Mrs. Slaviero's Blog

Student Historians demonstrated how five events from the early-to-mid 1800s proved the idea of Manifest Destiny, the justification Americans had for land acquisition "from sea to shining sea". They used Touch Cast to create news stories demonstrating their knowledge. My Student Teacher and I had never used it with a class before but I'm proud to say that she took a risk with this new technology and it was successful! Most of the students had never used it before, either, but all quickly learned how to navigate the site. One of the biggest tips learned was the importance of having a green screen to make the final project look more professional. We have 2 green screens in the building but Ms. Berger was resourceful and make a few more paper screens (which we will hang up and save for future projects).  Time management for the project was very good--the few groups that finished early were given the real-life task of creating a "dos and don'ts for Touch Cas...

Jigsaw activities are a useful classroom activity that promotes individual student accountability as well as the opportunity for peer sharing and character education practice. Jigsawing occurs when students form one group, become experts together on a particular topic, and then move to a second group to compile and synthesize learning from each expert group. I am a believer in the benefits of jigsaw activities but, to be honest, the logistics of the activity can be daunting and have prevented me from using it as often as I could. (I can remember how nervous I was the night before I attempted a jigsaw in an observation--I was worried that my second "switch" wasn't going to go according to plan.) We all have our weaknesses! :) I believe I have found a way to simplify jigsawing using colored paper clip tokens and table signs. I hope it helps others use this strategy more often in their classrooms. I have 5 tables of 6 students and a classroom capacity of 30 studen...

Multi-step group activities are beneficial for students in all content areas and grade levels. Secondary teachers may feel that they take too much time to plan but the following tips will hopefully help you take the plunge and plan more student-centered activities in your classroom. I decided to do a social studies skill builder map activity today with my 8th Grade US History students. It went well first hour but didn't run as smoothly as I would've liked. I reflected between my first and second class and made adjustments, with great success.  Today's activity meets the first criteria of any good classroom activity--it has purpose and meaning. My historians were analyzing historic sources and determining how pioneers overcame geographic  hardships and challenges on the Oregon Trail. They will also process their thinking on Monday, after reviewing the work they completed today. My classroom is set up in 5 tables of 6 students but I needed 8 groups today (there w...

One of my favorite activities is to critique and analyze artwork with my students. Today we studied "American Progress" by John Gast and this provided students a great review of Manifest Destiny and the changes it brought to our nation.