Things went really well with this project. The students were excited about all of the activities. They loved playing the parts of the various witnesses. They also really enjoyed the marching. They love webquests.Their least favorite part was writing their point of view essays, which is not a big surprise.
I think that the next time I do this part of a unit it will go much smoother because it will be done during the correct part of the Revolution timeline. It was very hard to give just basic background material to prepare the students. We are now going back and returning to our normal point of study in social studies and it will be interesting to see what they remember when we arrive at April 19, 1775 again.
I did not have enough time to have the students complete Animoto projects. They will be added to the blog as they are finished. There are never enough hours in the day to devote to everything.
I will say that my teaching of this content was much better because I was using more primary and secondary sources and not relying on the textbook as the only source of information. I think that my teaching of social studies will only improve with the use of primary and secondary sources, Discovery Ed videos, websites, and the textbook.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Re-Enactment
Students from my class and the two fourth grades went out on the playground to re-enact what happened on Lexington Green on April 19, 1775.
My class was out first and we practiced marching like a militia company. The students struggled with doing movements as a unit.
The 4th grades came out and we lined the classes up having my class as the Lexington Militia and the 4th grades as the British Regulars.
We talked as a group about how both sides arrived at the green. Students from both classes shared information that hey had learned.
Students from my class then began reading witness statements. We began with statements from the militia and then the Regulars. We stopped after each reading and discussed the important information from each selection.
We ended with the statement from Maj. Pitcairn to Gen. Gage.
All students then walked through what happened that day based on the statements and teacher directions. The students acted appropriately with only a handful of students actually simulating trying to fire a weapon.
We ended the activity with my class again trying to do some manuevers that the militia would go through. They were finally able to swing around as a group and stay in line after six tries.
My class was out first and we practiced marching like a militia company. The students struggled with doing movements as a unit.
The 4th grades came out and we lined the classes up having my class as the Lexington Militia and the 4th grades as the British Regulars.
We talked as a group about how both sides arrived at the green. Students from both classes shared information that hey had learned.
Students from my class then began reading witness statements. We began with statements from the militia and then the Regulars. We stopped after each reading and discussed the important information from each selection.
We ended with the statement from Maj. Pitcairn to Gen. Gage.
All students then walked through what happened that day based on the statements and teacher directions. The students acted appropriately with only a handful of students actually simulating trying to fire a weapon.
We ended the activity with my class again trying to do some manuevers that the militia would go through. They were finally able to swing around as a group and stay in line after six tries.
Primary Sources - Eyewitness Accounts
We began the lesson reviewing what a primary and secondary source was. We had been discussing the idea since the beginning of the school year. We use the terminology all the time when reading textbooks and doing investigations in all subject areas. It has been a focal point of instruction this year.
Students and I walked through a reading of eyewitness accounts from both the British Regulars and the Lexington Militia using the site NewEnglandLife and TeachingAmericanHistory
Students were made aware that this was a run through in anticipitation of our restaging the battle at Lexington Common with the tow fourth grade classes.
Each student was given a chance to read a part. Students were asked to lead a discussion about each piece read. Students took notes listing who the speaker was, any background given on the speaker, what the speaker said about the events of that morning.
Students were especially drawn to the testimony of Lt. Edward Thoroton Gould, who was captured on his way back to Boston, because he was the only witness to state that he did not know who fired first. One student raised the point of his being captured and how that might affect his point of view.
The class then created a Venn Diagram comparing the statements from both sides. This was a group activity that was done on the white board and copied by the students. Students generated all the material in the diagram.
The students then wrote a point of view essay comparing and contrasting the two view points expressed by the witness statements. Students were given a rubric that explained the grading system for the essays.
Students and I walked through a reading of eyewitness accounts from both the British Regulars and the Lexington Militia using the site NewEnglandLife and TeachingAmericanHistory
Students were made aware that this was a run through in anticipitation of our restaging the battle at Lexington Common with the tow fourth grade classes.
Each student was given a chance to read a part. Students were asked to lead a discussion about each piece read. Students took notes listing who the speaker was, any background given on the speaker, what the speaker said about the events of that morning.
Students were especially drawn to the testimony of Lt. Edward Thoroton Gould, who was captured on his way back to Boston, because he was the only witness to state that he did not know who fired first. One student raised the point of his being captured and how that might affect his point of view.
The class then created a Venn Diagram comparing the statements from both sides. This was a group activity that was done on the white board and copied by the students. Students generated all the material in the diagram.
The students then wrote a point of view essay comparing and contrasting the two view points expressed by the witness statements. Students were given a rubric that explained the grading system for the essays.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Re-enactor Visit
Students watched a great video on Discovery Ed that was presented from the British point of view, which is our key focus. We stopped the video and discussed points along the way. The video talked about how April 19, 1775, was the beginning of a "civil war", that really got the students' attention.
Next we had a visit from re-enactors from the Charlestown Militia. Their presentation foucused on Woburn's role in the events of the day. They talked about their clothing, weapons, and the Battle Road here in Woburn.
The highlight for the students was being able to feel the weight of the musket that they brought with them.
Both points of view presented led to some interesting questions from the students. The best thing about they day is that they asked if we were going to do more activities around April 19.
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