Standard 2.3 - Authentic Learning
Candidates model and facilitate the use of digital tools and resources to engage students in authentic learning experiences. (PSC 2.3/ISTE 2c)
Artifact
Engaged Learning Project: Immigrant Experiences.
Reflection
Immigrant Experiences represents an authentic lesson unit connected to my students’ communities and neighborhood. In this unit, 5th grade students draw on the experiences of their families, friends and neighbors to make connections with the immigration of different ethnic groups to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century. I created this research-based lesson plan to support 5th grade social studies. This year my neighborhood elementary school was closing to convert to a K-8 charter school. Part of this process involved families coming together to explain what makes our school family, as students, parents and teachers considered what these changes mean for our community. As an Atlanta public school, we have also grappled with what it means to be an urban school. My goal was for students to think deeply about their classmates’ experiences and be able to describe our school’s identity on the school website.
For the lesson to be an authentic learning experience, it was important that students can make meaningful personal connections. Although the school appears to have a homogenous population, this is actually not the case. Some of our students are from immigrant families and are 1st generation Americans, while others have moved to Atlanta from all over the United States. At the same time, some of our students have never lived anywhere else except in our school neighborhood. Completing this project should have helped students build empathy with their classmates’ experiences. I was able to model and facilitate use of electronic research sources such as the Library of Congress’ American Memory Project, the New Georgia Encyclopedia and resources at the Atlanta History Center. Digital recording tools were to be used so students could interview friends and family members about what it means to be an Atlantan, a “Centennial Citizen,” or an immigrant.
This was an extremely ambitious lesson plan intended for 5th grade students as part of their social studies curriculum. However, because of the time and resources required, after several consultations with 5th grade teachers we agreed that this project might better be implemented in 2014-15 to help our new 6th grade students help define what it means to be part of our diverse urban community. We should have better access to creative technology resources as well as more flexibility to implement this project-based unit. It would also be beneficial to break the entire project into smaller units, each focusing on different levels of community: school, neighborhood, city, state, and nation. Creating this project was extremely challenging, and I believe I have a better understanding of what will be required for students to be completely successful while building an authentic understanding of communities, immigration and citizenship.
I believe that completing this unit in partnership with our new 6th grade team as well as veteran 5th grade teachers will have a positive effect on building a new community within our school campus and in our neighborhood. It will also contribute to helping students and teachers be more empathetic and kind to new students, and help build a culture of inquiry in our new school. Increased positive responses to our annual school climate survey will indicate that involvement and interactions between school and neighborhood continue to improve.
References:
Atlanta History Center. (n.d.). Atlanta History Center. Retrieved June 20, 2014, from http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/
New Georgia Encyclopedia. (n.d.). New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 20, 2014, from http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/
The Library of Congress American Memory. (n.d.). American Memory from the Library of Congress. Retrieved June 18, 2014, from http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.htm
Immigrant Experiences represents an authentic lesson unit connected to my students’ communities and neighborhood. In this unit, 5th grade students draw on the experiences of their families, friends and neighbors to make connections with the immigration of different ethnic groups to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century. I created this research-based lesson plan to support 5th grade social studies. This year my neighborhood elementary school was closing to convert to a K-8 charter school. Part of this process involved families coming together to explain what makes our school family, as students, parents and teachers considered what these changes mean for our community. As an Atlanta public school, we have also grappled with what it means to be an urban school. My goal was for students to think deeply about their classmates’ experiences and be able to describe our school’s identity on the school website.
For the lesson to be an authentic learning experience, it was important that students can make meaningful personal connections. Although the school appears to have a homogenous population, this is actually not the case. Some of our students are from immigrant families and are 1st generation Americans, while others have moved to Atlanta from all over the United States. At the same time, some of our students have never lived anywhere else except in our school neighborhood. Completing this project should have helped students build empathy with their classmates’ experiences. I was able to model and facilitate use of electronic research sources such as the Library of Congress’ American Memory Project, the New Georgia Encyclopedia and resources at the Atlanta History Center. Digital recording tools were to be used so students could interview friends and family members about what it means to be an Atlantan, a “Centennial Citizen,” or an immigrant.
This was an extremely ambitious lesson plan intended for 5th grade students as part of their social studies curriculum. However, because of the time and resources required, after several consultations with 5th grade teachers we agreed that this project might better be implemented in 2014-15 to help our new 6th grade students help define what it means to be part of our diverse urban community. We should have better access to creative technology resources as well as more flexibility to implement this project-based unit. It would also be beneficial to break the entire project into smaller units, each focusing on different levels of community: school, neighborhood, city, state, and nation. Creating this project was extremely challenging, and I believe I have a better understanding of what will be required for students to be completely successful while building an authentic understanding of communities, immigration and citizenship.
I believe that completing this unit in partnership with our new 6th grade team as well as veteran 5th grade teachers will have a positive effect on building a new community within our school campus and in our neighborhood. It will also contribute to helping students and teachers be more empathetic and kind to new students, and help build a culture of inquiry in our new school. Increased positive responses to our annual school climate survey will indicate that involvement and interactions between school and neighborhood continue to improve.
References:
Atlanta History Center. (n.d.). Atlanta History Center. Retrieved June 20, 2014, from http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/
New Georgia Encyclopedia. (n.d.). New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 20, 2014, from http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/
The Library of Congress American Memory. (n.d.). American Memory from the Library of Congress. Retrieved June 18, 2014, from http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.htm