Preparing for 2019-2020 in the Classroom - Starting with Primary Sources

As I am wrapping up my fellowship and preparing to return to the classroom for the 2019-2020 school year, I find myself very excited about the possibilities in front of me. I have been out of the general classroom for going on seven years. During my six years as the K-5 Engineering Teacher at Galileo STEM Academy, I felt as though what I was doing could be integrated into the general classroom. Now is my chance to put it to the test. I have begun mapping out the various resources I now have in addition to my engineering tools and identifying ways they can be integrated into the general elementary classroom.

Since my passion for integrating primary sources has been deeply embedded during my time at the Library of Congress, I first went through standards and district curriculum looking for areas that would easily integrate with primary sources. I highlighted areas I felt could be easily integrated with the use of primary sources. Since primary source analysis uses similar strategies as science based claim, evidence, and reasoning (CER), I also noted areas where I could integrate the use of CER with primary sources and various content areas.

I look forward to the challenge of integrating the various resources I have accumulated in my teacher tool box and the lessons learned from the elementary engineering lab.

Only Three More Months

When I first arrived in Washington, DC to start my time as an Einstein Fellow, I felt this urgency to take in and experience as much as the city and the fellowship has to offer.  By the end of December, the urgency started to fade and seemed to coincide with winter weather that made it more pleasurable to remain indoors.  Now that there are only three months left to my fellowship and the weather has taken a decidedly spring if not summer turn, the urgency to go forth and take in all I can is back in full force.





I know I will not ever feel as though I have seen it all or done it all, but I am trying to take in more panel sessions and DC experiences.  I also have plans to take some personal time to travel a bit around the northeast, making my way up to Maine and out to the Atlantic Ocean.  And yet, with all the amazing events to attend and places to see, I am still trying to enjoy the beauty of the day-to-day living and working in the capital.  I used to worry about looking like a tourist by taking pictures around DC, but I am a tourist and don't want to miss the opportunity to record this fantastic experience.

















I am excited about the upcoming opportunity to put new skills and resources into practice in the classroom. In addition, I will be pursuing ways in which to share the STEM knowledge I have developed over the course of my time as a K-5 engineering teacher, an Einstein Fellow at the Library of Congress, and integrating all of those experiences into an engaging learning experience for students in my classroom.

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association Conference 2019

I am very excited to be attending my first International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) Conference in Kansas City this week!
https://www.iteea.org/ITEEA_Conference_2019.aspx During  my presentation about my K-5 engineering classroom experience and available resources, I shared a variety of resources that are available for both educators and students.  It still amazes me when I compile a list of resources, especially when I realize that there are so many more that I don't even know about.

If you would like to view some of the resources I shared, you can find them at https://tinyurl.com/y25sn9kq.  Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have or if you would like to share some of the great resources you have found.

And remember, there is strength and excitement by bringing others along.  Find those like-minded people and follow your passions!

The Possibilities of the Elementary Classroom

I love teaching elementary. Keep in mind, I may be biased since that is all I know.  What other teaching position gives you the freedom to integrate content areas and real-world experiences for a richer experience for students? The beauty of teaching engineering to elementary students for the last six years allowed me to do much the same just through the engineering lens.  As the engineering teacher, a specialist, I did miss the opportunity general classroom educators have to take a lesson a little longer if needed. The rewards of teaching elementary engineering far outweighed the challenges of being a specialist.

Each week, I saw 22 classes which was approximately 570 students, depending on current enrollment.  While this was a challenge for learning names and managing materials, it allowed me to build relationships and learning with students over the course of six years, kindergarten through fifth grade.  I knew exactly what students were learning in the earlier grades of engineering and could build upon that in subsequent years, developing a scope and sequence that was fairly extensive for the short time I had them each week.

My first year teaching engineering had little resemblance to what my sixth year teaching engineering looked like.  As with any teaching position, it takes time to find what works for the students and what the teacher can manage.  I loved the freedom I had in my classroom.  Not all educators can say that.  However, with good administrators, I had freedom in the general classroom but even more so in the engineering classroom.  The freedom created a sense of empowerment that allowed me to try things I hadn't tried before, especially with class sizes as large as 32 students.

My instruction had definitely morphed into facilitation.  My goal was to have students constructing their own knowledge through individual and collaborative challenges.  As students developed their skills in building from instructions, designing 3D prints, using robotics, programming on Raspberry Pi and more, I wanted them to attempt to combine some of these skills for open-ended projects. I wanted students to learn to identify problems, rather than me giving them a problem, and then develop a solution based on their accumulated skills.  Did this always work out?  No, but when it did the results were powerful.

I still feel as though I have many practices and projects I would like to try in the elementary classroom.  I would love to hear about some of the practices and projects you have tried as well.  There just seems to be a limitless amount of possibilities for the elementary classroom.

Scratch Lesson and 3D Printing

The Scratch lesson Coding with Primary Sources is available at the TPS (Teaching with Primary Sources) Network. https://tpsteachersnetwork.org/album/46060-coding-with-primary-sources-scratch-30  The lesson includes student-facing instructions and the primary sources used for the sample Scratch program.  I would love feedback on the lesson and to hear about ways you may have adapted it for your classroom.

I have another project I have fallen in love with, kites.  It sounds so simple and yet the historical uses of kites and the advances they have facilitated are intriguing.  The project involves designing kites from measured drawings by Alexander Graham Bell's notebooks and more.  Designs could be made from recyclables, balsa wood and paper, and even 3D printed.  I'm having a great time developing this project.

I love the resources available at the Library of Congress!

Resources Abound at the Library of Congress for Educators

Educators, if you have not looked into the resources available at the Library of Congress, it's time to check it out.  I have to admit the searches can be overwhelming.  I had a couple of weeks at the start of my fellowship to browse and search.  There were so many relevant resources but at times I couldn't find specific items for topics.  It took me a couple of months to learn some of the techniques from my colleagues in the Learning and Innovation Office.  The exploration was well worth the effort.  Elementary educators cover all the content areas except for a few specials. As educators that cover so many subjects, the Library of Congress digital resources is perfect for making great connections for your students.  

The primary and secondary resources available at the Library of Congress come in a rich variety.  There are audio files, webcasts, YouTube videos, hand-written notebooks, pictures, newspapers, books, and more.  Not only can you use these resources to enhance your instruction, but students can also use them to make connections between their learning and historical context.  Imagine students creating their own products with Library sources and learning to cite them appropriately.  For younger students, I might create a folder of possible resources for them to use in a shared Microsoft or Google folder.  

Searches can be made easier by creating a list of potential search terms.  Terms are used differently throughout the year.  It's important to understand that a refrigerator used to be an icebox and light bulbs were incandescent lamps.  This is where an internet search can help to identify additional terms to search under. Below are some easily accessible resources ready for educators.  Primary Source Sets include groups of various primary sources that address particular subjects.  Another great resource is using the Ask a Librarian feature available on the Library of Congress website.

Teacher Resource Page - http://www.loc.gov/teachers/

Blog - http://blogs.loc.gov/teachers/

Classroom Materials - http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/

Primary Sources Sets - http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/

Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey - https://www.loc.gov/collections/historic-american-buildings-landscapes-and-engineering-records/about-this-collection/

Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers at the Library of Congress - https://www.loc.gov/collections/alexander-graham-bell-papers/about-this-collection/

Resources from the Science Reference Division (research guides, everyday mysteries, etc.) - http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/

Teaching with Primary Sources Network has a STEM Group - https://tpsteachersnetwork.org//

Congressional information https://www.congress.gov/

Congressional Research Services has some reports that are also available to the public https://crsreports.congress.gov/

Remember each item you find in the Library's resources has a citation tool towards the bottom of the page.

Scratch and Paper Circuits with Primary Sources

The breadth of primary sources available from the Library of Congress present an excellent opportunity for elementary educators to connect and integrate content areas through historical context.  As an Einstein Fellow, I am identifying ways to make STEM connections through primary sources.  A couple of recent projects include using Scratch (scratch.mit.edu) to create programs using primary sources and creating paper circuits with primary sources.

Instructions for the Civil War Bugle Calls Scratch project are still in development https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/268767799/. The instructions include information on original sheet music and how to use the original bugle calls to code the music using Scratch 2.0.  Students could do a variety of project using Scratch and primary sources. This is just one example.

Lighting the first National Christmas tree with paper circuits allows students to understand the importance of early electricity and the history of some of our holiday traditions.  The 1923 National Christmas tree was the first and lit with electric lights.  A card can be created with any primary source and then used to light up with a paper circuit on the inside.  Additional uses could be examining electrical circuits, incandescent lamps, and more.

 

Any feedback you might have on these types of projects would be greatly appreciated.  If you are local in the DC area, I would love the opportunity to visit your classroom and work on some of these projects with you if we can find times in both of our schedules to connect.