Resources for Hispanic Heritage and History

By Nina Kendall

Hispanic Heritage Month is here.  The annual  celebration of Hispanic heritage is organized around historical anniversaries. Now is a great time to reflect on how you include Hispanic heritage and history in your classroom. As a history and geography teacher, I approach this topic from multiple perspectives.  If you are still looking for a few options for your social studies classroom, check out our suggestions.

The Hispanic Heritage Month site hosted by the Library of Congress has a collection of art, literature, and history that will help you  design engaging lessons.

A section of the Veterans History Project is dedicated to oral history records of Hispanic American Servicemen since World War II.

The Smithsonian Hispanic Heritage Teaching Resources explore the art of textiles in the southwest, provide historic resources about the Bracero Program, and examine the development of cowboy culture.

The Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum is a unique way to experience Latino culture. Explore a virtual landscape hyperlinked to related resources and YouTube videos.  Set your students to explore the site or check out the teacher resources for ways to incorporate it in your classroom.

The PBS Hispanic Heritage Month site will provide you with links to the Latino Americans documentary and Latin Music USA documentary. The Latin Music USA documentary is a fascinating look at immigration and musical syncretism.

Edsitement has put together a collection of resources for the study of art, language, culture, and history. The 14^th colony site provides resources for Teachers to use in teaching about the California Mission system.

The state of California has lesson plans and student friendly biographies about César E. Chávez for K-12 students.

Check out these resources and pick what works best for you. A new resource may be just the thing for a lesson you are planning.

Planning for National History Day 2016

By Nina Kendall

As the start of the new school year approaches, it is time to start planning for participation in National History Day again.  Here are a few suggestions to help you get excited about student research.

1) Get to know the theme. 

The theme for National History Day 2016 is Exploration, Encounter, and Exchange. This theme provides a number of options to pursue.  Read the theme essay, look over the sample topics, and start brainstorming your own ideas.  If you spend some time thinking about the theme, it will be easier to share with students.   Look for a new way to introduce the theme. How will you encourage thoughtful topic selection? This year I was inspired by the Wisconsin Historical Society to create a theme introduction with state specific examples.



2) Encourage student voice in topic choice.

Challenge students to create a list of possible topics.  This year we started by having students compare time periods and fields of history they were interested in to create brainstorming groups. Ask students to draw on their own interest.  While a topic may see risky or unappealing to you may appeal greatly to your students. Student engagement in research is vital to success.  I have had students successfully pursue topics that were unfamiliar to me. Their passion sustained them. 

 

3) Introduce a New Avenue for Research

Show students different options for research. You can introduce special online services like Google scholar or databases available locally. You can encourage site visits or interviews.  Visits to museums and historic sites are fun and enjoyable ways to further your research. Share schedules for regional research facilities with students as well. Facilities can be quite welcoming to young researchers and may have planned events. During Archives Month in 2104, research facilities open their doors for visits by National History Day participants.

Resources for a Humanities Class at the High School

By Nina Kendall

Have you ever introduced a new course to your school community? I have.  In the past, I have introduced both African American Studies and AP Human Geography to my school.  This year we are introducing a Humanities class.  The blending of art, history, history, and literature in this class should be a strong addition to student choices.

Introducing a new course is both a challenge and an adventure. This course will draw upon multiple academic traditions. As the search for classroom resources begins, there are many questions to answer. What will be taught? What resources will be used? How will the information be presented?   

I have been on the hunt for resources to aid students in investigating the nexus of art, literature, and history. The Pinterest board below highlights some of the resources we have found.  I would love to hear what you would add.  Enjoy!

Follow Histocrats's board Humanities Class Resources on Pinterest.   

Taking Risk to improve Student Understanding of Reconstruction

By Nina Kendall

Sometimes the most interesting and relatable performance task are the hardest to explain. Most Americans spend time in high school studying Reconstruction, but few understand it well or can express why it failed to realize its full reform potential.  In a moment of creative risk-taking I found a great comparison to help students relate to Reconstruction. I described Reconstruction as a “makeover” for the nation. In the 1870s if America was a car, then Reconstruction was the Radical Republican effort to “pimp” our ride (nation). Once my students stopped giggling over their teacher saying, “pimp my ride” they dug into the material.

Their ultimate task was to make a presentation with a visual that demonstrated how Reconstruction was like a national makeover and  describe how successful the makeover or “pimping”  was at achieving its expressed goals. This was a risk that paid off in my class. Students took initiative in organizing their projects and selecting their tools. It was during this process that my students introduced me to comic creators online like Toondo or Comix.

These webtools are great tools for students to use when completing a performance assessment. Both of these tools allow student to create comics that students can be used to show their understanding of the topic being studied. My students used tools like this to create the “before” and “after” pictures of a nation that had experienced Reconstruction. 

As you plan for the semester to come follow your creative instincts.  Simple plans and unique comparisons can lead to better student engagement and understanding. I did with Reconstruction and it worked. Their images were great and the commentary the students provided about the impact of Reconstruction left me feeling like we had better met the challenge of learning this topic than ever before. 

Choice Menus in High School: Reconstruction

By Nina Kendall                      
                   Choice  boards a strategy employed well at the elementary school level. They are used with less frequency or success in high schools. Below is one example of how this strategy can be used at the high school level if you are interested in incorporating more student choice and voice in class.

The plan for students to learn about Reconstruction is detailed below based on US History Georgia Performance Standard 10. In this standard students are to identify legal, political, and social dimensions of Reconstruction. Each section of the work is based on a stand in the standard. This was designed for students to build on their learning style and provide them with choices to encourage engagement. The rubric is simple and focuses on the depth of knowledge demonstrated in the work. As this would not be the first unit, students would have already had practice with analyzing documents and using subject area vocabulary as part of the coursework.

Reconstruction: Creating a New America Student Sheet

Standard: SSUSH10- The student will identify legal, political, and social dimensions of Reconstruction.

Directions: Complete at least one activity from each of the rows. You should do at least one activity that reflects your dominant intelligence. Activities in row 2 and 3 can be done individually or with a partner.

1	Analyze 1 cartoon about presidential reconstruction using the requirements provided.
	Use a Venn Diagram to Compare and contrast Presidential Reconstruction with Radical Republican Reconstruction and write a summary paragraph.
	Create a chart that lists the major components of each of the plans for Reconstruction.
2	Go To: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart5b.html What did former slaves work and hope for in this period?
	How did the Freedman’s Bureau both help and hurt the efforts to Reconstruct the South? Express using I-statements.
	Investigate the growth of African American music of this period. How does it represent both progress and challenges in this period?
	Go To: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/us21.cfm Explain the ups and downs African Americans experienced based on the primary sources and data provided. What other data would help you illustrate progress?
3	Analyze the History Tunes Reconstruction Song. Create annotations that show the economic, economic, and legal domains of Reconstruction.
	Go To: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart5.html Create 3 faces that express reaction to these amendments. Use speech bubbles to explain what each amendment allows and the person’s reaction. Label the person as representative of a major group in this period.
	GO TO: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0078777186/student_view0/unit1/chapter3/student_web_activities.html Complete the activity and explain how the acts described are representative of one of the Civil War Amendments.
4	Analyze cartoon 4 with at least 5 annotations. What does this cartoon suggest about America’s commitment to its founding ideals in this period?
	Go To: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/us22.cfm What laws helped and hurt the various groups in the South? Discuss with your partner.
5	What did Thaddeus Stevens and Andrew Johnson argue about? What does this show about support for reconstruction in the North?
	Who would “wave the bloody shirt?” How did this impact the progress of Reconstruction? Write your response as a short stump speech and deliver it as closing for class one day.
6	Go To: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aap/timeline.html Use this information to explain how politics ends reconstruction. Your explanation can be: ·         written as a paragraph ·         completed as a cause and effect diagram ·         expressed on a winners/losers score report.

The rubric below will be used to assess all 6 rows. Students must earn at least a 12 to proceed to the final activity.

Rubric
Does the work demonstrate knowledge?	1	2	3	4
Does the work illustrate the student’s internalized understanding?	1	2	3	4
Are multiple perspectives reflected in the body of the work?	1	2	3	4
Is the work historically accurate?	1	2	3	4

Recommendations for Improvement

	Follow standard English language and grammar conventions.		Make original choices to express yourself.
	Organize your thoughts before writing.		Complete all parts of the assignment.
	Use care when completing your work.		Proofread your work.

Final Activity (with a partner):

You will read Eric Foner’s discussion of Reconstruction. Was this truly America’s Second Revolution? Were the founding ideals forwarded?  Prepare for a debate regarding Foner’s work. Create position statements for both sides of the debate.  Use your work to support your position. Annotate your statements with what you have learned. Put the number of each row as the annotation. The rubric above will be used for your position statements that you will turn in after the debate.

You will be assigned a position the day of the debate and take directions from your position leader.

 The grade will be the result of individual notes and participation on the team.

Follow in the Footsteps of Model Citizens as you enter the Digital World.

By Nina Kendall

In today’s world, people have to learn how to navigate the shoals of the real world and digital world. No matter what arena you are navigating a great way to learn is follow the footstep of model citizens. George Washington in his youth copied the Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation which may have served as a guide for behavior during his life. Those rules offer us useful advice in the digital world as well. See how rules from more than 200 years ago support important characteristics of digital citizens today.

Character Trait: Thoughtfulness

Rule:

1st	Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present.

Be Thoughtful. Treat everyone with respect.   Thing don’t have to be said in person or online. Information and images posted online lasts forever. Make thoughtful choices about what you say and how you say it.

Character Trait: Openness

Rule:

88th	Be not tedious in Discourse, make not many Digressions, nor repeat often the Same manner of Discourse.

Be Open. Learn the rules and practices of appropriate accepted practices for communicating with others in digital environment. Learn about hashtags and rules for chats. Even in a digital environment some behaviors are frowned upon. Remember communication is a digital two-way street. Listen and speak.

Character Trait: Restraint

Rule:

60th	Be not immodest in urging your Friends to Discover a Secret.

Practice Restraint. Learn the difference between sharing ideas and participating in conversations and revealing personal information. Keep personal information secret to be safe. Discretion is an undervalue practice. 

Crafting Comparisons: A Creative Activity for Teaching the CIvil War

By Nina Kendall

As an extended activity the during the Civil War unit, I challenge students to write metaphors comparing some aspect of the Civil War to some facet of a football game.  This activity is simply called, “If the Civil War was a football game.” Students have the opportunity to view models comparisons and a list of broad topics that we study in this unit. It is their job to make evidence based comparison using accurate and colorful language.

I do this activity with students with students enrolled in regular US History class and in Advanced Placement United States History(APUSH). With students in the regular US History Class, I provide a sentence frame, a model sentence, a list of history terms to choose from, and a reference list of football terms as reference. For the APUSH students, I share a few examples and challenge them to make their metaphors. I let my APUSH students choose to work by themselves or in a group. The rule for the assignment is simply the groups must turn in at least 10 metaphors for every group member. Students also had choice about the aspects of the Civil War they choose to be the subject of their metaphors.

This activity is very engaging and a great opportunity for students to be creativity. Students examine the war from economic, political, and military perspectives as they strive to understand how different people and events played a role. Some of the greatest independent  thinking about the Civil War from students happens during this activity. Students frequently extend their inquiry to different perspectives as they craft their metaphors. Further as students are crafting their own comparisons and selecting evidence to support their comparisons it is a great way for me to evaluate their understanding of the  period and their growth in using historical evidence.

At the conclusion of this activity students share the part of their work they are most proud of with their peers. This is a great day in class. I establish some rules for sharing. Each topic can only be used once in the entire class.  We rotate after each comparison to another person or group. Students are invited to express their appreciation and approval for the work of others. Students  happily share their work. As time runs down, students compete with each other to be able to share another part of the work.

Metaphor Rubric

   

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Focus on Metaphor	There is one clear, well-focused metaphor. Main idea stands out and is supported by detailed information.	The metaphor is clear but the supporting information is general.	The metaphor is somewhat clear but there is a need for more supporting information.	The metaphor is not clear. There is a seemingly random collection of information.
Support for Metaphor	Relevant, telling, quality details give the reader important information that goes beyond the obvious or predictable.	Supporting details and information are relevant.	Supporting details and information are relevant, but are not period specific,	Supporting details and information are typically unclear.
Creativity	The project contains many creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has really used imagination.	The project contains a few creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has used imagination.	The project contains a few creative details and/or descriptions, but they distract from the story. The author has tried to use imagination.	There is little evidence of creativity in the project. The author does not seem to have used much imagination.

Rubric from Read Write Think