Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Assignment

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Michael K. Milton

I have always been an advocate for time travel in the classroom. Imagine learning about the Constitutional Convention by actually going there? Or becoming involved in a discussion about human nature with John Locke? I fully realize that by doing this, my class may inadvertently change history rendering our future obsolete (which is why I haven’t asked for the funding of a time machine). But the idea of time travel still fascinates me.

Over the past few weeks, I have been doing a lot of thinking about the Common Core for History/Social Studies Standards as my department has been linking our lessons to them. So, when I entered into a discussion about Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure this weekend, my mind almost immediately went to this.

For those unfamiliar with B&TEA, watch the trailer below:

The movie begins with Bill and Ted being given a history project that they must present in order to graduate. The project itself is a cumulative look back at what students learned in their World History class. The prompt for this project is as follows:

“Express to the class how an important historical figure from each of your time periods would view the world of San Dimas, 1988.”

This inspired activity addresses the following:

RH.11-12.9. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.

WHST.11-12.7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

While Bill and Ted had the luxury of a time machine, his classmates had to research time periods in history, identify important figures in those time periods, and hypothesize what the historical figures would think about the current society. Mr. Ryan (their teacher, thanks IMDB!) clearly understood how to create an effective project that went beyond the norm and requires his students to reflect upon their society.

If I were to do this assignment (any of my students reading this ~ be prepared to get excited!), I would have students create some sort of multimedia presentation to present to the class (and outside guests), defend their reasoning for their decisions, and then update the artifact based upon the feedback given.

This would address the following standard:

WHST.11-12.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

I am sure the results would totally be excellent!

Here is Bill and Ted’s Project:

For more on my Connecting Lessons to Common Core series click the links below:
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Nationalistic Travel Brochures
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Imperialism and Star Wars
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Extra Extra! Primary Documents to News Articles!
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Assignment
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Personal Journals during the French Revolution
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Your Own Personal Latin American Revolution
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Enlightenment – Declaration of Independence
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: A Missed Opportunity (Political Philosophies ~ Conservative, Liberal, Radical)
 
Be excellent to each other.
Posted in Common Core, History | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

We’re Not in Kansas Anymore: A Tale of the Modern Classroom

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Michael K. Milton

One of my students was frustrated today with a question on an open notebook quiz she was taking. The problem was that the answer was not in her notes (she is great about taking thorough notes). We are studying the start of World War I and the question was “How could a dispute between the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente draw all of Europe into a conflict?” She was hesitant to answer the question. For the sake of this reflection, her name is Dorothy.

Dorothy wanted an answer from the authority, which, in this case, was our textbook. When she found that the answer was not there, she set out on an adventure to find the answer.

Along the way, she met another student on a similar journey. She met Scarecrow out in the hall. He was having an issue on a science lab. He was not sure if his data was accurate. While he had done the lab, he believed that there must be something wrong! How could he be expected to do it right! He was just a student.

To move this story along, the two of them met up with the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man. The Cowardly Lion was afraid to present to his class so he took an extended bathroom break and, let’s say The Tin Man was hesitant to complete a community service project because he did not think he could connect with the elderly who he had to play bingo with.

The four of them ended back up to my classroom in search for answers – an easy fix to their problems. I was the Wizard, you know. I know all.

Except that I don’t. The truth is, while I occasionally attempt to be the all-powerful Wizard of Oz, I am not. And I shouldn’t be.

My role is not to give the answers but to show students how they can find them. I’m the man behind the curtain – just this guy, ya know.

So I sat with Dorothy and we talked about what alliances are comparing them to her friends and what would happen if her friend got into a fight with another “clique.” Her eyes widened when she understood the situation and she answered the question on her own.

In the end, I am sure Dorothy will have more questions – but I hope that she trusts herself to realize that she is capable is deeper thinking. Because she really did have the power all along.

As for the Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow – I trust that my colleagues are working with them to get over their fears and they begin to build skills that will make them successful in their pursuits.

Posted in Reflection | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Teacher Trading Cards: Collect Them All!

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Michael K. Milton

Instead of “Baseball Cards,” imagine if children collected “Teacher Cards”? Every week, students saved up their allowance to purchase their “Teacher Cards” and a stick of stale gum from the corner store.

This is a brief conversation I imagine students having: 

Jenn: I hope I get a Mr. McCue! You should see him hit all learning styles in one class!

Marc: Do you think I can get Ms. Erikson to sign her All-Star Card? Ya know, the one she earned for her unit on cells? 

Jenn: WOW! Mr. Whitten’s rookie card! Look at his awesome mustache!

Marc: I can’t wait until I’m older. Then I can be a teacher and I can be on one of these.

I spent my morning run thinking about how useful “Teacher Cards” could actually be. Imagine passing them out on the first day of school so that students learn about your teaching philosophy and how to get a hold of you. Prior to the first open house, now parents have more of a frame of reference as to who the teacher is. At conferences, when meeting someone you can check into what they teach, “Oh you have experience teaching Psychology? Let’s get lunch!” If the cardstock weight is right, you can also try to flick them as far as you can in the auditorium!

I decided that since I am on a rather long train ride to Philadelphia (and the wifi is on the fritz so I can’t correct research papers as planned) that I would start making them. So without further ado, please meet some of the All Stars that I work with!

Note: I will eventually make complete sets of my two departments, so fear not!

Want to use the template above to make your own? Check out this post!

Posted in Reflection | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

The Enlightenment: A Glam Rock Music Epic (proposal)

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Michael K. Milton

I would like to write a glam rock musical based on the Enlightenment. This would probably be the greatest glam rock musical based on the Enlightenment ever (unless there are more). The major thing that is holding me back is funding. Also, my total lack of musical talent.

But regardless, I will post my ideas on how this would look just in case some talented people ever stumble upon this post and say, “Wow, that would be probably the greatest glam rock musical based on the Enlightenment ever. I must write that and give Michael [me] tickets and a t-shirt.” (Apparently, the creators of this believe that I can be bought off easily.)

At this point, some may ask “Why?” I’m glad you asked! It is the ultimate story of people being suppressed for thinking differently. Of young idealists fighting against the status quo. A battle of faith versus reason. Also, there would be wigs.

The story would begin with Galileo’s angst over having to recant his idea of a heliocentric universe. He would lament about how he has to hide the truth in order to live (under house arrest). This would just be the introduction to what is to come.

It would then follow Voltaire as he meets with his fellow Enlightened thinkers and the heads of government. He’d sing about his right to be heard, the importance of reason, and the awesomeness of coffee. Honestly, with his dry humor I could not see a better leading man.

Along the way, there would be a dream sequence in which John Locke has an epic guitar duel with Thomas Hobbes where they battle over the nature of man. Rousseau and Wollstonecraft would argue about a woman’s right to a proper education. And the gang would poke fun at what was accepted as truth.

My only concern is the ending. Do we end with the revolutions that were inspired by this period  (US, French, and Latin American countries)? Or do we end with Napoleon assuming power after the failed French Revolution? I am leaning towards the Napoleon ending…possibly having him march on stage with the lights going off as he puts on his hat.

End with me!

I’d love to hear any suggestions in making this the greatest glam rock musical based on the Enlightenment ever!

Posted in History | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Your Own Personal Latin American Revolution

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Michael K. Milton

For the past week, I have been reflecting on past lessons to see how they align to the Common Core Standards for History/Social Studies. I have thoroughly enjoyed setting aside time to look at how the lessons that I have used over the past two years can be adapted to fit the new standards. So far, little adaptation has been needed but with today’s lesson, I am unsure. While I believe that students learned much from this activity about Latin American Revolutions, I don’t think it fits neatly within the standard below. Please let me know your thoughts!

To begin the unit students had created their own Latin American country that was ruled by Spain. Previously, after a discussion about nationalism, students created a symbol for their fictional country (high school students seem to love having things named after them). Then, after learning about other Latin American Revolutions, it was time for their countries to fight for their freedom.

This is the standard that I hope is addressed:

RH.11-12.2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.

The activity:

I debated having students write a news report of an existing revolution, but I felt that they would be too focused on getting specific battles right rather than the reasons behind the revolution (not seeing the forest for the trees). My goal for them was to learn about all of the Latin American Revolutions and see the commonalities. Then, based upon what they learned create, a fictionalized history of their country’s revolution.

I love when students really get into an assignment, and while not every student did, these papers were very fun to read. My biggest regret for this activity is that I collected these on notebook paper and did not save any as examples. Next year, I will have students maintain a blog to share with one another (and to continue to develop their writing).

Side Question: After reexamining this lesson, I’ve noticed that based upon the instruction some students completed this as a synthesis activity while others completed it as an application activity. How do I move this activity into the synthesis zone?

 
For more on my Connecting Lessons to Common Core series click the links below:
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Nationalistic Travel Brochures
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Imperialism and Star Wars
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Extra Extra! Primary Documents to News Articles!
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Assignment
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Personal Journals during the French Revolution
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Your Own Personal Latin American Revolution 
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Enlightenment – Declaration of Independence
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: A Missed Opportunity (Political Philosophies ~ Conservative, Liberal, Radical)


Posted in Common Core, History | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Personal Journals during the French Revolution

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Michael K. Milton

As I said before, my Social Studies department is meeting this week to discuss activities and lessons that align with the Common Core Standards for History/Social Studies. I became very excited last Friday afternoon when I found that the Common Core also included standards for reading and writing across the curriculum.

One of my goals as a teacher (other than to thwart the Zombie Apocalypse) is to get students become immersed in history. When we began our unit on the French Revolution, I did not want my students to passively read about the plight of the Third Estate. I wanted them to feel it. I wanted them to react to events leading to the French Revolution, rather than simply memorize facts. I decided to have my students take on personas of someone in the Third Estate and write about the events that occurred as if they were there.

This is the writing standard that I am going to address with this activity:

CCR 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.

Each night instead of the traditional “read and outline Chapter 23 Section 2”, my students had to submit journal entries to our Edmodo page for an audience of one…me. Some students delved deep into their characters filling their lives with vivid detail. Other students simply outlined the chapter using personal pronouns. After reading the first batch, I realized that I had to tweak the activity to fully engage my classes. So, instead of simply submitting it to me, students submitted their writing for the whole class to see. As the audience grew, the quality of the writing developed. Also, the next day some of my students called each other by their French names.

(For those using Edmodo, the above was accomplished by having students clicking on “Reply” under the assignment rather than “Turn in.” The downside of this was the it added a step for me to give students credit for completion. I could have simply had students submit assignments in both places.)

Here are some examples of the questions and responses:

On their unit test, I also included an essay option about how their character would reflect back upon the French Revolution during the reign of Napoleon. The responses for this essay were thoughtful, articulate, and personal. I was excited to see students develop such a connection to their characters and the French Revolution.

I will do definitely use this activity again but will have students complete this on a blog rather than Edmodo (it’s not you Edmodo, it’s me). As a “Do Now”, I will have students read and respond to each others blogs as their character.

In completing the assignment this way, I would also be addressing the standard below!

WHST.11-12.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

I am glad that I found the standards above as I really enjoy having my students put themselves in history. Not only does it, ideally, make history come alive, but doing it in this way helps to develop a classroom community.

 
For more on my Connecting Lessons to Common Core series click the links below:
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Nationalistic Travel Brochures
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Imperialism and Star Wars
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Extra Extra! Primary Documents to News Articles!
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Assignment
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Personal Journals during the French Revolution
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Your Own Personal Latin American Revolution
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Enlightenment – Declaration of Independence
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: A Missed Opportunity (Political Philosophies ~ Conservative, Liberal, Radical)

Posted in Common Core, History | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Why I Teach: The Importance of Teachers and the Zombie Apocalypse

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Michael K. Milton

Part of my inspiration for being a teacher is that I believe I can stave off the Zombie Apocalypse (or Zombocalypse as a friend offered). Not single-handedly, mind you. My occasional delusions of grandeur are never quite so grand. I believe by working to develop the minds of our students and by teaching them to think creatively and work better both individually and with groups we can push back the Zombocalpse.

This post seems to have developed an “I believe that children are the future” vibe, which was originally unintended but I am embracing.

Last December, I read a great blog post from edweek.org called “Teachers as Brain-Changers: Neuroscience and Learning,” which really excited me. The article discusses the brain’s neural pathways that develop when learning which make different kinds of thinking more fluid the more it is used. I felt my role as an English and World History teacher developed into “Brain-Changer.” I even debated making business cards. My new goal was to develop neural pathways to ensure student’s development of critical thinking and problem solving skills. While my activities did not shift too much, I felt that mostly every activity should develop student’s minds. I moved from quick rote-memorization quizzes to ensure student reading to open notebook quizzes in which students apply what they have learned.  In short, my mindset changed.

Last night, @TeachPleau said in a conversation about 21st Century Skills that “the content is the tool that we use to teach the process & skills.” This statement shocked me for a full moment, but made me reflect again on my role in the classroom. Is my content still important? Yes. But creating engaging lessons for students to experience thinking and learning is more important. We need our students to be ready to adapt to deal with a changing economy and the potential* Zombocalypse.

And now for how all of the work that we (educators) do will delay the Zombie Apocalypse! The current Zombocalypse theory is that either a virus will be released into the air or that someone infected in a laboratory somewhere will be accidentally released into the world. As zombism rapidly spreads throughout the population, it will be our students who will be working quickly with a large number of variables to develop the cure. If they are simply taught how to memorize and regurgitate, humanity may be doomed.  If they are taught effective critical thinking, they will be more adept at coming up with possible solutions to this catastrophic event. They will save humanity (for now)!

That is why I teach – to stop the Zombocalypse.

As an aside, while I am trusting of the future generations, I still plan to keep in shape just in case I have to run from Zombies. I think it was Ronald Reagan who said, “Trust, but be ready for the Zombie Apocalypse.” Truer words were never spoken.

Oh, for a good run for you iPhone users, check out the Zombies, Run! app. It is the best way to start your morning.

* Some may say eventual.

Posted in Reflection | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

My Idea: Making Teacher Prep More Like Scrubs

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Michael K. Milton

Imagine if Teacher Prep programs were more like the hit TV Show Scrubs!

While I have been accused of having ridiculous fantasies, I actually think this idea has some merit.

I mean, doctors have “Teaching Hospitals” (as seen on ER, Scrubs, and House), why don’t we have “Teaching Schools”*? A place where first years (new teachers) walk around the school with department heads discussing what they see in the classroom and how it can be improved.

It would probably look something like this…

The following scene takes place in a school with classes behind two-way mirrors (like ones that can be found in interrogation rooms on TV shows). The Department Head leads a group of first years around the school.

Department Head: “Milton! Tell me what you see here.”

Me: “A class, sir.”

Department Head: “If I wanted an answer that vague, I’d ask a politician!” (To make this feel more sitcom-ish, I made the department head sardonic. For the overall storyline, this is a necessity.)

Me: “A class of students watching the teacher give a lecture. From the look of the drool on that student’s notebook, this has been going on for 30 minutes.”

Department Head: “How do you propose to fix this?”

Me: “Interaction, sir. I would begin class with an introductory activity bridging prior learning to what we’ll cover today, move into a short lecture, begin an activity that demonstrates the principles of the lecture, and, finally, debrief it with the class. In general, I would recommend switching gears every 20 or so minutes.”

The scene continues with clever wit, discussion, and music by The Fray.

OK, so this may not be the ideal situation. There do seem to be a few problems. First, I imagine few teachers would actually want to teach at said school. Second, parents may object to 2-way mirrors being installed into their community. Third, I haven’t actually heard The Fray’s new albums so maybe we should use Of Monsters and Men instead.

I realize that in order to teach, we go through an education program, student teaching, and eventually, at least in Massachusetts, an induction program.

But a little of me just wants to be on Scrubs.

*When I typed “Teaching Schools” I chuckled a bit. I am fairly certain that every school really is a “Teaching School.”

A note about the title: Scrubs devotees will understand.

Posted in Reflection | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Enlightenment – Declaration of Independence

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Michael K. Milton

As I said before, my Social Studies department is meeting next week to discuss activities and lessons that align with the Common Core Standards for History/Social Studies. As I am a fairly new teacher, I am using this as an opportunity to reflect upon past lessons so that I can develop into a great teacher one day.

As I was looking through my World History Dropbox folder today, I came across an activity I developed in which students examined the Declaration of Independence and identified Enlightenment principles embedded within the document.

This activity addressed the below standard:

RH.11-12.5. Analyze in detail how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text contribute to the whole.

At our school the American Revolution is covered Freshmen year. For a “Do Now” I asked my Juniors to list everything they knew about what led to the Revolutionary War. Some students definitely needed the refresher, while other students had this information stored away like I imagine squirrels do with food during the winter.

To complete this activity, students used their textbooks, notes, or the “Enlightened Graphic Organizer”* that they had completed.

After about 20 minutes, we came together and I projected a copy of the Declaration of Independence on my whiteboard. Students took turns circling the Enlightenment phrases and ideas. As a group, our discussion began to include the US Constitution and students identified how Beccaria and Montesquieu influence can be seen.

Overall, I feel that this lesson went well and addresses the standard above.

I’d love to hear how others are adjusting to the Common Core (particularly in History/Social Studies).

*I occasionally name things ridiculously. However, while there was nothing truly enlightening about the graphic organizer itself, I like to imagine that the information that filled it in was truly enlightening.

 
For more on my Connecting Lessons to Common Core series click the links below:
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Nationalistic Travel Brochures
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Imperialism and Star Wars
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Extra Extra! Primary Documents to News Articles!
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Assignment
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Personal Journals during the French Revolution
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Your Own Personal Latin American Revolution
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Enlightenment – Declaration of Independence
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: A Missed Opportunity (Political Philosophies ~ Conservative, Liberal, Radical)

Posted in Common Core, History | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Connecting Lessons to Common Core: A Missed Opportunity

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Michael K. Milton

In a few weeks, I am sitting down with my Social Studies department to discuss the Common Core standards for History/Social Studies and identify lessons and activities that meet them. The idea of this meeting really excites me because I love hearing what my colleagues are doing in the classroom. We rarely find the time to sit together and discuss ideas (which is partially why I love #sschat because it’s a group of educators working to develop and meet the needs of our students who are growing up in a rapidly adapting environment).

As I was trying to find lessons that aligned, I came across one about bias that I really enjoyed and with tweaking could be a really great lesson.

Here is the standard that I am going to address:

WHST.11-12.1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. 

Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.

After learning about the 19th century definitions of liberal, conservative, and radical I had students take a look at one of the following events (Charles X of France trying to establish an absolute government, Paris mobs overthrowing the monarchy of Louis Phillippe, and the reign of Napoleon III) and rewrite the section of the textbook in an extremely biased way for each of the three newly-developed political philosophies. In groups, students then shared their interpretations with the class.

The purpose of the activity was to critique the events by using different lenses. And while it was successful and students had a decent understanding of the difference between the three political philosophies, it is an incomplete activity! A lost opportunity.

This should have been an introduction to a larger activity in which students created webpages (or newspapers) to examine primary documents and assess their bias. We could have had competing websites with students covering the events, speeches, and actions from their particular perspective.

This would have also covered the below standard!

RH.11-12.6. Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence.

This could have, almost organically, led to an amazing discussion about today’s media and how as individuals we must challenge ourselves to listen to many points of view until we formulate an opinion.

But alas, I did not do that. I did not see it then. Which is why, I am glad that I am taking this time to reflect upon my past lessons. Next time, I will do better. And I will work to hard accomplish the two standards mentioned above with my classes this year.

I think it was Socrates who (may have) said, “An unexamined lesson isn’t worth reteaching.” Wise words, Great One. You really captured the sentiment of this blog post.

 
For more on my Connecting Lessons to Common Core series click the links below:
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Nationalistic Travel Brochures
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Imperialism and Star Wars
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Extra Extra! Primary Documents to News Articles!
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Assignment
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Personal Journals during the French Revolution
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Your Own Personal Latin American Revolution
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: Enlightenment – Declaration of Independence
Connecting Lessons to Common Core: A Missed Opportunity (Political Philosophies ~ Conservative, Liberal, Radical)

Posted in Common Core, History, Reflection | Tagged , , | 9 Comments