Introduction to me and my teaching philosophy:
I have been a teacher at Hopewell High School since the Fall of 2008. I am the Lead Social Studies Teacher for grades 9-12 and, in the classroom, I focus on teaching Virginia and U.S. History. I have taught all levels of U.S. History from Inclusion classes to Advanced Placement courses. My favorite section of history, where I really get excited and the most into what I'm teaching, is when we hit the Cold War Era. I'm not even sure why. I think it's because when I was younger, we didn't really even learn about that part of history in school so it was something new and exciting that I got to hear about in college from my jaded professors.
Recently, I have been working with the English Department to help with lessons and observe our English courses in action. English is my first love and I am enjoying getting to know my favorite authors again through the eyes of our students.
My philosophy towards teaching is rather simple. Teachers are here to help kids learn how to teach themselves. I can convey my love of history to kids but they will probably never remember half of what the course requires them to know over a semester beyond the summertime. However, if I teach them how to analyze, investigate, and think about history themselves then they can go out there and be lifelong learners of history or whatever other subject catches their fancy. Plus, they should have enough background in history from me and their other teachers to get them through in a pinch. Teachers need to show that learning is about creativity, excitement, imagination, and good ole fashioned basics like cause and effect. That's a tall order when your semester is fenced in by state-mandated tests but it can still be done. Furthermore, reading and writing are not just for English classes but must be emphasized in all classes if students are going to have the confidence to be lifelong learners and the ability to convey their knowledge to the world.
****Resume, class portfolio, and lesson plans were removed in 2022. Please email me if you have any concerns.****
As you can see from my portfolio, emphasis is placed on student-created posters, political cartoons, and other artifacts. Much of my classroom is decorated in student-created projects to showcase past and future learning objectives. One simple example of getting students involved and engaged in bringing history to life, even if they don't have the best creativity ability, is to cut out images from throwaway books. For instance, when we adopted new textbooks a few years back, my co-teacher and I took a few of the old textbooks for the students to cut out pictures. The students used the pictures to make timelines, posters, and political cartoons about topics such as the Enlightenment, Proclamation of 1763, Red Scare, Space Race, 13 Colonies, and more. Imagine a timeline going around the classroom with the SOL standards clearly identified on it and key events illustrated on it.
However, I do incorporate technology on a regular basis in assignments. One example of a preferred blended learning activity is the use of "learning streams". In a learning stream, students are in control of their own learning as they work to visualize and experience the topic through different types of digital explorations, whether it be sound clips, short videos, art, poetry, or more. An example of a learning stream that I have used in my classroom can be found here.
Making Test Review Fun:
Sometimes though, learning can just be fun. I have several student-created and teacher-made board games and other activities that students use for review in combination with flashcards. From one of the Hopewell High School's Twitter feeds, check out students reviewing for an exam:
I have been a teacher at Hopewell High School since the Fall of 2008. I am the Lead Social Studies Teacher for grades 9-12 and, in the classroom, I focus on teaching Virginia and U.S. History. I have taught all levels of U.S. History from Inclusion classes to Advanced Placement courses. My favorite section of history, where I really get excited and the most into what I'm teaching, is when we hit the Cold War Era. I'm not even sure why. I think it's because when I was younger, we didn't really even learn about that part of history in school so it was something new and exciting that I got to hear about in college from my jaded professors.
Recently, I have been working with the English Department to help with lessons and observe our English courses in action. English is my first love and I am enjoying getting to know my favorite authors again through the eyes of our students.
My philosophy towards teaching is rather simple. Teachers are here to help kids learn how to teach themselves. I can convey my love of history to kids but they will probably never remember half of what the course requires them to know over a semester beyond the summertime. However, if I teach them how to analyze, investigate, and think about history themselves then they can go out there and be lifelong learners of history or whatever other subject catches their fancy. Plus, they should have enough background in history from me and their other teachers to get them through in a pinch. Teachers need to show that learning is about creativity, excitement, imagination, and good ole fashioned basics like cause and effect. That's a tall order when your semester is fenced in by state-mandated tests but it can still be done. Furthermore, reading and writing are not just for English classes but must be emphasized in all classes if students are going to have the confidence to be lifelong learners and the ability to convey their knowledge to the world.
****Resume, class portfolio, and lesson plans were removed in 2022. Please email me if you have any concerns.****
As you can see from my portfolio, emphasis is placed on student-created posters, political cartoons, and other artifacts. Much of my classroom is decorated in student-created projects to showcase past and future learning objectives. One simple example of getting students involved and engaged in bringing history to life, even if they don't have the best creativity ability, is to cut out images from throwaway books. For instance, when we adopted new textbooks a few years back, my co-teacher and I took a few of the old textbooks for the students to cut out pictures. The students used the pictures to make timelines, posters, and political cartoons about topics such as the Enlightenment, Proclamation of 1763, Red Scare, Space Race, 13 Colonies, and more. Imagine a timeline going around the classroom with the SOL standards clearly identified on it and key events illustrated on it.
However, I do incorporate technology on a regular basis in assignments. One example of a preferred blended learning activity is the use of "learning streams". In a learning stream, students are in control of their own learning as they work to visualize and experience the topic through different types of digital explorations, whether it be sound clips, short videos, art, poetry, or more. An example of a learning stream that I have used in my classroom can be found here.
Making Test Review Fun:
Sometimes though, learning can just be fun. I have several student-created and teacher-made board games and other activities that students use for review in combination with flashcards. From one of the Hopewell High School's Twitter feeds, check out students reviewing for an exam:
World War II Island Hopping Come to Life:
Another fun way to learn is to have the students become involved in the lesson as you are directly teaching it. When I introduce the World War II strategy of "Island Hopping" to students, I like to illustrate it to them by turning them into Pacific islands, complete with flags, names, and descriptions, and them hop from student desk to student desk just as the American military did while conquering Japanese islands during World War II. As each Japanese island falls to the Americans, the students must change their flags from the Japanese flag to the American flag. As I go, I take a boat rope with me to represent the naval blockade that the military enforced in the region as part of the overall strategy to starve the remaining Japanese islands in the region into submission. Eventually I make my way over to the Japanese mainland and students must decide whether it would better to invade or bomb the mainland. All along the way, they have heard descriptions of each major battle in the Pacific as well as having seen images projected on the Promethean Board with their class notes. I am acting out the lesson as I teach it. You can catch a glimpse of this from a picture seen on a school Twitter feed:
Another fun way to learn is to have the students become involved in the lesson as you are directly teaching it. When I introduce the World War II strategy of "Island Hopping" to students, I like to illustrate it to them by turning them into Pacific islands, complete with flags, names, and descriptions, and them hop from student desk to student desk just as the American military did while conquering Japanese islands during World War II. As each Japanese island falls to the Americans, the students must change their flags from the Japanese flag to the American flag. As I go, I take a boat rope with me to represent the naval blockade that the military enforced in the region as part of the overall strategy to starve the remaining Japanese islands in the region into submission. Eventually I make my way over to the Japanese mainland and students must decide whether it would better to invade or bomb the mainland. All along the way, they have heard descriptions of each major battle in the Pacific as well as having seen images projected on the Promethean Board with their class notes. I am acting out the lesson as I teach it. You can catch a glimpse of this from a picture seen on a school Twitter feed:
Examples of Cold War Lessons
I really do enjoy teaching the Cold War to the point where my classroom is almost transformed over the week or two the lesson takes. To see some examples of lessons I've created or adapted for my Cold War plans, check them out here.
Communist Spy Game:
It is so easy to capture the imagination of students when discussing this time period. For instance, a favorite anticipatory set when introducing McCarthyism, is to play the "Communist Spy Game". Each student take a square of paper from the teacher. Some papers will be completely blank but some will have a simple red dot on the square to indicate that they are a Communist spying in their local American community. It is up to the students to build a group of friends within the classroom anyway they can--except showing or telling anybody what their card says--that does not include any Communists in it. The objective is to build the largest group of friends in the classroom without an Communist spies infiltrating it. The objective of each spy, of course, is to infiltrate the groups if they want to win the game. After all the groups are counted and the spies are outed by the teacher, I explain that Americans two greatest fears during the Cold War was that nuclear war would come to America or that Communist spies were around every corner. Senator McCarthy preyed on these fears during the McCarthy Senate hearings but the trials of the Rosenbergs and Alger Hiss certainly didn't help downplay the threat.
Cold War Station Research Activity:
Another lesson that the students and I really enjoy is included below in the files. I took the readings, images, and codes for each individual station and turned them into reusable folders that the students could use as part of a carousel/station activity. For each folder activity, students would use a QR scanner on a phone or tablet to scan the accompanying codes. A video or image would come up on the device to provide them with more research information about the specific topic they were investigating in that folder. The folders also provided reading materials, maps, graphs, political cartoons, and images about the topics. The students then had to summarize what they learned on their assessment worksheets to demonstrate learning. As a backup in case the QR scanners did not work or weren't available, all videos were made available at my YouTube channel playlist for the students to view. Students could also access the YouTube playlist if they were absent any of the days we worked on this assignment. In total, students were analyzing images, maps, political cartoons, and videos as well as demonstrating reading and writing for research purposes. This was an excellent activity to hit all learning objectives.
Cold War Station 1 File available here.
Cold War Station 2 File available here.
Cold War Station 3 File available here.
Cold War Station 4 File available here.
Cold War Station 5 File available here.
Cold War Station 6 File available here.
Cold War Station 7 File available here.
Cold War Station 8 File available here.
I really do enjoy teaching the Cold War to the point where my classroom is almost transformed over the week or two the lesson takes. To see some examples of lessons I've created or adapted for my Cold War plans, check them out here.
Communist Spy Game:
It is so easy to capture the imagination of students when discussing this time period. For instance, a favorite anticipatory set when introducing McCarthyism, is to play the "Communist Spy Game". Each student take a square of paper from the teacher. Some papers will be completely blank but some will have a simple red dot on the square to indicate that they are a Communist spying in their local American community. It is up to the students to build a group of friends within the classroom anyway they can--except showing or telling anybody what their card says--that does not include any Communists in it. The objective is to build the largest group of friends in the classroom without an Communist spies infiltrating it. The objective of each spy, of course, is to infiltrate the groups if they want to win the game. After all the groups are counted and the spies are outed by the teacher, I explain that Americans two greatest fears during the Cold War was that nuclear war would come to America or that Communist spies were around every corner. Senator McCarthy preyed on these fears during the McCarthy Senate hearings but the trials of the Rosenbergs and Alger Hiss certainly didn't help downplay the threat.
Cold War Station Research Activity:
Another lesson that the students and I really enjoy is included below in the files. I took the readings, images, and codes for each individual station and turned them into reusable folders that the students could use as part of a carousel/station activity. For each folder activity, students would use a QR scanner on a phone or tablet to scan the accompanying codes. A video or image would come up on the device to provide them with more research information about the specific topic they were investigating in that folder. The folders also provided reading materials, maps, graphs, political cartoons, and images about the topics. The students then had to summarize what they learned on their assessment worksheets to demonstrate learning. As a backup in case the QR scanners did not work or weren't available, all videos were made available at my YouTube channel playlist for the students to view. Students could also access the YouTube playlist if they were absent any of the days we worked on this assignment. In total, students were analyzing images, maps, political cartoons, and videos as well as demonstrating reading and writing for research purposes. This was an excellent activity to hit all learning objectives.
Cold War Station 1 File available here.
Cold War Station 2 File available here.
Cold War Station 3 File available here.
Cold War Station 4 File available here.
Cold War Station 5 File available here.
Cold War Station 6 File available here.
Cold War Station 7 File available here.
Cold War Station 8 File available here.
Differentiation in the classroom:
Students learn at all different levels in the classroom. For some students, breaking the Cold War down is necessary and a great way to do that is by analyzing Dr. Seuss' "Butter Battle Book". Students can watch the illustrated video in class, with the teacher stopping to discuss the video at certain points along the way, while completing one of the following activities:
"Butter Battle Book" and Cold War Comparisons Activity
"Butter Battle Book" Analysis Activity
Or, on the other end of the spectrum, students might be intrigued to learn about the history of protest songs by looking at Vietnam War protest songs. I like to introduce the song "Born in the USA" because many people really do not pay much attention to the lyrics of the song. When students start to analyze the verses, they see that there is much more to the song and the songwriters' intentions. I then have students research protest songs on their own and share one with the class. This assignment is a great way to get the school's technology teacher involved as well in showing the students copyright laws, Internet etiquette, and more as students too often just want to upload a video and go. They also see that protest songs have been around a lot longer than they think!
As for the day to day routine of teaching, I try to mix up every single block with a variety of different activities so that the needs of each student are met. In one single class block, we might
*read and analyze a primary source or research material as part of class review or to introduce a new topic
*watch a short video on the material while completing a graphic organizer about the video *take 15-20 minutes worth of class notes using guided reading strategies
*review what we just learned with a formative assessment such as a reading assignment, graphic organizer, map activity, or quick spot "quiz"
*conduct a class discussion/debate on the material
*use manipulatives to look at the material again (matching cards, flash cards, foldables, picture puzzles, etc)
*play a quick review game using either a teacher-created PowerPoint, Kahoot, online games from sites such as Quia, or play a boardgame in groups using flash cards
*Exit Ticket to do a quick spot check
There is a routine to every day in my classroom but yet an expectancy that every day brings something new. I want students to enjoy learning and, most importantly, develop into lifelong learners.
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school."--Albert Einstein
Students learn at all different levels in the classroom. For some students, breaking the Cold War down is necessary and a great way to do that is by analyzing Dr. Seuss' "Butter Battle Book". Students can watch the illustrated video in class, with the teacher stopping to discuss the video at certain points along the way, while completing one of the following activities:
"Butter Battle Book" and Cold War Comparisons Activity
"Butter Battle Book" Analysis Activity
Or, on the other end of the spectrum, students might be intrigued to learn about the history of protest songs by looking at Vietnam War protest songs. I like to introduce the song "Born in the USA" because many people really do not pay much attention to the lyrics of the song. When students start to analyze the verses, they see that there is much more to the song and the songwriters' intentions. I then have students research protest songs on their own and share one with the class. This assignment is a great way to get the school's technology teacher involved as well in showing the students copyright laws, Internet etiquette, and more as students too often just want to upload a video and go. They also see that protest songs have been around a lot longer than they think!
As for the day to day routine of teaching, I try to mix up every single block with a variety of different activities so that the needs of each student are met. In one single class block, we might
*read and analyze a primary source or research material as part of class review or to introduce a new topic
*watch a short video on the material while completing a graphic organizer about the video *take 15-20 minutes worth of class notes using guided reading strategies
*review what we just learned with a formative assessment such as a reading assignment, graphic organizer, map activity, or quick spot "quiz"
*conduct a class discussion/debate on the material
*use manipulatives to look at the material again (matching cards, flash cards, foldables, picture puzzles, etc)
*play a quick review game using either a teacher-created PowerPoint, Kahoot, online games from sites such as Quia, or play a boardgame in groups using flash cards
*Exit Ticket to do a quick spot check
There is a routine to every day in my classroom but yet an expectancy that every day brings something new. I want students to enjoy learning and, most importantly, develop into lifelong learners.
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school."--Albert Einstein