I am excited about how the next four weeks of classes are structured. I like the pairing of the group presentations on books for a particular time period with examples of possible instruction choices to cover that time period. I really enjoyed literature circles and the Depression era book selections, so I am excited to hear the other presentations to learn more about potentially using those books in the classroom.
The close look at the Jamestown map exercise was interesting. It is useful to practice doing the same exercises that we will ask our students to do. I would definitely use this type of activity with my students. I think many students will find maps to be interesting. My children have always loved reading maps from Busch Gardens or Kings Dominion, and I think students will enjoy time to work in groups to discuss what they notice and wonder about maps that are new to them. I could even introduce the activity by asking students about what types of maps they’ve used previously, if any, and why they used them. It does make the map much more meaningful once you consider the purpose and the intended audience, especially when the students have time to decide what those might be based on their background knowledge and what they see. I love the notion of comparing and contrasting the past map to the present map and discussing what must have been important to the users in both instances and discussing how we come to those conclusions (what support we have). I think this activity allows students to think critically, logically, and analytically while they are also learning the required social studies standards.
I am curious about going to the Jamestown Archaearium. I had never previously heard of it, and it would be interesting to see the collection of the Colonial period American Indian artifacts. I think I will try to plan a trip with my own children this spring or summer. It is great also to know that they are familiar with Blood on the River and will incorporate relevant details into a planned school tour. Do you have a list of some of the field trip locations that you mentioned potentially having teachers visit the next time you teach this course? If you have a list of these places or at least a few of them, I would love to check them out. Sadly, I feel like I don’t know our history as well as I should, so I am trying to relearn as well as learn new information as much as I can before I begin teaching.
I am still a little confused on which grade levels the following SOL standards (Va Studies, US 1, US II, etc.) are covered in different VA schools. Is there a way to know which localities cover which standards each year? Is this on each local school divisions website? Otherwise, I think the class is going well. I am just continuing to build up my comfort level with the subject matter and with taking some risks as I build my lesson plans and learning and growing from my mistakes as I make them.