The BBK activity is great! I enjoyed going through the process as a student and also having you explain, from a teacher’s perspective, the how and why of the process in explicit terms. That is one of the most helpful models for me — to see a strategy or method from both sides at once. Just going through it as a student, I tend to focus on the task, and not on the process. Just learning how a strategy works from a teacher’s perspective, I don’t get to see and feel it from the student’s perspective. So, thank you!! I can see how natural it would be to differentiate in this model, giving each student, regardless of their reading level or background knowledge, a turn being the expert. I expect that I will use this strategy frequently with my future upper elementary students.
I am so curious now about the government recommendations that were given during the 30s. I wonder if they were effective. I wonder if people had the resources to implement any of the recommendations, or if the government provided resources. I wonder why we hear so much about the Great Depression, but not so much about this — and wonder if students in the midwest learn about this more comprehensively. I also think about our current US food supply — and the fact that the midwest has just been destroyed by floods…this sounds a lot more like a national emergency than that other thing (which shall remain unnamed). I think I’ll plant a big garden this year….
As far as lesson planning goes, I think I’m in good shape. 🙂 My main problem (and time-vortex), as I’ve mentioned, is in deciding which standard or topic to plan for. This time around, I gave myself a time limit to make that decision, and almost stuck to it…which saved me TONS of time. So, while my Maggie Walker lesson has still taken me longer than I think is reasonable, I’m nearly finished and feeling pretty good about it. Thanks for the extra time and support to work through the process!
Finally, I apologize for the late entry here. With my kids home on spring break, and getting into the flow with Maggie Walker, it honestly just slipped my mind. 🙁
Lisa, I always appreciate your thoughtful and honest reflections. I especially like knowing that you find value in the experiential aspect of our class activities. The jigsaw activity is definitely a good strategy because you had to make your own meaning to prepare to share out with your group. The students feel the same way you did during the process.
I am glad you are feeling good about your lesson planning. Thank you for your reflection.