development time while they network. Using social media in the classroom can introduce the importance of this type of collaboration and sharing to students.

Twitter and Facebook are just 2 examples of the social media tools available to teachers (depending on the privacy settings on your school network). Many teachers use blogging, class wikis, and video conferencing tools like Skype for collaboration. Some other sites suggested by educators in a recent #edchat conversation are Thinkquest, Ning, and edmodo. This list could go on and on, but instead of listing specific tools to use, I want to discuss the benefits of using social media at school in the first place. Please continue the conversation on our Facebook and Twitter pages to share suggestions and ideas.

One Kaiser study found that most school-age children spend more than 6 hours a day interacting with electronic media. Much of this time is spent passively consuming, not creating content. A goal for including social media in the classroom is to improve this time already spent in a digital environment. Instead of simply taking in information and viewpoints, we want to teach students to analyze what they see and contribute to the conversation by creating well-crafted responses of their own. Understanding this goal might alleviate some parent and teacher’s valid concerns about using social media in the school setting.

In 21^st century education, students shouldn’t be learning about the world, they should be learning as they interact with the world. The Internet and social media tools have given students unprecedented access to the thoughts and ideas of people across the globe. Memorizing and repeating facts will no longer be the hallmark of a successful learner. Digesting these facts and synthesizing them with other knowledge to create something new is the ultimate goal. Every student should have easy access to the facts, and 21^st century teachers will guide their students to filter and analyze these facts so and contribute to the world by sharing new knowledge they have created. What will this look like in the classroom? It can be a real-life project where your students collaborate with students from around the planet to solve a problem. This is an excellent example of authentic learning.

Social media can allow our students to reach out to other learners in new and exciting ways. Instead of reading about Africa in a textbook, writing a report, and possibly presenting the information to the class, your students have a chance to do something bigger. Maybe you can help them actually communicate with a student in Africa through Skype, Facebook, or Twitter. Instead of a report, they could create a video about the country to post to YouTube, reaching a much wider audience than a classroom presentation. They could even create a wiki to collaborate and share ideas with kids in Africa, a kind of 21^st century pen pal program! There are many other web 2.0 tools that good ways for students to share information. Check out our previous posts for some examples.

Service learning is an important aspect of education. Students need to understand that they are capable of changing their communities and the world. In my days as a student, service learning included projects like volunteering at a local nursing home, collecting food for the food bank, or being involved in a community clean-up event. While these types of service projects are still a vital part of education and an important part of being a contributing member of society, students can build on this type of service and use social media to make their voices heard. From kindergarten on, students can create multimedia projects to educate others and make a difference in the world around them.

This is just an overview of the topic, and I am really excited to write more posts with examples of how social media can benefit our students and our communities. I hope that more of us can take the time and energy to include a component of social media in our classrooms. If you have ideas, questions, or examples of social media in education, please don’t hesitate to post them on our Gateway Facebook and Twitter pages. We love to hear what you want us to write about!

~Peggy's Corner - 8/18/2011~

The Social Network

2011-08-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

I have a love/hate relationship with social media. It can be a great way to keep current with certain events and individuals, but it can also become yet another demand on one’s time. There has been a flurry of news articles lately on how many social media users feel obligated to stay online; indeed, many feel compelled to constantly tweet or update their Facebook statuses, even while on vacation or during the night. Adolescents and teens are the heaviest users of social media – a 2009 Pew report found that 73% of kids aged 12-17 used social media regularly. It’s no wonder, then, that some teachers have decided to shake up traditional lesson plans a bit by incorporating social media in their classrooms.

Many parents, educators, and administrators have reservations about using social media in school. In many schools, access to sites like Facebook, Skype, and YouTube are blocked. Granting students access to social media sites in the classroom may seem like playing with fire – we all know how good intentions can be easily abused by some kids, which can quickly sour the experience for everyone. In granting classroom access to social media sites, students need to clearly understand the class rules surrounding its use in class, and the ramifications if the privilege is abused. Monitoring by the teacher, especially in the beginning of such activities, is likely necessary. But the use of social media in lessons can be an effective way for students to collaborate, quickly share information, prompt discussions, create content, and lend insights into class work that might not otherwise occur.

The use of social media can level the playing field for many students. Students who are shy and reluctant to speak in class are often more likely to participate in discussions and offer critiques online. When used creatively, it can be a powerful learning tool for many classrooms. Foreign language students, for example, can use tools such as Skype to connect with native speakers and practice their conversational skills and proper pronunciation. Teachers of ELL students can use the Add Video feature on Facebook to record words or phrases that his/her students mispronounced during that day’s class. In addition to using Twitter and Facebook to communicate with parents, some enterprising teachers also use such social media to recap lessons for their students – a technique that appears to be very successful with younger students in particular. One teacher had his students tweet chapter summaries of Gary Paulsen’s novel Hatchet -- an effective exercise in concise writing and summarization in 140 characters or less.

The inclusion of social media in the classroom can be a vastly rewarding experience, but it’s clearly not suited to every teacher. Nor should it be. Everyone has their own pedagogical strengths and weaknesses, and the academic world will hardly come to a standstill if you decide that social media isn’t appropriate for you and your classes. In the right hands, however, social media can be an engaging, inspirational, and motivating tool for students. This week I’ve featured three resources that all make use of social media in creative ways. Please be sure to also check Peggy’s companion column, which features many more ideas on how to incorporate social media into the curriculum. As always, we’ll be featuring several new lessons and resources on this topic each day throughout the week on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so be sure to take a look.

SKYPE PALS Project Share NC

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-08-07.8720126849

Grade: 4-12

This lesson uses Skype and digital storytelling technology to communicate and exchange cultural and language information with students in another country. While this lesson was written for students in North Carolina, it can easily be adapted to students in other regions. This lesson is a product of Digital Wish, a non-profit organization whose mission is to modernize K-12 classrooms and prepare students for tomorrow's workforce. Teachers create wish lists of technology products for their classroom, and donors then connect with their favorite schools and grant classroom wishes through online cash or product donations.

Less is More: Using Social Media to Inspire Concise Writing http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-08-07.6981607066

Subjects: English, Technology

Grade: 6-12

How can online media like Twitter posts, Facebook status updates and text messages be harnessed to inspire and guide concise writing? In this lesson, students read, respond to and write brief fiction and nonfiction stories, and reflect on the benefits and drawbacks of “writing short.” This lesson was produced by The New York Times Learning Network, which offers free lesson plans and other educational materials. Also offered at the site are videos, podcasts, photographs and graphics, daily interactive news quizzes, and other resources for use in the classroom or for homeschoolers. Lessons are aligned to national content standards.

Social Media: An Introduction

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-08-07.0731220691

Subjects: English, Sociology

Grade: 8-12

In this lesson, students discuss various social media sites, and their potential impact on future job searches and employment. The lesson includes topics such as students’ digital reputations, online privacy, and the importance of using social media privacy controls. This lesson was published on Scribd, a social publishing site where people can share original writings and documents.

~Joann's Picks - 8/18/2011~

Heroes

2011-08-20T15:22:00.000-07:00

In the past couple of weeks, the word “hero” has been a huge part of the news media as 30 American soldiers were tragically killed in a recent Chinook crash in Afghanistan. The crash caused the highest number of American casualties in one day since the beginning of the conflict. As the names of the fallen were being released, friends and family remembered the soldiers as heroes. One 10-year-old boy posted a picture of his dad, a pilot of the downed helicopter, on CNN’s iReport and described him as a hero. This touching personal account of loss touched many people and caused an outpouring of comments on the site.

After reading Joann’s post on heroic journeys, I realized that these soldiers are truly heroes in every sense of the word. They embarked on the archetypal heroic journey, as described by Joseph Campbell. They left their normal lives to go and complete challenging tasks in an unfamiliar world. These 30 heroes were unable to finish the journey and return home to their normal lives, a loss that is mourned throughout the country. Heroism is not a new concept, and it is not limited to wartime. With the focus on heroism in the news right now, teachers can use these current events as in introduction to studying the plight of heroes in current and classic literature.

Whether your students find heroes in soldiers, sports icons, fictional film or literary characters, or even family members or friends, their relationship with these personal heroes can help them understand how a hero’s character is built. Stories of heroes and the classic heroic journey transcend cultural lines, and can be found in literature throughout the ages. There are some great resources available on The Gateway to 21st Century Skills to help your students integrate their study of heroes into many different subject areas. The resources use all different types of media to bring heroism alive for your students.

If current events won’t hook your students into the study of heroes, the heroism in some of their favorite movies might. The Star Wars movies are good examples of a hero’s journey, and many of your students have probably seen the films. This lesson from the PBS American Masters uses Star Wars to explore the characteristics of a hero and study the concepts of good versus evil. I like how this resource includes a project and allows students to be creative through artwork.

I also liked one high school unit from Read, Write, Think because the complete unit that explores many different aspects of a hero’s character and suggests some good websites to enhance students’ investigations. The unit titled “Heroes are Made of This: Studying the Characters of Heroes” uses individual and group activities to appeal to different types of learners. You can use the entire unit or pick and choose from the activities to meet your needs. One useful supplemental website they suggested is called My Hero Project. This is a place where students can discover modern day heroism as people creatively present their heroes to the world using the Internet.

Joann has selected some other very valuable resources that will be posted daily on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Please watch for these posts so you can find resources that will help you include the study of the hero’s journey into your classroom.

~Peggy's Corner - 8/12/2011

Holding Out for a Hero

2011-08-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

The past six months has seen a renaissance of superheroes, particularly in feature films such as The Green Lantern, Captain America, and Thor. The final installment of the Harry Potter movies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, however, does not feature a superhero, but instead a hero in the classic sense – one who completes his quest and hence concludes his archetypal heroic journey. In completing his quest, Harry joins the pantheon of archetypal heroes such as Gilgamesh, Odysseus, Huckleberry Finn, Luke Skywalker, and many others.

Archetypes are recurring types of characters, events, or symbols found in stories, artwork, religions, and mythologies throughout the world’s cultures. They’ve been present in folklore and stories for thousands of years, and have garnered attention largely due to the work of psychiatrist Carl Jung and professor Joseph Campbell. In his seminal books The Hero With a Thousand Faces and The Power of Myth, Campbell compared myths from around the world and highlighted many common themes among them. He was particularly interested in heroes, and the archetypal heroic journey portrayed in world literature, art, and religion. Campbell found that many myths and stories present heroes’ journeys in similar stages. The hero begins in the everyday world and receives a “call to adventure” that enables him (or her) to leave his familiar life (“crossing the threshold”) and enter an unfamiliar world where he must engage in a series of tasks or tests. Sometimes the hero must face these trials alone, and sometimes he receives assistance from companions or other loyal helpers. The tasks ultimately conclude in a final battle, after which (if successful) the hero again crosses the threshold to re-enter ordinary life. In all, Campbell identified 17 distinct stages of the archetypal hero’s journey, which he dubbed the “monomyth.”

The study of archetypes and the heroic journey is a fascinating addition to the classroom, as it pulls elements from art, literature, religion, world cultures, and mythology. Younger students can be introduced to common archetypes through fairy tales, such as the wise old woman or man characters, the “trickster” (usually a fox), the child(ren), and the villain. Young students don’t have to be told about archetypes per se, but may be encouraged to think about the types of characters and situations that frequently occur in fairy tales and other stories. Older students are able to delve much more deeply into the texts, relating them to similar journeys in other texts as well as in films. The Star Wars films are famously based on Campbell’s monomyth, and many other films such as The Lion King, The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, Avatar and others also feature the heroic journey. Higher level students can also examine how archetypes and the hero’s archetypal journey can be viewed as man’s search for self-knowledge.

This week’s picks feature three resources from the Gateway’s collection on the archetypal hero and the heroic journey for a range of ages. We’ll also feature many more lesson plans, activities, and information throughout the week on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so please be sure to check those pages for lots of good classroom ideas and materials.

Identifying Supporting Evidence from a Text - What is a Hero?

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-08-01.0719354500

Subjects: Language Arts

Grade: 1-4

Students watch a 3-minute video about Ping, a young hero who proves himself worthy to be the emperor of China. Students identify what makes Ping's behavior special using evidence from the story. This lesson is designed for grades 1-4. It includes video and support materials. This resource was produced by PBS LearningMedia, an online site offering educational materials and public media content for PreK-16 teachers.

A Story of Epic Proportions: What Makes a Poem an Epic?

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-08-01.6126300576

Grade: 6-8

Students learn about the epic poem form and to its roots in oral tradition. They study the epic hero cycle and will learn how to recognize this pattern of events and elements in both ancient and modern texts, including Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter. This lesson is a product of EDSITEment, an educational outreach program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. EDSITEment offers lesson plans and activities for social studies, literature and language arts, foreign languages, art, culture, and history classrooms.

I Need a Hero

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-08-01.9522773918

Grade: 9-12 Gifted

The heroic archetype features prominently in literary analysis at the high school level. A clear understanding of, and the ability to manipulate and apply, this idea is critical to any approach to world literature for the high school student. This series of lessons was designed to fulfill the needs of gifted children for extension beyond the standard curriculum with the greatest ease of use for the educator. The lessons may be given to the students for individual self-guided work, or they may be taught in a classroom or homeschool setting. This lesson was produced by Mensa for Kids, part of the Mensa Education and Research Foundation. The Foundation is committed to the pursuit of excellence in the areas of intelligence, and focuses on scholarship, education, and awards.

~Joann's Picks - 8/12/2011~

Civil War Connections

2011-08-11T02:54:00.000-07:00

We study history to learn from other people’s mistakes and successes. More importantly than learning the facts about particular historical events, we want students to form connections with the history they are studying so they can apply the lessons to their own lives. In order to do this, we can help students compare and contrast historical characters and events to current events and people. The featured resources on The Gateway to 21^st Century Skills this week employ creative techniques for the study of the American Civil War. Using these resources with some of the following ideas will help you frame the war in a contemporary way and connect the learning to things currently affecting students’ lives.

To help your students put the Civil War into perspective, it might be helpful to compare the statistics with events that have happened during your students’ lives. Without this type of comparison, the numbers and facts can seem very abstract and it can be hard for students to identify with the war. It’s hard to believe that 7,000 men died in the first twenty minutes of one battle in the war. Is there anything in our more recent history that we can use to help us wrap our mind around that number? To put it into a more current perspective, nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks on September 11, 2001. The devastation of that loss in our nation is still fresh in students’ minds, and it illustrates the impact that the loss of over twice that many people would have on a small but growing nation. By the end, the total deaths during the civil war reduced the American population by 2%. Based on today’s national population of over 300 million people, a civil war today with the same percentage of fatalities would claim 6 million lives. Wow. This number is astronomical compared to the thousands of Americans killed in action in current conflicts.

Comparing statistics with current numbers can help students get a big-picture idea of how the civil war compares to current conflicts. Creating a personal connection to the events can come about when students get to know the characters involved. One fun way to do this is to have your students create a fake Facebook profile detailing the person’s life. Free Technology for Teachers, a blog I read regularly, explains three different ways to do this. Students can present their Facebook pages to the class, and they can be creative with the status updates and information they use to present their character. You can also let your students choose other ways to present information about historical events and characters. Some ideas to suggest to your students are a mock job interview or news interview, a political speech, or writing and illustrating a historical fiction story about the event.

As students begin to know and understand more about the people involved in the Civil War, they might be able to gain some empathy toward them. Today we see how tragic it is when our service members are injured and killed in conflict. This tragedy was magnified in earlier wars where the death toll was magnitudes greater. An empathy for the people and a connection to their plight will help students learn from the mistakes and successes of major historical events like the American Civil War.

~Peggy's Corner - August 4, 2011~

A House Divided

2011-08-11T02:51:00.000-07:00

The American Civil War remains one of the saddest chapters in U.S. history. It lasted for four years, divided a nation and some families, and forever shaped the American psyche. For many people, it was a war of horrible necessity – a last resort when political and cultural ideologies clashed, and all hopes for a peaceful resolution faded. While the vast majority of battles were fought in southern and mid-Atlantic states, it was also a war that saw conflicts around the country in places like Vermont, New Mexico, and Florida. Virtually no family in the nation was left unscathed, as sons, fathers, husbands, and neighbors either enlisted or were drafted to fight their countrymen. The death toll from the war was immense, and it remains the deadliest war in U.S. history. Over 620,000 soldiers were killed in the war (about 2% of the total U.S. population at that time), as were countless civilians. At the Battle of Cold Harbor in Virginia, for example, 7,000 men alone died within the first 20 minutes of battle.

The American Civil War meant different things to different people. The moral and ethical questions regarding slavery was obviously a hotly-contested issue in both political and civilian circles, and certainly played a vital role in the war. While classrooms tend to focus on the desire to end slavery as the primary cause of the American Civil War, historians draw a much more complex picture, and cite numerous reasons for the conflict. Economics played a role, as the American South remained agrarian and the North became increasingly industrialized, factors which inflamed already divisive cultural tensions. Many southern states viewed the “Northern Aggression” as a quest to undermine a deeply-entrenched way of life and tradition, and an attempt to wrest economic control from profitable plantations. Northerners in turn felt strongly that the economic benefits of a free labor market would best suit the nation. Others felt that the federal government had overstepped its bounds, and that states should be allowed to exercise greater rights for their constituents. Opponents to this view countered that the federal government needed greater control in order to move the country as a whole forward in the world economy and set a standard for human dignity and justice. Still others fought to preserve a nation and reclaim states that had seceded, in the hopes that the country could mend itself and become a world leader.

Teaching about the Civil War has benefits that extend beyond U.S. history classes. It was the first truly “modern” war, where both sides relied on mass-produced weapons, hot-air balloons for surveillance, submarines, railroads, and other technologies. A great deal of literature, poetry, music, and poignant letters came out of the war, as well as new therapies and treatments in medicine. Examination of the economics of war, battle strategies, and the fundamental quest for human dignity and civil rights are all rich topics for students to explore. This week I’ve highlighted three resources on the American Civil War from the Gateway’s collection, and will feature many more lesson plans, activities, and information throughout the week on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Please be sure to check those pages and let us know what you think.

Map the Civil War Lesson Plan

http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-07-18.9913656434

Subjects: U.S. History, Math, Geography

Grade: 4-7

Mapmakers were very important to Civil War generals. The generals used maps to figure out how to move their armies from one place to another, and how to trap the enemy forces against rivers or high bluffs. If the maps were wrong, the army could be late getting to a battle…or worse. In this activity, students will be mapmakers. Their job is to survey the land for their general so they can pick sheltered places for their army to camp and open areas where they can march and fight. This activity was created by The Civil War Trust, which is America's largest non-profit organization devoted to the preservation of endangered Civil War battlefields. The Trust also promotes educational programs and heritage tourism initiatives to inform the public of the war's history and the fundamental conflicts that sparked it.

The Battle of Honey Springs: The Civil War Comes to Indian Territory http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2009-01-29.7001785986

Subjects: U.S. History
Grade: 5-12

Learn how the Civil War created fierce conflicts among American Indian nations who had been moved across the Mississippi River. This lesson could be used in teaching units on the Civil War, particularly the war in the West, on Native American history, or on cultural diversity. This lesson was produced by the National Park Service (NPS), a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The NPS oversees America’s national parks, as well as provides educational resources on American history and places to the public.

On the Eve of War: North vs. South http://www.thegateway.org/browse/dcrecord.2011-07-18.9381504421

Subjects: Economics, U.S. History

Grade: 9-12

This lesson will examine the economic, military, and diplomatic strengths and weaknesses of the North and South on the eve of the Civil War. In making these comparisons students will use maps and read original documents to decide which side, if any, had an overall advantage at the start of the war. This lesson is a product of EDSITEment, an educational outreach program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. EDSITEment offers lesson plans and activities for social studies, literature and language arts, foreign languages, art, culture, and history classrooms.

~Joann's Picks - August 4, 2011~