Missouri State Teachers Association

Interesting New Blog

Letters are a fascinating way (to me) to learn about our history. A relatively new website, Letters of Note, compiles all sorts of fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams and e-mail for us to enjoy. The letter is scanned so you can see it and a transcript added for ease of reading. Some current posts include letters from Mark Twain and President John F. Kennedy, the Lindbergh baby ransom note and a letter from Mahatma Gandhi to Adolf Hitler after Germany invaded Poland. Really amazing to read. I can hardly wait to see what shows up next.

Civics Games: Making the Law Fun?

I don't know if it is fun or interesting but it sure is different. Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has a website aimed at promoting middle school civics. The site, Our Courts, has lesson plans for teachers as well as interactive games. Supreme Decision allows the student to be the law clerk for the swing vote Justice on a student First Amendment case. Sound familiar? There are brief oral arguments plus mini-debates between the Justices. Do I Have a Right allows students to be lawyers in a law firm with clients with civil liberties-related issues.

Fun with Redistricting

With the 2010 census looming, there has been talk in political circles about the possibility of Missouri losing a congressional seat.  Some people (mostly political nerds) have wondered how Missouri would break down into eight congressional districts. In reality, state legislators will make mapping decisions based on the geo-political makeup of the state. Lucky for us, a smart guy named Dave has developed a neat piece of software for anyone to try their hand at drawing a congressional map.

Dave's Redistricting Map
He also has a blog that talks about applications for the software and some technical stuff that goes over my head.

Here's Missouri's current Congressional Map:

This seems like a unique, interactive way to teach students about redistricting, gerrymandering and population density variances across the state.
Just choose your state, how many congressional districts you want, and whether you want to use 2000 census population numbers or 2008 estimates. Each population block has a breakdown of the demographics of that group.There's also a running tally on the left side to let you know how many people are in each of your districts.

I recommend playing around with the maps and checking out all the data embedded in it. And who knows? Maybe the map you create will end up looking like the map our state officials draft next year.

I would also like to warn you that making these maps can become a bit addictive. It's easy to spend a couple of hours crafting the perfect map.

PS Saving your completed maps seems a little complicated, but the help section is informative.

Actor Richard Dreyfuss Develops K-12 Civics Curriculum

     Rather, he calls it "political power."  But I agree.  What happened to the mandatory, seventh-grade civics class?  Or has civics been reduced to a unit of study squeezed into a social studies class that is packed with history, current events, etc.?

     A bit ambitious, Dreyfuss is going for the gold:  the Nobel prize.  Or is he being facetious?  You decide.  Read more here.

Chart Topper

    

Quite some time ago, I wrote about periodic chart of visualization methods.  While that one seemed like a positive tool, this one might make you either cry or shake your head in disbelief.  "Death & Taxes:  2009" shows you the money!  This chart depicts over 500 ways your money is spent at the federal level.  Is there an economics or citizenship lesson here?

Supreme Court Justices Interviewed

     MSTA Legal Counsel Gail McCray put me on to a website where videotaped interviews of U.S. Supreme Court Justices can be found.  Chatting with Gail, I learned the justices very rarely make public comments, so this is quite a unique scenario.  Specifically, eight of nine justices speak to the issues of legal writing and advocacy.  Teaching a law and justice class?  This may be good material for you.  The videos may be used freely for educational purposes.

     I loved my law and justice class in twelfth grade.  Do they teach that class anywhere anymore?  We even got to tour a prison.  Talk about "scared straight"!  It was one of the most frightening and enlightening experiences of my life. . .

Rewrite the History Books?

     Stanford University debuted an audio recording that predates what was known as the first by 17 years.  If not a fraud, this is big news and could replace Thomas Edison's references in history books.  Read more here.

     By the way. . . where has this recording been for the past 100 or more years?  I understand not having the appropriate technology to play back the audio.  But I've never heard of the existence of the "phonautograph."  Have I been under a rock?

     Interesting stuff nonetheless!

P.O.V. on PBS: Documentary Films Teach Civic Engagement

     This is an unusually long entry, but I didn't want to diminish the significance of the message I received.  The PBS website has much more information about the P.O.V. program, including learning objectives; an outline of the relevant national standards met by the plans; a list of necessary tools and materials; a notation regarding the total time needed to complete the individual lessons; a teaching strategy; assessment recommendations; and extension ideas.  Additionally, the documentaries may be used up to a year after the original air date.

Curriculum-based Lesson Plans and Discussion Guides for Films from P.O.V.’s Collection Promote the Use of Independent Media in Classrooms

“You will never hear a moan of boredom when a P.O.V. film is shown in my classroom. It has everyone’s attention.”
— Carol Powell, Curriculum Assistant at RHAM High School, Hebron, CT

For over 20 years, P.O.V. has pioneered models for civic engagement using independent documentary films by some of the most powerful and acclaimed storytellers of our time. To support the development of young people as actively engaged citizens, P.O.V.’s Community Engagement and Education Department provides access to media resources and reach out to youth by partnering with hundreds of schools and community-based organizations such as public libraries, public television stations, youth serving organizations and social service agencies. 

Partnerships consist of screenings and discussions around contemporary social issues. “P.O.V. wants to involve as many people as possible in community building and educational programming,” explains Eliza Licht, Director of the Community Engagement and Education department. “Recognizing the power of independent documentary to transform people’s understanding of their world, we lend P.O.V. films to educators and community leaders so they can incorporate independent media into their existing programs and tailor events to the needs and interests of their constituencies,” Licht adds.

To support secondary school educators in using media in the classroom, P.O.V. provides lesson plans for grades 6-12 that have been designed to meet national standards, enhance critical thinking skills and address a broad range of academic subjects such as geography, math, science, language arts and social studies. The latest lesson plans range from ”Waging a Living” which challenges students to research and calculate the living wage in their own communities to “The Chances of the World Changing” where students are asked to create a model of an ecosystem with everyday classroom objects to “Made in L.A.” which compares current garment industry conditions with those at the turn of the century. 

Lesson plans are available online here.  Additional companion resource materials can also be downloaded from the website, such as discussion guides and “Delve Deepers”, multimedia resources lists. These are produced with nationally recognized media educator Dr. Faith Rogow, issue-area experts, skilled facilitators and the American Library Association. 

When educators are ready to use P.O.V. films in the classroom, they can apply to borrow films through P.O.V.’s Community Events Planner here. Signing-up online as a screening partner will also keep members updated on P.O.V. broadcasts, local events, downloadable materials and other partnership opportunities.

Increasingly, educators and nonprofit organizations across the United States look to P.O.V. as an integral resource for fostering community dialogue and participation. P.O.V. staff have served on the PBS Teacher Advisory Board and presented workshops on using media in the classroom at the National Educational Telecommunications Alliance and The Celebration of Teaching and Learning at Thirteen/WNET – New York.

P.O.V.’s television series is broadcast on PBS nationally on Tuesdays at 10 pm from June through October (check your local listings).  For more information on P.O.V. programs and to get involved, visit their website.

P.O.V., produced by American Documentary, Inc. and celebrating its 20th season on PBS in 2007, the award-winning P.O.V. series is the longest-running showcase on television to feature the work of America's best contemporary-issue independent filmmakers. Airing Tuesdays at 10 p.m., June through September, with primetime specials during the year, P.O.V. has brought more than 250 award-winning documentaries to millions nationwide, and now has a Webby Award-winning online series, P.O.V.'s Borders. Since 1988, P.O.V. has pioneered the art of presentation and outreach using independent nonfiction media to build new communities in conversation about today's most pressing social issues. P.O.V. is a project of American Documentary, Inc., a nonprofit media arts organization. More information about P.O.V. is available at www.pbs.org/pov.

Constitution Day - September 17

     I wasn't aware there was such a day, but the Missouri Bar has posted information for educators to use in connection with this day's focus.  Specifically, the study guide and video conference tie key concepts to programs students may be watching on television (Like 24 and CSI).  It may be too late to take advantage of this opportunity this year, but I thought it was worth passing on for future reference. . .

Global Learning

     Good news for social studies teachers:  world history and geography classes are making a comeback among our nation's high schoolers.  As I recall, the 1980s showed little regard for these courses.  I took a semester-long geography class my sophomore year, but I successfully avoided most history classes that would have helped me watch international news as an adult.

     As more and more American industry and technology trades move overseas, our youth should prepare for global economics.  I think the trend toward international studies is a good one.