The power of two little words is amazing. Angela Maiers has made the words #youmatter a powerful call to action. The words you matter are impactful. They are impactful not only for the person saying "you matter," but also for the people receiving the words. These two words are perhaps the two words missing in the world of education speak. They are the words that students most want to hear, and perhaps, the words that teachers most want to hear. We all want to know we matter, but most importantly we all want to feel that we matter. Thanks @AngelaMaiers for starting this revolution.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Using QR Codes to Infuse Primary Sources into Children's Literature
QR codes are all the rage right now. Not only are they fun, but they also provide a wealth of engagement and learning strategies for students.
Many social studies teachers comment that social studies is going by the wayside in exchange for an increased focus on reading and math. Social studies can easily be incorporated into reading and the use of QR codes to do this only enhances the experience.
Steps
1. Select a book that has some connection to an aspect of history. This could be a book like Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers (see below), which is based on a true story and actually includes primary sources within the book already or it could be a book that has a general theme of a historical aspect; such as the underground railroad. There are several great examples of this within children's literature. For additional book ideas check out the NCSS notable trade books site.
2. Decide which aspects of the book could make strong connections to primary source documents. Think about selecting a variety of documents. In other words try to have some pictures and text and not just one or the other. For example, in a book about the underground railroad you might find a picture of Harriet Tubman, a picture of a slave family, and a short excerpt of a narrative from an escaped slave. Also, keep in mind that art and music could be incorporated and used as primary sources.
3. Think about how many primary source documents would be appropriate for the age of each student. For K-2 students, you might only select two documents. For a 3rd-5th grade student you might select three to five documents and include questions within the QR codes.
4. Once you have an idea of the book and what kinds of primary sources you want to use, now comes the the fun part; finding the primary sources. There are literally hundreds of sites to find primary sources on the web. Some of my favorites are The Library of Congress, National Archives, The Gilder Lehrman Institute, and Digital History.
5. Once you find the primary sources you want to use it's time to make QR codes and incorporate them into your book. I also often link questions related to the primary sources into the QR codes. I use QR Stuff quite a bit, but there are a lot of different websites that allow you to make QR codes for free.
6. Once you make and print your QR codes you can put them in the book. I typically just tape the QR code onto a sticky note and then stick it on the appropriate page.
7. After you get the QR codes embedded into the book, you can use the book in a variety of ways depending on the goals of the lesson. You could allow students to read independently and analyze the primary sources within the book. You could ask students to answer questions about the book and make connections to the primary sources. The class could also read the book as a whole and work to analyze the primary sources. The possibilities are endless!
Many social studies teachers comment that social studies is going by the wayside in exchange for an increased focus on reading and math. Social studies can easily be incorporated into reading and the use of QR codes to do this only enhances the experience.
Steps
1. Select a book that has some connection to an aspect of history. This could be a book like Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers (see below), which is based on a true story and actually includes primary sources within the book already or it could be a book that has a general theme of a historical aspect; such as the underground railroad. There are several great examples of this within children's literature. For additional book ideas check out the NCSS notable trade books site.
2. Decide which aspects of the book could make strong connections to primary source documents. Think about selecting a variety of documents. In other words try to have some pictures and text and not just one or the other. For example, in a book about the underground railroad you might find a picture of Harriet Tubman, a picture of a slave family, and a short excerpt of a narrative from an escaped slave. Also, keep in mind that art and music could be incorporated and used as primary sources.
3. Think about how many primary source documents would be appropriate for the age of each student. For K-2 students, you might only select two documents. For a 3rd-5th grade student you might select three to five documents and include questions within the QR codes.
4. Once you have an idea of the book and what kinds of primary sources you want to use, now comes the the fun part; finding the primary sources. There are literally hundreds of sites to find primary sources on the web. Some of my favorites are The Library of Congress, National Archives, The Gilder Lehrman Institute, and Digital History.
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| Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers by Karen B. Winnick |
5. Once you find the primary sources you want to use it's time to make QR codes and incorporate them into your book. I also often link questions related to the primary sources into the QR codes. I use QR Stuff quite a bit, but there are a lot of different websites that allow you to make QR codes for free.
6. Once you make and print your QR codes you can put them in the book. I typically just tape the QR code onto a sticky note and then stick it on the appropriate page.
7. After you get the QR codes embedded into the book, you can use the book in a variety of ways depending on the goals of the lesson. You could allow students to read independently and analyze the primary sources within the book. You could ask students to answer questions about the book and make connections to the primary sources. The class could also read the book as a whole and work to analyze the primary sources. The possibilities are endless!
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| This QR code asks students to respond to the primary source document found in the book. |
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| Use QR codes to bring "real history" into historical fiction. This QR code takes students to a picture of Abraham Lincoln. |
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