1

Local History Sites & Education: Standards & Lesson Plans

Ivan Jurin, Social Studies Consultant

Delaware Co. I. U. # 25

May 21, 2011

2

Source of image: http://www.osv.org/school/ (Sturbridge Village Education webpage)

Hooking students on learning history with engaging questions and activities.

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

3

Big Questions:• What do public historians and docents need to know about

recent changes in K-12 education? >> What teachers must focus on: standards, standardized testing and accountability.

• How can historical and cultural sites communicate their integral part of educating America’s students, even in a time of standardized testing and limited budgets?

• What are standards? What are the most important standards that public historians need to make connections with?

• What is a basic lesson/presentation plan format modified for use by public history and cultural sites?

• Your big questions:

4

School Teacher’s Lesson Plan Format (primary focus of public history sites’ use in blue)

Name: ____________________________ Date: ____________Lesson Title: ____________________________________________ Grade/Level: ______

• Standard(s):– PA Standards for History– Common Core Standards (possible National standards)

• Instructional Objectives: what you want students to learn

• Materials: artifacts, activity sheet, props, etc.

• Subject Matter: (content topic; big questions, concepts & big ideas)

• Procedure: a) Set: Brief introduction & hook students in topic

b) Development: (strategy, activities, series of big questions, etc.) Teaching students new learning and/or experiences.

Continued

5

Lesson Plan format - continued

c) Closure: Review and/or summary of new learning or experience

• Assessment checking for student understanding of learning objective(s):

• Assignment(s):

• Self-evaluation: Reflect- how effective was the lesson or presentation? Students’ response, meet objective(s), etc.

6

Docent / Historical Interpreter’s Lesson Guide

Lesson’s Title: _________________________________________

• Objective(s) of lesson/presentation:

Related PA Standards: _____________________________Parts of Lesson/Demonstration:

1. Introduction & “hook” students:

2. *Teaching Students New Learning and/or Experience (new knowledge, skills, feelings/belief, etc.):

3. Students use new learning:

4. Brief summary or review of new learning or experience:

*See handout of Lesson Guide

7

Pennsylvania StandardsIncludes 4 social studies subjects:• 5.0 - Civics and Government• 6.0 - Economics• 7.0 - Geography

• 8.0 History: 8.1 - Historical Analysis & Skills Development 8.2 - Pennsylvania History 8.3 - United States History 8.4 - World History

• Language Arts, Math & Science Standards can be “naturally” integrated in your lessons/demonstrations. See those standards at:

www.pdesas.org/standard/Views/

8

PA History Standards - strong connection with student learning at historical & cultural sites

*I have selected specific standards that have strong connection to museum or cultural sites educational goals. You can review the History standard at:

www.pdesas.org/Standard/Views#0|780|0|0/ Cite in your curricular document and in education brochures:• 8.1.__ (denote grade: 3, 6, 9 or 12): Historical Analysis and Skills

Development, such as thinking & research skills, use primary sources. Example: 8.1.3: Conduct teacher [docent] guided inquiry on assigned topics using specified historical sources. *(Refers to RWSL Standard 1.8.3 Research)

• 8.2.__ : Pennsylvania History - the social, political, cultural, and economic characteristics, events and contributions of individuals and groups.

• 8.3.__ : United States History - the social, political, cultural, and economic characteristics, events and contributions of individuals and groups.

9

• Include connections with basic concepts, skills of Language Arts, Math and Science. Examples:

a) students use observation skills

b) students collect data

c) *students use thinking skills to make hypotheses, draw conclusions, make connections >> like a historian, scientist, writer, mathematician, etc.

10

Common Core Standards - likely to become national standards

• PA has approved their implementation, along with 41 other states. Most remaining states expected to approve.

• At present CCS emphasizes:

a) Language Arts: Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, Language(vocabulary development), Media & Technology.

b) Mathematics: practice applying mathematical ways of thinking to

real world issues and challenges c) English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science &

Technical Subjects (using L.A. skills in History & Social Studies) at: www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf/

**Recommendation: Review to find basic connections to your lessons and demonstrations, then cite in your brochures.

11

Summary - Big Ideas of K-12 Connections

• Have your docents’ lessons and presentations aligned to the state & the Common Core national standards. *Mention this in your publications, print and online, to schools.

• Ask school districts and teachers how you can “tweak” your lessons and presentations to be more relevant to students and teachers’ academic needs.

• Use the best practices lesson format: hook; new learning or experience; review or summary.

• Engage students with good questions and active learning. Students learning to be “history detectives.”

• Your thoughts, suggestions, questions:

12

Sources and Resources

• DCIU #25, Morton, PA: a) Ivan Jurin, Social Studies Consultant at: ijurin@dciu.org/ b) Social Studies Advisory Council

at:www.dciu.org/socialstudies/ • Pennsylvania History Standards at:

www.pdesas.org/standard/Views/#0|780|0|0/

• PA Standards Aligned System at: www.pdesas.org/

• National Common Core Standards at: www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/

• Pennsylvania social studies wikispaces at: http://pennsylvaniasocialstudies.wikispaces.com/

13

National Organizations:

• National Council for History Education: www.nche.net/

• National Council for Public History: http://ncph.org/cms/

• National Council for the Social Studies: www.socialstudies.org/

• Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations: www.pamuseums.org/