Reflections on A history of US:Colonies to Country, 1735-1791; Hakim

Wow is all I can say on how well this author met the needs of the whole brain by incorporating left brain and right brain learners.    Her text was attention getting , interesting, upside down, humorous, and emotionally engaging which right brain learners thrive and are very engaged.  The left brain learners enjoyed the particular layout and throughout the pages she included maps, charts, diagrams, and cartoons.  Her pages were very easy to read and with such a variety she met the needs for all learners.

I found her statements about the lack of women in history books very interesting.  She mentions the importance women played throughout history by lack of acknowledgements that women are accredited for.  I never heard of Eliza Pinckney and the importance she played in developing South Carolina. She seemed to be an amazing woman who knew the importance of a good education and  believed all people had the right to learn as she educated two black girls so they would teach the slaves.  Her insight and motivation is very inspiring.  I plan to teach more about important women role models as well as men in my classroom.  Most of the leaders I do teach in Kindergarten are mostly men:  Christopher Columbus, George Washington; Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.  I will definitely need to research and include more women as I teach History in the future.

Another important concept I will incorporate into my lessons will be to continue to set goals and try new things if something does not go well or is not enjoyed.  For instance,  Patrick Henry was a failure at first and had many attempts until he found his talent.  With years of knowledge and passion Patrick Henry was a very successful man.  He started out as a storekeeper and then attempted to be a planter.  He was unsuccessful at both so next he studied law and was a great speaker so he entered politics.  Children need to know that famous people worked hard and were not always successful.  Also, Benjamin Franklin started penniless and with hard work and a lot of determination he was a very successful inventor.

I learned that George Washington knew that a law was needed to end slavery because men would not give up wealth and property.  It was very interesting to me that he was against slavery but had slaves.  However, in the event of his death his slaves would be freed.   I never knew that George Washington accepted to be General without pay.  His expenses were paid but no salary.  These details make learning about History so much more meaningful and illustrates the character of these  great leaders.

I often say that doing the right thing is not always the most popular way.  However, if your best interest is for the students then you are doing the right thing.  I learned that John Adams always did what he thought was best for the nation- not what would make him popular at home.  I found this amusing and interesting that I have the same philosophy with my students and our district.  Sometimes being in leadership roles we need to make hard decisions that are not always the most popular but in the  best interest of our students.

Hakim's imagery of words is phenomenal.  I was enthralled in the text reliving scenes and thinking about what I would do in certain situations.  She had you actively engaged while reading.  For example, on page 91 when the American soldiers were told to "wait until you see the whites of their eyes," to shoot.  How can you not visualize how close and the pounding of your heart as the enemy approached you.    She also used words of how people might have spoken.  In the one sentence instead of using the word hung she said hanged.  I could envision the soldier speaking in those terms.  She also did a great job describing scenes and particular events.  When in New York they made 4,000 pounds of lead from the George 111 statue to make 42,000 bullets for battle.  It was if I was right there.   The question what would you have done if you were a person of color in Philadelphia at that time?  I needed to stop and think for a moment before reading on which I would have done.  With my personality and wasn't hard to select my choice.  I would have been a Patriot.  My loyalties would have been with Thomas Jefferson that "all men are created equal".  I would like to think that I would have seen the bigger picture and thought about everyone and just not myself.  I like how Hakim describes the 18th century as a ladder where everyone had their own rung.  Very interesting and profound statement.

I give my 5th grade elementary teacher, Mr. Mark Hagenbough credit for doing an amazing job in Social Studies.  As soon as I read the words "Give me Liberty, or Give me Death"  Patrick Henry came to mind.  I also heard the words to the song 50 Nifty United States from 13 Originals Colonies caming flashing back.  Hats off to you for making my schooling fun and memorable.

Her book is a very interesting take on History.  I will remember facts and I'm able to form my own opinions based on her words and details in her books.

Left Brain / Right Brain
Teaching For Historical Literacy by Anne Goudvis and Stephanie Harvey
In the  article Teaching for Historical Literacy the statement that the curriculum has become a mile wide and an inch deep really hit home for me on the importance of subject integration and thematic units.  If we do not combine subject areas there is not enough time to cover all the curriculum.  I know some teachers that are stressed out trying to cover everything by teaching in blocks of 20 minutes for handwriting, 20 minutes for Health, 20 minutes for Social Studies, etc.   We need to integrate as much as possible.  In this article,  I also enjoyed reading about Matthew Reif's 5th grade classroom.  I'm sure he does not have a lot of disciplinary problems because of the interest level of the children and how actively involved the students are on the subject matter.   The term "thinking intesive" was new to me. His students are making meaningful connections and really thinking about the subject.  I would love to observe his classroom.  The mantra by Eleanor Roosevelt I strongly agree with and will post in my classroom.  "Every effort must be made in childhood to teach the young to use their own minds.  for one thing is sure, if they don't make up their own minds, someone will do it for them. (quoted in Beane, 2005, p. 75)

Using Brain-Based Teaching Strategies to Create Supportive Early Childhood Environments that Address Learning Standards by Pam Schiller and Clarissa S. Willis
I have my Early Childhood/Elementary certification and strongly agree with a lot of statements in this article.  The first statement that I feel was important was that teachers need to know that the standards are not intended to fence in creative teachers or to become obstacles for learners with special needs.  I know teaching is standard driven but there is still flexibility to be creative.  I know that I combine art projects into centers that relates to something we are learning.  One teacher I work with made the comment there is no time for holiday projects or fun art anymore.  I disagree.   You have to tie in Art  with the subject matters you are teaching.  I love teaching Art and I'm very much a messy hands on teacher.   Children need a safe environment to learn is absolutely true.  My students know that if they did not eat breakfast they can come to me for a granola bar , pretzels, or animals crackers to hold them over until lunch.  There mind won't be on learning if their basic needs are not met.  If they are scared or a child is bullying we work on this right away.  It is important that all my children feel safe and that my environment lets them feel comfortable to take risks out of their comfort zones.  I have pet  fish in the classroom.  We do life cycle projects with baby chicks and butterflies.  If any child has any fears we work through them before these units are started.  I am learning a lot about Responsive Classrooms and it relates very well to this article.  The children learn a lot about social skills and each other through a morning meeting.  It has a been a wonderful experience implementing some of the strategies that we sometimes overlook such as shaking hands and eye contact when saying good morning.  Looking at the person who is speaking and asking questions related to what the classmates stated.
I also use a lot of multi sensory practices to help the  children make sense of the learning.  This was number 3 in the article.  I'm not sure if any of you  heard of Jack Hartman but he has wonderful cd's for primary age children.  I learned about him at a Kindergarten conference and just love his cd's.  We learn about the Zero Hero which incorporates counting and music.  All the children enjoy his songs.  It makes learning fun and gets them up and moving.  He even has a great transitional cd for lining up, clean up, good morning, and end of the day.   Meeting all the special needs through planning I feel is also important.  It takes planning and a little more time but the pay off is tremendous.  We need to plan for learning support, speech, ot and pt, culture diversity, and divorce to name just a few.  By taking an interest in all our students lives and what is happening with them before and after school will help us help them learn.

Welcome to my blog!  This is new for me and quite challenging.  I'm a little outside my comfort zone.  I'm looking forward to learning about blogging and hoping to learn more to improve my literacy and math centers while teaching in Kindergarten by incorporating more history into my centers.  My goal through the CSIU Keystone Union of the Federation class is to incorporate more history centers.  We currently do mapping skills, Constitution day, Election Day,Martin Luther King, Presidents Day, St. Patrick's  Day "Where in the World is Ireland", Christopher Columbus centers and I am looking for more history based centers to utilize.  I have taught for 19 years.  I have taught Art in grades K-6 for 2 years.  I taught first grade for 8 years.  I taught K-4 for a couple of years and have been in Kindergarten ever since.  I have my early childhood/elementary degree from Millersville University.   I appreciate any hands on ideas about history for Kindergarteners anyone has.  My centers are usually 15-20 minutes in length with small groups of children 3-5 at a time.