Archive for Valerie WalkerPage 3
How and why do Muslims observe and celebrate Ramadan?
I’ve thought a lot about our class discussion on Monday about how widespread stereotypes about Muslims are in the U.S. One way to break down these stereotypes is with accurate information. Since the “holidays curriculum” is used so often in schools, why not use it as an opportunity to educate our students about Ramadan (and, […]
How political boundaries change with time
This would be an interesting resource to share with students, especially if you have them work on developing a spatial sense of Europe. I think it would reinforce the idea that political boundaries change over time.
Food for thought–not all flipped classroom resources are equally good
Here’s a link to an article that talks about how several math teachers have critiqued the Khan Academy videos. The video, which is embedded in article, is funny in a snarky kind of way. (The video itself, is based on Mystery Science Theater 5000 series.) What’s the take-home point for you? What are the limits […]
Diversity in children’s literature
Today we talked about the importance of diversity in children’s literature. Here’s a link to a great illustration of how (not) diverse children’s literature is today. (I love this because it is a cartoon!) One place to find quality, diverse children’s literature is at the American Library Association’s awards page. What resources do you know […]
Save the date: Moe Lecture on Monday, March 10
Next Monday’s Moe Lecture is Nigerian author Chimamanda Adiche! I can’t express how exciting this is! Right now we are scheduled to view and discuss her TED talk, The Danger of a Single Story, on our Celebration of Writing Day. I’m going to reorganize our schedule a bit and have us work with it at […]
In the news: Flipped classrooms
Today Michele, Katrina and I asked you to weigh in on which topics we might explore in our special session on “Using Technology in the Elementary Classroom”. (Dan Moos will be our guest presenter!) Many of you listed “flipped classrooms” as one of your interests. I came across this article that raises questions about the […]
In the news: Spelling!
Lots to think about in this article on spelling: The only people who benefit from spelling tests are those who do well on them – and the benefit is to their self-esteem rather than their spelling ability. They were already good spellers. The people who don’t benefit from spelling tests are those who are poor […]
In the News: Anti-bullying law is being discussed
Check out this news report on the state’s proposed anti-bullying law. This bill is referred to as the “Safe Schools” law and comes out of a discussion about how schools can protect students from anti-gay harassment. Evidently there’s a movement to keep it from being passed. Later in the semester we’ll watch a video called […]
Hands on History Questions
Thank you to everyone for a fun class session! I appreciated your thoughts on what it means to “think historically” and loved looking at the Hands On History artifacts! Here’s a link the Colonial Williamsburg site. You’ll see that they have lots of other resources for teachers. In a couple of weeks we’ll be talking […]
MN Council for the Social Studies Conference!
Don’t forget to register for the MCSS conference, March 2-3, 2014. (I believe February 20th is the last day you can get the student discount.) Check out the conference website for registration and the conference schedule.