Cantu Ch. 9

This chapter looked at the importance of civics in social studies education. When I think of social studies, I normally do not think of civics as a topic that is included in this subject. Reading this chapter sparked a major high school memory of mine that, I believe, relates directly to civics and several of the standards mentioned.

When I was a senior in high school, I was taking my final Government class called "We The People." This class focused on the making of the constitution as well as the rights of citizens. There was a major project for this class. This was a project about involvement in society. I do not remember the official title of it, however, the goal was to get the students involved directly with the community. We were to split into groups of 3-4 and create a goal to accomplish in the community. Many students did stuff such as volunteering at nursing homes or things similar. My group got the big idea of mimicking the Big Brother programs seen throughout the U.S. We attempted to start up our own company. This did not get very far but I believe that this shows links to civic standards of community involvement and others.

In my classroom, I would encourage students to do something like this. Philanthropy is very important and I think creating a project in a U.S. Gov. class where students had to become involved in the community in some way is a good idea and important for social growth of students.

Question: One question I have is: Does this include picketing at funerals and on road sides? Do you think there should be a line drawn? Does the picture below cross a line?

Picture:

Web link: http://www.icivics.org/games

Unit 1 Prezi

http://prezi.com/dd0czksiotqt/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Cantu- Ch 8, 10

In Ch. 8, perhaps the biggest thing that I took from this is that a effective teacher is able to relate what he is teaching his students to their lives. What about Ancient Greece relates to our lives today? Not only does this make it more interesting, but it shows relevance and most students need to see how subjects can be relevant.

Standard 2 in Ch. 8 is very important, I believe. Being able to assess credibility of a source and analyze it is very important in history. This also links with Standard 3. I think a good idea for a lesson is to present several sources to students and have them pick which ones seem credible and have them analyze it in different ways.

Chapter 10 is something I may struggle with more during teaching. I was never that interested in Economics. I have a very basic education level with this subject and it needs improvement. I believe the best way to teach about economics in a history classroom is to relate the subject to historical events. You can ask questions such as:

How do you think the economy in England was effected after the Boston Tea Party?

Other than this, I am not sure how to implement this into my classroom effectively. I think keeping up with current events in the classroom helps with this.

Big question: How can I implement Economics effectively into my history class while not having to spend too much time on it and taking away from other topics?

Weblink: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_greeks/