Background for Us History Workshops

7/28/2019 Background for Us History Workshops

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BACKGROUND FOR US HISTORY WORKSHOPS

The following description of the 40 hour training sessions that I will be

undertaking will be based on my five years of classroom experience as a

fourth grade bilingual teacher in El Paso, TX from the years 2000-2005, as

well as on theoretical approaches to successful strategies one can integrate

into one’s classroom context. The text that I will be basing my instruction

on will be Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, which

proffers a somewhat different viewpoint of US history in that it is told from

the perspective of the oppressed classes, particularly people of color and

women. In the majority of classrooms across the country American history

is told from the Anglo-Saxon viewpoint that tends to omit some of the

atrocities that were committed against the aforementioned minorities, and

this is something that in my opinion cannot be glossed over if we want our students to be critical thinkers and agents in their educational plight. As

educators we can’t be neutral as we tread against conservative educational

systems that are detrimental to the oppressed classes. Thus, it is a teacher’s

obligation to present US history from this perspective, as it will present

students with what may be a new vision of how history was presented to

them in the past.

As far as practical applications go in the classroom, I am a firm believer in

collaborative contexts and thus the majority of the activities/projects/etc.

will be designed for that kind of structure. The research has proven thatEnglish language learners (ELLs) experience more success if they are placed

in this kind of environment and thus the sessions will give teachers a chance

to see how this functions in relation to the teaching of US history. It will

also be emphasized in these respective sessions that history should not be

taught in isolation from the rest of the curriculum, and the concept of

thematic units will be introduced as well to demonstrate how other subjects

can be integrated into the teaching of history. As mentioned previously in

relation to collaborative contexts, thematic teaching is also highly beneficial

for ELLs. The most important link that will be highlighted is providing

quality learning opportunities that are accessible for one’s students, becauseit’s quite possible that if one is teaching fifth grade the students will not be

linguistically equipped to handle the basal reader that is used by the school.

A teacher must be flexible when faced with these obstacles and not resort to

the old fashioned technique of “open the book to page 22 and read the first

chapter.” This strategy will not be successful in the second language

classroom and often leads to discipline problems as students become



disconnected from their learning experience. But, this can be rectified with

creative out of the box teaching strategies in relation to US history, which

will be shown in the respective training sessions.

In addition to strategies, alternative evaluation assessments will be

introduced to teachers as well, being that the run of the mill assessments

provided by textbook companies are often biased against ELLs in that the

reading level is out of their reach. Thus, different methods of evaluation will

be introduced to the future teachers throughout the trajectory of the course,

such as the use of portfolios, presentations, and other “alternative”

assessments that could be used in the classroom. In conjunction with this,

rubrics will be introduced as a way to assess these respective assessments

due to the fact that at times it can be puzzling how to give grades for work

that isn’t your normal fill in the blanks, yes/no, true/false structure often

used in classrooms, much to the detriment of English Language Learners.

MATERIALS NEEDED FOR WORKSHOP- The following items will be

necessary for the five week work shop, being that the trainees will be placed

into the context of students whom are learning about US history.

1. Plenty of large butcher paper for collaborative activities (cartulinas)

2. Masking tape/ Scotch tape

3. Plenty of markers for collaborative activities

4. Dry erase board for concept explanation by trainer

5. Scissors

6. Photocopied reading material

7. Tables to support collaborative learning context

8. World Map

THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL SHOULD BE READ BEFORE THE

DATE POSTED BELOW:

March 25th – Interview with Howard Zinn (A Pedagogy of Resistance) and

the article Defending Bilingual Education. Also chapter 1 from A People’s

History of the US (Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress)

April 1st- Chapter 4 (Tyranny is Tyranny)

April 15th- Chapter 6 (The Intimately Oppressed)April 22nd- Chapter 14 (War is the Health of the State)

April 29th- Chapter 16 (A People’s War)

***It is strongly recommended that trainees highlight and make notes about

content, as this preparation will prepare them for the strategies that will

utilized in the respective sessions. It is rather obvious that with a 40-hour

course it is impossible to cover everything, thus depth of understanding with



organization techniques in relation to the portfolio, and shows no growth in

connection to the concepts/ideas/techniques in the course.

Session #1- March 25th, 2007- Focus on settlement in the Americas

Objective #1- An effective approach for beginning any lesson regardless of

subject is searching for student’s background knowledge pertaining to the

content that is going to be taught. This will give the respective teacher some

groundwork for the lessons that he/she will be teaching and will assist in the

design of future lessons. It is highly recommended that teachers find ways

to access this background knowledge on behalf of students before a unit is

taught. Collaborative groups will also be formed as a result of the findingsdiscovered in the self-evaluation below.

Procedure- Using the rubric found below, trainees will rate themselves on a

scale from 1 to 5 as far as his/her knowledge pertaining to US History. This

self-evaluation technique is a good way to get students involved in their own

learning process, and also gives the trainee a gauge as far as the types of

strategies that need to be carried out throughout the unit/theme.

Rubric- My Knowledge of US History

5- I feel that I have a deep understanding of US History concepts and ideas.

4- I feel that I have a pretty good understanding of US History concepts and

ideas.

3- I feel that I have a fair understanding of US History concepts and ideas.

2- I feel that I have very scant understanding of US History concepts and

ideas.

1- I feel that I have very little understanding of US History concepts and

ideas.

Forming heterogeneous collaborative groups- As a result of the self-

evaluation found above, trainees are placed in groups (ideal number being 5

students) in which there are a variety of levels in terms of concept

understanding. One’s management of the second language (English) should

also be taken into account when placing students in collaborative working



classroom. As trainees progress during the investigation of a respective

theme, they write in the column “L” the concepts they have learned in the

class. They should be put in charge of their own learning and this strategy

facilitates this process.

Activity discussion- “Reporters” present their findings from the activity and

the butcher paper is put on display, as they will be utilized throughout the

workshop.

Objective #2 (In conjunction with Chapter #1 (Columbus, the Indians, and

Human Progress) and trainees’ background knowledge)- Trainees will come

to a deep understanding of how US history is told from two perspectives,

from the oppressed and oppressor point of view, and at the same time

construct concept maps with illustrations, key words, and opinions of the

material presented. Organization of key ideas on behalf of trainees is the

goal.***It should be noted that the following procedure will be carried out with

the assumption that the material assigned has been thoroughly read by the

respective trainees.

Procedure #2- First of all trainees are asked to illustrate (through a drawing)

the image that comes to their mind when they think about the discovery of

the Americas by Christopher Columbus, with one illustration being from the

perspective of the white man (the oppressor) and the other from the

perspective of the Arawak Indians (the oppressed).

Then the following parts from Chapter 1 will be read to the trainees. This is

obviously the perspective as seen from the point of view of the oppressed

population, in this case the Arawak Indians.

Page 7- “When we read the history books given to children in the US, it all

starts with heroic adventure- there is no bloodshed- and Columbus Day is a

celebration.”

- “They rode the backs of Indians as if they were in a hurry or were

carried on hammocks by Indians running in relays.

Page 7- …”so that from 1494 t0 1508, over three million people had perished from war, slavery, and the mines.”

Page 9- “To emphasize the heroism of Columbus and his successors as

navigators and discoverers, and to de-emphasize their genocide, is not a

technical necessity but an ideological choice.”

Page 10- “The cry of the poor is not always just, but if you don’t listen to it,

you will never know what justice is.”



Page 4- “Indians found without a copper token had their hands cut off and

bled to death.”

Next, students should come up with similar statements (from their prior

knowledge) from the perspective of the oppressor, in this case the Spaniards

under the orders of Christopher Columbus.

Activity #2(Big Ideas from 2 Perspectives)- In collaborative groups trainees

should come up with some kind of concept map (their choice) using

illustrations and key words to demonstrate the discovery of the Americas

from the perspective of the Arawak Indians and the Spaniards. Keep in

mind that we are dealing with ELLs, so visuals need to be concise, to the

point, and in language that is accessible to the most basic levels. Use of first

language skills may also be necessary at this juncture. 30 minutes should be

provided for the respective activity and collaborative roles should be

different from the first activity of the day.

Activity discussion- “Reporters” present their concept maps to the rest of the

class. Material (as was with the first activity) is placed in the classroom for

visual assistance throughout the unit/theme.

The following rubric/self-evaluation is recommended to be used over time to

gauge where the student views himself/herself in terms of contribution to the

class.

Participation

5 points- Student actively participates on a daily basis, displays ability to

comment on work done outside of class, and demonstrates solid effort in

collaborative structures.

4 points- Student actively participates on a daily basis, demonstrates solid

effort in collaborative structures, but does not carry out all the necessary

work outside of class.

3 points- At times student is reluctant to participate and/or contribute in

collaborative structures, even though it is demonstrated in other mediums

(writing) that work outside of class is carried out by student.



2 points- Student rarely participates, displays negative actions at times in

collaborative structures, and is not up to speed on assignments outside of

class.

1 point- Student never participates and struggles in collaborative structures.

ACTIVITY - Self evaluate yourself using this scale, and write a few sentences

to justify your score out of 5 points. Be as honest with yourself as you can.

Objective #3- To foment the understanding on behalf of trainees that the

Native Americans (the Indians) were not uncivilized savages as they are

sometimes portrayed in US history. Trainees will confront a new paradigm

in terms of description of Native American way of life and hopefully dispelsome of the knowledge they previously had (from the media, etc) pertaining

to the way of life of this respective group.

Procedure #3- Pose the following question to trainees: “How did/does the

media/mainstream history books paint the lives of Native Americans before

the arrival of Columbus to the Americas?” Have trainees jot down their

responses. Then pose the next question: “Why are these images so

ingrained in our psyches?” Like the previous example have trainees write

down their thoughts. Finally, go over the following citations from Chapter 1

of a “People’s History:”

Page 21- “So, Columbus and his successors were not coming into an empty

wilderness, but into a world which in some places was as densely populated

as Europe itself, where the culture was complex, where human relations

were more egalitarian than in Europe, and where the relations among men,

women, children, and nature were more beautifully worked out than perhaps

any place in the world. They were people without a written language, but

with their won laws, their poetry, their history kept in memory and passed

on, in an oral vocabulary more complex than Europe’s, accompanied bysong, dance, and ceremonial drama.”

Page 20- “Women were important and respected in Iroquois society. Thus

power was shared between the sexes and the European idea of male

dominancy and female subordination was conspicuously absent in Iroquois

society.”



Page 16- “Behind the English invasion of North America, behind their

massacre of Indians, their deception, their brutality, was that special

powerful drive born in civilizations based on private property. It was a

morally ambiguous drive; the need for space, for land, was a real human

need.”

Page 20- “The concept of private ownership of land and homes was foreign

to the Iroquois.”

Page 17- “Was all this bloodshed and deceit- from Columbus to Cortés,

Pizarro, the Puritans- a necessity for the human race to progress from

savagery to civilization?”

Page 17- “If there are necessary sacrifices to be made for human progress, isit not essential to hold to the principle that those to be sacrificed must make

the decision themselves?”

Page 16- “The Indian population of 10 million that lived north of Mexico

when Columbus came would ultimately be reduced to less than a million.”

Activity#3- Compare/Contrast (using a visual representation of your choice)

the image of Native Americans using the two viewpoints that were presented

in this lesson. Collaborative roles (as in the last activity) should be changed

so that new trainees are getting the opportunity to speak.

Discussion of activity- Discuss different strategies when presented with a

compare/contrast activity such as this one. Why is it important to have

visuals with pictures, etc for ELLs?

Wrap-up activity for Day #1

1. Add the necessary information in the “L” column from the first

activity; which would be the information that the respective traineeslearned during the day.

2. Write a paragraph that answers the following question: How has my

viewpoint of US history changed as a result of this new knowledge?

3. In groups come up with some teaching ideas that you have in relation

to the material in Day #1’s class?

4. Discussion of material to be covered for April 1st.



5. Evaluation of workshop

Session #2- April 1st, 2007- Focus on the Revolutionary War (chapter 4)

Objective #1- To develop a deep understanding of the conflict between the

British and the Americans, while also creating critical thinking opportunities

in relation to other conflicts in American history, specifically to see if some

of the same characteristics (of conflict) are identified in relation to the

Revolutionary War and current world conflicts involving the US. Trainees

should comprehend after this lesson that conflict has been and will continue

to be a part of our society.

Procedure #1- Propose the question: “What is a conflict and what are

usually the causes of conflict between two countries?”In collaborative groups (changing roles once again) brainstorm this question

and butcher paper jot down the responses. Share with whole group.

Then propose the second question: “Is there any difference (in reality)

between the conflicts of yesteryear and the ones that we are witnessing in

modern times?”

Repeat the steps carried out after the first question.

Activity #1- Trainees must now construct a concept map/graphic organizer

that would be visual, have accessible language for ELL’s, and be logically

organized in order to store the information more easily. Trainees will then

present the information and be graded on the following rubric:

3pts- Visual projects accessible, enriching language (or illustrations) for

ELLs, demonstrates well-organized ideas. All members contributed in some

fashion.

2pts- Presentation is lacking in one of the areas above.

1pt.- Presentation is lacking in more than one of the areas above.

***Trainees can grade themselves after the presentation with written justification.

Procedure #2- Integrate the use of mathematics with the purpose of

demonstrating how inter-disciplinary units (in this case Math) can be

effective in the ELL context.



Activity #2- Read the following passage and invent a math problem using the

numbers provided (in the passage).

Page 65- “The biggest problem was to keep the propertyless people, who

were unemployed and hungry in the crisis following the French war, under

control. In Boston, the economic grievances of the lowest classes mingled

with anger against the British and exploded in mob violence. The leaders of

the Independence movement wanted to use that mob energy against

England, but also contain it so that it would not demand too much from

them. At this time, the top 10 percent of Boston’s taxpayers held about 66

percent of Boston’s taxable wealth, while the lowest 30 percent of the

taxpaying population had no taxable property at all.”

Discussion of activity- Group presents problem to class, the other groups

solve it, and the presenting group gives an explanation how they would havedone it (visual aid).

Procedure #3- Pose the question: “What were some examples of conflict

escalation between the colonists and the British?” What were their causes?

What are some examples of class conflict between the wealthy and the poor?

What was the root of the problem between them?

Activity #3- How would you present the findings from the questions above in

language that is accessible for ELLs, especially for those whose reading

level prevents them from reading the textbook? Present your findings so

that it is comprehensible input for students with very little English language

experience. Think about big concepts!

Discussion of Activity#3- After the presentations we discuss what would be

effective strategies and what wouldn’t be an effective strategy for the ELL

classroom. What would be a fair method to evaluate your students in terms

of synthesizing the learning that they did?

Objective#2- Revealing the benefits of using alternative assessments (in thisexample a poster in collaborative groups) in the ELL classroom, one that is

accessible to all and not focused on rote memorization, but instead based on

the understanding of a concept presented in class discussions.

Name of poster project: “Past and present conflicts, in two perspectives”



Description of assessment technique- Trainees will visually and in written

language show the British/colonist conflict and the rich/poor class conflict

during the Revolutionary War period, and compare/contrast it with a current

conflict between warring countries, coupled with a class conflict that is

happening in one of the countries (like what happened in New Orleans).

Activity- Collaborative groups construct a poster that satisfies the above

requirements for the assessment, while at the same time designing a rubric in

order for students to know exactly how they are being evaluated.

***Another alternative assessment idea is to evaluate how one performs in

collaborative settings. The following rubric is an example:

RUBRIC IN COLLABORATIVE STRUCTURES

5 points- Student is always open to sharing his/her ideas with group, is

always prepared to collaborate in respect to the classroom context, and is

always willing to listen to others when he/she isn’t speaking.

4 points- Student is frequently open to sharing his/her ideas with group, is

often prepared to collaborate in respect to the classroom context, and most of

the time is willing to listen to others when he/she is not speaking.

3 points- Student is occasionally open to sharing his/her ideas with group, is

occasionally prepared to collaborate in respect to the classroom context, and

occasionally is willing to listen to others when he/she is not speaking.

2 points- Student is frequently unwilling to share his/her ideas with group, is

rarely prepared to collaborate in respect to the classroom context, and is

often disruptive and off task when others are sharing in the group.

1 point - Student never shares his/her ideas with group, is never prepared to

collaborate in respect to the classroom context, and is always disruptive and off task when others are sharing in the group.




1. Add the necessary information in the “L” column from the first

activity; which would be the information that the respective trainees

learned during the day.

2. Write a paragraph that answers the following question: How can

alternative assessment be a more accurate way to evaluate ELLs, in

relation to other kinds of norms-based evaluations?

3. In groups come up with some teaching ideas that you have in relation

to the material in Day #2’s class?

4. Discussion of material to be covered for April 15th.

5. Evaluation of workshop

Session #3- April 15th, 2007- Women in the 19th century (Chapter 6)

Objective #1- Trainees will gain a deep understanding of the plight of women in the 19th century in the US, and compare/contrast this historical

perspective with the role they currently play in today’s society.

Procedure #1- As in previous examples the search for background

knowledge is extremely important when embarking upon a new theme in the

classroom. Now that trainees have witnessed various strategies to access

this knowledge on behalf of students, they will be put in charge of designing

an activity for the rest of the group. They should keep in mind some of the

characteristics from past examples, mainly using accessible language, visual

aids, and quite possibly first language support in the design of the respective

activity.

Activity #1- Trainees in collaborative groups should devise an opening

activity for theme pertaining to women that accesses prior knowledge about

what they know of women’s plight in the past, coupled with the perspectives

they possess about their role in present society. It is important to try and

access from students things they have lived in their real lives, and any

prejudices they may have pertaining to women and their respective roles in

society. The key here is to ask pertinent questions that will be the basis for ahealthy dialogue between students and the teacher. Trainee work should also

be put on display in order to reflect on and quite possibly transform their

ideas from how they commenced at the beginning of the theme on women.

Trainer will utilize the following rubric to evaluate the trainees in their

collaborative presentations:



4- Activity grabs the attention of the students, is delivered in a

comprehensible fashion linguistically, and provides solid strategies to access

background knowledge of the students.

3- Activity grabs the attention of students and provides solid strategies to

access background knowledge of students, but is delivered in a somewhat

difficult format for the students.

2- Even though activity is interesting for students, strategies are weak as far

as accessing background knowledge and the delivery is rather confusing for

the students to comprehend.

1- Students show no interest and strategies are weak in all aspects.

Discussion of activity- Trainees will present their activities to the entire

group and a discussion will ensue focused on if the lesson (and why) would

be effective or not in the ELL classroom.

Procedure #2- As was mentioned earlier in relation to ELL students, it is

quite possible that they will not possess the reading level to comprehend the

material (rather normal) which is found in the respective textbooks that are

used in the classroom. Thus, it is essential that teachers devise strategies

that allow students the ability to access the information that is presented to

them. Below are some excerpts from Chapter 6 (The Intimately Oppressed):

Page 103- “It is possible, reading standard histories, to forget half the

population of the country. The explorers were men, the landholders and

merchants men, the political leaders men, the military figures men. The very

invisibility of women, the overlooking of women, is a sign of their

submerged status.”

Page 103,104- “Earlier societies- In America and elsewhere- in which

property was held in common and families were extensive and complicated,

with aunts and uncles and grandmothers and grandfathers all living together,

seemed to treat women more as equals than did white societies that later

overran them, bringing “civilization” and private property.”

Page 108- “Nothing is more gratifying to the mind of man than power or

dominion; and … as I am the father of the family…I am perpetually taken

up in giving out orders, in prescribing duties, in hearing parties, in

administering justice, and in distributing rewards and punishments.”



Page 110- “While poor women, in the last years of the fighting, went to

army encampments, helped, and fought, they were later represented as

prostitutes, whereas Martha Washington was given a special place in history

books for visiting her husband in Valley Forge.”

Page 110- “While perhaps 90% of the white male population were literate

around 1750, only 40% of the women were.”

Page 112- “As the economy developed, men dominated as mechanics and

tradesmen, and aggressiveness became more and more defined as a male

trait.”

Page 112- “It became important to develop a set of ideas, taught in church,

in school, and in the family, to keep women in their place even as that place

became more and more unsettled.”

Page 113- “The woman’s job was to keep the home cheerful, maintain

religion, be nurse, cook, cleaner, seamstress, flower arranger. A woman

shouldn’t read too much, and certain books should be avoided.”

Page 114,115- “She could not vote, could not own property; when she did

work, her wages were one-fourth to one-half what men earned in the same

job. Women were excluded from the professions of law and medicine, from

colleges, from the ministry.”

Page 117- “Middle-class women, barred from higher education, began to

monopolize the profession of primary-school teaching. Literacy among

women doubled between 1780 and 1840. Women became health reformers.

So, by the time a clear feminist movement emerged in the 1840’s, women

had become practiced organizers, agitators, speakers.”

Page 123- “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women

are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain

inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…

The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on

the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of

an absolute tyranny over her. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a

candid world…”



Page 124- “Thus were women beginning to resist, in the 1830’s and 1840’s

and 1850’s, the attempt to keep them in their “women’s sphere.” They were

taking part in all sorts of movements, for prisoners, for the insane, for black

slaves, and also for all women.”

Activity #2- Trainees will pick 3 of the excerpts from chapter 6 that are

mentioned above, and utilize a graphic organizer of their choice in order to

present the key concepts from the excerpts that are chosen. It must be kept

in mind that it is highly probable that students won’t have the language

abilities to just “read” the excerpts, thus they need to be converted into

comprehensible input through the use of big concepts, illustrations if

necessary, and quite possibly first language support (not direct translation).

Discussion of activity- Trainees will critique each other’s work in terms of

how effective they believed each presentation was. What could theyimprove on? What changes would be made next time the lesson is taught?

Procedure #3- As mentioned earlier in the background information

pertaining to the US history workshop being described here, it is highly

recommended that future teachers integrate other subjects (thematic units)

such as language arts, science, etc into their history lessons. The benefits of

this approach have already been mentioned. In the following activity

trainees will be instructed on how to utilize resources that one finds outside

of the classroom, in this case a woman that will be interviewed by a

respective student. From experience bringing aspects of the surrounding

school community into the classroom has proved to be fruitful for teachers

and students alike.

Activity #3- Students (obviously trainees won’t have access to this resource

in the workshop) will select a female member of their community and

prepare an interview to find out more about this person. The student will

then proceed to write a biography (between 1 and 2 pages) about this

respective person (in Language Arts class the format of a biography will be

discussed) that satisfies all of the criteria on the rubric that will be show below. Being that trainees won’t have access to this aforementioned

community member, they should prepare an interview with pertinent

questions for a fictitious member of the community. This activity could also

be extended in that an oral presentation could be integrated in conjunction

with the written biography.



BIOGRAPHY RUBRIC

5- Student has included all components of the biography (documented

interview, concept map, rough draft, peer revisions, photograph, cover page)

and satisfies the 1-2 pages as stated in the project design. Student’s writing

is well organized and grabs the attention of the reader.

4- Student has included all components of the biography (see above) and

satisfies the 1-2 pages as stated in the project design. Student’s writing is

somewhat organized and at times grabs the attention of the reader.

3- Student is missing one or some of the components of the biography (see

above), but satisfies the 1-2 pages as stated in the project design. Student’s

writing is somewhat organized and at times grabs the attention of the reader.

2- Student is missing most of the components of the biography (see above),

and doesn’t satisfy the 1-2 pages as stated in the project design. Student’s

writing is lacking organization and is monotonous for the reader to read.

1- Biography is delivered past due date.

Discussion of activity- Trainees will share interview questions with groups

and any other teaching ideas they have pertaining to the topic of women in

US history.

Procedure #4- History is most certainly made every day, thus bringing

current events into the classroom should be an essential component of one’s

practice. This bridges gaps for students in that one can make sense of the

past by investigating that which is going on in the present. Trainees will be

given the article “Why Aren’t We Shocked?” by New York Times columnist

Bob Herbert, along with poems by the names of “Woman” by Andrea

Townsend and “Two Young Woman” by Deidre Barry. These three pieces

focused on women also bring the reading element into the picture, a

characteristic that in reality is always a part of any history lesson.

Activity #4- Trainees should dialogue in their groups about how these

readings could be integrated into a history lesson pertaining to women and

history. After brainstorming their ideas, they will develop a short activity

based on one of the three readings. This most definitely should not be some

questions that students are to answer based on one of the readings. It should



be well thought out with the goal being trying to incorporate some of the

strategies they have seen up to this point in the training sessions. Getting

students to voice their opinions would be a good starting point for an activity

of this sort. What do you think about this material? How does this make

you feel? Is it fair? What would you do if you could make change? Asking

poignant questions often leads to critical dialogue in the classroom.

Discussion of Activity - Trainees will critique each other’s lessons and offer

ways they could be improved for the future.

Wrap-up activity for day #3

Add the necessary information in the “L” column from the first activity;

which would be the information that the respective teachers learned

during the day.

Write a paragraph that answers the following question: Why are gender issues key to the teaching of history, and why must connections to the

present be part of your teaching?

In groups come up with some teaching ideas that you have in relation to

the material in Day #3’s class?

Discussion of material to be covered for April 22nd

Evaluation of workshop

Session #4- April 22nd, 2007- Focus on WWI (chapter 14)

Objective #1- Students will gain a deep understanding of US motivations for

entering WWI, while also becoming aware of US resistance to involvement

in the war. Students will be expected to develop activities that access prior

knowledge, design activities in conjunction with the reading, and construct

assessments that are fair for ELLs. The goal at this point is to give trainees

the opportunity to utilize and practice some of the strategies that were

demonstrated in previous sessions. Regurgitation of information is not the

focus here! Students must be involved in their learning, as this will get them

interested in history. Memorization of dates and facts is not history!

Procedure #1- Trainees will be presented with some key themes/concepts

from chapter 14 and in turn asked to design an activity with a focus on

accessing on background knowledge from students. Students should keep in

mind strategies that were utilized in previous sessions and do their best to

incorporate these in the respective activities that will be designed. These

activities will then be presented to the group, whom will play the role of



students in a mock US history classroom. Trainees must keep in mind that

it’s most likely that they will encounter a variety of second language levels

coupled with a plethora of first languages that aren’t English. Thus, the

input needs to be comprehensible.

Some of the key concepts from chapter 14:

1. War is the health of the state

2. Socialism was growing

3. President Woodrow Wilson had promised neutrality

4. Lies

5. War orders stimulated the economy

6. Rich took direct charge of the economy

7. War for empire

8. Wealth from darker nations (Asia, Africa, South and Central America)9. Exploitation

10.Massive effort to excite a reluctant public

11.Crime against the people of the US

12.Espionage Act of 1917

13.Shrewd public relations

14.330,000 draft evaders

15.Patriotic fervor

16.Class war

17.Anarchists

Activity #1- Utilizing one of the concepts/themes above (or another one

chosen by the group), trainees will design an activity with the purpose of

accessing students’ background knowledge pertaining to chapter 14 (WWI).

A suggestion would be to try and link one of them with something that is

happening in present day history, for example we most certainly witness

“shrewd public relations” when trying to gain support for the conflict in Iraq.

In addition, “patriotic fervor” was a tactic used by the Bush Administration

to feed into the emotions of Americans after the 9/11 attacks on the twin

towers. Students need to make connections in order to be able to becomeinvolved in the respective activity. Finally, “war is the health of the state” is

most certainly something that is part of our present context in as far as

history goes, especially with the role that private corporations play in our

lives in 2007.



Discussion of activity- Trainees will discuss the effectiveness of the

activities that were presented, and proceed to look for ways to improve

facets of the activity that could be altered for future success in the

classroom.

Procedure #2- Note the following excerpt from page 363. “Du Bois pointed

to the paradox of greater “democracy” in America alongside increased

aristocracy and hatred toward darker races. He explained the paradox by the

fact that the white workingman has been asked to share the spoil of

exploiting “chinks and niggers.” Yes, the average citizen of England,

France, Germany, and the United States, had a higher standard of living than

before. But: Whence comes this new wealth?… It comes primarily from

the darker nations of the world- Asia and Africa, South and Central

America, the West Indies, and the islands of the South Seas.”

From this excerpt it is rather obvious about what motivated the US to wantto become an empire and dominate foreign markets. In reality it was the

beginning of the global era of open markets and exploitation of natural

resources and oppressed populations. The following activity will put into

perspective how this war opened up the world for the US economy.

Activity #2- This activity is called “Researching our Stuff,” and it is found in

a great teaching resource that is highly recommended for teachers called

“Rethinking Globalization.” Trainees will proceed to investigate the labels

on their clothes to discover if they are made in countries that are “primarily

from the darker nations of the world- Asia and Africa, South and Central

America, the West Indies, and the islands of the South Seas.” Using sticky

notes, students will post their results on the world map (if available) to see if

patterns can be deciphered. Through this activity one will make a connection

between when the US began to create its empire in and around the time of

WWI, and its present context of exploiter of poorer countries with less

resources. As mentioned earlier, history always needs to be brought to light

in the present, and in this particular example geography (a weakness in US

students) skills are also being put to work.

Discussion of activity- Was this an effective strategy to demonstrate how the

US has come to dominate the world economy? What would be examples of

other activities that could quite possibly achieve similar results? Why is it

essential that students gain a global perspective of history?



Procedure #3- History has shown over time that civil liberties in the US

have been diminishing for its citizens since the WWI era (specifically the

Espionage Act of 1917), and it’s certainly the case in the post 9/11 modern

area, as the Patriot Act was put into effect to supposedly assist the “War on

Terror” as GW Bush likes to call it. Even though the acts are quite different

nature, they do possess similar characteristics that trainees should be made

aware of as far as the teaching of US history goes. The trainer will

compare/contrast these two acts for the trainees, whom will follow up with

an activity in which they take the role of students in the classroom.

Activity #3- Integrating the theatre arts can be an invaluable resource in the

US history classroom, especially for ELLs with limited second language

skills. In this activity trainees will choreograph some kind of play/role-

play/skit that demonstrates the quenching of civil liberties in the WWI era

coupled with one that places the situation in modern times as a result of 9/11security measures. All members of the collaborative group should have a

speaking opportunity (albeit brief) in the respective performance. Trainees

will assist the trainer in devising an assessment (obviously alternative in

nature) that could be utilized to evaluate the students’ performance in

conjunction with the theme.

Discussion of activity- Trainees will comment on each performance and give

each group feedback on their effort. Why is this a positive approach to

teaching US history? Why is it especially effective for ELLs?


Add the necessary information in the “L” column from the first activity;

which would be the information that the respective teachers learned

during the day.

Write a paragraph that answers the following question: Why is critical

pedagogy a necessary and effective tool in one’s practice in the US

history classroom?In groups come up with some teaching ideas that you have in relation to

the material in Day #4’s class?

Discussion of material to be covered for April 29th (group projects)

Evaluation of workshop



Session #5- April 29th, 2007- Focus on WWII (chapter 16)

The last session will give the trainees the opportunity to demonstrate the

strategies/activities/lessons/assessments they have learned from the previous

four. In their collaborative groups, they will conduct a 45-minute lesson that

contains the components that are found below. Groups should designate

what level the lesson is designed for (early primary, late primary, middle

school, etc). Trainees will be allotted 1 hour at the beginning of the session

their lessons, but it will be assumed that some preparation was carried out

outside of class.

1. An activity that accesses prior knowledge on behalf of their students,

whom in this case will be the other trainees.

2. A lesson that incorporates a graphic organizing technique in order to

convey key concepts/themes from chapter 16.3. An alternative form of assessment that is fair for all students in the

classroom regardless of second language level.

4. A rubric to accompany the assessment, which should obviously be

distributed to students prior to the assessment.

5. Allow time for feedback from fellow trainees and the trainer.

The trainer will offer tips/suggestions pertaining to the lesson presentations

and wrap up the last session with some words about the realities of entering

the classroom in US

Students will also fill out an evaluation of the training session so that the

trainer can reflect on his/her work over the 40 hours.

Background for Us History Workshops

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Transcript of Background for Us History Workshops