Struggling with Standards? Need a way to break out and find creative ways to meet your teaching goals?

Maybe you need a trip to an island…

Alcatraz Island!

AlcatrazStandards of the Rock

A look at the history of Alcatraz, its residents, and how one place can help you address standards in four subjects

Brief Explanation of this Presentation for L551 audience

This presentation will provide a framework for a collaborative project and analyze the ways it links to the principles and key ideas as well as academic standards for four areas

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On to the Presentation…

Al Capone Lived there, but who else?

Students are probably familiar with gangsters and the big names such as Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, the Birdman of Alcatraz and others who have been portrayed in movies

Photos from A Brief History of Alcatraz Island (http://www.alcatrazhistory.com)

Families on Alcatraz…and Native Americans?

Students will doubtfully have thought of the history of Alcatraz prior to the prison

Students may not have considered the prison guards and other civilians who lived on the Rock

Students may also be surprised to learn that Native Americans lived on Alcatraz Island for 19 months from 1969-1971.

Rock Populations

Introduce students to the original jailbirds Alcatraz was named for

Let them in on the fact that there was another prison there before the home of Al Capone

Give them the true story of some of the legends of attempted escapes

not

Project Aspects This is a series of ideas for collaborative

projects for eighth grade students and involves the media specialist, English teacher, science teacher, and social studies teacher.

Students will be challenged to move beyond their initial ideas of Alcatraz and think about the true history of the island, what life was really like there for its various inhabitants and just who exactly those inhabitants were.

Project Aspects Using the aspects of Information Inquiry

Methods—questioning (I wonder), exploration (I find), assimilation (I relate to what I know), inference (what I think this means and what I will share with others), and reflection (how the process went) students will research Alcatraz to move beyond their limited knowledge.

Projects can be pursued in groups or by individual students

Project Aspects Assessment of projects will be conducted

by both the teacher and the media specialist

Assessment will take into account the creativity of the student and group questions as well as the project

Students will be expected to choose an area and look at the way it connects with something they know about or are learning in another class

Media Specialist’s Role The media specialist would meet with the

teacher and discuss possible directions for student inquiry projects

Assistance would be offered in the form of recommended books, websites, videos that pertain to the project

The media specialist would also meet with student groups and guide them toward useful resources

The media specialist would also teach mini-lessons related to the project and the research process

Project Notes Students should be encouraged to follow

topics about Alcatraz that interest them. “Allowing students to focus on what

interests them and figuring out ways they will learn material best will get them out of the mindset of homework just being a means for a grade instead of a way to practice and learn new concepts (Vaughn, 2005).”

Project Notes Along the way students should ask themselves:

What resources are available, and which ones should I use to learn this information?

How much information do I already know about this topic, and where are the gaps in my understanding?

How much and what type of practice should I engage in?

When should I complete this work? Do I want to work alone, or would it be more helpful

to work with a classmate? Source: Vaughan, A. L. (2005). "The Self-Paced

Student." Educational Leadership 62(7).

Addressing the Standards

Standards Slide Order Standards are grouped into major areas:

Social Studies English/Language Arts Science Math

Projects suggestions are also grouped within these categories, but English/Language Arts overlaps with presentations in all areas

Social Studies Standards

Standard 1—History (discovery, exploration of America; social

reform; westward expansion)

Social Studies Standards Standard 1—History Specifics

Chronological Thinking—develop and interpret U.S. history timelines from 1750-1877

Comprehension, Analysis, and Interpretation—recognize historical perspective, avoid evaluation of past solely in terms of present-day norms

Issues-Analysis, Decision-Making, Planning and Problem-Solving—examine causes of problems; evaluate solutions; consider alternative courses of actions

Social Studies Standard 1 Timelines

Chronological Thinking—develop and interpret U.S. history timelines from 1750-1877

Alcatraz Prison In American History (1998) presents a timeline of Alcatraz history from 1542-1973.

Students can evaluate these dates and relate them to other U.S. events to begin to see correlations in historical events

Alcatraz Timeline 1542 Explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sails

along the coast of California and claims Alta (Upper) California for the King of Spain

1769 Sergeant Jose Ortega discovers San Francisco Bay

1775 Spanish explorers Juan Manuel de Ayala and Jose Canizares chart the islands in the bay; Ayala names one island “Alcatraces” after the large number of pelicans seen there

Alcatraz Timeline 1846 Julian Workman obtains a land

grant for Alcatraz Island and is ordered to build a lighthouse there

1854 A forty-foot tall lighthouse is put into operation on the island

1859 Company H of the Third Artillery occupies Alcatraz, beginning a 70-year occupation of the island by the U.S. Army.

Alcatraz Timeline Timeline example

1933—The army announces that the military prison on Alcatraz Island would be closed; The federal government announces plans to make Alcatraz a federal prison for the most dangerous inmates in the federal prison system.

What else was happening in America in 1933? (Volstead Act, final year of Prohibition)

Alcatraz Timeline 1963 Attorney General Robert Kennedy

orders Alcatraz federal prison closed; the last inmates leave Questions for students to research—why did

Alcatraz close in 1963? What else was happening?

What kinds of important historical events took place while Alcatraz was a prison (from 1934-1963)?

How did these events effect the inmates or change the face of crimes committed?

Information Inquiry Aspects Ask students to reflect on what else they

are studying and link these dates to what they know

Have students research some events they know about but are unsure of dates

Have students work in groups to create different pieces of a timeline. Write it out on large sheets of paper and hang it up in the classroom to help students see the linear qualities of history

Add dates of importance as they are discussed in class

Timeline Project

Use a timeline website such as World Almanac for Kids www.worldalmanacforkids.com

Or the Library of Congress American Memory Timelinehttp://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/timeline/

Social Studies Standard 1

Comprehension, Analysis, and Interpretation—There are may stories about Alcatraz, some true, others embellished.

Students can, study maps, read primary source documents and compare their findings to fictional accounts as well as movies

Social Studies Standard 1 Projects might include comparing and

contrasting non-fictional accounts with fictional stories

These could take the form of papers but might also include student-written plays to illustrate truth vs. fiction

Another project might be to build a model based on the map in the previous slide

Social Studies Standard 1 Recommend reading Al Capone Does My

Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko This provides some background knowledge

for students about life on Alcatraz Students should question how they might

have reacted to life on Alcatraz Students could record these thoughts in a

journal as if they were living on the island Students would be encouraged to include

another event on Alcatraz, an escape or the last week before the prison was closed

Social Studies Standard 1 Issues-Analysis, Decision-Making, Planning

and Problem-Solving Students can look at the reasons prisoners

were sent to Alcatraz and what psychological effect that had on both the prisoners and people afraid of some of those prisoners

Students might be challenged to question whether the Alcatraz concept of isolation worked better than current prison standards

Social Studies Standard 1 Another issue students can look at is the

Native American occupation Students should go beyond just the facts

and analyze why Native Americans chose Alcatraz

The Alcatraz Proclamation lists the reasons Native Americans declared Alcatraz “suitable” for them

Students should read the list and link the statements to the history these statements are based on

Social Studies Standard 1Alcatraz Proclamation

We feel that this so-called Alcatraz Island is more than suitable for an Indian reservation, as determined by the white man's own standards. By this, we mean that this place resembles most Indian reservations in that:

1. It is isolated from modern facilities, and without adequate means of transportation. 2. It has no fresh running water. 3. It has inadequate sanitation facilities. 4. There are no oil or mineral rights. 5. There is no industry and so unemployment is very great.

Social Studies Standard 16. There are no health-care facilities. 7. The soil is rocky and non-productive, and the land does not support game. 8. There are no educational facilities. 9. The population has always exceeded the land base. 10. The population has always been held as prisoners and kept dependent upon others.

Further, it would be fitting and symbolic that ships from all over the world, entering the Golden Gate, would first see Indian land, and thus be reminded of the true history of this nation. This tiny island would be a symbol of the great lands once ruled by free and noble Indians.

- Indians of All Nations, The Alcatraz Proclamation to the Great White Father and His People

Source: http://www.pbs.org/itvs/alcatrazisnotanisland/landings.html

Information Inquiry Aspects Students might want to delve more into

how the Alcatraz Proclamation relates to current situations for Native Americans

Students could research the PBS website and watch a video about the occupation to get a better understanding

Students who choose this aspect could share their findings by linking the proclamation to other historical events linked to Native Americans

English/Language Arts Standards

Standard 2—Reading Comprehension Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-

Level Appropriate Text

Standard 4—Writing Process Research and Technology

Standard 5—Writing Applications Write responses to literature Write research reports

English/Language Arts Standards

Standard 6—English Language Conventions Sentence Structure Grammar Punctuation Capitalization Spelling

English/Language Arts Standards

Standard 7—Listening and Speaking Speaking Applications

English/Language Arts Standard 2

Reading Comprehension Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-

Level Appropriate Text Students could read books and websites

about Alcatraz Students could choose both fiction and

nonfiction to learn more about life on Alcatraz Island

Information Inquiry Aspects Introduce students to the concepts of families

living on Alcatraz by reading Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko.

Some students may feel this book is for younger students, but for struggling readers it might be a good way to introduce the topic

Students who don’t struggle with reading might enjoy trying to extend the story by introducing other inmates or by writing about what might have happened in the years following the story (the book is set in 1935)

Information Inquiry Aspects A note about levels of reading material:

“The books that help (students become lifelong learners) are those that allow youngsters to think about and read about the things they want to think about and read about. They’re books that let students discover issues and topics they may have never imagined...It’s OK for students to move up and down within reading levels—most people do this all the time. We read based on interest not necessarily on what’s at our appropriate level.”

Source: Carter, B. (2000). "Formula for Failure." School Library Journal 46(7).

Information Inquiry Aspects As mentioned previously, students should

ask themselves how their lives might have been if they had lived on Alcatraz

Students could research fiction and nonfiction and relate to a family member, guard, or even a prisoner

Students might also want to write a journal from the perspective of someone living on the island

English/Language Arts Standard 4

Writing Process Research and Technology The media specialist will help students

locate helpful websites to explore more about Alcatraz—from the look of the island through virtual tours, to populations on history websites

Students can present their findings through websites, power point presentations, or blogs

English/Language Arts Standard 5

Writing Applications Write responses to literature Write research reports

This standard could be worked in with any of the standards. Students will write to take notes on their research and their presentations will rely on a written aspect

English/Language Arts Standard 6

English Language Conventions Sentence Structure Grammar Punctuation Capitalization Spelling

Also covered in anything written.

English/Language Arts Standard 7

Listening and Speaking Speaking Applications Students may wish to share the results of

their research through a play or an oral presentation to their classmates

Science Standards

Standard 3—The Physical Setting Forces of nature

Standard 4—The Living Environment How living things function and interact

with each other

Science Standard 3

The Physical Setting Earth and the Processes that Shape it—

how physical features of the earth formed

Students can do a more in-depth look at how many notable geographic landscapes were formed—Grand Canyon, Mount Everest, etc.

Science Standard 4

The Living Environment Interdependence of Life and Evolution—

how environmental conditions affect the survival of individual organisms and how entire species may prosper in spite of poor survivability or bad fortune of individuals

Science Standard 4 The Living Environment

Originally there were no native plants on Alcatraz Island. Students could conduct a botanical study of vegetation introduced and study the plant varieties to see which might have thrived and what in the conditions of the island allowed this survival.

Students might also do a study on the bird populations and how sea gulls acted as nature’s alarms.

Math Standards

Standard 5—Measurement Convert common measurements for

length, area, volume, weight, capacity, and time to equivalent measurements within the same system

Math Standard 5 Measurement

Convert common measurements for length, area, volume, weight, capacity, and time to equivalent measurements within the same system

Students could study escape attempts and figure the distance from Alcatraz to the nearest shore in different measurements (miles, kilometers, feet, meters, nautical miles—whatever makes the most sense).

They could also try and factor in variable such as wind speed, current, water temperature, etc. on the probability that a person could survive in these factors.

Conclusion These are just brief sketches of ideas that

should serve as jumping off places for projects

The real goal of the presentation is to show just how many standards you can meet in just one place. Choose another location and imagine the possibilities

Every place has history and anything can be linked to knowledge students already have

Internet Resources

AlcatrazHistory.comhttp://www.alcatrazhistory.com/mainpg.htm

Alcatraz—A Merry and Illustrated Historyhttp://members.aol.com/OtherToons/alcatraz.html

Alcatraz Indian Occupation http://www.nps.gov/alcatraz/indian.html

Alcatraz is Not an Island—Reclaiming Native Landhttp://www.pbs.org/itvs/alcatrazisnotanisland/landings.html

Internet Resources Alcatraz! (A WebQuest)

http://www.users.interport.net/r/-/r-acaron/Alcatraz/ Federal Bureau of Prisons: Alcatraz

http://www.bop.gov//about/history/alcatraz.jsp

Historic Posts, Camps, Stations, and Airfields: Post at Alcatraz Islandhttp://www.militarymuseum.org/Alcatraz.html

Tour Alcatrazhttp://www.nps.gov/alcatraz/tours/

Virtual Tourhttp://www.virtuar.com/alcatraz/

Other Resources Choldenko, Gennifer, 2004. Al Capone Does

My Shirts. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Oliver, Marilyn Tower. 1998. Alcatraz Prison in

American History. Springfield, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, Inc.

Brownlie, Alison. 2000. Crime and Punishment: Changing Attitudes 1900-2000. Austin, Texas: Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers.

Gregory, George H. 2002. Alcatraz Screw: My Years as a Guard in America’s Most Notorious Prison. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press.