Primary Sources

 Primary sources serve as an insight into the past. They allow people to view a piece of history. They can be used for lessons, observations, and discussions. Throughout my social studies lessons, I have incorporated primary sources into content. My professor re-familiarized me with what primary sources are. As well as what they can do. During the course of my social studies lesson plans, I implemented primary sources. One of the first steps, was giving students a background on primary sources. That word could mean a lot of things, so we gave student specific examples. One activity we completed was primary source and secondary source sorting. In this activity, students were asked to differentiate between primary and secondary sources (see below). 

This activity gave students an understanding of what 'primary source' means, without physically seeing them. I wanted students to be familiar with what a primary source could be. I also wanted to explain secondary sources and how they differ. This gave students a great foundation when it came to further primary source incorporation. In one of our earlier lessons, we had students complete a 'What do you see' chart. This asked students to examine two pictures and describe it (see below). 

The chart featured a primary source and a secondary source. There was also a list of 'wh' (what, how, where, etc.) questions to get students questioning. This was not the student favorite primary source activity, but it gave a great insight into observing history. My lessons were focused on Puerto Rican history, so most primary sources came from the country. Another activity students completed was a 'KidCitizen' online module (link:KidCitizen). This website offers students interactive videos using primary sources. For one lesson, we specifically used the 'Congress and Milk' episode. This episode focused on how congress effects students directly. For this activity, students independently worked with their headphones on. This primary source resource was great. It was premade and gave students a new way to explore a primary source. 

Another primary source activity was comparing a primary source map to a newer, secondary source map. Students examined both maps and noted differences. This activity was incorporated into my geography lesson. This activity was a great way to examine the past and present using maps. We discussed similarities and where we thought the map came from (see below). 

The last two activities using primary sources was a 'primary source scavenger hunt' and a 'primary source analyzing'. The scavenger hunt had students go around the room and find primary sources. The students also found secondary sources. They were photos from current Puerto Rican life (link: Scavenger Hunt Pictures). The primary source analyzing was a worksheet (link: Primary Source Analyzing). It had students answer the three questions; what do you see, what do you think, and what do you wonder. We then discussed, taking turns answering each question. These activities engaged students through conversation. 

Teaching with primary sources, cultivates inquiry-based learning. Students are questioning, examining, and drawing conclusions on what they see. Primary sources also offer insight into the past. They are physical proof that the past happened. Having an understand of what has come before oneself, is important. It sparks wonder and teaches us new things. Using these sources in my practicum and lessons, has also shown me to analyze the past myself. Before each lesson, I would practice what I wanted students to do. I analyzed them exactly how I asked students to. We came up with similar responses on what we saw. I think this goes to show, anyone can learn from being curious. There is no challenge when it comes to curiosity. Primary sources also serve as great visuals. It gives students a chance to explain what they learned, by what they saw. Getting to see in the past, helps us understand life in the present. 

Reflection 5

 This lesson was my second to last. The focus of this lesson was culture, more specifically Puerto Rican culture.This lesson went the best out of all previous ones. Usually, two students leave the room halfway through the lesson. My partner and I have also had a few experiences with a student who becomes disengaged and impatient with the lessons. During this lesson, this student was very involved and participated willingly. He even participated in the brain break part of the lesson. I added this first because I wanted it to be the highlight. For lesson 5, there was 6 steps. To begin the lesson, we reviewed the day's plan and did an icebreaker (see below). 

The icebreaker for this lesson, was 'guess that snack'. Students picked a random snack and had to describe it to the group. This icebreaker was a little more and was a great start. Our first content-based activity was a 'Primary Source Scavenger Hunt'. Students went around the room collecting pictures. Some pictures were primary sources from The Library of Congress, and some were secondary source pictures of Puerto Rican life now. Students were asked to locate the photo, analyze, and decide what kind of source it was. Students did well with this activity and were able to sort the sources. Next, students completed a brain break. For this brain break, students did a freeze dance to 'Puerto Rican Caribbean Music'. The brain break was completed with the other TCs and their students. After this, we moved on to comparing East Providence to Puerto Rico (see below). 

                                                                         
   

Students reviewed different characteristics of East Providence and Puerto Rico. After this, they did a sorting activity in groups. They were given different photos from Puerto Rican culture and East Providence culture. Students worked together and glued the pictures on. Once they were done, we went over the photos and had groups compare their posters. The fifth activity was a sound collage. Students listened to a poem and then different sounds from Puerto Rico (see below). 

                                                

This activity was very calming. I played different nature sounds like coqui and ocean waves for students to interpret. Students really seemed to enjoy this activity. They got to be creative and listen to the different sounds. After students finished, they got to share with the other group. 

Our last activity of the lesson was a craft. We read the folktale Juan Bobo to students. After we read and analyzed the story, they got to make their own Juan Bobo puppet. Students folded, glued, and decorated a paper bag to make their puppets (see below). 

Students really got to express themselves creatively with these lessons. Considering formative assessment, students successfully completed all activities. This was the first time all of our students stayed in the classroom for a full lesson. It was great to have them all together the whole time. The first thing I learned from this experience, is how much I have grown to enjoy these students. We had a bit of a bumpy start, but this lesson showed how far we have come. I learned to give things time and to make sure I am doing the best I can. These are things I will keep in mind as I progress. Thinking about my professional identity, I learned to give myself grace. Sometimes when things don't go according to plan, I let it overwhelm me. As much as I felt like this group was a challenge for me, we have all come so far. I think it is important as a professional to be patient with yourself at times. It is hard to teach student patience and forgiveness if you do not practice it with yourself. This experience will definitely affect how I plan in the future. I want to incorporate movement, creativity, and collaboration whenever I can. Not only is it fun, but it also helps students build peer relationships. Those are very important to have. This lesson was very fun for me, I am sad we only have one more left.  

Reflection 4

Lesson four, was definitely a lesson to remember. To begin the lesson, we went over the daily agenda (see below).

After this, we completed an icebreaker. For this lesson, students play a few rounds of 'economics would you rather'. An example question is, would you rather make your own pizza or pay someone to make it for you? Students enjoyed this activity. The second activity was a vocabulary match. Firstly, we reviewed 12 vocabulary words and their meaning. Next, in groups of two, students matched the vocab words to their corresponding photos. My partner sat with one group, and I sat with another (see below).

The group I sat with was engaged and took turns well. We were able to get through two rounds of the game. When discussing with my partner, she mentioned her group did not enjoy the activity. They did not take turns well and one student mixed up the cards. This made the game difficult for them. Our third activity was a brain break (see below). 

For brain breaks, my partner and I collaborate with the other TC's in the room. On this day, we did a Danny Go! dance video. It was Halloween themed since this lesson was on that day. Students usually enjoy this part of the lesson. They get to dance and also talk to the peers they are apart from. The fourth activity of this lesson was a 'Needs and Services' sorting. Students went over the concepts of what needs and services actually were. After this, they separated into groups and sorted different photos (see below).

Students moved through this activity quickly. They worked together and put each picture in the correct category. The fifth activity was a role play. Students took on roles as consumers and producers. The consumers were given Monopoly money to shop. The producers were given items to sell and got to choose how much their items would be sold for (see below).

Students really enjoyed this activity. This was our third time doing role play and they really take on their roles. They were able to take turns being producers and consumers. The last activity was a Blooket. This is where things took a turn. One student became emotionally upset over losing the game. We decided going forward, Blooket would no longer be a part of our lessons. It just caused students to argue, and they were not being properly assessed for their final formative assessment.

Most students were able to complete the activities. Around halfway through the lesson two students were pulled from the classroom. This happens for each lesson, so it is routine now. Looking at the Blooket data, most students answered correctly. Some questions were consistently incorrect, like what is the difference between a good and service? Students were able to sort them but could not answer a written question about it. Other than that, the data shows students understood the content.

The first thing I learned from this experience was eliminate competition. Friendly competition can go well but students shouldn't feel like they are competing. For the Blooket, students completed a candy game mode. In this game mode, they answer questions and can take candy from other players. We did not know this would cause a big conflict between students. Once we realized the situation made another student emotional, we decided it was not best practice. Although electronic game formative assessments are fun, they should be reviewed. There should be an understanding of your students and anticipation of their reactions. The group we work with happens to be competitive. This means we should have avoided a situation where they felt like they were competing. Considering my professional identity, I want pre-planning to reflect my teaching identity. As an educator, a teacher should keep inventory of their students. How they react, things they like, and dislike. This can be used to pre-plan for lessons or contents. I hope to do this in my future. Considering how I plan, teach, and assess, this experience has shaped that as well. When I teach, I want to develop relationships with each of my students. This allows insights to who they are and helps me find ways to accommodate them. Overall, this experience was great and taught me a lot. through the lessons, two students are pulled out of the class.