The University of North Texas Libraries

P.O. Box 305190, Denton TX 76203-5190

Humanities Texas February 14, 2006

Attn: Eric Lupfer

3809-A South 2nd Street

Austin, Texas 78704-7058

Re: My Texas Notebook: Interactive Lesson Plans for Texas History

Dear Dr. Lupfer:

The University of North Texas Libraries’ Portal to Texas History proposes a project to

develop and present online lesson plans that incorporate the interactive notebook style of

learning. Educators in Texas have widely embraced this method of instruction by either

purchasing commercial packages, or by developing their own interactive notebook lesson

plans. School districts can purchase interactive notebook curriculum for American

history, World history and geography, but not for Texas history. Teachers wanting to use

this method of instruction must use valuable time to develop their own original materials.

For this project, Master Teachers with experience developing this type of content-rich

curriculum will create Texas history lesson plans that incorporate the key elements of the

interactive notebook: standards-based content, preview assignments, graphically

organized notes and processing assignments that involve demonstrating higher order

thinking skills through a variety of creative, cooperative activities. The lesson plans

developed will be directly tied to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for teaching

Texas History, and will also include primary sources from the Portal to Texas history that

will further enrich the learning experience.

Please find enclosed our grant proposal for this project requesting $9,720 from

Humanities Texas. Please let us know if you have any questions or would like a tour of

our Digital Projects Department. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Cathy Nelson Hartman

Asst. Dean, Information Technology Services

Phone: 940-565-3269 Fax: 940-565-2599

E-Mail: chartman@library.unt.edu

Humanities Texas Media Grants

Media grants are available for pre-production (scripting and development), production, and/or post-production of significant media projects designed to reach large numbers of citizens through broadcast and/or dissemination of productions. Formats include:

Audio, video, or film for local, regional, or national radio or television broadcast and distribution; and

Products utilizing electronic technologies, such as CD-ROM, the Internet, or World Wide Web, to engage general audiences in learning through the humanities.

Although a typical award may fall in the $5,000-$8,000 range, Humanities Texas will not discourage proposals for exceptional projects that require a higher rate of funding.

Applicants should submit a draft of the application 30 days prior to the deadline. Please consult Humanities Texas Grant Guidelines 2005-2007 (available online) for additional information on funding guidelines and restrictions.

DEADLINES

Fall cycle Spring cycle Howell RFP

Letter of intent/draft application August 15 February 15 January 15, 2006

APPLICATION DEADLINE September 15 March 15 February 15, 2006

Decision date December 1 June 1 May 1, 2006

Project start sate January 1 July 1 June 1, 2006

NOTE: Community and media grant proposals must be POSTMARKED no later than midnight of the application deadline. If the

deadline falls on a Sunday, proposals will be accepted with the next day’s postmark.

QUESTIONS?

Please consult Humanities Texas Grant Guidelines 2005-2007 (available online), call (512) 440-1991, or email grants@humanitiestexas.org. Visit Humanities Texas on the web at www.humanitiestexas.org.

APPLICATION Submission Procedure

Complete the media grant application form.

Prepare supplementary materials as required.

Submit the signed, completed form along with all necessary supplementary materials. Please provide FIFTEEN copies of each application (including supplementary materials) in addition to the original. Staple each application in the top left corner; report covers are unnecessary.

Supplementary materials that should accompany the application:

1. Ten-page (maximum) narrative that includes descriptions of:

The origin of and need for the project.

An overview of project, summarizing all key components, including topics/themes/issues.

A summary of the program’s humanities component, elucidating the humanities themes and perspectives as well as the roles of the humanities scholars.

A summary of the long-term benefits that might accrue to the audience through this project.

Plans for broadcast/distribution/programming. 2. Script treatment or completed script (for radio, film, or video); content summary where scripts are not available or appropriate to

the project. 3. Biographical information. Provide 1) ONE-PARAGRAPH BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES on key project personnel (project director,

humanities advisor, participating scholars, evaluator, advisory committee members); and 2) one-page resumes for key production personnel.

4. Agenda(s) for any public programs such as workshops and conferences. 5. Detailed budget. Important: Refer to Detailed Budget guidelines and instruction sheet. 6. Letters of support and broadcast commitments. 7. Work sample. A five-minute work sample by the applicant and/or the applicant’s production/design team is required.

Humanities Texas • 3809A South 2nd St. • Austin, TX 78704• (512) 440-1991 • (512) 440-0115 (fax)

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INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE MEDIA PROJECT APPLICATION FORM Please consult Humanities Texas Grant Guidelines 2005-2007 before completing the application. Applications must be typed.

1. PROJECT TITLE. The title should be brief, informative, and suited to publicity efforts.

2. PROJECT FORMAT. Check as requested.

3. SPONSORING ORGANIZATION. Indicate whether the sponsor is a public or private non-profit entity. Indicate the U.S.

Congressional, Texas Senate and House districts, and county in which the sponsor is located.

4. CO-SPONSORING ORGANIZATION. List as appropriate. HTx encourages collaborations and partnerships.

5. PROJECT DIRECTOR NAME/FISCAL AGENT NAME. Complete as requested. The authorizing official, project director,

and fiscal agent should not be the same person.

6. HUMANITIES ADVISOR NAME. A humanities scholar is required to assist the project director, if the project director is

not a humanities scholar, in defining the humanities focus of the project and in securing necessary humanities resources. This person typically holds an M.A. or PhD in a humanities field. This scholar must review the proposal (including the draft) before it is submitted to HTx, and is considered to be a member of the Advisory Committee. He or she should play a major role throughout the life of the project.

7. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT. Summarize the products/programs to be produced and their humanities

component.

8. PROJECT GOALS. Describe the program or product in specific, measurable objectives. If the HTx project is part of a

larger project, place it within that context.

9. AUDIENCE. Describe target audiences or groups who will benefit from your project.

10. GRANT PERIOD. The beginning and ending dates of a grant period should cover all phases of a project, from early

publicity to final expenditures and evaluations. The beginning date should be the first of the month; the ending date, the last day. A grant period may not exceed 18 months. No cost-share or HTx/NEH funds can be obligated prior to the beginning of the grant period. Note: HTx final reports are due within 90 days of the end of the grant period.

11. ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS. Advisory committees should include members of the public who represent the

target audience as well as humanities scholars with expertise relevant to the project. This committee should assist in planning and implementing the project, and must review the application prior to submission.

12. KEY PARTICIPATING HUMANITIES TEACHERS/SCHOLARS. Complete as requested. Include members of the

Advisory Committee where appropriate. HTx must approve any persons included who do not hold an MA or PhD in a humanities discipline.

13. KEY PRODUCTION PERSONNEL. Complete as requested.

14. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES. Provide information on public programs (conferences, workshops, classes), if appropriate to this

project, and on anticipated broadcast of video/film products. Follow-up programming related to production of websites and CD-ROMS, as well as to any other school or public programming regardless of the media format, should be noted.

15. PROJECT SITES. For activities planned, comment on the suitability of the sites selected (i.e., is the site accessible to the

project’s target audience?).

16. PUBLICITY. Summarize your publicity plans, including types of advertising, plans for distribution, and timetables.

17. EVALUATION. At the project’s close, project directors are required to submit to HTx an evaluation of the project’s

strengths and weaknesses. Indicate evaluation procedures, including the work of any outside evaluator. If there will be an opportunity for audience feedback, please describe how you will obtain their responses.

18. SOURCES OF CONTRIBUTION. List all sources of cash contribution, including federal funds. Because NEH matching

funds may be used by HTx in its support of media projects, this section should provide pertinent information on where the sponsoring organization plans to obtain the third-party funds necessary to qualify for the NEH matching funds.

19. BUDGET SUMMARY. Information provided should be drawn from the detailed budget that is submitted with the

application (see Detailed Budget Guidelines sheet).

15. AGREEMENT. Please have appropriate officials sign and date the application.

Final proposal must be postmarked no later than midnight of the deadline. If the deadline falls on a Sunday, the proposal can be postmarked the following day.

APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT THE ORIGINAL, SIGNED GRANT PROPOSAL PLUS 15 COPIES OF THE COMPLETED PROPOSAL AND ACCOMPANYING MATERIALS.

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DETAILED BUDGET GUIDELINES: Media Projects Cost-Sharing

Project sponsors must provide at least half of the total cost of any project. The sponsoring organization may contribute either cash or in-kind services and goods, such as the time of volunteers, the time of employees assigned to the project, and use of meeting space, to meet this cost-share requirement. Projects for which the sponsor has raised (or expects to raise) third-party, non-federal cash contributions (i.e., cash donations made to the project by an individual, a foundation, or a corporation not otherwise linked to the sponsoring organization) may be considered stronger candidates for funding. Such projects may receive HTx grant awards at either a 1-to-1 or a 2-to1 matching rate, funded through the Gifts and Matching Funds Program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. In such cases, all additional cost-share, including cash from institutional and third-party gifts, that exceeds the amount being used to obtain the NEH matching funds, should be documented in the project budget. Indirect costs (overhead) may not be paid out of HTx funds, and may not exceed 10% of the total budget. Neither cost-share nor HTx funds may be obligated prior to the beginning of the grant period. HTx cannot provide financial support for:

institutional staffing

food (except as travel expenses) or entertainment

purchase of permanent equipment or property (necessary equipment may be leased)

international airfare outside of North America (HTx will pay only for the U.S. portion of the flight.) Budget Categories

To assist media applicants applying to more than one funding entity, HTx has simplified the budget summary section on page 5 of the application form. However, each proposal must include a detailed budget providing a full breakdown of costs within each category of the summary. The detailed budget must follow the same columnar format as the summary, itemizing all cash and in-kind cost-sharing, HTx/NEH grant funds, and the total sum of each line. Calculations justifying all entries should be shown (e.g., 10 hours secretarial services @$6 hour = $60) rounding off to the nearest dollar. 1. Personnel

a) Expenditures for salaried personnel (e.g., project director, support staff, and others involved in the administration and management of the project), as well as technical personnel for media projects. The bulk of HTx funds should go to project activities, keeping administrative costs to a minimum. With the exception of FICA (social security tax), personnel benefits, such as pension and medical coverage, cannot be paid from HTx funds. b) Fees or honoraria for consultants, talent, speakers, panelists, evaluators, the Humanities Advisor, and others, including in-kind contributions by members of the Advisory Committee. Although participants in special lectures, conferences, seminars, and related activities may receive higher honoraria, no more than $400 per speaker per presentation may be paid with HTx funds. c) All persons receiving cost-share or HTx funds should be identified by name.

2. Travel and Lodging

a) Travel in connection with project activities is reimbursable at a current rate of 35¢ per mile for privately owned vehicles and at tourist/economy class for airfare. Actual food and lodging expenses are reimbursable, although no more that $110 per day may be paid from HTx funds. Except for Canada and Mexico, only the U.S. portion of international airfare may be paid from HTx funds. In the cases of Canada and Mexico, participants should use U.S. carriers where possible and feasible. b) All persons receiving cost-share or HTx funds should be identified by name.

3. Supplies

Expenses under this category may include office space and supplies, printing and promotion, postage, telephone, equipment rental, legal expenses, sponsoring organization administrative/fiscal agent fees, rights, insurance, distribution, photography, media stock, and indirect costs (overhead) not to exceed 10% of total budget. Applicants should charge to the HTx grant the cost of two 1/2” VHS tapes, standard audiotapes, or CD-ROMS to be provided to the Humanities Texas Resource Center.

If this cost breakdown does not apply to your project, please submit both a detailed budget and budget summary that reflects your cost categories. Your budget must follow the same columnar format as the summary used in this application, itemizing all cash and in-kind cost-sharing, HTx/NEH grant funds, and the total sum of each line. Calculations justifying all entries should be shown (e.g., 10 hours secretarial services @$6 hour = $60) rounding off to the nearest dollar.

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Humanities Texas 3809-A South Second Street • Austin, TX 78704-7058 • Tel: 512/440-1991 Fax: 512/440-0115

Office Use Only

HTx Number: _____________________________________

Date Rec’d: _________________________________________________

Media Project Application Form

1. PROJECT TITLE: My Texas History Notebook: Interactive Lesson Plans for Texas History

2. PROJECT FORMAT (check all that apply):

Radio Scripting and Development Video/Film Post-production/Broadcast

Workshops/Institutes

Radio Production/post-production/Broadcast CD-ROM Production/Distribution Exhibit Programming

Video/Film Scripting and Development Internet Humanities Programming X Curriculum Development

Video/Film Production Conference/Public Screening Other Program: __________________

3. SPONSORING ORGANIZATION:

Name: University of North Texas Non-profit Status: X Public Private

Authorizing Official: Kristi Lemmon, Director, Sponsored Projects U.S. House District # 26

Address: P. O. Box 305250 Texas House District # 64

Texas Senate District # 12,30

City: Denton State: TX Zip: 76203-5250 County: Denton

Phone: (940) 565-3940 Fax: (940) 565-4277

E-mail: LEMMON@unt.edu Institutional Website: http://www.unt.edu/

4.CO-SPONSORING ORGANIZATION (if applicable) CO-SPONSORING ORGANIZATION (if applicable) Name: Name:

Contact Person: Contact Person:

Address: Address:

City: State: Zip: City: State: Zip:

Phone: Fax: Phone: Fax:

E-mail: E-mail:

Institutional Website: Institutional Website:

5. PROJECT DIRECTOR NAME: Cathy Nelson Hartman FISCAL AGENT NAME: Kristi Lemmon

Title: Assistant Dean of Libraries Title: Director

Department/Division: Information Technology Services Department/Division: Sponsored Projects

Organization: University of North Texas Libraries Organization: University of North Texas

Address: P. O. Box 305190 Address: P.O. Box 305250

City: Denton State: TX Zip: 76203 City: Denton State: TX Zip: 76203

Phone: 940-565-3269 Fax: 940-565-2599 Phone: 940-565-3940 Fax: 940-565-4277

E-mail: chartman@library.unt.edu E-mail: LEMMON@unt.edu

6. HUMANITIES ADVISOR NAME: Dr. Randolph B. Campbell

School/College/Institution: University of North Texas Title: Regents Professor of History

Department/Division: History Department Academic Field/Discipline: Texas History

Address: P.O. Box 310650

City: Denton State: TX Zip: 76203

Phone: 940-565-3402 Fax: 940-369-8838

E-mail: mike@unt.edu Has the Humanities Advisor reviewed this application? No X Yes

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7. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT: Do not exceed space provided.

The University of North Texas Libraries’ Portal to Texas History proposes a project to develop and present online lesson plans that incorporate the interactive notebook style of learning. This method of teaching combines three pivotal concepts in educational research: spiral curriculum theory, multiple intelligences, and cooperative interaction. This problem-based learning system incorporates preview assignments, multiple intelligences teaching strategies, graphically organized notes, and processing assignments that require students to demonstrate their knowledge. All of the student’s notes and work are kept in a spiral binder which brings order to students’ work, engages them in content-rich problem-based learning, and creates a record of their accomplishments. In the interactive notebook style of learning, these concepts are synthesized to draw students into actively participating in the learning process. The leading curriculum product for the interactive notebook style of learning is marketed by the Teacher’s Curriculum Institute (TCI) as the History Alive!™ series. TCI sells comprehensive modules for American history, World history, Medieval history, and geography, but no commercial package for Texas History exists and they have no plans to develop one. Texas history educators are using these methods in the classroom, but this involves spending extensive time developing new curriculum. For this grant initiative, the Portal to Texas History team proposes development of twenty-seven lesson plans that incorporate the elements of the interactive notebook method of teaching. At the beginning of the grant period, master teachers will be hired to develop the lesson plan modules. With the assistance of the Advisory Committee Members and the Key Participating Humanities Teacher/Scholars panel, the teachers will select topics to be developed into the interactive lesson plans. When the interactive lesson plans are complete, they will be hosted on the Portal to Texas History in the “Portal Services for Educators” area. A new section will be created to present these modules, entitled “My Texas History Notebook.” Teachers will be able to download all the components of the interactive lesson plans, or show them on audiovisual projectors in their classroom. Development of this curriculum will provide Texas History educators with a powerful tool for use in the classroom.

8. PROJECT GOALS: These should be specific enough so that the success of the project can be measured by whether or not these goals were achieved.

1) Develop 27 interactive notebook lesson plans for teaching Texas History. If funded, these lesson plans will serve as a demonstration project that will

help to secure future funding for an expanded program to create a comprehensive, year-long curriculum for both 4th and 7th grades. 2) Coordinate and integrate lesson plan development with Center for Southwestern and Mexican Studies at Austin College. 4) Provide a space for Texas History educators to share their pre-existing interactive notebook lesson plans. 3) Publicize the project throughout the state.

9. AUDIENCE: Who will benefit from this program? The 725,000 school children studying Texas History will reap immeasurable benefits from the products of this grant project. Content-rich curriculum materials will engage students with lesson plans that draw them directly into the learning experience. Teachers who use this method of teaching will have a ready resource of interactive notebook lessons from which to choose.

GRANT PERIOD: Beginning and ending dates of project . Beginning and ending dates of the project: June 1, 2006 – May 31, 2007 10.

11. ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS: List name, title, institution, academic field, and highest degree for scholars, or profession for others. Name Title Institution Academic Field & Degree or Profession

Dr. Randolph B. Campbell Regents Professor University of North Texas PhD History Humanities Advisor Dr. Light T. Cummins Bryan Professor Austin College PhD History Dr. Gerald Saxon Dean of Libraries University of Texas, Arlington PhD History Dawn Marie Bishop Texas History teacher Hamilton Middle School, Cypress MEd Curriculum Diana Mays Texas History teacher Young Middle School, Arlington MA History

Has the Advisory Committee reviewed this grant application? No X Yes Date: ______________________________________________

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12. KEY PARTICIPATING HUMANITIES TEACHERS/SCHOLARS: List name, title, institution, academic field, highest degree, and project role of each. Indicate with an asterisk those who have agreed to take part in the program. Name Title Institution Academic Field & Degree Project Role

Dr. Richard B. McCaslin* Associate Professor University of North Texas PhD History Dr. Benjamin H. Johnson* Assistant Professor Southern Methodist Un. PhD History Cheryl McConnell* Texas History teacher Strickland Middle School MEd Devia Cearlock* Curriculum Assessment Specialist Amarillo ISD BS Journalism/Social Studies Ed. Melissa Jordan* Texas History teacher The North Hills School, Irving BA History

13. KEY PRODUCTION PERSONNEL AND OTHER RESOURCE PERSONS: Provide information as requested and indicate with an asterisk those who have agreed to take part in the program. Name Title Institution Field or Profession Project Role

Cathy Nelson Hartman* Head. Digital Projects Department MLS Project Director University of North Texas Mark Phillips* Lab Manager Digital Projects Department MLIS Technical Support University of North Texas Dreanna Belden* Project Development Digital Projects Department MLS Project Manager Vale FitzPatrick* Grad. Researcher Digital Projects Department MA History Research (current PhD student)

14. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES: List each activity. Format Date(s) City Site Est. Attendance

Launch the materials online in Spring of 2007

Do you plan to charge fees for any project products or activities? X No Yes If so, how much and for what purpose?

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15. PROJECT SITE(S) FOR WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES, SCREENINGS, AND OTHER EVENTS: Is the site appropriate to the audience? Easily reachable? Accessible to the handicapped? Is there adequate parking?

For this project, the Center for Texas Studies at TCU and the Texas State Historical Association agree to present the products of this project as a resource for Texas History teachers. Workshops are held at a variety of individual schools, school districts and regional service centers within Texas.

16. PUBLICITY: How will this project and/or product be publicized? Participants will disseminate information about the project through presentations at conferences and professional meetings, such as the Texas Council for the Social Studies, the Texas Library Association, the Texas State Historical Association, and the Texas Association of Museums. Articles and publicity in appropriate newsletters, listservs and professional publications will promote the project. The materials will be freely available online at the Portal to Texas History, which has had great success in attracting a wide audience. Every month, the Portal attracts over 90,000 hits, and users of the website have downloaded the Primary Source Adventure lesson plans hundreds of times. Additionally, many online resources for Texas History teachers exist, and these sites link to the Portal to Texas History and/or distribute information about our existing curriculum materials.

17. EVALUATION: Describe plans for evaluation. If there will be opportunities for audience feedback, please describe. Statistical records that track usage of the Portal will provide in-depth analysis of the success of the project. Available information includes number of hits per month, number of user sessions, and average session length. An online feedback form will provide input from users of the lesson plans.

18. SOURCES OF CASH CONTRIBUTIONS: Please list sources of the cash contributions listed in the cost-sharing portion of the budget. Indicate whether the contributions are obligated or anticipated, and obligation/decision dates. Note: Although 3rd-party cash contributions (cash donated to the project from sources other than the sponsor, co-sponsor, or the federal government) are not required, they may enhance funding prospects for this project. Individual/Organization Obligated Amount Date Obligated

University of North Texas 9,913.00 June 1, 2006

Individual/Organization Anticipated Amount Date of Decision

Amount of third-party gifts and grants that may qualify for NEH matching funds: $ _________________________________________________________

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19. BUDGET SUMMARY: Round off to the nearest dollar

COST-SHARING HTx/NEH Funds TOTALS

Cash In-Kind

Personnel .............................................. 9,913.00 9,913.00

Travel and Lodging ................................

Contractors ............................................ 9,720.00 9,720.00

Total Project Cost .................................. 9,913.00 9,720.00 19,633.00

ATTACH DETAILED BUDGET 20. AGREEMENT: It is understood and agreed that any funds granted as a result of this request are to be used for the purposes set forth herein. The undersigned assure Humanities Texas that the

conduct of this project will be in compliance with the grant provisions set forth by the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 (as amended) and the policies of Humanities Texas. The sponsor certifies that it is a nonprofit organization and assures Humanities Texas that this project will be conducted in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

STATEMENT OF CERTIFICATION The applicant institution or organization hereby certifies to the best of its knowledge and belief that it and its principals: a) are not presently debarred,

suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any federal department or agency; b) have not within a three-year period preceding the submittal date of this grant application been convicted of or had a civil judgement rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (federal, state, or local) transaction or contract under a public transaction; violation of federal or state antitrust statutes, or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statement, or receiving stolen property; c) are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (federal, state, or local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (b) of this certification; and d) have not within a three-year period preceding the submittal of this grant application had one or more public transactions (federal, state, or local) terminated for cause or default.

SIGNATURES:

Authorizing Official of Sponsoring Organization: _________________________________________________________ Date_____________________

_________________________________________________________ (Type name and title of above official) Project Director: _________________________________________________________ Date_____________________

_________________________________________________________ (Type name and title of above official) Fiscal Agent: _________________________________________________________ Date_____________________

_________________________________________________________ (Type name and title of above official)

Supplementary materials that should accompany the application:

1. Ten-page (maximum) narrative that includes descriptions of:

The origin of and need for the project.

An overview of project, summarizing all key components, including topics/themes/issues.

A summary of the program’s humanities component, elucidating the humanities themes and perspectives as well as the roles of the humanities scholars.

A summary of the long-term benefits that might accrue to the audience through this project.

Plans for broadcast/distribution/programming. 2. Script treatment or completed script (for radio, film, or video); content summary where scripts are not available or appropriate to the

project. 3. Biographical information. Provide 1) ONE-PARAGRAPH BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES on key project personnel (project director,

humanities advisor, participating scholars, evaluator, advisory committee members); and 2) one-page resumes for key production personnel.

4. Agenda(s) for any public programs such as workshops and conferences. 5. Detailed budget. Important: Refer to Detailed Budget guidelines and instruction sheet. 6. Letters of support and broadcast commitments. 7. Work sample. A five-minute work sample by the applicant and/or the applicant’s production/design team is required.

Proposals should be typed and stapled in the top left-hand corner. Submit the original, signed grant PLUS 15 copies.

My Texas History Notebook: Interactive Lesson Plans for Fourth and Seventh Grade

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The University of North Texas Libraries’ Portal to Texas History program proposes the development and presentation of online Texas history lesson plans that incorporate the interactive notebook method of learning. This problem-based learning system incorporates preview assignments, multiple intelligences teaching strategies, graphically organized notes, and processing assignments that require students to demonstrate their knowledge. The interactive notebook method of learning brings order to students’ work, engages them in content-rich problem-based learning, and creates a record of their accomplishments. In recent years, the interactive notebook method has been widely embraced by social studies educators across Texas and across the nation. The leading curriculum product for the interactive notebook style of learning is marketed by the Teacher’s Curriculum Institute (TCI) as the History Alive!™ series. TCI sells comprehensive modules for American history, world history, medieval history, and geography, but no commercial package for Texas history exists and it has no plans to develop one. Texas history educators are using these methods in the classroom, but this involves spending extensive time developing new curriculum. The Portal team intends to engage master Texas history educators experienced in the interactive notebook method to create fully developed interactive lesson plans that focus on Texas history. For this project, the Portal to Texas History will request $9720.00 from Humanities Texas under the Linden Heck Howell Texas History Initiative. Influence/Predominance of the Interactive Notebook . In Texas and the U.S, the use of the interactive notebook method of learning has grown significantly. School districts are purchasing the TCI products, and/or training educators how to teach using this method through workshops and seminars. Recently the U. S. Department of Education made a serious commitment to improving the teaching of American history through its “Teaching American History” grants program. In the past five years, it awarded over $32,000,000 to school districts which were incorporating the interactive notebook method of teaching into their districts.* In Texas, well over a hundred school districts have implemented this method into the teaching of social studies, and of the fifteen largest Texas independent school districts, fourteen have incorporated the interactive notebook style of learning into their social studies pedagogy. Additionally, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) includes interactive notebook curriculum on its “Conforming List of Instructional Materials Proclamation 2000.” This method of learning has grown exponentially since it was first introduced seventeen years ago and has found its way into science and math classes as well. Research Behind the Interactive Notebook Method. The Interactive Notebook method derives from three pivotal concepts in educational research: * compiled from awards information at the Teaching American History Grant Program page: http://www.ed.gov/programs/teachinghistory/awards.html

My Texas History Notebook: Interactive Lesson Plans for Fourth and Seventh Grade

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Jerome Bruner’s spiral curriculum theory, Howard Garner’s theory of multiple intelligences, and Elizabeth Cohen’s research on cooperative interaction. In the interactive notebook style of learning, these concepts are synthesized to draw students into actively participating in the learning process. This manner of examining the information encourages conceptual thinking versus rote memorization of dates and names. An influential American psychologist, Jerome Bruner served as one of the pioneers of the “cognitive revolution,” a response to behaviorism. His work profoundly affected educational thought and curriculum development, and his theory of spiral curriculum involves a method in which basic concepts are reviewed and built upon until the student fully understands the conceptual framework, and is then prepared for continued learning based on that framework. Students keep their work in a notebook or spiral binder to track their progress, and each succeeding lesson plan builds on prior knowledge. Bruner’s work focuses on life-long learning, and education as a process which directly involves students. Howard Gardner, a neuropsychologist at Harvard, emphasizes in his multiple intelligences theory that learners have diverse intelligences, which can include:

● musical-rhythmic intelligence ● logical-mathematical intelligence ● linguistic intelligence ● visual-spatial intelligence ● body-kinesthetic intelligence ● interpersonal intelligence

Most traditional education focuses on logical-mathematical and linguistic skills, but by designing curriculum which appeals to a variety of intelligences, students can tap into their own strengths for assimilating and processing information. Classroom activities motivate students by actively drawing them into the learning process through interactive problem-solving assignments. Elizabeth Cohen’s research finds that cooperative interaction among students increases learning gains and improves social skills. When students process information through discussion, active group study, and team projects, they assimilate and remember materials more successfully. Elements of an Interactive Notebook Lesson Plan. Curriculum developed with this pedagogy must first be mapped to the content standards students are required to master. Lesson plans incorporate elements such as a preview assignment, multiple intelligences teaching strategy, graphically organized reading notes, and processing assignments that measure

My Texas History Notebook: Interactive Lesson Plans for Fourth and Seventh Grade

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multiple intelligences. An explanation of each element is given below with an example from an interactive lesson plan, “Civil War Tug-of-War,” provided courtesy of 7th grade history teacher, Dawn Marie Bishop. 1) Preview assignments involve a short activity which prepares students for the upcoming lesson plan by creating interest and anticipation of what is to follow. Students may draw analogies from their own lives to the materials, or after receiving short introductory material, they may predict what happens next.

Civil War Tug-of-War Preview Assignment: Post the following question on

the overhead: When you are choosing teammates for a sport, what qualities

in a player are you looking for? What advantage would that give you? If you

were choosing advantages for a war, what advantages would you want to

have?

2) Multiple intelligences teaching strategies include a number of methods that can be used to create an engaging experience for students. Visual Discovery uses images to illustrate social studies concepts by having students gather evidence from photos, interpret their findings, and make hypotheses based on what they see in the images. Students may act out what they see in images to drive the lessons home. Social Studies Skill Builders include activities that require skills in analyzing, interpreting or creating materials such as maps, graphs or primary sources. Experiential Exercises create a “you are there” feel by having students act out historic events designed to elicit an emotional response. For instance, students might act out the “black bean” incident of the Mier Expedition. Writing for Understanding requires students to synthesize their learning by expressing their knowledge in a variety of forms. Students might create a poster, journal entries, letters, or song lyrics to express their understanding of key concepts. Response Groups provide an opportunity for students to discuss and explore controversial issues with fellow students. Problem Solving Group Work requires students to use teamwork to create a presentation or paper.

Civil War Tug-of-War Experiential Exercise:

1. Students will be taken outside and divided into two equal teams,

blue and gray, and given matching strips of fabric to wear on their

“Aligning instruction with

academic content standards is

working. Texas for example, is a

state with high-stakes testing of

social studies standards.

Thousands of teachers throughout

Texas have been trained in the TCI

Approach, and they have achieved

impressive learning gains, as

documented in TAKS (Texas

Assessment of Knowledge and

Skills) scores at five sites (TCI

2002; note that the name was

TAAS, Texas Assessment of

Academic Skills, when the data

was collected)” (Bower et al. 19)

My Texas History Notebook: Interactive Lesson Plans for Fourth and Seventh Grade

4

arms. Students will be asked prediction questions regarding

which team might win.

2. Before the game begins, two students will be “planted” on the

gray side and given instructions to drop the rope and run to the blue

side once the teacher signals them. They will represent runaway

slaves. Two other students will drop the rope and not participate.

They represent the slave population of the South.

-(The remainder of this exercise continues in the supplementary materials.)

3) Graphically organized notes challenge students to arrange the information they are assimilating into innovative formats that encourage mnemonic retention of knowledge. Whereas traditional note-taking uses an outline style of organizing information, graphically organized notes may use Venn diagrams, spoke diagrams, illustrated outlines, matrices, annotated images, or illustrated timelines. Students use colored pencils or crayons to write notes or sketch mind maps describing key points.

My Texas History Notebook: Interactive Lesson Plans for Fourth and Seventh Grade

5

4) Processing assignments require students to demonstrate the application of the information they have learned using multiple intelligences. Students may create graphs, write an advertisement, draw a picture illustrating key concepts, or debate two sides of a controversial issue. Project Goals. For this grant initiative, the Portal to Texas History team proposes development of twenty-seven lesson plans that incorporate the elements of the interactive notebook method of teaching. Lesson plans will integrate primary sources, and be tied directly to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for teaching Texas history for both fourth and seventh grades. Thirteen lesson plans will be developed for the fourth grade and fourteen lesson plans will be developed for the seventh grade. If funded, these lesson plans will serve as a demonstration project that will help to secure future funding for an expanded program to create a comprehensive, year-long curriculum for both 4th and 7th grades. It appears that the National Endowment for the Humanities “Grants for Teaching and Learning Resources and Curriculum Development” present an excellent opportunity for developing such a program, although other funders will likely be interested. All of the lesson plans for this project will be designed so that they could easily mesh into a larger, more comprehensive program. Teachers of seventh grade Texas history are charged with preparing their students with the background knowledge they need to be successful the following year, when they will be assessed with the TAKS test. Knowledge gained in seventh grade about Texas government, history, and citizenship builds a framework for understanding these themes in the context of U.S. history in the 8th grade, and other courses in the future. In Dr. Richard Francaviglia’s report on “Improving the Teaching of Texas History”, he found that, “If students have an understanding of local and Texas history, then there is a better chance that they will understand U.S. history because they will better comprehend how national history involves many of the same issues such as economic opportunity, political representation, and cultural diversity.” (Francaviglia 27). He further asserts that Texas history TEKS which support the 8th grade TAKS test need to be emphasized more. To support this long-range goal of preparing students for the Social Studies TAKS test in 8th grade, many of the lesson plans developed for seventh grade will concentrate on materials that engage students with comparing and contrasting Texas materials with U.S. history materials. For instance, students may compare the Republic of Texas Constitution to the U.S. Constitution, or compare the Texas Legislature to the U.S. Congress, or compare the Texas Revolution to the American Revolution. Additionally, the Portal team intends to form a partnership with the Center for Southwestern and Mexican Studies at Austin College to coordinate the development of lesson plans. Such collaboration will maximize the benefits offered to Texas history teachers and students, avoid duplication of efforts, and provide a framework for creating the beginnings of a comprehensive Texas

My Texas History Notebook: Interactive Lesson Plans for Fourth and Seventh Grade

6

history curriculum that offers a marriage of content-rich materials and technology. Both projects, although managed separately, will work together to publicize and promote the resulting lesson plans. Work Plan At the beginning of the grant period, master teachers will be hired to develop the lesson plan modules. The teachers will be paid on a contract basis with a set fee for the development of one lesson plan. Availability of this contract work will be publicized through the TEA listserv for social studies teachers, and in school districts which use the interactive notebook method. With the assistance of the Advisory Committee Members and the Key Participating Humanities Teacher/Scholars panel, the teachers will select topics to be developed into the interactive lesson plans. A list of primary resources available on the Portal will be provided for each selected lesson theme, and additional materials may be scanned and posted online if necessary. Fourth grade teachers will develop the topics selected for their grade level, and seventh grade Texas history teachers will develop the lesson plans for the seventh grade. Each lesson plan will incorporate primary sources, and include a preview assignment, a multiple intelligences strategy for teaching the lesson, graphically organized notes, and a processing activity. When content for the interactive lesson plans is complete, a graphic designer will work with the materials to make them visually compelling. When the interactive lesson plans are complete, they will be hosted on the Portal to Texas History in the “Portal Services for Educators” area. A new section will be created to present these modules, entitled “My Texas History Notebook.” Teachers will be able to download all the components of the interactive lesson plans, or show them on audiovisual projectors in their classroom. Informative resource links will be included that provide additional information on the layout of interactive notebooks and how they are used in the classroom. After these goals are met, the Portal team will start a new program called “Share a Plan.” Teachers using the interactive notebook method of teaching will be able to share lesson plans that they have created. Submitted contributions will be evaluated by a team of Texas history teachers, and those selected for inclusion will be formatted for presentation on the Portal. Existing Portal staff will support this initiative.

“To instruct someone...is not a

matter of getting him to commit

results to mind. Rather, it is to

teach him to participate in the

process that makes possible the

establishment of knowledge...

Knowing is a process not a

product. ” (Bruner. 72)

My Texas History Notebook: Interactive Lesson Plans for Fourth and Seventh Grade

7

Schedule of Activities for My Texas History Notebook:

Interactive Lesson Plans for Fourth and Seventh Grades

Activities Summer 2006 Fall 2006 Winter 2007 Spring 2007

Select Topics for Development

Collaborate with Austin College

Create Interactive Lessons

Format Lesson Plans

Present lessons online

Launch share a plan

Publicity and promotion

Evaluation

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Publicity. Plans for publicizing this project encompass a wide range of venues. Participants will disseminate information about the project through presentations at conferences and professional meetings, such as the Texas Council for the Social Studies, the Texas Library Association, the Texas State Historical Association, and the Texas Association of Museums. Articles and publicity in appropriate newsletters, listservs and professional publications will promote the project. The materials will be freely available online at the Portal to Texas History, which has had great success in attracting a wide audience. Every month, the Portal attracts over 90,000 hits, and users of the website have downloaded the Primary Source Adventure lesson plans hundreds of times. Additionally, many online resources for Texas history teachers exist, and these sites link to the Portal to Texas History and/or distribute information about our existing curriculum materials. Examples of these resource sites include:

▪ Texas Education Agency. Through the Social Studies Center’s “Educator Resources” listserv, the Portal team regularly distributes information

about new curriculum offerings throughout Texas. ▪ Texas History Teachers site http://www.nvo.com/ecnewletter/texashistoryteachers/ ▪ The Librarians Internet Index, Websites You Can Trust: http://www.lii.org/pub/topic/history_united_states ▪ Database of Digital Collections Online: http://webapps.lib.uconn.edu/DigitalCollections/subjDisplay.cfm?Subject=History ▪ National Forum on Archival Continuing Education’s “Making Primary Sources from State Archives Available for Use in the Classroom” http://www.statearchivists.org/arc/education/primsources_states.htm

My Texas History Notebook: Interactive Lesson Plans for Fourth and Seventh Grade

8

Long-term benefits. The interactive notebook method of learning brings order to students’ work, engages them in content-rich problem-based learning, and creates a record of their accomplishments. Students, parents, and educators can review students’ spiral binders and see the progress they have made over the course of the school year. School districts implementing this method of teaching find that it revitalizes learning and sparks students’ interest by turning passive learners into active learners. Teachers using this method also note that students feel a sense of pride and ownership in their notebooks. However, finding the time to develop these original lesson plans is costly and time consuming, and proves to be a continuing challenge for teachers in the 4th and 7th grades. By providing educators with thoughtful, well-designed lesson plans, this project can give them a powerful tool to use with their students. Bibliography: Bruner, Jerome. S. Toward a Theory of Instruction. Cambridge: Belknapp Press, 1966. Bower, Bert, Jim Lobdell, and Sherry Owens. Bring Learning Alive! The TCI Approach for Middle and High School Social Studies. Revised ed. Palo Alto: Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2005. Francaviglia, Richard. “Improving the Teaching of Texas History: A Report to the Summerlee Foundation of Dallas.” Arlington: Center for Greater Southwestern Studies and the History of Cartography, July 15, 2005. Smith, M.K. (2002) “Jerome S. Bruner and the process of education”, the encyclopaedia of informal education http://www.infed.org/thinkers/bruner.htm. Last updated:January 28, 2005.

TEA’s “Conforming List of Instructional Materials Proclamation 2000,” online at: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/textbooks/materials/2002conform.html

Work Product Samples My Texas History Notebook: Interactive Lesson Plans

for Fourth and Seventh grades

Before starting this proposal, the Portal team obtained a sample interactive notebook lesson plan from 7th grade Texas History teacher Dawn Marie Bishop. She teaches in the Cypress Fairbanks school district and is a consultant mentor and trainer for the History Alive! method of instruction. The lesson plans completed for this project will look somewhat similar to this sample, but will be formatted for internet delivery and ease of download. Complete worksheets and guides for both students and teachers will be provided. Lesson plan for educators:

Civil War Tug-of-War Advantages of the North and South Experiential Exercise

Materials: rope, duct tape, blue and gray fabric strips, bandana, graphic organizer for notes TEKS: 7.5A Objective: The student will demonstrate their understanding of the advantages and challenges faced by the North and South by participating in a Civil War “Tug-of-War” and comparing the experience to historical reality. Overview of Activity: The students will participate in a “tug-of-war” game demonstrating the advantages and challenges the North and South experienced during the Civil War. After the game, students will evaluate their reactions to the activity and debrief the meaning of the game on graphically organized notes. Preview: Post the following question on the overhead: When you are choosing team mates for a sport, what qualities in a player are you looking for? What advantage would that give you? If you were choosing advantages for a war, what advantages would you want to have? Experiential Exercise: 1. Students will be taken outside and divided into two equal teams, blue and gray, and given matching strips of fabric to wear on their arms. Students will be asked prediction questions regarding which team might win. 2. Before the game begins, two students will be “planted” on the gray side and given instructions to drop the rope and run to the blue side once the teacher signals them. They will represent runaway slaves. Two other students will drop the rope and not participate. They represent the slave population of the South. 3. A false stop will be called immediately after the students begin pulling. Three students will be pulled from the gray side and placed at some

Work Product Samples My Texas History Notebook: Interactive Lesson Plans

for Fourth and Seventh grades distance from the game. They will have to run to join the team. They represent Texans coming to the East to fight. Students will be asked prediction questions regarding which team might win. 4. A second false stop will be called. A bandana will be tied to the center of the rope, with different instructions given for both sides to win. This will represent the different motivations for the war. More prediction questions will be asked. 5. A third false stop will be called. The teacher will then remove 4 students from the gray side and place them on the blue side: representing the four advantages the North had over the South (population, money, railroads, and industry). The teacher will ask prediction questions again. 6. A final false stop will be called. Two students will be pulled from the blue team to the gray team. This will represent the advantages of the South (military leadership and knowledge of the land). 7. The game will commence, with the blue side winning. 8. Students will return to the classroom for a discussion comparing the tug-of-war game to the advantages and challenges faced by the North and South prior to the Civil War. Students will take notes on a graphically organized handout, representing elements of the tug of war. Processing: Students will create two bar graphs in their interactive notebook, each representing advantages held by either the North or the South. These bar graphs will then be color coded by the student to represent the importance of each advantage. Handouts for the graphically organized notes and processing activities are attached.