Synectics*: Challenging Comparisons

Synectics is a greek word meaning, "the fitting together of seemingly diverse elements." Synectics requires high-level, critical thinking as kids are asked to compare two unlike things together. The principle behind synectics is that by using the mind's ability to link two apparently irrelevant elements of thought, new ideas will be sparked, and that these new ideas could develop into feasible solutions to problems. I'm not sure how much of the world's problems are resolved by this process, but I do know that my students grasp new concepts better, remember material longer, and engage in critical thinking in a challenging, and fun way through the use of synectics in my classroom.

There are many ways in which teachers can use this method in their classrooms. I use it in a very simple form, but there are probably plenty of opportunities for more complex ways of using this effectively in the classroom. My students never cease to amaze me with their comparisons!

In My Classroom:

The first time I do this activity with my classes, I explain the difficulty of what they are about to do. Then, I remind them of the creativity that they've already demonstrated in my classroom. Next, I explain that they will be comparing two very different things together.  Lastly, I provide examples of comparing two seemingly unrelated items.

"Mrs. Piedra is like chocolate cake because... they are both sweet! Not only do I score brownie points with the Mrs. and get a classroom full of "awwwws" from my students, but I've also modeled the activity for them.

When I feel my students are ready, I give my students a handout with questions like these:

1. The Great Plains are like ________________________ because...


2. Tributaries are like ______________________ because...


3. Francisco Coronado was like _____________________ because...


4. The Boston Massacre was like __________________________ because...

I also give each of my students a list of hundreds of random words. This word list, if they choose to use it, can provide them with a plethora of words they can use. Students can compare the terms on the handout to any word though--whether its on my word list or not.


Some strategies that might help make this more successful. 

1. Have students define the terms/concepts. Then, looking at their definitions, have students think of other words that fit the description. For example #1 above, I may ask kids to tell me what they know about the Great Plains. Inevitably, someone will always say that they are flat. I ask them what other things in the world are flat. They say things like "pancakes" or the "blacktop." With this scaffolding, kids who otherwise might struggle, now have a step-by-step process for completing the remainder of the task independently.

2. Leave a question with a blank space for the term. This way kids can come up with their own simile first.

Ex. _________________________ is like ________________________ because...

3.  Give students time to sit and think. It's not an easy task we are asking them to do.

4. Allow students to share their examples. Many will want to! Some responses will cause you to say "huh?" others will make you laugh, and some may just blow your mind!

*Credit to Krishna Kishore, my mentor teacher, for teaching me this activity. 

Wits and Wagers

I've had several people tell me that they like the review games/activities I use, but are looking for engaging ways to introduce new content. Well, here's one possible solution.

I wanted to know just how much my students knew heading into our Civil War unit. I had played and enjoyed the board game Wits and Wagers before and somehow it struck me: We should play a version in class!

Materials Needed:

wall/board

paper-5 different colors

markers

question sheet (for teacher)

something to bargain with (at my school we use pawbucks; you could use wrapped candy--jolly ranchers?--bits of paper, or actual poker chips.)

How To Play (classroom version):

1.) I divided the students into five different teams and assigned them a color (gold, blue, purple, green, and pink). Teams should have two wager chips, paper of their assigned color, and a marker. 

2.) Ask a question that has a numeric response. For instance, what percentage of American industries in 1861 were in states that seceded from the Union? Or, what is the total slave population of the United States in 1860? Or, in numbers, write out what fourscore and seven is. 

3.) Each team should write down one response with an educated guess on their colored paper and bring it to you when they are ready. Tell the students that you are looking for the closest answer without going over!

4.) Then, put the guesses in ascending order on the board, from smallest guess to largest guess. Leave the furthest left space for any wagers that may be lower than the smallest guess.

5.) After you put the guesses in ascending order, have the students place two wager chips on/under the responses that they think are right. They may choose to put both chips on the same guess or put each chip on a different answer. If they think that the correct answer might be lower than the smallest guess, they may choose to wager on that slot.

6.) Reveal the correct answer.

7.) Provide additional pawbucks or other resources to any team who wagered correctly and to the team who wrote the closest number without going over. 

8.) Repeat with new question. 

Results: Besides being a fun and engaging activity, students will learn important facts and have an opportunity to learn a lot about numbers in order to make historical events "more real".  As a teacher, you will learn what your students know AND don't know. For instance, one group thought that 80% of the entire U.S. population died in the Civil War. I almost cried when I saw that guess. But, a teachable moment naturally happened when I revealed to them that it was "only" 2.5% of the population--and that 2.5% of today's population is over 8 million Americans!

I definitely see myself using this activity in the future for other units of study as well. It's a great diagnostic assessment that can be informative as we begin a new unit. 

http://tinyurl.com/q7q5b7j

Making European Exploration Relevant: Hooking the Students with a Faux Primary Source

Fifty years after the creation of NASA, our goal is no longer just a destination to reach.  Our goal is the capacity for people to work and learn and operate and live safely beyond the Earth for extended periods of time, ultimately in ways that are more sustainable and even indefinite.  And in fulfilling this task, we will not only extend humanity’s reach in space -- we will strengthen America’s leadership here on Earth.”     

The excerpt above was taken from a speech given by Barack Obama to NASA in 2009 regarding space exploration in the 21st century. Whether you like the idea of expanding NASA's budget or not, the President got to some deep understandings of explorations of any kind. That is, he makes it clear that exploration can lead to growth in size and power. And, while exploration may not result in positive outcomes all of the time, the fact that exploration can lead to progress is certainly true.

Now, let's step back for a minute.

One thing that teachers always try to do is make content relevant to students today. It's important as a history teacher, that I help students make connections between the past and the present. So, when introducing my European Exploration unit, I wanted students to walk away understanding what exploration might mean for a nation today.

NOTE: While I want them to understand that exploration on a large-scale can lead to greater progress, I also want them to understand that when they explore (or try new things), they too can grow and learn. So, I infuse this concept into my lesson as well. 

Another thing that good teachers do is try to "hook" their students in some way so that they become interested in the content being taught.

Furthermore, a major historical thinking skill is to be able to analyze primary sources to understand historical events. And, while this can sometimes be a painstaking task for students, it's actually possible to make it somewhat engaging!

So, with those things in mind, I set out to create a lesson using President Obama's speech to set up the important lessons from the Age of European Exploration.


The Lesson: 

I changed a few words/phrases from Obama's speech to come up with this excerpt:

Fifty years after the unity of Spain, our goal is no longer just a destination to reach.  Our goal is the capacity for people to work and learn and operate and live safely beyond Europe for extended periods of time, ultimately in ways that are more sustainable and even indefinite.  And in fulfilling this task, we will not only extend humanity’s reach in the world -- we will strengthen Spain’s leadership here in Europe.”     

Then, I gave the students a copy of this adjusted speech and had them analyze it using the ACAPS method. ACAPS is a way to analyze a source by figuring out its Author, Context, Audience, Purpose, and Significance.  Students can usually come up with something like, "a Spanish king wrote this a long time ago to sailors to encourage them to explore new lands in the hopes of expanding their empire."

Then, once we thoroughly discuss this document, and the students think they've "figured it out", I hand them Obama's actual words. It's at this point when most of the students realize that they've been tricked. When they figure it out, they "can't believe" I would do that to them! Some of them say that they "knew all along", and still others need to be told straightforward that the first source was a fake.

Lastly, I ask them to analyze the real primary source. While the author, context, audience, and purpose have changed, what they notice is that the significance is largely the same: Exploration can lead to expansion and power.  They see the connection. It's more relevant to them. They're hooked. And they did it while working on analyzing primary sources.

To see the full excerpt I used and to purchase this lesson on Teachers Pay Teachers, click here. 

A "Cookie Cutter" Lesson

For those that know me, you've probably guessed I'm totally against the typical "cookie cutter" lessons. That is, I hate the "cookie cutter" approach: I don't like when lessons are taken and used in the same way in multiple classrooms. Each teacher, each student, and thus, each class is different. No lesson should be used without enhancing it in ways that meet the needs in your own classroom. In other words, every lesson should have distinguishing characteristics that set it apart from the teacher down the hall. What works for my coworkers and their students might not work for mine, and what works for my students and I, might not work for them. So, teachers should constantly adapt and enhance lessons, not always re-inventing the wheel perhaps, but always keeping in mind the varying needs and interests of the students in their classroom.

So, I've taken the idea of a "cookie cutter" lesson to a different level this holiday season. On the day before Christmas break, I'm bringing in over a hundred cookie cutters (it's nice to have a wife that loves to bake) for my students to create scenes from history.

Whether it's the Boston Massacre with snowman Redcoats and candy cane guns or a gingerbread house that turns into Fort McHenry with a shooting star becoming a bomb bursting in air or a rocket's red glare, there is no shortage of creativity with this lesson.  How cool it is to see students creating scenes of gingerbread men Iroquois Indians in the Christmas tree-forested Eastern Woodlands hunting Rudolph, a teddy bear Sojourner Truth giving her "Ain't I A Woman" speech with a candy cane microphone, or re-creating John Gast's famous "American Progress" painting with an angel, toy trains, and countless other cookie cutters. 

The kids never cease to amaze me with their ingenuity, originality, and creativity. Hopefully later in the week, I'll have some images of their work to show you...I forgot to take pictures last year when I combined this activity with a carol-writing one.

If you are interested, 101 cookie cutters for $16 on Amazon: Wilton 2304-1104 101 Piece Cookie Cutter Set

Women's Suffrage protest

The Beating of Charles Sumner

Fort Sumter

Iroquois Indians

Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad

Boston Tea Party

Steam Locomotive

The Origins of the 2-Party System: Delving Deeper Into the Content

My students aren't required to know much (according to the Virginia Standards of Learning) about the presidency of John Adams. In fact, they only have to know that a two-party system emerged when he was president. It's one of those blah facts that one could quickly mention, in order to race to more exciting things like the Louisiana Purchase and the War of 1812. But, in order for students to truly understand two-party politics, I feel that laying a strong foundation is important. So, we spent some time learning about the issues that divided the nation in the 1790s. And, what came about, was pretty awesome.


Learning the Material: 
To merely say that the two-party system emerged on John Adams' watch would ignore the early beginnings of Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian arguments during Washington's administration. Because of time constraints, we (my teammates and I) gave the students a 2-page single-spaced document on the origins of the two-party system, with a focus on Hamilton and Jefferson's viewpoints on various issues. After reading the document together, having students highlight their different viewpoints, elaborating on certain issues, and answering student questions, we had students work in small groups to complete the chart below.

Federalists (Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, wealthy merchants, elite landowners, industrialists)	The issues	Democratic-Republicans (Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, ‘the common man’, rural americans)
	National Bank
	Protective Tariffs
	Paying off the Revolutionary War
	Excise Tax on Whiskey
	Foreign Policy
	Strength of the Central Government
	Alien and Sedition Acts
	Rights of States to Nullify
	Interpretation of the Constitution

As they were filling it out,  we could also highlight things that were so important in the lead up to the Civil War--such as the northern and southern views on tariffs, the strength of the national government, rights of the states, and the interpretations of the Constitution.

The sixth graders also quickly form their own opinions about taxing whiskey to control drinking habits and raise revenue. They grow angry at learning of the Alien and Sedition Acts only a week after we learned about the First Amendment. After completing this chart, it is my hope that students have a good grasp of the issues that faced the nation during the 1790s and in the election of 1800.

Forming Sides:
Following the completion of the chart, we divided students into two groups. One group, the Federalists, were asked to work together for John Adams' reelection bid in 1800. The second group, the Democratic-Republicans worked to get Thomas Jefferson elected in 1800. Students had been informed of the previous friendship of these two men--Jefferson and Adams--and now are aware of the stark differences that divided them.

Before class, I arranged the desks into two large groups, representing the two political parties. Within those groups, students work in groups of 3-4 to create different aspects of their campaign.

Running Campaigns:
We asked the two political parties to record a campaign commercial in support of their candidate, create campaign slogans and flyers, and also to write a campaign speech.

Of course, before we did this, we showed students some examples of commercials from previous presidential elections. There were lots to choose from at the Living Room Candidate website. We chose several ads to show students how they can look very different and still be powerful. We selected ads that included musical jingles, optimistic tones, and negative attacks.

Students created flyers that were hung throughout the school. "Vote for Johnny, not for Tommy" and "Jefferson, Man of the People" were a few of the slogans seen by the school community in the lead up to our election.

Creating these flyers, commercials, and speeches required students to really know the content. They needed to highlight the best of their candidates and downplay the worst. John Adams wasn't going to win by focusing on the Alien and Sedition Acts and Thomas Jefferson probably didn't want to talk about the bloodshed in the French Revolution (that he supported).

The Election of 1800:
Students were challenged to run effective campaigns. One student from each group represented the candidates and gave a speech in the auditorium to several classes, attempting to earn their votes. Next, we showed students their commercials. Then, the students voted using an online ballot (I even got a write-in vote from one student). After voting, each student received an "I voted" sticker that was generously donated to us for our lesson.

Results:
Kids were engaged. They were challenged. They were eating up the content. They were eager to ask questions about the issues. They were collaborating on campaigns. They were taking perspectives they didn't necessarily agree with and formulating strong arguments. They felt the frustrations of sharing some views with both parties, and therefore, disagreeing on some issues with each party, and having to choose one of them anyways. They were creative with their videos. They were laughing when we watched the ads. They worked hard.

And, yeah, we had a good time.

No High Stakes Test, No Problem...

For the first time in my young teaching career, I get to teach a curriculum in which there is no high stakes test at the end of the term. For the last several years, I have had to give the U.S. History I SOL, but Virginia politicians decided to eliminate this test in an effort to reduce the overall number of standardized tests. While there are certainly some negative effects of this new law, overall, I'm excited about the change. Specifically, I rejoice in having the freedom to try to create assessments that work for all students.

In order to prepare kids for the 50-question multiple choice end-of-course assessment that my students had to take in recent years, we gave students seven 50-question multiple choice tests to matched the style of the "real deal".  Now that we don't have that pressure, we have changed our strategy. We actually are giving kids choice in their assessment. And, we've reduced the number of tests in our semester course from 7 to 3.

Our team has decided to create three different versions of each test that cover the same content. We are offering our kids a short answer/essay test, a project-based test, and a multiple choice test.

The Format:

1. Multiple Choice: A 50-question test with four or five answer choices. Several of the tests have multiple correct answers and students have to "select all that apply." The test includes high level questions, skills-based questions, and some basic recall questions. Students are asked to analyze pictures, maps, and excerpts from historical documents in order to answer some of the questions.

2. Short-Answer/Essay: This test version allows students to write what they know. I give students 8 open-ended questions, varying their difficulty level, content, and question words (evaluate, compare and contrast, explain, etc.). Students must answer any 5 of the questions they want. Responses must completely answer the question, but I put no limits on the length of the writing. Some questions require merely 3-4 sentences, while others may require 2-3 paragraphs (or more).

3. Project-Based: For this version of the test, students are able to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding in creative ways. Students are given two different projects, and must choose to complete one if they do the project-based test. Students could be asked to write/draw on maps, create brochures, write songs, make license plates, create invitations, write skits, and much more. In some cases, they are asked to take multiple perspectives, solve issues, or place events in chronological order.

We've done this once. The process was smooth.  I think students appreciated the choice. In fact, I know they did. Who doesn't like to choose their own path? Freedom is always preferred to control. I think they worked harder as they took ownership of their work and responsibility for their learning. I saw less frustration during the test. I saw students take risks and show creativity. I saw students determined to highlight what they know.  Typically anxious students showed greater confidence than they previously had. And, while some students underperformed, many excelled.

One student, who took advantage of the project, was so thrilled with the grade he earned that he couldn't contain his excitement--after an initial uncontrollable, yet joyous squeal, he danced.

That student never got above a C last year in history and ended the year with a D. I wish you could have seen his celebration after earning a 96% on a very challenging, yet rewarding, assessment.