Chandra Ely (CI 515) --- Notetaking, Graphic Organizers, Journals, and more...

I started actually teaching the 6th grade social studies classes yesterday. I lectured with fill in notes yesterday and today. I gave them a set of notes that had blanks in some areas and then a entirely blank list in another and they had to follow along with the power point and fill in the answers. While we were doing that we discussed the answers and the information and I asked the questions. I've learned that the students focus better when the have something in front of them to do, that ties in with the lecture. I also tried to tie some of it in with popular culture (e.g.; space warfare with Star Wars and Urban Warfare with Transformers). The students answered questions and asked really great questions. In fact some of them really surprised me based on what I've observed and what I was able to get out of them. It was great!

Tomorrow we're going to do 2 activities, one is a graphic organizer and the other is a problem solving technique and then we'll discuss it and then I'll ask them some questions and have them go to the side of the room that corresponds with whether they agree or disagree and then we'll talk about why the decided to go where they did. With the graphic organizer I'm going to give them as cause of war and they have to brainstorm the effects. It gets them to think critically while also allowing them to be somewhat creative and stay on task.

When we finish those activities we will start on WWI. I also have a power point and note taking guide for that. However, that power point will be done in sections with actitivites in between. One of the activities will be a partner activity. The students will be asked to write journal entries as if they were in WWI, similar to the "Oregon Trail" activity that was posted by another CI 415/515 student early on. I took the idea that was used for a WV activity and made it relevant to WWI. They get to be creative, while using facts and information from stuff that they've learned. At the end of the WWI section the partner groups will pick the entry that they think is their best and present it to the class. I think it will be a really fun activity to do. We will be doing various other activities on WWI before going on to WWII and the Cold War.