Welcome to our first blog post of the 2017-2018 school year! For those of you who were unable to attend Open House my name is Steve Hartnett, and I will be teaching your student American History this school year. To say that I am excited to be teaching American History this school year is quite the understatement! If you were unable to attend Open House, I handed out a letter about an exciting development this year in American History Class: The Flipped Classroom! I have attached the letter to the end of this post. If you have any questions about the Flipped Classroom approach, please feel free to send me an email via the Contact Page of this website.
We have been very busy and productive these first few weeks of American History Class. One of the first activities that students participated in was the American History Scavenger Hunt. In this activity, students searched my classroom for hidden clues in order to complete the Scavenger Hunt. If you have not seen my classroom, I can tell you that it is covered in American History and sports memorabilia If you would like to see what my classroom looks like, please take a look at the short video posted below. Congratulations to the winners of the American History Scavenger Hunt from each class period! Students also teamed up with the other 8th Grade American History Class to participate in a massive Review Day Activity. During the Summer, students completed a Summer Assignment and were told that they could use the Summer Assignment on the first exam. While my colleague, Mr. Jourdan Englert, and I recognize the importance of a relaxing Summer vacation, we also wanted to be proactive this school year to avoid the “Summer Slide”. During the Review Day Activity, students used Quizlet Live to review vocabulary terms. Students then utilized the Kahoot platform to review key concepts. The following day, students took the Chapter One Exam, and I was very pleased with the results! Way to go everyone! Following the Chapter One Exam, I introduced each class to the Flipped Classroom approach. I told students that this year they would be in “driver-seat” for their learning. The Flipped Classroom promotes student-choice! This school year, students will have a choice on how they gain knowledge, apply that knowledge, and demonstrate mastery of the content. Please ask your student about their Choice Board to see how student choice is exemplified within the Flipped Classroom. One of my favorite aspects of the Flipped Classroom is that students determine the pace of their learning. Therefore, students who are ready to move on with content can explore the content at a pace that they are best suited for. Students who need additional assistance do not need to worry about falling behind as well! The Flipped Classroom uses videos, created by myself, as the primary way of instruction of new content. We viewed the first Flipped Video as a class in order to ensure that students understand how to watch the videos. Students have been working diligently on their Choice Boards. The Choice Board is broken up into three portions: Knowledge, Application, and Mastery. Students have chosen one activity from each category and receive feedback when they submit their work. My role in the Flipped Classroom is not only as the educator, but also the facilitator. Some of the student choices that I have witnessed are:
Today, students participated in a whole-class activity that focused on Christopher Columbus. Using Post-It Notes, students shared what they already knew about the famous explorer. We then read an excerpt from the book, Lies My Teacher Told Me about Christopher Columbus and his treatment of Natives. This led to a discussion, with more Post-It notes, on whether or not Columbus should have his own holiday. I really enjoyed the sharing of ideas that took place in today's class! This week, we will continue to investigate Early Exploration and also begin a group project on the Fall of the Inca Empire. Please feel free to leave a comment on the blog or to send an email with any questions, comments, or concerns! Thanks for reading!
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Mr. Steve Hartnett
Mr. Hartnett will update the Room 212 Blog with classroom updates on a regular basis. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @ MrHartnett212 Archives
July 2019
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