Mrs. Slaviero's Blog

I am once again instituting Gratitude Month this November. Students in all of my classes will cultivate their gratitude in a Gratitude Journal I've housed in Schoology. (These entries won't be graded or read by me--this activity is entirely for my students.) Counselors at my school implemented Gratitude Month a few years ago and November, the month Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, seems to be an appropriate time to focus on all that we have. The holiday season is also approaching and this exercise will hopefully help us focus on what really matters in life, instead of the material aspects of the season. We are approaching a new year, as well--student reflections here could possibly grow into intentions for 2016. My hope is that students will increasingly find value in being thankful for all that they have. Recognizing the good in our lives can not only help us to be happier but also make us cognizant and mindful of acts of gratitude as they occur.   This e...

I really enjoy incorporating music into my classroom on a daily basis. I play classical music while my History students are working on group activities, Motown hits for my Effective Teens when they are planning their Genius Hour projects, U2's "Pride (In the Name of Love)" to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. and analyze his impact on the Civil Rights Movement, and relaxation music when I sense student stress levels are high.  Yesterday I utilized music in a different way--to help students deeply review the American Revolution. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REUusj4nxh4 The piece I used was the main theme to the movie "The Patriot", composed by John Williams. This piece is brilliant, in my opinion, because it so clearly takes the listener through the history of the American Revolution. One can hear life before British taxation in the colonies, the impact of events like the Boston Massacre and Intolerable Acts, the early, middle, and turning point battl...

My historians turned in their first assessment for me today. It was a graphic organizer outline (I am a huge proponent of graphic organizers--they're a terrific tool to organize thinking and writing) and an analytical writing piece.  The first assessment is always a stressful time for my students--most want to make sure they follow all guidelines and complete it "perfectly". This is also usually the first time one of my favorite teacher phrases is spoken: Discussion of the assignment specifics usually goes along these lines:  Students: "Should we print or use cursive?" Me: "Make a good decision." Students: "Would you like us to use pen or pencil?" Me: "Make a good decision." Students: "May we submit it online?" Me: "Make a good decision." My poor students usually get increasingly confused by my statement. I want them to decide for themselves how to complete the details (I do have writin...

Student Historians will utilize a fantastic site tomorrow (I'm hoping eventually students will be able to download the app on their iPads--we will use the Smart Board tomorrow instead). DocsTeach is a National Archives site and is rich with primary source materials. Teachers can create activities to share with other teachers (I have made a few) and the National Archives has created activities, as well. Tomorrow's activity is called  "Road to Revolution: Patriotism or Treason?". Students will practice OPVL, then analyze some of the viewpoints and perspectives related to events leading to the American Revolution.  http://docsteach.org/activities/19/detail?mode=browse&menu=closed&era%5B%5D=revolution-and-the-new-nation 

For the past 20 years I have started teaching every September with classes full of 8th Graders that are eager and ready to learn. This year's students are as ready to learn as ever but there is one big change: every student now has an iPad. Technology and I have come a very long way in the past eight years and I look forward to this new challenge. My goal is to let the History content drive the use of technology in my room, not the other way around. This article from TeachThought has been very helpful for me on this journey: http://www.teachthought.com/technology/10-secrets-to-unlocking-the-learning-potential-of-the-ipad/  I need to be ok with taking it slowly--I have a organized, highly-functional classroom where students learn deeply. I don't want to lose my focus because I'm so excited to jump in to all that having a 1:1 classroom can bring. I will take these tips to heart and attempt to do a few things well. I am really looking forward to publishing stu...

Student historians learned  today about OPVL, a method of primary source analysis used in IB and AP History classes. The acronym stands for Origin, Purpose, Value, and Limitation. OPVL is a method that will allow students to determine the context primary sources are set in and also think deeply and reason what the source says about the time period it came from. A professional development session I attended earlier this month gave me the idea to first model OPLV using personal student items. Students brought in an item they have pride in and we prepared for a Primary Source "Show and Tell" session in class today. This activity really helped me learn more about my students and I also discovered was a great example of character education. Students needed to reflect on the value these items had on themselves and what our society values, as well. I look forward to our discussions about these special items tomorrow.

I have made a few new signs for my classroom and wanted to share... These signs are for my students' interactive History notebooks. We keep them in the classroom on shelves. I am fortunate to teach part-time and I'm changing my schedule from mornings to afternoons--it will better serve my daughter's new school schedule. (This will really be a big change for me--I've taught mornings since my son was born twelve years ago!) This sign represents my new favorite word. I absolutely love Twitter--it's an amazing resource for cutting-edge educational theories and ideas. Recently I discovered a post about the power of the word yet . People (myself included) often limit their potential with negative thinking (for example, saying or thinking "I'm not good at ______.") I'm looking forward to discussions with my students about how adding this word to the end of a pessimistic sentence gives them the power and the potential to change and grow. I ...