I teach Social Studies to 9th graders in a high-poverty neighborhood. Many of my students are below grade level. The school where I teach is a diverse public high school: 23% of students are African American, 19% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 2% Native American, and 36% Caucasian.
Many of my students struggle with challenges outside of school.
Over 70% of our students are below the poverty line. Many students are in the foster care system or are homeless. Many are recent immigrants learning English as a second language. I have amazing students who use their diversity and life experiences to their advantage.
My students are from Ethiopia, Somalia, Rwanda, Vietnam, Mexico, Guatemala, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Micronesia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other places around the world. This year I teach freshman world history and two sheltered versions of history for English Language Learners. Some of my students have just moved to the United States and are beginning to learn English. In my class, my students will learn about the world and other cultures.
My Project
I teach social studies and am hoping to integrate the arts into my classroom by using interactive notebooks in our upcoming colonialism unit.
My students need colored paper, glue, and highlighters to create interactive notebooks that are engaging and easy to use.
My students are insightful, creative, passionate kids who work hard to make a difference. I will use the fanny pack to hand out supplies efficiently. We will use the film Gandhi in our colonialism unit and take notes interactively. Chess will be used as an incentive to encourage my students who are struggling with note-taking. I will also use timers to keep students on track during our interactive notebooks work. We will use the art supplies to add color, art, and drawings to our interactive notebook work.
From the minute they walk in the door of my classroom I focus on their potential and growth while they are with me. I may not be able to control their home lives, however, I can certainly control their experience during the school day. By doing this in a creative and positive way, I am hoping to inspire even our earliest learners to continue on a path of academic excellence.
Many of us are using outdated textbooks or no textbooks at all, and we are in desperate need of a way to give students (and parents) a resource that they can use as a reference. Interactive Notebooks are designed for students to record their learning in a structured organization that allows for reflection and creativity.
Using colored paper and highlighters in the Interactive Notebooks allows students to easily see when the units change and what is important on each page.
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