Ohio history standards require students to describe the enduring impacts of the ancient world: including Egypt, China, India, Rome, and Greece.  The focus of this work is on the four following ideas:  Development of Government, Cultural and scientific achievements, Spread of Religions and slavery or system of labor.  This seems like a huge task for 7th grade students.  However, over the years I have developed a unit based on inquiry and higher level thinking that has shown positive results.

I began by using film from the web (teacher tube, You tube and Unitedstreaming, Even Infohio has free films).  These films were embedded into the software inspiration--see photo Gallery below.   Students then used the index in their textbooks to find specific information quickly in the book or students would be using headphones to watch film, rewind and fast-forward at their own pace, while others were reading websites provided from me.  Students were using the learning style that best fits them.  During this exploration period students add to the webs (similar free software online MindMeister or bubbl.us)  After all students had a completed web (for some that was 30 ideas, for others that was 15 ideas), we moved to pairs to share what had been found.  They added more and talked about what these things "really mean". 

Next, these groups of two would pick out their top five enduring impacts from the society we were working on.  These would be place on the board and a common theme would be discussed.  Then as a class, we would discuss and vote on the five most important from each society to remember and understand. Then back to pairs to write out justifications as to why these are the top five for each country.

The exam scores were very high.  I had students answering 15 Ohio Achievement Testing questions (from pass released OAT questions) and part two a take home exam.  In the take home section students would look at images from "our" world and explain how they would not be possible without the Ancient World: I used a football Stadium.  Students talked about the basics: cement, Arch’s, Columns, Realism in Art, paved roads, etc. but went much deeper. They talked about Civil Law and how sports could not be played without written laws to explain the process, they mentioned the Hindu Arabic Numerals and scoring, or the laying out the field, in fact several talked about Euclid and Geometry, and this list goes on and on.  These kids were thinking and doing it in critical manner. .  I can’t help but mention how one student even explained the computer as enduring from the ancient world: since it runs on zero’s and one’s. 

To show them one more major example, I asked the students to pull a state out of the hat and then find a large image of the statehouse.  We then stood as a group at the back of the room and viewed, 20-25 images of American State Houses: only two are not Greece or Roman in architecture.  They see us paying respect to Democracy in the Ancient world. 

The combination of exploration, pair’s discussion, group and individual justification helped them to truly understand and see how the Ancient World impacts our world.  I am pleased with the their work and believe it was teaching 21st Century skills. 

Before I started my education to become a teacher, I trained to be a historian.  I received a BA and MA in history, then went on to complete my teaching licensure.  With 2 history degrees in my pocket, I had convinced myself of the type of teacher I wanted to become.  Definitely high school and definitely a lecturer.  It wasn't until I met Garth that I began to formulate a different opinion about social studies and the role it plays in education.  One of my professors was a former Beachwood teacher.  Her class was the first "field" experience in my teaching.  She told me that she thought I would do great in the middle school setting and that she knew the perfect teacher for me to work with.  It did not take long for me to re-evaluate my career decisions after sitting in on Garth's 7th grade class. 
 to be continued......

 Beachwood, Ohio:  I arrived in Beachwood in the 2001-2002 school year.  I had worked five years at ESM in East Syracuse New York as a 7th and 8th grade social studies teacher and two years at Newark City Schools in Newark, Ohio where I worked as a gifted interventionist.  Beachwood was a different world for me.  I came to a place where the community really cared about education.  I do not mean that ESM or Newark did not, but Beachwood supported the schools like nowhere I had seen before or to this day.  The students came to school to learn and the community and local tax base supported the schools.   It was the ideal setting for progressive education.  

However, one person really opened my eyes to a new ideas of education.  Edward Bernetich, BMS principal,  was and is a visionary of what education can be.  He focused on building solid relationships with all stakeholders. This is the foundation for an good educator.  Ed also had a way with his staff, he presented new and exciting ideas about education and fostered and environment for risk-taking.  He encouraged, nurtured, and inspired me to try new and unique things.  For this I am forever grateful.  I am sure his values, comments and ideas will be embedded in my postings on this blog.

 

Ed hired me to try something out.  His vision was one laptop for every child at Beachwood Middle School: I would run the test program.  I was given a classroom with a wireless lab of 25 mac books that could be used at any time and for any reason.  My job, sounds simple, was to figure out how to use them in the social studies classroom.  This was not an easy task.  No books and few websites talked about what to do with that much power in your room.  I was on my own, but supported, to try new things and see where it led.   The first year was very difficult.  My first task was to build a webpage and develop webquests to work from--both things I had done before.   Time was the issue, one 3 year old and a newborn on the way (Oct of that year) and living in a region/city that was all new to my wife and me.  However, over the year I began to find new and interesting ways to use technology to engage kids in content and teach them at a higher level, I believe.  I will use this site to explain some of those experiences and provide insight in how computers are used today in my room and at BMS.  What is happening at BMS is good and worth others hearing about.

The posts that following will not be in any order, but just posts of how my students have been doing things over the last 8 years.  I hope someone finds this information useful to what is happening in their classroom.

This is my second attempt at blogging.  It is hard to keep up with this when I teach at the University of Akron and have a 5, 8, and 10 year old at home.  I would like to share my ideas on computer use in the classroom and how to engage students in content.  Not to memorize content, but teach them to find interest in the content and understand the material beyond a recall of fact.  I hope that this will give me a place to note my ideas and that over time others might help me understand better how to do the toughest job in the world: teach middle school.  Well, lets see what happens.