May 2 , 2007 |
WHAT WE ARE LEARNING
Robert Sox, WCPSS Instructional Services - Ask the average person on the street the question, “What is Social Studies? And you will likely get a broad array of answers. Among the themes that will emerge in those responses, you will find strands of history, geography, economics and citizenship.
Most adults recall those questions at the end of the chapter in the social studies text, and round- robin read aloud from the textbook, when everyone got the opportunity to read a paragraph or two. The reality is that as a discipline, social studies is far greater than the sum of its parts. In addition to the discrete strands of history, geography, economics and citizenship, effective social studies instruction explores the human role and interaction with each. The elementary social studies curriculum forms the foundation for this exploration.
The scope of the curriculum at the elementary level begins with the learner, as each kindergartner learns about the characteristics and role of the individual in his/her family and community. That personal awareness of one’s place in the world expands as students progress through the elementary grades, moving from the home to the local community, region, state, and nation. By the fifth grade, students are beginning to explore our relationship with our international neighbors.
As educators work to plan and design their instruction, two distinct challenges emerge; how to make curricular concepts real and meaningful for students, and what evidence will show they have internalized the concepts.
At Farmington Woods Elementary, Anna Norris Goodrum is meeting these challenges head on with her fifth-grade students.
 |
ANNA NORRIS GOODRUM IS A FIFTH-GRADE TEACHER AT FARMINGTON WOODS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
Goodrum was a finalist for Wake County Teacher of the Year last year. She has been teaching for 11 years, the last seven at Farmington Woods. She is a National Board Certified teacher. She has been a mentor to first-year teachers. She has engaged students in community works collecting items for disaster victims and schools in Haiti. Goodrum earned the "Service Above Self" award from the Cary Chamber of Commerce in 2005.
Goodrum says it's important to have high expectations for students. "I posted a sign in my room that stated 'High Expectations Equals High Achievement.' I told my students that I believed in them and that we would prove everyone wrong," said Goodrum. "I believed that they would succeed and it showed in my teaching and in their achievement. The students strived to be successful because I made them believe they could. By the time test scores came out, that sign had become reality."
IN MY CLASSROOM
As teachers we have the ability to change society by impacting the young citizens of our country. It is through a model of community service and acceptance that we mold these future leaders. I am proud to say that I have had an active part in planning and implementing a project that addresses these possibilities.
Every Friday morning during the second semester, you can find a flurry of excitement in the halls of Farmington Woods Elementary. Students, teachers, parents and members of the community actively work together to investigate and take action into local and world problems. This is the Fifth Grade Exhibition Project. Through years of development the teachers and I have worked to create a culminating project that incorporates all of the parts of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. Students demonstrate attitudes and traits that show they are becoming global citizens.
It all began four years ago when we received IB certification. It was time for the fifth grade to plan how we would demonstrate to the school and community the development of our children as international learners. We decided that this needed to be a project in which the children took ownership and demonstrated all that they had learned in their years of IB curriculum. Under the universal theme of “Sharing the Planet” the students chose a topic that interested them. Through cross grade level grouping we enabled the children to choose their learning groups and develop their topics. The students wrote a variety of questions that in turn developed into complex projects. They then researched using local, national and even international sources. Since the first year the projects have grown with enthusiasm and collaboration.
This year a student wrote the encompassing project theme, “The actions of a few can save the world.” This title opened more doors to service oriented projects than we ever expected. Some fifth graders have sold “Cookies for Cancer” to raise money for research, while others have visited local organizations to find out how they can help the homeless situation in our community. On Thursday, May 10th the fifth graders will present this information through multimedia presentations. You will see videos, skits, power points, and other displays all created by the student groups. As ten and eleven year olds are empowered to change, we can all feel confident that society will continue to seek out ways to improve. The children are our future and what great role models they have become.
-wcpss-
|
The Classroom Connection is published electronically monthly for everyone interested in the Wake County Public School System. Is what you read in this edition helpful? What information would you like to see in future editions? Contact me by calling 850-1829 or e-mailing bposton@wcpss.net.
Bill Poston
Wake County Public School System
Communications Department
3600 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
Tell a friend about the School Connection and encourage them to sign up at
http://www.wcpss.net/online_newsletters/the_school_connection/