Week 8:   I am going to go a different route with my blog this week. I really enjoyed watching Inside Anna's Classroom. It brought everything we have been doing in Heartlines full circle for me. The video included the IEFA content, best educational practices that meet not only the Essential Understandings, but also the Common Core Standards, and gave the students a chance to interact in a safe environment. It was a nice way to get some more ideas for the Unit we are designing.

I found the video to be inspirational and it reminded me of some of the coursework I engaged in while achieving my Master's Degree, which is in literacy. One of the best texts we used had different strategies for teaching reading in all core areas. This is where I first learned of the entry/exit ticket and anticipation guides. The book was divided into strategies to be used before reading, during reading, and after reading. I used these a lot, but my teaching kind of changed after our school began working at becoming an RTI school. We are still doing this, but are encouraged to not entirely give up  our best practices, even though they are not part of the research based teacher's guide. I was kind of getting disheartened, but the common core as well as encouragement from our superintendent is helping me get back in the groove.

Those are all reasons I found Inside Anna's Classroom so inspiring. It took me back to the days when I think I was a more effective teacher. Not that I don't do any of that stuff anymore, but it is a reminder to stand up for what you know is best for students, even if you are not agreed with by all.

The book, in case you are interested, is Teaching Reading in Social Studies, Science, and Math: Practical Ways to Weave Comprehension Strategies Into Your Content Area Teaching by Laura Robb.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1255405.Teaching_Reading_in_Social_Studies_Science_and_Math

Week 7:  The articles we read this week had one thing in common as far as I am concerned: best practices in education. The articles covered how to teach "digital natives" while most of today's educators are "digital immigrants" or somewhere in-between.; constructivist theory, using technology to teach core curriculum, and how to best use assessment in the classroom.

No matter how we look at it, education is an ever-changing profession. Trends in education come and go, but one thing remains the same: our job is to put the needs of the students first, and to assure they are successful learners. That being said, generations change and the children of yesterday do not learn best the way children of the twenty-first century do. We need to constantly research ever changing educational strategies as there are ever changing needs.

I believe one thing is certain. Kids today know their way around technology and we need to use it and continue to train ourselves to reach these kids. My frustration is that as quickly as the trends change, so does the technology. When my school does get new technology, it seems to be quickly outdated. Our school does not have a lot of money, so we write every grant we can find. Even when we are successful, we can't seem to keep up. I could do so much more if I had the tools.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the common core. So far I like how it is looking. We need to prepare our students for college, as going to college today is crucial. Trade schools are not as prevalent as they once were. A college degree is mandatory to secure jobs that did not require them before. I completely support a constructivist model, as long as I'm not tied to a teacher's guide for everything I do.  RTI seems to have squelched this some; I'm hoping things will change as we adapt to the common core.

Reading all of the articles has reminded me of why I became a teacher in the first place; to do what is the very best for those smiling faces. They make me want to find a way to be the best possible teacher I can be. The children deserve nothing less.

Week Six:  This week we read a book and learned about the Lower Flathead River. This book is rich with pictures, charts, primary sources, and background knowledge. Much of the information in the is book was new to me, so I had to read it slowly and it took me a while. While reading, I am constantly thinking of my third grade classroom and how I can incorporate the resource. I was having a hard time bringing a lot of the information in this book down to the third grade level until I came to the end of the book where the guide is that lists the native plants, animals, and animal tracks. Not only can I use this to teach about the Flathead River, I can use it to teach book format, how to read informational text, and the plant and animal portion fits perfectly into our third grade science curriculum. I felt like I'd hit the jackpot when I saw this.

More and more I think I need to design my unit around the concept of "home". It comes up in every resource practically. For third grade, it is the perfect theme and many of our social studies concepts in general focus on home and community. I think if I can get them to truly think about what home means to them, they will better understand what happened so long ago and the wide range of emotions that play into these events.

I am liking the Common Core more and more, as I find it to be in line with what I am already doing. I don't see it as more to do, just as insurance that I am teaching content in a meaningful way that engages all learners.

Week Five:  I continue to appreciate the Challenge to Survive series. Books three and four were more difficult reading for me, but I love the background knowledge these books provide. I find myself constantly consulting these books, even after just reading them. I hope I can obtain copies of my own as I can see myself using them a lot.

Other than the background knowledge, I really like the layout of these books and think they are perfect for teaching the structure of text books with kids. They are unique and show how texts are set up to be helpful with features that are special to the subject matter being taught. I know students (third graders for sure), often skip charts, graphs, picture captions, etc. when they are reading books. These books perfectly illustrate the importance of a text's unique features. I especially love the glossary with Salish pronunciation, the Gallery of Faces, and all of the primary sources included in the series.

The blogging articles were interesting to me. I have many co-workers and friends who make wonderful use of blogs with students. All of them teach older students and I sometimes find myself being a little jealous of all they can do. I need to make a blog useful to me. My goal is to set up a classroom blog to communicate important happenings, homework, etc. Perhaps from there I can find a way to use it with third graders. We just lack the technology needed, both in our elementary school and our community.

Week Four:  I loved this week's content. For me, the Challenge to Survive series is an excellent resource to learn background knowledge and to refer to in order to have accurate information in which to build units and lessons. Victor third grade focuses on the Salish tribe that was originally living in our valley before the allotment. When the students learn this, they are very curious as to what Salish life was like at the time. Reading books one and two gave me many ideas to build on. I found much of the material a review of content I have already learned, but learned many new things as well. I would like to own these books as I can see myself referring to them often.

The books are beautiful and I love the layout. The features including pictures, charts, and the glossary all make this book original and the perfect way to teach book components and their importance to students. It is also a great way to start a discussion on primary sources. I teach both of those concepts to my third graders and was excited at how well the series lends itself to introducing them. We also work on time lines, and this series is a timeline, so another perfect thing for me! I realize these books are more easily worked with in a middle school setting, but many things can be easily adapted to share with the elementary as well.

I am looking forward to reading the other two books in the series. I'm sure I will get much information and many teaching ideas from them as well.

Week three:  This week the focus was on Treaty Law and Sovereignty. These are difficult concepts for me to wrap my head around. I appreciated the video "Treaty Law and Tribal Sovereignty" narrated by Dan Decker. Even though he is just "lecturing", I found his explanations easy to understand. He has a way of explaining these very complicated topics in a simpler way. His way of speaking definitely helped me to better understand.

Saying reservations are a "nation within a nation" is a great way to define it. I had never really thought about it that way before. This is something the kids can understand for sure. I also understood better after he explained that treaties are as good today as before. I did not realize that they are the Supreme Law of the Land, but it only makes sense. I did not realize that so many treaties were not ratified or that Congress passed an Act that did not allow more treaties after 1872.

While I understand the concepts better, I am amazed at how complicated things get, especially when some courts will abide by the treaty while others choose Congress. I can understand the constant fight over water rights, mineral rights, and easements. What a muddy area!

I now have a very basic understanding of Abrogation. I would like to learn a bit more about this, but I feel that this is where things really get messy.

We were introduced to two lessons from Mike Schmoker and modified by Tammy Elser. I loved them both and can honestly seeing myself use them in the classroom. I love the structure of the lesson on teaching with film. I often do entry/exit tickets to check for background/understanding and to help hold students accountable. I really like how the video is broken up with thinking breaks because I always have a hard time sustaining attention to videos, especially ones that introduce new content to me. I even let my mind drift during movies I enjoy. I know so many students are just like me, so this format will be extremely helpful in all areas of my teaching.

I also really appreciate the way Tammy adapted the lesson for Literacy Based Learning. I like the way she broke it up (time wise) and the visual she gave of the sandwich. I'm so visual that it really helped a lot. I am not seeing a copy of this lesson and wonder if there is any way we can get one. Both of the adobe files I opened were for the video lesson.

This week introduced a challenging topic. I am pleased to say that I now have some good background knowledge that I did not have before.

Week two: This week's focus was on Allotment. We watched a video, "The Worst Thing They Ever Done", which was actually bits and pieces taken from a longer movie, Place of Falling Waters. The clips that we watched really personalized what happened, particularly to the Salish, due to the Allotment Act. It was difficult for me to watch people talk about the effects this Act had on their families. Hearing it directly from the family members makes it seem more real to me.

Perspective came up in a number of our discussion posts this week. While we attempt to teach history from the perspectives of all people involved, it is interesting to note that even within cultures, the perspectives can be different. Not all members of one group perceive the effects the same way.

I did find myself feeling a little guilty for what my ancestors did to the Native American people. I cannot imagine coming to an area people are already living and being so selfish as to take over their land and make them leave their homeland. I know that I cannot rewrite history, but have a goal of educating my students about what truly took place. After reading the discussion posts of others, I know that the issues of white guilt and resentment are tough ones. I know I need to teach this topic honestly, but delicately. There are students of both European and Native American descent in my classroom.

I already knew a little bit about the Allotment Act and the Hellgate Treaty. Teachers from my school took a trip to Council Grove State Park several years ago, which was my first exposure to the treaty and its ultimate outcome. This video was a good reminder for me. It got me thinking about how I can teach this event, which was so life-changing for the people in the Victor area, to third grade students. I had never heard the "checkerboard" description before. I think third graders could understand this and it would help them visualize it.

We also had three lesson plans to review this week. I read them all and like how they all meet the Common Core Standards. I know when I took my Master's courses we spent a lot of time finding ways to teach reading in all subject areas. These lessons are a good way to teach the information while working on those crucial literacy skills. I especially liked the text coding in the lesson regarding Sam Resurrection's letter. It makes the student slow down and be more thoughtful, which is important when reading this letter.

I think the visual use of the slides for the Politics of Allotment is very powerful and perfect for promoting discussion. The slides and the discussion questions work well together to help show students what otherwise might be difficult for them to understand.

I liked the elementary lesson, "A Connection to Everything" the best; only because I can see myself using it with my third graders. The narrative is heartbreaking, but incredibly eye-opening. It truly shows how important "home" is. I have already done my boarding school unit this year, but I think this lesson would fit well in it. I work with two books written by Nicola I. Campbell and illustrated by Kim LaFave. The are Shi-shi-etko and Shin-chi's Canoe. The first is about a young girl who is getting ready to go to boarding school for the first time. She is encouraged to "pack her memories" of home. She knows she cannot take anything with her, but knows how important that home connection is. In the second book, it is her brother's turn to go away to boarding school. Both books show how difficult it was on the kids and the families to have them leave home and go to school. I found a trailer some students had created on You Tube. It gives a good introduction to both books. You can check it out at the following link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA48r__yswE        (created by Jake and Graham at HCVC School).

I am looking forward to using "A Connection to Everything" in conjunction with my other lessons. I figure the groundwork has been set with the two books I taught about boarding schools. I can use the connection lesson to move on to Allotment. I welcome any ideas and insights you might have. Thanks!