Marzano Chapter 4 Reinforcing Effort

This chapter really struck me as interesting and important. I realized that I need to spend time explaining and exemplifying "effort belief" in my students. The text mentioned that, "simply demonstrating that added effort will pay off in terms of enhanced achievement actually increases student achievement." Our school uses progress monitoring graphs in math fact practice and reading fluency practice. The students chart their times and scores daily, and often get excited as they see their progress over time. It occurred to me that I need to reinforce the idea that the progress they are making is because of the effort they are putting in. I need to explicitly teach and exemplify the connection between effort and achievement in my students many times daily. I decided to try something a little different in my classroom after reading this chapter. I have in the past used tickets to reward good behavior, hard work, on task behavior etc, but found that students are often disappointed at the end of the week when I draw for prizes if they don't win. I decided to create an effort card that I placed on their desks. I sign a square on the card when they have shown that they have put forth effort. I sign for handing in all assignments per week, achieving 100% on any test, doing extra research at home on a topic, going above and beyond on an assignment etc. When they have filled their card, they automatically get to choose a prize from the box I used to use for ticket drawings. This way it isn't based on luck, or probability, but rather on effort. I am excited about using it year round with my students in the future.

Less prepared for war than ever

A statement I read in Battle Cry of Freedom really surprised me today. Not because of what was said, because it seemed so obvious, but more how it was said. Dr. McPherson stated that America tends to prepare for war after the war has started, and that the Civil War, more than any other war, typifies that approach. At first I was a little surprised, until I began to think about just how unprepared both sides truly were. Neither side had much of an army or navy to speak off when the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter. To me it shows how much the country had come to expect someone to step in with another compromise to once again save the day. With all the discord between North and South, you would think that there would have been a lot more preparation taking place.

Lesson: Cilvil War Group Project

Background:
After studying the civil war as a unit a culminating activity is working with a group.COOPERATIVE LEARNING.
During this phase of the unit study, we are going to plug in the info/resources we've studied and present this in poster board and/or diorama/oral report form.
Object:
Focus is the involvement of entire class inwhich the basic makeup is 5 ELL, 5 resource, others of low achievement/retention (TITLE I)in hopes that the group will present an acceptable product.
Materials:

• maps
• copies of Kid's Discovery:Civil War
• color pages for each group
• access to Civil War sites via internet
• class notes/materials
• requirement sheet

Procedures: Marzano: Cooperative Learning/ formal groups

Students will be divided into homogeneous groups and given the requirement sheet and poster board.

Project requirements:

1. 1 page report on any Civil War topic NOT TO BE COPIED
2. timeline approx. 18"X 4-6" with events from 1850-65
3. map. Draw any map relating to anything with the Civil War (free/slave states, Underground railroad, Union-Confederate States, etc)
4. design and create a Recruiting Poster for either the North or the South. Persuade young men to enlist in the military and "fight for the cause". No larger than 12"X18".
5. Draw/color any flag from the period.
6. color a picture provided by the teacher-in COLORED PENCIL
7. any idea approved by the teacher
8. a Civil War diorama OR oral presentation of your choice

Compile information on your poster with name of your group.

Evaluation:

I normally check to see if all items are included and displayed well. If the report is just a press of the "print" key a lower score for that item is received. Basically, if all items are included a favorable grade is given.

Reflection:

Students did a good job compiling/presenting their poster. However, there were reports that were not of the students work and little or no credit given. I felt good that the lower achieving students felt a sense of achievement and spurred the interest of the Civil War to others.

Marzano--Note Taking

In Chapter 3 of the Marzano book it talks a lot about the importance of note taking. I believe that note taking is a really important skill for students to have. I teach 5th grade and really try to help my students learn effective ways to take notes so they'll be prepared for middle school, high school, and college.

I liked the tips that it gave in the book:
1. Verbatim notes are perhaps the least effective way to take notes.
2. Notes should be a work in progress
3. Notes should be used as a study guide
4. The more notes that are taken, the better

I think those tips are something I could have posted in my classroom and refer to often. Giving students the skill of note taking will set them up for success in the future.

Marzano Chapter 7: Cooperative Learning

I like that the author points out that "cooperative learning should be applied consistently and systematically, but not overused." The text suggests that this strategy is most effective if you use it about once a week. If it is overused, students may not get enough independent practice to really master the content. Also, I think that if you do grouping too much, the novelty of it wears off, and it can backfire. In addition, it isn't enough to just throw kids into groups and call it cooperative learning. They need to have structured guidance in order to maximize the effectiveness of working together. I think there is value in changing the groups frequently too so that students can learn to work with people other than their best friends. The downside? It sometimes takes a lot of brain power to put the groups together so that they are balanced!

Killer Angels

On page 45 in Killer Angels, Buford talks about how he thinks the "civilians are too fat and quick to ask you to die for them". This got me thinking about what soldiers may think of me as a civilian. Are we "quick to ask them to die for us"? I thought this could be an interesting topic to discuss with students. We could also have a mini lesson on showing our military that we're thankful for fighting for our freedoms.

Marzano Chapter 11

I found this chapter very informative. I specifically liked the area of Classroom Practice in Vocabulary Terms and Phrases. I have been struggling to teach all of the vocab in my science class. I found that the steps located on page 128 very helpful and the explanations that followed gave me ideas to implement into my teaching. I also found that the information on page132 talking about how students need to be exposed to details multiple times-at least 3 times and no more than 2 days apart.

I have really learned a lot of valuable ideas from reading Marzano's book. I have read other books my him, but I believe that I have learned more in this book than the others. I thank the program for having me read this book. Sorry to say, I don't think I would have read it on my own.

Day 2 Topography (Killer Angels)

There can be little doubt that the site of Gettysburg itself is necessary to understanding the story of what took place there back in 1863. In rereading Killer Angels and having visited Gettysburg (9 summers ago) I am again struck with the key role that the actual land itself plays as a vital part of the story in this epic battle. I completely understand General Hood's reluctance in attacking toward Devil's Den across the Valley of Death and up Little Round Top. When I had read about these areas earlier in my life in was hard to conceptualize exactly what made it so difficult an area. Having seen what is accurately described (page 213) as "great boulders tall as houses, piled one upon another like wreckage of a vast explosion," it fascinates me that this ground is indeed uniquely shaped for what occurred here 147 years ago this summer. I think that in teaching about Gettysburg it is crucial for students to understand the role topography plays in this battle and many other historic events.

Killer Angels

They say a picture is worth a thousand words .. the Maps in this book were fantastic. I could follow the events as written within the pages by using the maps as reference! Doug

Marzano--Providing Feedback

In Chapter 8 of the Marzano book, it talked about how important providing feedback to students is. I usually give a lot of verbal feedback, but I'm not so good at giving written feedback on assignments. I thought that was something I could definitely do better.

I also liked the idea of having students provide some of their own feedback. I do this in a reading group that I teach. The kids like to watch the progress they make.

Corruption in Politics

I have been reading the "Battle Cry of Freedom (chapters 7 and 8)." My illusion of honesty and the integrity of the men responsible for guiding the United States has been shattered. I had NO idea just how conniving politics was back in the 1860's. I am struggling with the desire to learn more about the corruption of our leaders and the desire to read more in this book. I am appalled by the comments of Buchanan (pg. 250-251) when as the President of the United States, he basically says that if the North does not conform to the desires of the South would after all be "justified in revolutionary resistance to the Government." It seems to me that he was choosing sides, but yet not willing to do anything about it. He waits for a new President (Lincoln) to be voted in and just kind of washes his hands of any action.

This author, James McPherson, is really helping me to understand the politics behind the Civil War. It is making a lot more since as to why the war even took place. It is a hard book for me to even read, because of my ignorance of the political history of this country. I am having my eyes opened up and it's rather painful. I just hope that my perception of 'Honest Abe' is still intact at the end of the next few chapters.

Marzano/ Cooperative Learning

I think cooperative learning is a great tool in the classroom. I have used it on many occasions-upcoming Civil War class project. The five defining elements: positive interdependence(sink or swim together), face-to-face interaction( helping each other learn), individual and group accountability(all contribute to a common goal, interpersonal and small group skills ( getting along, decision making, and group processing-synergy all add to positeve results.
I have always put students in homogeneous groups -basically- to help those students that struggle in class. Teaching at a Title I school necessitates I usually assign a number of tasks for the group-let each decided who in the group will do the task-then assess them as a whole.
In this way, tasks are usually given to the ability of the student.
Once in a science group, however, I needed to split up the "non-functioning" ( a polite way to say goof-offs) in a group because of constant complaints and the work load being forced on the others. I showed them!!! I put the students of this ilk-one from each group- into THEIR OWN GROUP. They had to perform at this point and it worked remarkably well.
I do agree that too much intervention from the teacher can stiffle the growth and learning. We need to back off and let students learn/teach themselves.
All in all, not a bad chapter to read and diseminate.

You Might Find this article interesting (hate or love it)

Lincoln's Legacy at 200

By Mark Alexander · Friday, February 13, 2009

"If there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it." --Thomas Jefferson

February 12 marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.

During his inauguration, Barack Hussein Obama insisted on using Lincoln's Bible as he took his oath of office. Those who know their history might understand why Obama then proceeded to choke on that oath.

Obama, the nation's first half-African American president, was playing on Lincoln's status as "The Great Emancipator," though Obama himself is certainly not the descendant of slaves. His ancestors may well have been slaveholders, though -- and I am not talking about his maternal line. Tens of millions of Africans have been enslaved by other Africans in centuries past. Even though Chattel (house and field) and Pawnship (debt and ransom) slavery was legally abolished in most African nations by the 1930s, millions of African men, women and children remain enslaved today, at least those who escape the slaughter of tribal rivalry.

Not to be outdone by the Obama inaugural, Republican organizations are issuing accolades in honor of their party's patriarch, on this template: "The (name of state) Republican Party salutes and honors Abraham Lincoln on the celebration of his 200th birthday. An extraordinary leader in extraordinary times, Abraham Lincoln's greatness was rooted in his principled leadership and defense of the Constitution."

Really?

If the Republican Party would spend more energy linking its birthright to our Constitution rather than Lincoln, it might still enjoy the popular support it had under Ronald Reagan. Though Lincoln has already been canonized by those who settle for partial histories, in the words of John Adams, "Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclination, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."

In our steadfast adherence to The Patriot Post's motto, Veritas Vos Liberabit ("the truth shall set you free"), and our mission to advocate for the restoration of constitutional limits on government, I am compelled to challenge our 16th president's iconic standing.

Lincoln is credited with being the greatest constitutional leader in history, having "preserved the Union," but his popular persona does not reconcile with the historical record. The constitutional federalism envisioned by our Founders and outlined by our Constitution's Bill of Rights was grossly violated by Abraham Lincoln. Arguably, he is responsible for the most grievous constitutional contravention in American history.

Needless to say, when one dares tread upon the record of such a divine figure as Lincoln, one risks all manner of ridicule, even hostility. That notwithstanding, we as Patriots should be willing to look at Lincoln's whole record, even though it may not please our sentiments or comport with the common folklore of most history books. Of course, challenging Lincoln's record is NOT tantamount to suggesting that he believed slavery was anything but an evil, abominable practice. Nor does this challenge suggest that Lincoln himself was not in possession of admirable qualities. It merely suggests, contrary to the popular record, that Lincoln was far from perfect.

It is fitting, then, in this week when the nation recognizes the anniversary of his birth, that we consider the real Lincoln -- albeit at great peril to the sensibilities of some of our friends and colleagues.

Liberator of the oppressed...

The first of Lincoln's two most oft-noted achievements was ending the abomination of slavery. There is little doubt that Lincoln abhorred slavery, but likewise little doubt that he held racist views toward blacks. His own words undermine his hallowed status as the Great Emancipator.

For example, in his fourth debate with Stephen Douglas, Lincoln argued: "I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races -- that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race."

Lincoln declared, "What I would most desire would be the separation of the white and black races..."

In 1860, Lincoln's racial views were explicit in these words: "I think I would go for enslaving the black man, in preference to being enslaved myself. ... They say that between the nigger and the crocodile they go for the nigger. The proportion, therefore, is, that as the crocodile to the nigger so is the nigger to the white man."

As for delivering slaves from bondage, it was two years after the commencement of hostilities that Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation -- to protests from free laborers in the North, who didn't want emancipated slaves migrating north and competing for their jobs. He did so only as a means to an end, victory in the bloody War Between the States -- "to do more to help the cause."

"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery," said Lincoln in regard to the Proclamation. "If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union."

In truth, not a single slave was emancipated by the stroke of Lincoln's pen. The Proclamation freed only "slaves within any State ... the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States." In other words, Lincoln declared slaves were "free" in Confederate states, where his proclamation had no power, but excluded slaves in states that were not in rebellion, or areas controlled by the Union army. Slaves in Kentucky, Missouri, Delaware and Maryland were left in bondage.

His own secretary of state, William Seward, lamented, "We show our sympathy with slavery by emancipating slaves where we cannot reach them and holding them in bondage where we can set them free."

The great abolitionist Frederick Douglass was so angry with Lincoln for delaying the liberation of some slaves that he scarcely contacted him before 1863, noting that Lincoln was loyal only "to the welfare of the white race..." Ten years after Lincoln's death, Douglass wrote that Lincoln was "preeminently the white man's President" and American blacks were "at best only his step-children."

With his Proclamation, Lincoln succeeded in politicizing the issue and short-circuiting the moral solution to slavery, thus leaving the scourge of racial inequality to fester to this day -- in every state of the Union.

Many historians argue that Southern states would likely have reunited with Northern states before the end of the 19th century had Lincoln allowed for a peaceful and constitutionally accorded secession. Slavery would have been supplanted by moral imperative and technological advances in cotton production. Furthermore, under this reunification model, the constitutional order of the republic would have remained largely intact.

In fact, while the so-called "Civil War" (which by definition, the Union attack on the South was not) eradicated slavery, it also short-circuited the moral imperative regarding racism, leaving the nation with racial tensions that persist today. Ironically, there is now more evidence of ethnic tension in Boston than in Birmingham, in Los Angeles than in Atlanta, and in Chicago than in Charleston.

Preserve the Union...

Of course, the second of Lincoln's most famous achievements was the preservation of the Union.

Despite common folklore, northern aggression was not predicated upon freeing slaves, but, according to Lincoln, "preserving the Union." In his First Inaugural Address Lincoln declared, "I hold that in contemplation of universal law and of the Constitution the Union of these States is perpetual. Perpetuity is implied, if not expressed, in the fundamental law of all national governments."

"Implied, if not expressed"?

This is the first colossal example of errant constitutional interpretation, the advent of the so-called "Living Constitution."

Lincoln also threatened the use of force to maintain the Union when he said, "In [preserving the Union] there needs to be no bloodshed or violence ... unless it be forced upon the national authority."

On the other hand, according to the Confederacy, the War Between the States had as its sole objective the preservation of the constitutional sovereignty of the several states.

The Founding Fathers established the constitutional Union as a voluntary agreement among the several states, subordinate to the Declaration of Independence, which never mentions the nation as a singular entity, but instead repeatedly references the states as sovereign bodies, unanimously asserting their independence. To that end, our Constitution's author, James Madison, in an 1825 letter to our Declaration of Independence's author, Thomas Jefferson, asserted, "On the distinctive principles of the Government ... of the U. States, the best guides are to be found in ... The Declaration of Independence, as the fundamental Act of Union of these States."

The states, in ratifying the Constitution, established the federal government as their agent -- not the other way around. At Virginia's ratification convention, for example, the delegates affirmed "that the powers granted under the Constitution being derived from the People of the United States may be resumed by them whensoever the same shall be perverted to injury or oppression." Were this not true, the federal government would not have been established as federal, but instead a national, unitary and unlimited authority. In large measure as a consequence of the War Between the States, the "federal" government has grown to become an all-but unitary and unlimited authority.

Our Founders upheld the individual sovereignty of the states, even though the wisdom of secessionist movements was a source of debate from the day the Constitution was ratified. Tellingly, Alexander Hamilton, the utmost proponent of centralization among the Founders, noted in Federalist No. 81 that waging war against the states "would be altogether forced and unwarrantable." At the Constitutional Convention, Hamilton argued, "Can any reasonable man be well disposed toward a government which makes war and carnage the only means of supporting itself?"

To provide some context, three decades before the occupation of Fort Sumter, former secretary of war and then South Carolina Senator John C. Calhoun argued, "Stripped of all its covering, the naked question is, whether ours is a federal or consolidated government; a constitutional or absolute one; a government resting solidly on the basis of the sovereignty of the states, or on the unrestrained will of a majority; a form of government, as in all other unlimited ones, in which injustice, violence, and force must ultimately prevail."

Two decades before the commencement of hostilities between the states, John Quincy Adams wrote, "If the day should ever come (may Heaven avert it!) when the affections of the people of these States shall be alienated from each other ... far better will it be for the people of the disunited States to part in friendship with each other than to be held together by constraint. Then will be the time for reverting to the precedents which occurred at the formation and adoption of the Constitution, to form again a more perfect Union. ... I hold that it is no perjury, that it is no high-treason, but the exercise of a sacred right to offer such a petition."

But the causal case for states' rights is most aptly demonstrated by the words and actions of Gen. Robert E. Lee, who detested slavery and opposed secession. In 1860, however, Gen. Lee declined Lincoln's request that he take command of the Army of the Potomac, saying that his first allegiance was to his home state of Virginia: "I have, therefore, resigned my commission in the army, and save in defense of my native state ... I hope I may never be called on to draw my sword." He would, soon thereafter, take command of the Army of Northern Virginia, rallying his officers with these words: "Let each man resolve to be victorious, and that the right of self-government, liberty and peace shall find him a defender."

In his Gettysburg Address, Lincoln employed lofty rhetoric to conceal the truth of our nation's most costly war -- a war that resulted in the deaths of some 600,000 Americans and the severe disabling of more than 400,000 others. He claimed to be fighting so that "this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth." In fact, Lincoln was ensuring just the opposite by waging an appallingly bloody war while ignoring calls for negotiated peace. It was the "rebels" who were intent on self-government, and it was Lincoln who rejected their right to that end, despite our Founders' clear admonition to the contrary in the Declaration.

Moreover, had Lincoln's actions been subjected to the terms of the Fourth Geneva Convention (the first being codified in 1864), he and his principal military commanders, with Gen. William T. Sherman heading the list, would have been tried for war crimes. This included waging "total war" against not just combatants, but the entire civilian population. It is estimated that Sherman's march to the sea was responsible for the rape and murder of tens of thousands of civilians.

Further solidifying their wartime legacy, Sherman, Gen. Philip Sheridan, and young Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer (whose division blocked Gen. Lee's retreat from Appomattox), spent the next ten years waging unprecedented racial genocide against the Plains Indians.

Lincoln's war may have preserved the Union geographically (at great cost to the Constitution), but politically and philosophically, the constitutional foundation for a voluntary union was shredded by sword, rifle and cannon.

"Reconstruction" followed the war, and with it an additional period of Southern probation, plunder and misery, leading Robert E. Lee to conclude, "If I had foreseen the use those people designed to make of their victory, there would have been no surrender at Appomattox Courthouse; no sir, not by me. Had I foreseen these results of subjugation, I would have preferred to die at Appomattox with my brave men, my sword in my right hand."

Little reported and lightly regarded in our history books is the way Lincoln abused and discarded the individual rights of Northern citizens. Tens of thousands of citizens were imprisoned (most without trial) for political opposition, or "treason," and their property confiscated. Habeas corpus and, in effect, the entire Bill of Rights was suspended. Newspapers were shut down and legislators detained so they could not offer any vote unfavorable to Lincoln's conquest.

In fact, the Declaration of Independence details remarkably similar abuses by King George to those committed by Lincoln: the "Military [became] independent of and superior to the Civil power"; he imposed taxes without consent; citizens were deprived "in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury"; state legislatures were suspended in order to prevent more secessions; he "plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people ... scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation."

The final analysis...

Chief among the spoils of victory is the privilege of writing the history.

Lincoln said, "Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."

Lincoln's enduring reputation is the result of his martyrdom. He was murdered on Good Friday and the metaphorical comparisons between Lincoln and Jesus were numerous.

Typical is this observation three days after his death by Parke Godwin, editor of the New York Evening Post: "No loss has been comparable to his. Never in human history has there been so universal, so spontaneous, so profound an expression of a nation's bereavement. [He was] our supremest leader -- our safest counselor -- our wisest friend -- our dear father."

A more thorough and dispassionate reading of history, however, reveals a substantial expanse between his reputation and his character.

"America will never be destroyed from the outside," Lincoln declared. "If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." Never were truer words spoken.

Killer Angels Review

Having read Killer Angels previously, I always like to reread books to get more out of what the author is saying-thus being the case in this text. I think of all the "what ifs" in this story and the possible outcomes: JEB Stuart not bringing his calvary in a timely manner; Chamberlain not learning tactics to do the "swinging gate" manuever, Lee listening to Longstreet about the futility of a frontal assault "up the middle". I guess fate leaves us to wonder.
I was also intrigued about the englishman, Freemantle, and his comments, day 2, p. 173, how "bloody George (Washington) was a bloody fool. Give them 50 years and all the equality rot is gone-back to the "class"(caste) system" . This observer from across the pond was trying to get in the good graces of the Confederate staff, but it seems in Longstreets vision, he was a royal pain during a time of peril.
I think Longstreets intuition exceeded Lee's. Lee was held in concept,though respected it seems, by Pickett and Longstreet.
Fine reading.

Steven's Question About Pod Casts

I think more people will see this than in the comment section. Steven asked about pod casts--I told him to check out i-tunes university. I decided to check it out myself and found all kinds of great material. Check it out. It is free to get an i-tunes account and almost everything you need is free.

Health Care Anyone?

With the recent passage of the Health care bill (whether you are for or against) I have heard so much rhetoric from both sides. I have heard over and over the argument, "we are 'trashing the constitution' this president is making a 'mockery of out system,' and on and on. Most people seem to think that this is the FIRST time in our history such a terrible thing has been done (and by the way, I was and am opposed to this healthcare bill). In chapter 20 of BCOF it details the legislation pushing through the National Banking Act of 1863 which passed by 78% of Republicans voting for and 91% of the Democrats voting against. "...the 1863 law laid the groundwork for the banking system that prevailed for a half-century after the war." (page 594) The pundits of the time (it would be interesting if Rush had a radio broadcast in 1863) were saying almost exactly the same things about how that law was "pushed" through as our own are saying today--both pro and con. Again, we must all learn from history. Still from page 594: "Not surprisingly, Jacksonian Democrats in the Old Northwest denounced 'this monstrous Bank Bill' as new evidence of the wartime conspiracy by the 'money monopoly of New England' to 'destroy the fixed institutions of the States and to build up a central moneyed despotism." (Klement, "Economic Aspects of Middle Western Copperheadism," loc. cit. 39-40) Wow! Change a couple of key words and that is exactly what we are hearing today!

Marzano Chapter 6: Nonlinguistic Representations

Ironically, think I had to come up with a nonlinguistic representation of my own in order to grasp the concept of what a "nonlinguistic representation" is. The mental picture that comes to my mind is a person who is trying to teach a concept by acting it out rather than talking (charades, anyone?), although I know it can be expressed in many other ways. In keeping with this example however, I do try to get my students "kinesthetically involved" in their learning once in a while. For example, I was trying to get my students to comprehend the idea of sea floor spreading to build some background knowledge about how and why the earth's plates move around and result in earthquakes and volcanoes. To demonstrate the point, I had a few volunteers stand in the front of the room and pretend to be plates that were being forced underneath other plates (i.e., nearby tables) as molten lava (me) poured out of the mid-ocean ridge. I think (hope?) that it helped them to gain a better mental image of what is going on with our earth in extreme fast-forward. If they don't remember this example because of the kinesthetic experience, they will at least remember the basic idea because they got a good laugh when I accidentally referred to myself as "a big crack in the bottom." Um, yeah...I was too slow to add " . . . of the ocean" before it was too late. So, now I guess there will be a group of students in the world who will forever nonlinguistically link me to seafloor spreading. Whatever works!

Reflective of Lesson Plan-music

I used two of Marzano's methods from the Classroom Instruction that Works book. The first thing I used was a Venn diagram to help the students identify the similarities and differences between a common Civil War tune in which the North and the South each had their own version. This provided the students with a visual display in hopes of understanding the information more clearly. The second item I borrowed from Marzano's book was the rubric from chapter 8. After reading his book, I realized how important it is to have student buy in and accountability for their own learning. I had been worried about students just working for the minimum score, but most students saw just how easy it would be to earn a high score and most students, I feel, worked to their potential.

I feel that this lesson met the needs of my students and they were able to see (accountability) how they earned the grade they received. They were very involved in the learning process and I felt like, although not smooth, the lesson utilized Marzano's two processes effectively.

Lesson Plan-Civil War Music

"Battle Cry for Freedom"
Lesson Plan

Grade Level:
5-12 grades

Utah State Standard
Social Studies
Standard 9 Students will understand the significance of the Civil War Era to the United
States.
Lang. ArtsStandard 2 (Writing): Students will write informational and literary text to reflect
on and recreate experiences, report observations, and persuade others

Materials:
1. Venn diagram
2. Lyrics to “Battle Cry for Freedom” (overheads) North/South
3. Lyrics for “Battle Cry for Freedom” both the North/South
4. CD Player or computer hooked up to internet
5. Rubric

Objective:
1. Students will interpret both the South and the North usage of the song “Battle Cry for
Freedom”
2. Students will complete a Venn diagram to deter-mine the differences/similarities of a
Civil War Song.
3. Students will compose a letter and identify > 5 fact/view point of either the South or the
North.

Background:
The North and the South both used music to rally troops, as recruiting songs, marching songs,
recreation songs, patriotic songs, etc. Often they used the same tunes and even the same
lyrics. Sheet music was as popular then as CD’s are now.

Activity:
1. Hand out a copy of the Battle Cry for Freedom (North).
2. Using the overhead of the Battle Cry for Freedom (North), interpret each of the verses
and chorus.
3. Do the same with the Southern lyrics.
4. Play both versions of the Battle Cry for Freedom.
5. Discuss the feelings the students feel during each version of the song.
6. Hand out a Venn diagram to each student and create a Venn diagram on the
whiteboard.
7. Pair up the students and have them complete their Venn diagram as a team
determining differences and similarities.
8. As a big group have each pair of students contribute differences and similarities of the
song Battle Cry for Freedom. Fill in the Venn diagram on the whiteboard.
9. Direct each student to choose either the North or the South and compose a letter home
expressing > 5 view points/facts of the war.

Evaluation:
1. Completion of the Venn diagram
2. Completion of the letter with > 5 view points/facts that state understanding of the side
they picked (N or S) (See Rubric)

Extension of lesson:
1. Have students research to come up with a list of songs used by the North and/or the
South.
2. Have the students write their own lyrics to The Battle Cry for Freedom.
3. Have the students research other songs that both the North and the South used and
complete a Venn diagram.

THE BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM
by George F. Root
Union
Yes, we'll rally round the flag, boys,
We'll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom,
We will rally from the hillside,
We'll gather from the plain,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom.

CHORUS: The Union forever,
Hurrah! boys, hurrah!
Down with the traitors,
Up with the stars;
While we rally round the flag, boys,
Rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom.

We are springing to the call
Of our brothers gone before,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom;
And we'll fill our vacant ranks with
A million free men more,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom.--CHORUS

We will welcome to our numbers
The loyal, true and brave,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom;
And although they may be poor,
Not a man shall be a slave,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom.--CHORUS

So we're springing to the call
From the East and from the West,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom;
And we'll hurl the rebel crew
From the land that we love best,
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom.--CHORUS

THE BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM
Music by George F. Root
Confederate

Our flag is proudly floating
On the land and on the main,
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!
Beneath it oft we've conquered,
And we'll conquer oft again!
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!

CHORUS: Our Dixie forever!
She's never at a loss!
Down with the eagle
And up with the cross!
We'll rally 'round the bonny flag,
We'll rally once again,
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!

Our gallant boys have marched
To the rolling of the drums,
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!
And the leaders in charge cry out,
"Come, boys, come!"
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!--CHORUS


They have laid down their lives
On the bloody battle field,
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!
Their motto is resistance --
"To tyrants we'll not yield!"
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!--CHORUS


Answers to the Venn Diagram

South Both North
“the bonny flag” Emotions of loyalty & patriotism “Up with the stars”
“Our Dixie forever!” Fighting for a cause “…not a man shall be a slave”
“Down with the eagle, “Rally round the flag” “…a million free men more”
and up with the cross!”
“Resistance, To tyrants never yield!” “The Union forever?
“…from the East and from
the West”
Rubric

4 The student has demonstrated a detailed understanding
of the American Civil War by including >5 different facts
or points of view in the form of a letter.

3 The student has demonstrated a understanding of the
American Civil War by including 4 different facts or points
of view in the form of a letter.

2 The student has demonstrated an incomplete understanding
of the American Civil War by including 3 different facts or
points of view in the form of a letter.

1 The student has a demonstrated minimal understanding
of the American Civil War by including 2 different facts or
points of view in the form of a letter.

0 The student has not demonstrated an understanding of the
American Civil War by including 1-0 facts or points of view
in the form of a letter or did not complete the assignment.

Marzano-Providing Feedback

I have learned about the importance of providing feedback to students in a timely fashion and also the usefulness of a rubric, but I have not really read any research on these two subjects. I found that the information provided in Classroom Instruction that Works very valuable. I plan to help my students to become more accountable for their own learning. I plan to start using a rubric by creating one to go along with my lesson plan on Civil War music.

I do have two concerns: what about the student who is satisfied with a low grade? and how do I motivate students to do their best?

Cry of Freedom-Women

While reading the Battle Cry for Freedom, I found it very interesting that during the mid 1800's, a large percentage of women worked outside the home. I was always taught and believed that women started working woutside the home during WWII (briefly) and then again during my lifetime. There has always been a stigma about women working outside the home and guilt placed upon women for working. When in reality it's just a cycle like everything else.

Day 2 at Gettysburg

Lee states that "We are never prepared for so many to die" (page 203). He goes on to say that "But...that is the trap." Just knowing 1,000's will die and still as an army, you are in a trap because you must go forward knowing that many will die. What a horrible dilemma. I don't think that I would make a very good officer.I also get the impression that the excitement of a battle is much like an addiction to a drug and both kill. Yet people go into both knowing the chances.

An Empire for Slavery

I found chapter 3, An Empire for Slavery (78-116), to be very moving and sad. I think that reading about the lives of the runaway slaves really helped to make it real to me. I hope that if I had lived during that time (mid 1800's) that I would have had the strength to help slaves escape from such a retched life. I wrote in the margins comments like "thank goodness", "my hero", and alright!", when Northerners helped or sent ex-slaves to England. I also learned more about the book "Uncle Tom's Cabin"(88-91). Even though I show the students the movie during the time we are studying about slavery, I gained a whole new perspective on the importance of this book and the impact it had on the world. I am excited to share this new knowledge with my students.

Marzano-Recognition

I found Marzano's comments dealing with recognition (pgs. 53-59) very interesting. He states three things from research. 1 Rewards do not necessarily have a negative effect on intrinsic motivation. 2 Reward is most effective when it is contingent on the attainment of some standard of performance. 3 Abstract symbolic recognition is More effective than tangible rewards.

I worked for 18 years in a program call CBTU (Child Behavioral Treatment Unit) with Valley Mental Health in which praise (recognition) was a very important part of the program. They stressed a 1-10 correction to praise, to reinforce positive behavior. I found that recognition was constantly given, but the students, after a while, kind of tuned out the praise. This high level of praise didn't always work with all students. Another thing I realized is that the praise was not always genuine. What I learned from this experience and from Marzano's book is that the praise HAS to be genuine and it has to be specific. If used correctly, recognition can increase positive outcomes and can help with intrinsic motivation.

Good bye, Sam.

I find it interesting that the regular fighting men are so expendable. "Longstreet felt an overwhelming wave of saddness. They're all going to die. But he could say nothing." "Good bye, Sam. You're right. You're the best I've got. If I lose you, I don't know what I'll do. God bless you, Sam." Sure, Longstreet was sad to know that so many were about to die, but he doesn't stop it. He knows it will be a slaughter and he tells them to go. I know there was no other way, but it is so depressing.

Thoughts on Killer Angels

I had previously read Killer Angels about 10
years ago and have been enjoying it again in preparation for our trip to Gettysburg. One of the characters who I greatly admire is the cerebral college professor from Maine, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Shaara's ability through him to articulate the meaning of the war and how America is really a nation based upon ideas is brilliant. I couldn't agree more with his assessment (P29-30). I have always taught my students that one of the unique features of this country is that we are a nation based on ideas as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This passage very eloquently expressing this sentiment. These ideas and documents are what bind us together as a nation.

The Killer Angels review

What an interesting way to write historical fiction. It was fascinating to try to get inside the heads of these people and how it affected them. The book gave me an interesting insight into the thinking of Lee and the soldiers fighting for the south. The idea that these people who are my ancestors were fighting not so much for slavery but for their homes. Much of the war was fought out of ignorance. Most people had no understanding of what was going on in politics or in regards to slavery. My extended family would explain to me that "we" fought for our right to govern ourselves. The war was still about slavery, and I couldn't agree with my family, but this book shares there insight.

Marzano Lesson Plan and Reflection

Since we are currently studying the Civil War in social studies, I wanted to get on board with the Marzano lesson plan assignment! The following lesson/unit plan demonstrates several of the strategies and procedures that are mentioned in our assigned text, Classrooom Instruction that Works. I have underlined key words and phrases that are directly connected to concepts in the book. Sorry this posting is so long....I don’t know how to attach a word document in a blog. So...I’ll be the guinea pig with the mile-long post, and if someone knows how to do attach a document, maybe they can share for future reference.

Lesson Plan- Freedom Crossing Unit Outline

Background:

We are currently learning about slavery and its impact on the start of the Civil War. During this unit, we are learning about what life was like as a slave and about people who were influential in fighting against slavery. This topic is one that is fairly easy to connect to other content areas. For example, I included words such as “abolitionist” and “Underground Railroad” on our spelling list, we are writing an eyewitness account about life as a slave, and for social studies we are making foldables (graphic organizers made out of construction paper) that highlight the contributions of Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and Abraham Lincoln to the ending of slavery. For this lesson plan, I am focusing on the cross-curricular connection to literature, specifically to the book Freedom Crossing by Margaret Goff Clark. Since this book obviously is not read in its entirety in one day, I am summarizing the strategies and procedures that we engage in throughout the unit.

Objectives:

Students will be able to visualize what life was like as a runaway slave and as a person who helped slaves on the Underground Railroad.

• Students will be able to identify key people who were influential in the fight against slavery (i.e., Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass).
• Students will demonstrate reading/content comprehension as they complete daily assignments in their literature response journals.

Materials:

• One copy of Freedom Crossing for each student
• Reading response journal for each student

Procedures:

• Provide a pacing guide for the book Freedom Crossing so that students are reading approximately 15-20 pages per day.
• At the beginning of the unit, introduce the book to the class. Make predictions based on the cover picture, and review background knowledge about what we have been discussing in social studies.
• With each day’s reading assignment, determine if the section will be read as a class, independently, with partners, or in small groups.
• At the conclusion of each day’s reading, students are assigned to complete an entry in their literature journals. Entries vary each day and include the following:

• Illustration: Students draw a picture about what they visualized in their minds during the day’s reading. The picture includes enough detail that another person can recognize which part of the story it is. This is a form of nonlinguistic representation that encourages comprehension.
• Passage Picker: Students identify two passages that they thought were important to the selection. They cite the page number, copy the passage into their journals, and provide reasoning as to why they chose those passages.
• Connections: Students connect the text to either their own experiences (text-to-self), another story (text-to-text), or to events in the world (text-to-world). In doing so, they are required to internalize the information and identify similarities between the book and applications beyond the book.
• Questioning: Students write four questions based on the day’s reading. Two of the questions are lower level questions that would assess basic comprehension, and answers are included. The other two questions are higher-level questions that require students to analyze their own thoughts and feelings about events in the text. These are used in group discussions.
• Summarizing: Students summarize what they read that day and include important information such as character names and key events.
• Discussions: Students are put into groups to discuss and share the tasks above that they have completed in their literature journals. This is a form or cooperative learning. Students rotate being the “discussion director,” and each student has a chance to share his or her work.

• At the conclusion of the book, students rate the book based on a scale of 1-10. They also discuss this score in their final discussion session and provide justification for their score.

Evaluation:

• Upon completion of the text, students hand in their literature journals. It is fairly easy to look through these to determine whether or not a student comprehends the text. In addition, I roam and listen in on the discussion groups. This allows me to assess the students’ depth of knowledge and whether or not they are getting the message of the text.

Reflection:

One thing that I like about Marzano’s strategies is that they seem to place the emphasis on getting students to internalize their learning so that it isn’t just surface-level regurgitation of facts. During my literature unit, this is one thing that I also have tried to accomplish. I want the students to visualize what they are reading and to respond to the text in meaningful and memorable ways. Although I have a pretty structured way of leading them through the reading material, the goal is that when they meet in their discussion groups, or when we discuss as a class, they will have a good idea of the overall picture of what is happening in the story. In this case, I hope that they would be able to feel sympathy for Martin Paige, a runaway slave boy, and to get a sense of what risks people had to take as members of the Underground Railroad.

Marzano Chapter 5: Homework

Homework is a topic that I have pondered a lot over the years. I guess I can't say that I have a solid opinion on the matter because my thoughts change depending on how I consider the issue. In Marzano's book, it mentions a few suggestions for how teachers should use homework. Some of my questions are: Is homework fundamentally necessary? Does it really improve a student's study skills and work ethic or just reinforce the lack thereof? What's the line between homework and busywork? Shouldn't home time be reserved for family time? I guess, in my classroom, most of the homework I require is just to finish assignments that weren't finished in class. I don't usually give extra assignments to be done at home just for the sake of making sure the students have something to do at home. If a student masters the content, is it necessary to give more work? If a student isn't mastering the content, is it fair to send additional work home for them to be confused at home with? As you can see, I don't have a solid philosophy on the topic of homework . . . . so I thought I'd throw it out there to see what others have to say. I don't think there is a right answer, but I'm sure there are lots of opinions!

Anyone aware of any good Civil War podcasts?

Afterword

I found the afterword very informative. Longstreet's actions post-war are . . . well, I don't know what word I am looking for exactly. He lost confidence after the Battle of Gettysburg and wants to be relieved from his command. Lee gets him to stay and fights with Lee until the end. But because of his choices "within two years of the end of the war is being referred to as 'the most hated man in the South'?" Wow! To me, that is some turnaround. I don't remember any discussion when I learned this in school except they didn't break Lee's sword or something out of great respect for him. These are real people and I never really saw them as people who actually lived. They were just something "we needed to know for a test." I am glad to learn more about them and their lives.

"The Killer Angels" Review

I can honestly say I have never read a 365 page book about one battle. Shaara does a great job putting the battle into fiction so I could understand it. I learned a lot about the leaders and that is what I enjoyed the most. On page 364, it states, "Well, nobody ever said they wasn't good soldiers. Well, they're Americans anyway, even if they are Rebs." Truly, we as human beings are more alike than we are different. As a teacher I am always trying to build on common ground and with the principle, we are more alike than different. I enjoyed learning about Robert E. Lee especially. I have a greater understanding of the leaders and the battle. This books depicts the men who fought this battle had great respect for one another. They both were fighting for their "Cause." Whatever that "cause" might have been!

Manifest Destiny

I have been reading the book Battle Cry of Freedom and I am really enjoying it. I feel as if I am learning a ton of information that I either missed or just forgot from my history classes in school. (Many of my teachers would tell you that I didn't listen very well.) I was really excited to see all of the background information that the author includes in the text. It has helped me gain a richer understanding of the causes of the war and the contention that led up to it. I was really surprised to see the attempts and interest made into acquiring Cuba as a part of our country's doctrine of Manifest Destiny. According to the book at least 3 different Presidents (Polk, Pierce and Buchanan) made attempts to purchase the tiny island nation from Spain. Then when these offers failed, invasions were considered as the next viable option. I see that Cuba, with its sunny climate would have been a great addition for the agricultural economy of the South. I think I was surprised mainly, because this was a relatively new idea for me. I don't remember hearing in any history class I have ever taken about plans, before the Civil War, to make Cuba a state, or to extend our Southern border to what is now the Panama Canal. It would be interesting to think about how the country would be different today if we had bought Cuba and then kept pushing south. It seems to me that typical discussions of Manifest Destiny are very watered down and involve primarily discussions about Texas, California and Oregon. Maybe I am the only one for who this seemed to be new or surprising.

Killing Angels Review

I believe that this book has been the best one I've ever read dealing with the Battle at Gettysburg. I loved how Shaara described both the people and events. It was a hard book to put down because it just draws in the reader. I found the maps particularly helpful when trying to understand the strategies of the battle. I also enjoyed the way Shaara helped me to understand both viewpoints of the South and the North. I never understood the South's view of the war. So reading this book helped me visualize their side. I look forward to seeing and walking on the battle field this July.

Day 3 at Gettysburg

I just finished "Killing Angels" and was left with an empty feeling much like when I visited Mt. Saint Helen's after she erupted. There was no life anywhere and everything was this morbid gray color. Although Sharra writes in such a descriptive way that I felt like I was right there on the battle field, I can not imagine either how it looked after the battle or the feelings involved in the battle. I look forward to actually being at the battle site and experiencing what it is like today.

Limited War????

The last paragraph of Chapter 15 hit me really hard. "The failure of McClellan's Peninsula campaign was not alone a military failure; it represented also the downfall of the limited war for limited ends that McClellan favored. From now on the North would fight not to preserve the old Union but to destroy it and build a new one on the ashes." Perhaps I am reading too much into this, but it has become so evident to me that we need to study our own history so as to not make the same mistakes. "Limited war for limited ends" seems to be the mantra of our current foreign policy. It may be that I remember Vietnam, but at what point do we say this has never worked in the past why should it work now. Lincoln is an interesting man and this war created something about him that would never have been otherwise. Perhaps, if there had been no Civil War, we would remember Lincoln the same way we remember James Buchanan.

Two Perspectives

So, I am reading "The Killer Angels" and what I am most impressed by is the author's ability to show both sides of the story. I am constantly telling my fifth graders there is more than one side to every story. The Civil War is an interesting time period to learn more about for me because each side has a distinct point of view. The Civil War is something in history that definately has more than one perspective but I can't remember learning anything except the North won and it ended slavery.

Michael Shaara - Amazing Author

Men, of so many different characteristics and personalities are all molded into South vs. North and North vs. South. Men, all real, are alive, at least for now. Their purposes are set. Their courses are defined. Their lives will be changed as will the future. Michael Shaara has made them come alive in his book.
This future is now ours. I want to help my students realize that what we have today comes because of what others have done. I want them to know that they too can make a difference.
Children, of so many different characteristics and personalities are all molded into my 5th grade class!

Battle Cry of Freedom

I just started reading the "Battle Cry of Freedom." I am facinated by the economic thinking of the time. I was not aware that the idea of having "banks" was so unfriendly. We accept banking as apart of our everyday lives. The percentage of citizens who owned most of the wealth in this country was very low. I would like to know how it would compare to todays percentages. The modernization and technical advances of the period changed the whole face of America. Our craftsmen were slowly disappearing. I lived in Ohio for several years and always wondered why they called Ohio the buckeye state. Now I know that is was named after those who settled in the area who ran farms that developed into a corn-hog-whiskey economy. I also found it interesting that most people did not like working for the business owners. They felt like they had lost some of their freedoms by having to be subject to low wages, and long hours. A lot of change happened as a result of the Industrial Revolution. With the bad also came the idea that a man with an education could become more than he was. The shift of manufacturing from household to shop or factory altered the function of many families from units of production to units of consumption. This economic transition took both men and women out of the home. It started the notion of separate "spheres" for men and women. This might have started some of the male "chauvinist" ideas. There was also break down of the two party system in the 1850's that led to the Republican party are we know it today. I am finding out that there were many factors that contributed to the thinking and some of the problems in the 1850's that slowly brought about the Civil War. Claudia Olson

An Ah Ha Moment

I am currently reading Battle Cry of Freedom--which I have found totally fascinating. (I loaded it and Killer Angels on my I-pod--it took just under 4 gigs). As you begin reading it do a little comparing and contrasting. If you took today's congress and executive branch and just changed the names from those of the 1850's there are some amazing parallels. It seems all we talk about is bi-partisanship and everyone out for their own interests. We are currently re-working those years just prior to the Civil War--are we destined to repeat it? ("Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana) There is a bill before our own state legislature, Joint Resolution--State Sovereignty and Tenth Amendment: Chief sponsor: Howard A. Stephenson--which follows the footsteps of 11 other states who have passed "Sovereignty" laws and resolutions. Whether you believe the Civil War was fought over "states rights" or "slavery" history is repeating itself. Just a thought. Then as an afterthought, think about what the U.S. Congress was able to achieve when all the "Southern Democrats" left and