“but the textbook said” bringing multiple perspectives to elementary classrooms
TRANSCRIPT
“BUT THE TEXTBOOK SAID”BRINGING MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES TO ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS
WHO WE ARENICOLETTE SMITH, KRISTIN CAMPBELL, ANGELA ORR
WASHOE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT SOCIAL STUDIES
Early implementer of CCSS American Radio Works Documentary
Fordham Foundation Report
35 Core Advocates for Student Achievement Partners
Center for American Progress Report
20 close read lessons available on www.acheivethecore.org
Nevada Ready Campaign
Grassroots effort to begin with teachers and develop own resources (not a top-down approach)
Focus on close reading, argumentative writing, document based questions, research-based discussion methods
WHAT IS A DBQ?
Document-based questions (DBQs) are for all students, from elementary school through high school. They are a type of authentic assessment and a way for students to interact with historical records.
A DBQ asks students to read and analyze historical records, gather information and fill in short scaffolding response questions, assimilate and synthesize information from several documents, and then respond (usually as a written essay) to an assigned task, by using information gleaned from the documents as well as their own outside information.
DBQs help students compare and contrast issues from differing perspectives, reconcile differing positions, evaluate the strength of particular arguments, provide authentic opportunities at a high level of thinking, and develop life skills.
OUR BACKGROUND WITH DBQS
Democratizing the DBQ in grades 6-12 (for all students)DBQ Project Resources (www.dbqproject.com)
5th grade can do this, too!What about 4th graders?Oh, heck! Let’s do this from K-12.
ELEMENTARY SAMPLE DBQS: SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION
Grade 3 Communities & Grade 5 Expansion of Suffrage
Skim the DBQ.
What skills are students practicing?
How do these questions engage students in the text?
How do these questions support historical thinking?
O.U.T.S (A LOT LIKE DBQS)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2z1271
Recipe for an OUT:
1. Start with a dollop of the textbook.
2. Spice it up with multiple perspectives.
3. Thicken the plot with new details.
4. Sprinkle in related sources.
5. Slowly add questions and allow to simmer.
6. Serve over discourse.
TEXT DEPENDENT & SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
Text Dependent QuestionsRequire students to answer
using evidence from the text; cannot be answered without reading the text
Text Specific QuestionsRequire students to delve into the particular complexities of the text at hand; are based
solely on that text, not generalizable (e.g. NOT “What are the main idea and details
of the text?”).
WORKING THROUGH AN EXAMPLE OUTWHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO TAKE ON THE ROLE OF STUDENT IN THIS EXERCISE?
OUT – MOUNTAIN MEN
Mountain Men
Mountain men were trappers who often spent long periods of time hunting in the mountains. They lived off the land, finding their food and shelter in the mountains and deserts of the West.
Mountain men often hunted where Indian tribes lived. Many of them became friendly with native people. Sometimes they traded food and supplies with each other. Some mountain men even joined native tribes and married Indian women. But many native people didn’t like trappers. They saw them as invaders of the land. This caused many problems between the mountain men and Indian tribes. Some of these problems turn into battles that later became legends of the West.
The Rendezvous
Each year mountain men, friendly Indians, and trappers came together for a rendezvous. Rendezvous is a French word that means “a place and time of meeting.” A rendezvous was like a long, wild party. The men played games and competed in contests. They raced to see who could eat cooked buffalo intestine the fastest. They even shot cups of whiskey off of one another’s heads to prove their bravery.
Gambling games were popular with both trappers and Indians. Trappers loved to bet on all kinds of things, from foot races to horse races. They especially liked playing the Indian hand game.
Sometimes a rendezvous lasted an entire week. After most their money was spent, trappers went back to their work in the mountains for another year. The mountain men of the West and their yearly rendezvous soon became legends in American history.
From the 4th grade Nevada history textbook
ORIGINAL QUESTIONS FROM THE NEVADA BOOK
What do you think trappers wrote in their journals about the yearly rendezvous?
What was the yearly mountain man meeting called?
TEXTBOOK AS SOURCE A (TEACHER DEVELOPED QUESTIONS)
What do you learn about the lifestyle of mountain men from paragraphs 1-2?
Which word would you use to describe the relationship between native people and mountain men: friendly, violent, complicated? (Circle one. In the space below, provide three pieces of evidence from the text for your answer.)
Which modern activity best resembles a mountain man rendezvous: birthday party, family reunion, state fair, other? Why? What evidence from the text supports your answer?
SOURCE ANALYSIS IN GROUPS OF THREE/FOUR
Source B – Secondary source by a historian (provides background; skip for time)
Source C – Primary source, journal
Source D – Secondary source, portrait
Source E – Secondary source by a historian (provides background to expand textbook; skip for time)
Source F – map (visual representation of routes; skip for time)
Source G – Primary source, journal
Source H – Secondary source, painting (contests previous source; skip for time)
REFLECTION
How could DBQs/OUTs be implemented in your curriculum?
What additional resources and learning would you need to implement DBQs/OUTs?
How do DBQs/OUTs support historical thinking, disciplinary literacy, and civic dispositions?
WWW.PROJECTTAHOE.ORG
We offer training to Districts to support teacher learning and District creation around DBQs and
OUTs.
Kristin Campbell• kcampbell@washoeschools
.net• @writeously
Nicolette Smith• [email protected]
t• @Sahoneybadger
Angela Orr• [email protected]• @AngelaOrrNV
WWW.63000RESOURCES.COM
K-3 Samples Based on Core Knowledge
Curriculum
Session Date Time Room“But the Textbook Said”: Bringing Multiple Perspectives to Elementary Classrooms
11/13/15 10:05-10:55
Room 213
Celebrating Human Rights through Meaningful Discussion in an Accelerated Classroom
11/13/15 11:10-12:00
#219
New Perspectives on the Faces of the Holocaust (poster presentation)
11/13/15 2:15-3:05 Exhibit H B
Heightening Visual Literacy: Using Art as Text in U.S. History
11/13/15 5:30-6:20 R03
Creating Global Citizens through Current Events and Civil Discourse
11/14/15 9:05-9:55 #226
Student Citizens Conceptualize Revolution with Concept Claim Cards
11/14/15 10:10-11:00
#228
Wish your Students had Inquiring Minds: Try Question Quads!
11/14/15 2:40-3:30 Room R01
What makes people bad? Violations of Human Rights and the psychology behind them.
11/14/15 4:50-5:40 #228