Building a Personal Connection to History

The information presented in the Historical Method document makes a valid point when we are reminded to help students make a personal connection to historical people and events. One way I try to do this is by using historical fiction in my reading groups. I find that students can better relate to what is learned in history if they can connect an emotion to the voices of history. By using high quality historical fiction, students can 'feel' the time period, experience the events for themselves, and envision the multiple perspectives that existed at the time. By then connecting the feelings and knowledge, students will continue to build personal connections to what they are learning in the classroom. History will become a valued treasure rather than a long list of trivial facts.

Is Benjamin Franklin Really a Hero?

Our team is thinking of using the Heroes book from Dennis Denenberg to create a persuasive essay on Benjamin Franklin. Using the two page article, along with a primary source document that we will find, we will have the kids analyze whether they feel Ben Franklin was a hero for his time period. After analysis, they will be able to persuade the audience to agree with them on whether or not we should view him as a hero. The persuasive essay will be a standard five paragraph essay graded with the standard 5th grade district rubric.

I think this activity is going to be very easy to implement into the classroom this year. Obviously I will have to make sure we have a discussion about what a hero really is before we start. I don't think it is necessary to wait until I teach Colonial or American Revolution time periods before beginning the lesson. It can be a stand alone lesson, in my opinion, simply related to our persuasive writing lesson. I also think it can be a nice lead into beginning my unit in Colonial history because now we can look at each person we study as to whether they are a hero or not in our eyes. This will, hopefully, help students connect better with the content in our American History standards.

Clothing in Barbados, circa 18th century

One of our speakers told us about how the English were dressed in Barbados on the sugar cane farms. The natives and slaves that were working the fields were wearing very little due to the warm climate and the culture. The British were pompous and dressed like the English back in their homeland, wearing layers of silk, wool, and velvet. The heat would be intense and the British would not remove the clothing because they felt it represented a wealthy, aristocratic man. The fools would kill themselves with fashion! Crazy!

American Heroes

I really enjoyed learning about adding heroes to my classroom. I see how I can add them to every part of my curriculum. Now it is a matter of figuring out how much, when, and how to do it. Since I will teach a combo this year with 4th and 5th, I can see how I can have the kids work with heroes when they are done with seatwork. I see this being part of ongoing activities in a folder in each student's desk. Culminating activities can be so different and individualized which is perfect for high achievers and GATE students, the bulk of my class this upcoming year. Much to do, but excited to get started!

Editorial Cartoons!

I love the use of editorial cartoons in the classroom. Everyone sees different details when we analyze it. Some kids can really pull the connection together and others struggle, but once things are discussed, most can understand what they are looking at. When we made our own editorial cartoons, I momentarily panicked because I didn't think I could do it. But after given a moment to think, and some sample phrases or ideas, I managed to create one. I think I could use this concept in class once we practice a bit. Fortunately, we use Scholastic News as a tool in the classroom which has a weekly editorial cartoon which increases exposure. I hope to try this new strategy out this year!

Thank you, Anthony!