Learning with Primary Sources

A second grader's day is a busy one.  We have to master verb tenses.  We have to write clearly, yet creatively, when composing our spider reports.  We have to finish up our marble ramps before Mrs. Hall takes back the much-needed classroom space.  We must find time to talk to God and share our opinions about being the best disciples of Jesus that we can possibly be.


(We also have to cram in some of that much anticipated "recess" thing, too.)



In our constant attempts to work smarter and to achieve as much new learning in a day as possible, social studies can get pushed to the wayside.  This shouldn't be:  social studies is a key way for us to learn about the past while collaborating and solving problems that might face us in the future.


Today, we utilized a very impressive, very puzzling primary source.  Students were given 12 small pieces of a map.  Puzzle pieces, if you will.  Their task?  Piece everything back together, while analyzing all of the strange language and symbols prominently featured.

Soon enough, evidence of learning started to be happily chirped around the classroom.  "I can see continents!"  "There are tiny flags!"  "There's a map key!"  "The map is surrounded by a border of numbers!"  "What is that strange language?!"

The map in question was drawn by Martin Waldseemuller in 1507.  It is the first document known to name America.  It is, quite literally, priceless.

It was astounding to watch these learners transform into analysts and keen observers.  Soon enough, maps started getting pieced together.

We figured out that strange language (Latin).  We figured out who those two curious fellows featured at the top might be (they have navigational tools... maybe they created this map?)  We also worked to understand why some parts of the map were much more detailed than others.  (Why would Europe be so much more accurate than America or Asia?!)



My favorite part of the activity occurred when Johnny and Ana-Sofia wandered over to our collection of maps.  Without any prompting, they were excitedly piecing together the similarities and differences between old map and new.

I had never tried this activity with second graders before; shame on me.  Their determination, insights, and enthusiasm blew me away.  I can't wait to bring more primary sources into the hands of these investigators.

Back to School!

"Back to School" is a phrase that simultaneously exhilarates and brings on the jitters.  I admittedly felt a little queasy this morning as I climbed into my car, last minute supplies (marshmallow towers, anyone?) stuffed into flimsy plastic bags.  This ill feeling was fleeting - and did not temper my excitement.  The queasy feeling, I think, had to do with the ENORMITY of a school year.


One year.  To meet new brilliant minds.  To figure out quirks and iron out wrinkles.  To develop inside jokes and creatively work and collaborate to the point of exhaustion.  One year to analyze ocean zones and build robots; to teach the beauty of a good hink pink and to inspire research skills on par with lofty academics in ivory towers.


One year to face obstacles and to misplace lunchboxes.  One year to deal with scrapes, proverbial and physical.  One year to instill confidence in young learners while nurturing risk taking and encouraging creativity.


One year to become familiar with rhetoric and use these new talents against an unsuspecting teacher.  One year to grow so closely as a school family, through tricky math problems and glue sticks and microscropes.


It is daunting to think of all that is ahead of us.


Daunting and so, so exciting.


After a jam-packed day spent in the company of incredible friends, volunteers, and thinkers, my queasiness is gone.  Bring it on, new school year.  Our class has got this :)

A little bit of sugar in the morning never hurts the level of enthusiasm.

Our first science unit centers on oceans.  The kids will each research and create their own ocean animal report.  They'll also try their hand at dioramas.

Diego and Austin do a little detective work to determine what makes our school a community.

Relaxed while simultaneously hard at work!

Mr. Powers lets us tour his cramped office... all of those supplies are donated and will be sent to families displaced by a fire.  School community in ACTION!

LOC Summer Teacher Institute

I am honored (and increasingly excited) to be a member of the Library of Congress' upcoming Summer Teacher Institute.  The program is a one week intensive course meant to further educate K-12 classroom teachers and learning specialists on primary source usage.  I am particularly fond of social studies / history curriculum.  With the ever increasing trend towards technology and project based learning in elementary classrooms, I truly feel that this is essential training.  Social studies lessons must be relevant in order to be effective.  Kids are so inspired when they are referred to as historians and detectives.  Primary sources are used as essential clues in their learning quests.  I'm psyched.  Many of the upcoming participants have connected via social media even as our schools are buzzing with end-of-year activities.  It is inspiring to know that educators are traveling from across the country to be a part of this collaborative, creative group.



At the Institute, my potential project will focus on utilizing primary sources to explore the way that goods and services were produced and sold in the past.  An early unit in our second grade social studies curriculum focuses on just that:  goods and services, what they are, what they mean to our economy, how they are distributed among our population.  I have never delved into the history component of this lesson before.  I'm so excited to work in the famous reading room at the LOC and meet with professionals who are equally eager to inspire children to love and truly comprehend our history.

Manhattan pretzel vendor, date unknown

Print of New York's Dry Goods District, 1886.  I'd like to focus on marketing in this image, and compare it with current marketing trends.

Bill of Fare in restaurant, Minnesota, 1937.  I can imagine the future discussions about the purpose of such advertisements.

A factory that makes rayon and cotton goods, 1940

New York Associated Transport Company, 1943

Woman purchasing cloth goods, 1943

Verbs, Verbs, Verbs

Language Arts is a favored part of my day.  I love being creative with the curriculum and I love planning various mini lessons in order to break a long morning into manageable chunks.

Learning about verbs doesn't have to be bland.  We started off our morning by acting out some of the action verbs that you see on this chart.  Later we completed a cut out and sort activity in order to unscramble some rather garbled sentences and identify the different types of verbs within them.

The kids enjoy being active and have begged for more of these charades-type games.  The morning also consisted of word work with plural nouns (adding s, es, or ies) and some research into presidents of our nation's past.

I love how the kids complete various lessons and wear various hats throughout the morning - in this case, they were actors, assemblers, writers, and researchers.

We have some future actors in our midst, I think.

Cut, sort, arrange, glue, color.

Kevin working very hard as he learns about John F. Kennedy.