netTrekker Blog

Thanksgiving

 

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful opportunity to:

1.  Study the two infamous groups involved:  The Wampanoag People and the Pilgrims
2. Use historical investigation to strip away myth and find the true history of the “first Thanksgiving.”
3. Determine what Thanksgiving means to us in light of this historical investigation.

 

Let’s take a look at historical investigations!  In the 21^st Century, students are being taught to investigate and question information.  Here is a section that was built to support these 21^st Century skills:

In Middle

1.  Look under Social Studies for Understanding History and click on that.
2. You will see our outline that includes:  Historical Investigation.  Click on that.   
3. Under Sites:  Historical Investigation, one of my favorite sites is PBS:  History Detectives.  PBS does a great job in its presentation of investigations.  Click on “Detective Techniques” for thorough explanations of the various methods historians and scientists use to explore history.
4. So, equipped to be History Detectives, let’s take a look at our historical Thanksgiving:
5.   Enter Thanksgiving Day History in the keyword box.
6. The 5^thone down:  Plimoth Plantation: The First Thanksgiving:  offers visitors the chance to use the skills of historians to peel away the layers of myth and misconception surrounding “The First Thanksgiving” and discover what might really have happened during the fall of 1621. Peruse multiple primary sources, make educated guesses, and create history in a very real and powerful way. Listen to the English Colonists and the Wampanoag People tell their story as you separate fact from fiction.

It’s important to know that the Wampanoag people are still here; they are not just historical figures.  Enter Wampanoag.  Go to:

1.  The 2^ndresult:  The Wampanoag from the Boston Children’s Museum.  A link is provided to the Wampanoag site that includes discussions on their history as well as current life.
2. The other one I like is The Wampanoag People, authored by Plimoth.org – the official site for the Plimoth Plantation.  Click on the logo to arrive at the home site.
3. Of course, BrainPop has a wonderful site on Thanksgiving, Squanto, Capt. Miles Standish, Wampanoag, etc. and respectfully discusses the unfortunate ramifications.
4. What is the Native American view of the first Thanksgiving?

And who were these Pilgrims? Enter pilgrims.  Go to:

1.  Again, I like the website from the Plimoth Plantation – the 3^rd results down:  The Pilgrims as People.
2. Another good one is the 4^th result – Mayflower.com:  A Brief History of the Pilgrims
3. And Mayflower History:  The 1621 Thanksgiving

 

Equipped with this historical knowledge, consider Thanksgiving as it exists in the American Identity in our present day.  What does it mean to us as a people?  What does it mean to you?

A Christmas Carol : A sneak peek into the Victorian Era

What a perfect project for Christmas time – and spectacular way to introduce the Victorian Era, while learning a wonderful lesson about the true spirit of the holidays.

The newest version is a 3D Animation by Disney Studios.  Students will love the rich characters and mystical nature of this classic holiday story, A Christmas Carol. The main character, Ebeneezer Scrooge, is a miserly old man who hates Christmas and whose heart has turned cold since the death of his business partner and the break-up of his engagement many years ago. As Scrooge meets up with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, they help him to understand his misgivings and start celebrating the holidays in the true spirit of giving and compassion.

The tale has been viewed as a reflection of nineteenth century industrial capitalism and provides a “sneak peak” into the Victorian Era.  The novella captures life in London between 1830 and 1840 – the midst of the Victorian Era.

The Victorian Era is defined by the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 – 1901.  netTrekker provides many resources to compare and contrast what life was like at the start and end of the Victorian Era.  This time of tremendous change is most evident by where people lived and worked in London, England.

1837		1901
People lived in villages and worked on the land.		People lived in towns and worked in shops, offices and factories.

Check out some netTrekker resources that will bring the Victorian Era alive in your classroom.  These and other similar sites can be found by refining your search on Victorian Era with Interactive Media.

Travel back in time to the Victorian era in this interactive journey to help Ruby & Michael search for Sam, their missing dog. While you are searching, you can learn about Victorian life by examining the objects in the house, listening to the characters, and answering the questions.

Be a Victorian Millionaire Now! Benjamin Gott was a model of entrepreneurial skill. By taking risks and experimenting with new ways of doing things, he managed to hit the cash jackpot and become a powerful businessman.  Can you solve business problems and make money by taking risks?

Virtual Victorians. Interactive examination of life during the Victorian era. Home, work, leisure, education, and technology are just a few facets of life addressed through photos, brief summaries, interactive games, newspapers, and documents.   Questions about daily life can also be submitted on-line to a role playing persona.

To learn more about integration ideas other resources to support your learning objectives, contact your Account Manager. We’d love to provide the perfect Professional Development solution for you.

Tags: Integration Ideas, professional development, refinement menu, Training, Victorian

Empowering Teachers to Use Web 2.0

New research indicates that educators view Web 2.0 technologies as a means to transform education and meet 21^st century learning goals, but district leadership and support are critical to ensure safe and effective use. Educators recognize the value of adopting Web 2.0 technologies to individualize instruction and engage students, but teachers feel more empowered to use these tools in their classrooms when they’re provided with support, guidance, and professional development from their district administration.

Sponsored by netTrekker and Lightspeed Systems, “Safe Schools in a Web 2.0 World,” a new white paper from Interactive Education Systems Design (IESD), an independent research firm, offers a picture of Web 2.0 use in education through an analysis of several recent research studies, and outlines some implications for educators. Click here to download your copy today and share it with others in your district.

The white paper includes:

• A comprehensive source of information to guide districts in using Internet technologies to promote collaborative, participatory learning.
• An easy-to-use checklist that helps promote meaningful discussions among district stakeholders regarding their current and future uses of Web 2.0 technologies.
• An extensive list of recommended resources, research studies, best practices, and policies that support the decision-making process around the uses of Web 2.0.

What is your district doing to provide guidance and professional development to support educators in using Web 2.0 tools?

Kissing Frogs brings Literature and Culture to the Classroom

The Princess and the Frog will debut in theaters this December.  Disney brings to us, “a modern twist on a classic tale.”  Set in the bayous of Louisiana, this film follows the adventures of a frog prince and a beautiful girl.

As this movie is filled with Cajun culture and a definite contrast to classic literature, it provides the perfect introduction to a multicultural unit of study centered around familiar classic folk or fairy tales, as well as, any other topics related to holidays or cultural events.

netTrekker’s Multicultural Pavilion and other portions of the ELL channel contain a wealth of resources to help students study classic literature and the cultural  traditions represented in diverse school populations.

Choose a familiar classic folk or fairy tale or any other topic relating to culture.  In the Elementary tab of netTrekker, do a keyword search for Venn Diagrams.  Use the subject refinement and choose Language Arts>Literature.  On this page you will find a great place to begin planning,  Scholastic: Myths, Folktales, and Fairy Tales: Online Activity Teacher’s Guide. Scholastic’s Online Activities are designed to support the teaching of standards-based skills. While participating in the Myths, Folktales, and Fairy Tales project, students become proficient with the skills listed below, only to mention a few.

* Appreciate diverse cultures and traditions through folklore and folktales.
* Compare historic world cultures with contemporary ones.
* Demonstrate understanding of the genres by responding to questions.

Select a story based on your content standards and the cultural diversity of your student population. For example, you many choose to study the Persian version of Cinderella. You will find that this Cinderella may prefer a sturdy sandal to a glass slipper so that she may trek through the sandy Persian terrain. If you are a physical education teacher, you may choose to focus on the sports of a particular culture. Math teachers may be interested in converting currency or analyzing climate statistics.

Use the resources in the Multicultural Pavilion and/or any other portion of the ELL channel in netTrekker to locate resources to help students study the food, geographic features, weather and climate, dress, or any other topics pertinent to your curriculum.

For the assessment of this project, create a plan for students to produce a visual representation of what they’ve learned.  Encourage students to cook authentic dishes, create cultural costumes and enjoy  associated art and music to produce a shared Cultural Literacy Festival.

To learn more about the Multicultural Pavilion and other resources to support your ELL student population, contact your Account Manager. We’d love to provide the perfect Professional Development solution for you.

Tags: ELL, language arts, multiculture, profess, professional development, standards, Training