Final Post

When I chose this class for my summer course and elective, I hoped that it would be one of the best courses I'd ever taken.  There was a nagging thought in the back of my mind though, worried that there wouldn't be any new information on engaging learners offered.  I am so glad that my hopes were fulfilled and there has been a great deal of information, ideas, and resources offered.  I love that the course was set up in a way that required each student to explore and share so that each of us benefitted from the work of others.  I have really enjoyed all of the ideas, resources, and connections that I have gained from this course.

The greatest way that this course will impact my teaching in the future is because of the wealth of resources I have gained through the course.  I am very excited about the Khan Academy and the opportunity to use the lessons as another perspective, or way of teaching, for students who are struggling.  In addition, I think it could be a great enrichment tool for higher level students.  I also have plans to try to implement some flipped classroom activities; this will depend largely on the student demographic I have this year and their access to internet at home.  This could also be a great way to offer differentiation for all types of learners.

The development of the service learning project and unit plan has also been a great experience for me.  Next year will be my first year focusing on social studies, and the development of these two projects has really sparked my interest and excitement about all of the resources available out there.  I used to think that there wouldn't be many fun, interactive activities in the social studies area, but I have found many terrific resources that I look forward to using in my classroom.

Finally, I feel that my text for the course, "40Active Learning Stratgies for the Inclusive Classroom," will be an amazing resource for me throughout the school years to come.  The activities included in this book offer great ways to engage all students in classroom activities.  There are suggestions for implementation of the activities into different content areas and for students with special needs.  I used the book several times in my unit plan and feel that it will be extremely useful in my planning for both math and social studies next year.

Green, L. S., & Casale-Giannola, D. (2011) 40 active learning strategies for the inclusive classroom. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.

Intructional Unit

Unit Title: United States Government and Citizenship

 Description of Students: This unit will be taught in my fifth grade social studies classes.  There are two separate classes, both of which will be collaborative with a mixture of special education, general education, and gifted/talented students.  Each class will consist of approximately twenty-five students, one general education teacher, and one special education teacher.

Standards/Concepts Addressed:

SS-05-1.2.1
Students will identify the three branches of the U.S. Government, explain the basic duties of each branch (executive-enforce the laws, legislative-make the laws, judicial- interpret the laws) and identify important national/federal offices/leaders, (President, Vice-President, Congress, House, Senate, U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, U.S. Supreme Court, judges) associated with each branch.

SS-05-1.2.2

Students will explain why the framers of the Constitution felt it was important to establish a government where powers are shared across different levels (local, state, national/federal) and branches (executive, legislative, judicial). DOK 2

SS-05-1.3.2

Students will describe specific rights and responsibilities individuals have as citizens of the United States (e.g., voting in national elections) and explain why civic engagement is necessary to preserve a democratic society.  DOK 3

 Student Learning Targets:

1.      Students will identify the three branches of the United States Government and explain the basic duties of each.

2.      Students will identify the offices of each branch of the United States Government and briefly explain their duties.

3.      Students will describe the importance of the separation of power in the federal government of the United States.

4.      Students will identify the three levels of government in the United States and explain the responsibilities of each level.

5.      Students will describe the importance of the three levels of government in the United States.

6.      Students will identify a variety of civic engagement activities and describe their importance to a successful democratic government.

Procedures/Activities:

Week	Learning Targets	Activities
1-2	1, 2, 3	http://www.congressforkids.net/ (quizzes and activities) “House Mouse, Senate Mouse” by Peter Barnes “Woodrow the White House Mouse” by Peter Barnes 3 Branches of Government SMARTBoard Activity SchoolHouse Rock—Three Ring Circus http://kids.clerk.house.gov/grade-school/ ·         “What is Congress?” Small Group Activity—Three ___________ of Government Puzzle Pieces Activity (from “40 Active Learning Strategies…”) Social Studies Text Small group and whole group discussions Journal Entries 60 Second Civics (http://new.civiced.org/resources/multimedia/60-second-civics)
3	4, 5	TLC Elementary School: Separation of Powers (video) On the Level Activity (www.icivics.org) States Rule WebQuest (www.icivics.org) Levels of Government “Snowball Fight” (from “40 Active Learning Strategies) Levels of Government “Two Truths and a Lie” (from “40 Active Learning Strategies) Writing Activity        60 Second Civics (http://new.civiced.org/resources/multimedia/60-second-civics) Social Studies Text
4	6	Citizen Me Lesson and “Can I?” Powerpoint (www.icivics.org) Responsibility Launcher Game (www.icivics.org) Shawn Nordheim Presentation TLC Elementary School: Understanding Citizenship (video) 60 Second Civics (http://new.civiced.org/resources/multimedia/60-second-civics) Social Studies Text

I will use several assessment types to determine if this unit is successful.  Students will journal throughout the unit, and I will use these journals to guide and assess instruction.  There will also be a traditional multiple choice and open response assessment at the conclusion of the unit.  I believe the greatest measure of success will come as the students complete the service learning project that will be born out of this unit.  The activities and products included in the service learning project will be great authentic indicators of students' higher level comprehension and ability to apply and transfer the information they've been taught.  As the project progreses, I will have the opportunity to continue to address student misconceptions and answer student questions related to the content.

Developing Professional Relationships--Co-Teachers

During my unit and service learning project, I will take advantage of relationships with two professionals in our rural community.  These two individuals will help optimize the students' experiences, each in their own way.  We are very lucky to have wonderful supporters of our school system in our county.

The first professional who will enhance the learning experience for my students is Mrs. Rita Spencer.  Mrs. Spencer is the Pendleton County Clerk.  She can be reached by phone at 859-654-3380 or in person at the county clerk's office in Falmouth.  Mrs. Spencer will become involved in the project as a part of the culminating activity, the mock presidential election.  Mrs. Spencer and/or staff from her office will bring old voting machines to Northern Elementary on November 2 for students to use in our mock election.  They will explain to students how to use the machine and will check in every voter.  After all students have voted, they will count the votes and announce our winner of the election.  Mrs. Spencer will also serve as a resource for me and my fellow social studies teacher for finding previous election data if necessary.

Another valuable resource who will be participating as a co-teacher in this project is Mrs. Shawn Nordheim.  Mrs. Nordeim is a leader in the Pendleton County chapter of the League of Women Voters.  She will participate in the project as an educator, visiting the classrooms to teach the students the importance of civic engagement and voting.  In our collaboration up to this point, Mrs. Nordheim has also given me several suggestion for other ways to engage students in the project such as Skyping with students at our sister elementary school who could also be involved in the project.  I look forward to working with her further in order to make this project and unit the best that it can be.

Student learning will be assessed in several ways throughout the unit and project.  Students will be required to keep a journal throughout the project, logging their responses to prompts as well as self-selected entries.  I feel that this journal will be the most authentic assessment of their learning and understanding.  The promotional materials the students will produce during the project (literature, fliers, and videos) will also be evaluated for student understanding.  In order to more formally assess the core academic standards which are addressed in the unit, there will also be a written summative assessment made up of multiple choice and open response items.

The content standards that will be addressed through cooperation with these two professionals are found below:

Social Studies (Kentucky Core Content)

SS-05-1.3.2: Students will describe specific rights and responsibilities individuals have as citizens of the United States (e.g., voting in national elections) and explain why civic engagement is necessary to preserve a democratic society.DOK 3

English/Language Arts (Common Core State Standards)

5.SL.4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

5.SL.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

5.SL.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation.

5.W.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

a. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose.

b. Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.

c. Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).

d. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.