Is This Real?:Engaging Reluctant Learners through the Storypath Approach
Margit E. McGuire Seattle University
[email protected] http://fac-staff.seattleu.edu/mmcguire/storypath.html
Bronwyn ColeUniversity of Western Sydney
National Middle School Association Annual Conference Indianapolis, November 2009
The CEU Code for this session is: YL2
Why teach social studies?
To prepare students for living in a democratic society and interdependent world.
To be informed and thoughtful To act politically To have moral and civic virtues such as concern
for others, social responsibility and the belief in the capacity to make a difference.
A Powerful Narrative Structure for Curriculum Integration: The Storypath Strategy
The Storypath strategy uses the components of story--scene, character and plot--to organize curriculum into meaning and memorable learning experiences.
It is more than reading a story, it is living the story guided by the teacher through an inquiry approach as learners create the scene, become the characters and solve the problems presented through the plot.
Creating the Setting
Students create the setting by completing
a frieze (mural) or other visual
representation of the place.
The Town
Homes Hotels Banks Newspapers Restaurants School Flour mill Tannery Sawmill
Railroad station Furniture manufacturer Carriage manufacturer General store Churches Courthouse College Seminary
2 Episode 1 Activity Guide 1B
BROADSIDE GUIDE
A well-written broadside can attract attention and encourage people to come to a place. Think about your message. Use the questions below as a guide. 1. Imagine you are standing on the Baltimore Street. What do you see?
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Á What makes this a great place to live? Record two or three ideas that you can write about.
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3. Make a list of words that vividly describe this place. Look at the word bank for ideas.
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4. Draft the broadside. Á Write short phrases or sentences. Á Think about organization:
What should be stated first? What size should the words be? Should the words be all the same size?
5. Edit the broadside. Ask a classmate to help you edit using the questions below as a guide. • Does the information make ?sense • Does it attract attentio ?n • Is it easy tor ?ead • Will it encou rage people to come to your town? • Are all thewords spelled co ?rrectly
6. Make the final .copy
Vocabulary
Increase comprehension… Vocabulary taught in context with clear definitions and explicit
instruction
Vocabulary introduced and reinforced through multiple approaches
Visual representations Frieze Characters Word banks Student created artifacts
Talking and Listening (substantive discussions) Role playing
Creating the Characters
Students create characters for the story whose roles they will play during subsequent episodes.
Character Biography
• Character’s Name
• Position in family
• Jobs in family business
• Personality characteristics
• Leisure activities
• Interesting life experience
• Describe an activity that you and a relative or close friend have done together.
Assessment: The biography is appropriate
to the family and time period. It includes a life experience that is imaginative and believable. Activity is realistic and reflects and understanding of the time period. The figure of the character matches the biography.
Building Context
Students are involved in activities that stimulate them to think more deeply about the people and place they have created.
Building Context…Historical Events of the Time
Learning about… Events of the time Transportation People Life at the time
Scaffold the research and writing of reports to build
knowledge base
Events of the time
o Women’s Rights Convention, 1848 o Compromise of 1850 o Uncle Tom’s Cabin, published 1852 o Dred Scott Decision, 1857 o Lincoln-Douglas debates, 1858 o Attack on Harper’s Ferry, 1859 o Fugitive Slave Law
Transportation
o railroads o clipper ships o the Erie Canal o Pony Express
People
o Eli Whitney o Cyrus Hall McCormick o Samuel Morse o Isaac Merrit Singer o Frederick Douglass o Harriet Tubman o Elizabeth Cady Stanton o Commodore Matthew Perry o Lucretia Mott o Stephen Foster
Life at the time
o Underground Railroad o slavery o factory life o plantation life o immigration, 1840–1860 o Abolition movement
Organize social studies content by providing a meaningful context for learning the skills of literacy. (The logic of narrative, or story, is a powerful structure for organizing content when teaching for understanding.)
Develop students’ literacy skills so they can apply them strategically to make sense of what they read and write. (Students use literacy skills in-depth through context building and critical incident episodes.)
Students know the why, when, and how to apply such skills so that they become independent readers and writers. (The authentic application of skills within the logic of the storyline makes the learning meaningful.)
LiteracyThe Reading Process
Focused direct instruction lessons within the Storypath to assist in reading. Primary documents, textbooks, Web-based and other resources are used to… Read index, table of contents, etc. Evaluate primary sources Distinguish fact from opinion Recognize biased language Find main idea and supporting details Compare and contrast information Recognize and make inferences Connect information to what you already know Scan to quickly find information Understand visuals
Gettysburg Times
Tennessean Runs for PresidentJOHN BELL REPRESENTS THE CONSTITUTIONAL PARTY
John Bell, born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1797, is running for the presidency of the United States. Bell is patriotic and well qualified for the job. He is devoted to the Union and the United States Constitution and the enforcement of the its laws. Bell believes that the United States must remain one nation and not divide over the slavery problem. He supports slavery in the states but not the expansion of slavery into new states or territories.
Bell served in the US House of Presentation from 1827 to 1841 and was Speaker of the House from 1834 to 1835. He was Secretary of War in 1841 from Tennessee. He was born in 1797 in Nashville, Tennessee, so he is known by the people of the state.
Vice President Breckinridge Candidate for PresidentBRECKINRIDGE TO REPRESENT THE SOUTHERN DEMOCRATIC PARTY
John C. Breckinridge was selected Vice President of the United States in 1857, and serves under President James Buchanan.
Breckinridge was born near Lexington, Kentucky in 1821. After graduating from college, he became a lawyer. He fought in the Mexican War in 1847. In 1849, he was elected to the Kentucky state legislature. In 1851, he was elected to the US. House of Representatives from Kentucky.
Breckinridge believes that the United State government must protect slavery. He believes that the US Constitution protects the rights of states to decide their own fate. This is the rationale for his support of slavery in the Southern states.
Critical Incidents
Characters confront problems typical of those faced by people of that time and place.
Have students brainstorm a list of the kind of information they might include in a friendly letter related to the events surrounding the slave catcher. If you are using a six-trait writing program, “voice” and “word choice” are suitable topics of focus. Voice: Does the writer speak directly to the reader? Can the reader sense the person (character) writing the letter? Word choice: Are the words chosen specific and accurate to the event described? Do the words used vividly describe the event? Are verbs lively and good descriptions of the event? Focusing on these traits throughout the unit can help students develop depth of understanding and use of these traits.
Assessing the friendly letter Students should be able to ß write the letter from their character’s point of view. ß include accurate information about the event. ß describe how their character felt about the event. ß eff ectively use “voice” and “word choice” to describe events. ß use a friendly letter format.
2 Episode 3 Activity Guide 3-C
CHARACTER'S FRIENDLY LETTER
A friendly let ter is written to someone the writer knows well. The letter should reflect the personality of the writer and give the impression that the writer is talking to a friend or family member.
Step 1Ë
Think about your letter. Use the questions below to get ideas about what to include in your letters. 1. Who are the people your character would be most likely to write to? Make a list
and then choose one. You will write to this “person” throughout the remainder of the Storypath.
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2. How old is the person you are writing to? What does this person do? How long have you known him or her?
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3. What can you tell this person about your family? List two or three ideas. _______________________________________________________________
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4. What can you tell this person about your family’s business?
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5. What are some recent events in your community? How does your character feel about these events? _______________________________________________________________
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Step 2Ë
Write your letter. Use the answers to your questions to guide your letter writing. After you write your letter, read it to see if you want to make any additions or other changes.
LiteracyThe Writing Process
Writing activities are authentic to the story. Students build their knowledge base and
experiences before writing. There are focused direct instruction writing
lessons embedded in the units that… Apply the writing process Provide opportunities to write for a variety of
purposes Guide students with specific writing traits Provide clear criteria for writing and self evaluation
Concluding Event
Students plan and participate in an activity that brings closure to the story.
For A Nation Divided…
Gettysburg Address and Peace and Rebuilding
A Nation DividedEpisode 1: Gettysburg
Episode 2: The Families
Episode 3: Historical Events of the Time
Episode 4: The Underground Railroad
Episode 5: A Presidential Election
Episode 6: The Onset of War
Episode 7: The Battle at Gettysburg
Episode 8: The Gettysburg Address and
Peace and Rebuilding
English Language Learners
How does the Storypath strategy support ELL students?
Meaningful and Frequent Student to Student Interactions
Engage students in using English to accomplish academic tasks…
Opportunities for… Cooperative learning activities
Learning partners through character role
Instructional conversations to solve problems presented
through the plot
Practice language in small groups before large groups
Role play in character
Engage Students in Higher Order Thinking
Narrative to make connections Substantive conversations to clarify
understanding Scaffolding to organize ideas Role playing to rehearse understandings Critical incidents for problem solving
Make Connections to Students’ Background
Inquiry approach
Blending imaginary with what is real
Character development
Problem solving
Everyone has a place in the story…But if students aren’t engaged none of this makes any difference!
The Fair Go Project(11 schools: 2000-2006)
Centralises
Student Engagement…to enhance both learning and social outcomes
students in schools low s.e.s. areas need to “buy into” the educational experience
Engaging Classrooms … High cognitive, high affective and high
operative experiences(thinking hard, feeling good, participating well)
Quality pedagogies “Insider classroom” processes
Students receive messages about themselves,
their knowledge, their ability, classroom control, their place and their voice.
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