Teaching More Than History


 

My 8th Graders end their Middle School career with a Promotion Assembly and a Party, which typically occurs the second-to-last day of school. The actual last day is usually a day to relax and enjoy one another's company. I like to provide my students one more opportunity to capitalize on their feelings of good will and nostalgia by writing a short thank you note.

I start class asking them about the events of the day before, and point out that the day was all about them, and they deserve to celebrate. I then point out that today, before they leave school for the last time, they might want to take a moment to thank a staff member (coach, secretary, bus driver, teacher) for something before they leave. Gratitude is affirmative for the giver, as well as the receiver.

Students are always receptive and some even ask for more than note. It's a really good full-circle moment for them, and a chance to think outside of themselves and share appreciation with others. 

I never assume I will receive a note (and that is not why I do it at all), but a few students throughout the morning usually end up writing to me, too. I have to say that the majority of thank you notes I receive from students mention not only how they like learning History, but how they enjoy the character-building aspects of my class: from their LEGACY reflections, to reflecting on how they will make their mark and lead in High School, to how to find balance in their day and reduce their stress. Nothing could make me happier--I want to build students with strong historical skills, and strong people skills. 

Ending the year thinking about others is a great way to start the summer!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Name That Executive Role!

Image
Students today learned about the many roles of the head of the Executive Branch, the President of the United States. I found several images of former Presidents in these roles--can you guess which is which? Post your answers below or email them to me. Choices: Commander-In-Chief Chief Executive Political Party Head Chief Diplomat 1.  President Eisenhower 2. President George HW Bush (on the right side of the picture) 3. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt  4. President Reagan meeting with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (this one's a bit of a giveaway!)
Read more

Historical Perspective and Peel the Fruit Thinking Routine

Image
Practicing historical perspective is an essential social studies skill. Historical perspective is being able to step into a historic situation and examine the motivations, biases, and beliefs of a person or group of people. Students have to revert to the beliefs of a group of people even if those beliefs completely contradict the views we have today. They must weigh decisions based on the situation of the time, not necessarily how situations are viewed today. The C3 Framework for Social Studies states that "Historical understanding requires recognizing this multiplicity of points of view in the past, which makes it important to seek out a range of sources on any historical question rather than simply use those that are easiest to find. It also requires recognizing that perspectives change over time, so that historical understanding requires developing a sense of empathy with people in the past whose perspectives might be very different from those of today." http://www.so...
Read more

Industrial Revolution Haiku

Students have been learning about the Industrial Revolution in the mid1800s and how it changed life in New England. Today students processed their learning by creating haiku poems on the subject. They were challenged to think about and evaluate this topic within the structure of a haiku, a 3 line poem with 17 total syllables--5 in the 1st and 3rd lines and 7 in the second line. The poems have been impressive and some will be posted here soon.
Read more