Time Traveler’s Journal :

1. Time Traveler’s Journal: Journaling in the Social Studies Classroom to Promote Deeper Student Connections to Curriculum Dottie Aldrich Windsor Knolls Middle School MWP / Towson SCED 605

2. Agenda • Introductions • Rationale • Standards/objectives • Background • Lesson Demonstration • Reflection

3. Rationale • Students who write well in LA classes often do not transfer those skills to other academic classes. • Writing helps students explore topics and make deeper connections to the material. • Journaling, with feedback from the teacher, helps to improve student writing and thinking skills.

4. Objectives • SS.AS1.20.03 – Analyze situations that illustrate conflicts between conscience and respect for authority. • SS.AS1.20.03b. – Analyze the growing tension between England and the 13 colonies. • LA.800.40 – Write to Inform by developing and organizing facts to convey information

5. Background • Historical simulations allow students to immerse themselves in the activity. Helps them to gain additional insights into the time period and events. • In the “Road to Independence” unit of AS1, students are first assigned a specific character to adopt for the remainder of the unit. • Students research that character and produce a short biography in order to know how that character would react to classroom activities • Students are to remain in character AT ALL TIMES in class. • For this presentation, participants will work in partners. One will be a patriot and one will be a loyalist.

6. Road to IndependenceToday’s Plan • Warm-up: Fact-finding • Direct Instruction – video clip • Personal response • Think/Pair/Share – “the other side of the coin” • To the Books! • Partner work • Time Traveler’s Journal entry

7. Fact Finding • Examine the image in your packet. Circle at least three things you see happening and describe them in space provided.

8. Check your facts: “The Boston Massacre” • Watch the following video clip. Check what you saw in your image against what actually happened. • http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=EEA88C86-7298-4E01-A534-CB11664010F6&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US

9. Personal Response • On the next page of your journal, write a short response to what happened in the “Boston Massacre” based on how your character would view the incident.

10. Think/Pair/Share – “the other side of the coin” • Now, exchange journals with your partner. Read what your partner wrote and write your response to your partner’s comments. Be persuasive. You want to change his/her opinion to possibly prevent war! • Remember to stay in character!!

11. To the Books! • In class, this is where we would go to the textbooks. Instead . . . • Read the short Wikipedia article for some additional background on the “Boston Massacre.”

12. Partner Time • Work with your partner to compare your two images. Identify key differences and how those differences reinforced your character’s perception of the incident.

13. Time Traveler’s Journal • Read all 5 possible prompts and select one. • Respond to that prompt on a sheet of paper. • Remember to: • Write in complete sentences. • Support your points with facts from the text and video.

14. Reflections • Questions? • Last words • 3 – 2 – 1 – DONE!