Friend AND Foe?

I kept hoping that through the entire book, somehow, Armistead and and Hancock would meet up for their grand reunion and be able to just "talk" as Armistead was so hoping to do. I really felt so sorry for him when he finally made it over the wall, just to be shot right there. When he is also informed that his dear friend, General Hancock has also been hit, he is so sad. "No, not both of us, not all of us...tell him how very sorry I am...", he states to an officer that hovers over him. Such a sad ending for Armistead. I got to really like the guy.

Chamberlain....my hero

Chamberlain, what a guy! Here he is, he and his men, holding off assault after assault, getting very low on ammunition and supplies, tired, thirsty, and he makes the decision to rush down the hill with bayonettes and gun butts! Success....retreat, and even prisoners...

What a day he had....deserves a little bit of a rest, right? He is told that he and his men are "relieved", and to where? Pg. 300 "A lovely spot. Safest place on the battlefield. Right smack dab in the center of the line. Very quiet thee." Little did he know.....

Choice??? Not really.

As I read The Killer Angels, I really came to feel sorry for Longstreet. Gosh dang, talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place! He knew he would be sending his men into slaughter, tried to get Lee to change his mind, but couldn't. Just as he should, following orders, he sent his men in (Pickett's Charge). Ok, so how did that even make any sense? I don't know much about war strategy, but walking a mile in an open field, while the "enemy" is protected high on a hill, behind a wall, just waiting for the right time to open fire? Hmmmm. Sure makes you wonder how history would have been changed if Lee had taken Longstreet's advice (or do I say plea?) .

The War Ends

I am not much when it comes to emotions, but as I read the surrender of Lee at Appomattox, it was very touching. The part that really got to me was the description of Joshua Chamberlain's (who had become so personal in K.A)treatment of General Gordon and his troops. "These enemies in many a bloody battle ended the war not with shame on one side and exultation on the other but with a soldiers 'mutual salutation and farewell.'" (Page 850)

By the way, it has been a long time since I read a book with almost 900 pages and truly enjoyed it!

Battle Cry Of Freedom

One thing that stands out to me as being both interesting and informative within the pages of this book have been the references to the Lincoln / Douglas debates. I can see more fully how Lincoln was brought forward by his Wit and reasoning shown all through his presentations! One question I have about this was Did he actually write and prepare all his own issues and responses ... was it spur of the moment stuff ... who assisted him throughout the debates?

Wow!

I am reading "Battle Cry of Freedom" and I keep wondering how we are still a country. I read what happened leading up to the Civil War. Two conflicting ideas. Two sides of an issue. Both sides of the issue feeling they are right. I am impressed with the author and how he does an excellent job at details. McPherson is building the background of what happened before that fueled the fire after.

Fugitive Slave Law

In Battle Cry of Freedom (p. 120), I was shocked that Margaret Garner killed her own children instead of seeing them return to slavery. It showed me how strongly she felt about slavery. Then, I was shocked again that she wasn't charged for manslaughter, they just made her return to her owner. This just seems screwed up.

Reason to Die

Page 360 in Killer Angels, Lee & Longstreet were talking about the men that were dying. "They do not die for us. Not for us. That at least is a blessing... Each man has his own reason to die."

First, it would be incredibly hard to order people to fight knowing that they were probably going to die.

Second, it makes me wonder 'for what reason would I die'? They don't do it solely on the fact that they were told to.

Evolution of fighting

On page 141 of Killer Angels, Longstreet was telling Fremantle the evolution of fighting. He told him about how they used to face each other and shoot from a close distance. He also mention how they used bows & arrows, swords, or man to man fighting. I thought it would be fun to talk with the students about how fighting has changed over the years. They could make a venn diagram comparing the Civil War fighting compared to some other time era.

Connection

I wish I had read the preface to Battle Cry of Freedom before I read Killer Angels. The connections of the leaders of the Union and Confederate armies were staggering. No wonder the men almost wept when they heard that a leader from the other army had been wounded or killed. I knew that they had known each other prior to the Civil War but I did not know to what extent.

Brown's God

I enjoy the solid words of Hinton Rowan Helper BCOF page 199:

"Slavery lies at the root of all the shame, poverty, ignorance, tyranny and imbecility of the South."

"Slavery is hostile to general education."

Pleading for whites to use their votes to overthrow this system of slavery he, referring to the South, states they "welter in the cesspool of ignorance and degradation."

I also find interesting the point of view of "John Brown's God" McPherson BCOF says that, "Brown's God was the Jehovah who drowned Pharoah's mercenaries in the Red Sea; his Jesus was the angry man who drove moneychangers from the temple. 'Without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.' Bondage was 'a most barbarous, unprovoked, and unjustifiable war.'

Pluck and Grit

Hurray for the city of Boston and the state of Massachusetts for their efforts to harbor runaway slaves and for using force to make sure the runaways were not recaptured. I admire their pluck and grit. BCOF page 119 tells the story of Anthony Burns, a runaway. Some men were going to help him out of jail because deputies had come to claim him, "The vigilance committee went into action, sponsoring a Faneuil Hall meeting which resolved that 'resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.' Higginson went in to rescue Burns with axes, revolvers, and a battering ram." Unfortunately, the abolitionists did not release Burns and in the attempt a white deputy died. After the trial convicting Higginson, Parker, Phillips and four black men, of inciting a riot, William Lloyd Garrison publicly burned a copy of Constitution citing it as a covenant with death.

The end of the battle

I loved the final two paragraphs of Killer Angels. Shaara did an amazing job of describing the scene of the night rains cleansing the earth after the bloody battle. I wonder what the surviving soldiers thought as they welcomed the morning of July 4th. I must admit that I didn't realize I was so into the story until my eyes started leaking at the end. Oops. (Darn allergies.)

A job I could not apply for...

Killer Angels, pg. 202: "To be a good soldier you must love the army. But to be a good officer you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love . . . That is one reason why there are so very few good officers." Ugh. I would not want to be the one in that position. How could a person stand to send their friends and companions to their deaths? I guess I wouldn't be a good officer . . . or a good soldier, for that matter.

Financing the War

As I read about the South struggling with financing the war, I was struck with this comment, "Southerners expected future generations to bear the financial cost of the independence won for them by the men of '61." (pg. 438 BCOF)

The border States Crisis

I have been teaching the Civil War for a lot of years in fifth grade and I had no idea how hard it was for President Lincoln to get the border states to support his efforts. I had just assumed that they joined with the North without much objection. When I read about how difficult it was to get soldiers into Washington DC to protect it through Baltimore, I was astounded. I can see more clearly now why there were brothers fighting against brothers and fathers. For most of the border states slavery played an important role in their economy. I found it interesting that Kentucky thought it could just stay neutral in the war. I know that Missouri was always a problem and quite frankly I was surprised that Missouri went with the North and not the South considering how much they had fought for the right to have slaves in their state. Missouri, Kentucky, and Maryland were all slave states. Washington DC was surrounded by slave states. Lincoln had a terrific job on his hands to protect our capital and get the cooperation of these states. I have such respect for Lincoln as I read about the struggles he went through as well as what was happening to this country. When people feel so strongly about something, it is hard to hold things together. Our nation was in a terrible crisis. I would not have wanted to live in one of these border states. You would have a hard time trusting your neighbor. Many unkind brutalities took place in these border states. The creation of the new state of West Virginia was not without a struggle. Only one-fifth of Virginia's counties were for succession thus bringing about the new state of West Virginia. The establishment of West Virginia was critical for the North because of the rail system that went through this area. Reading about all these individual state conflicts makes the meaning of what a Civil War is about more paramount in my mind. Claudia Olson

And the bands played on.

I've been reading the BCOF and on page 580 it talks about the night before the Battle at Stones River. The only thing that separated the North from the South was the river. First the band of one side would play followed by the band of the other side playing. This goes back and forth a while when one band started to play "Home Sweet Home." Soon both sides were playing and singing the same song.
I've never seen or heard of any other wars or even civil wars where this type of behavior and respect has been demonstrated. I think that this is a great lesson for students/everyone to learn. It must have been very conflicting for the troops of both sides to have this kind of respect and even love towards their "enemy." What a horrible war emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I can't even begin to imagine.

I found it interesting to learn about the different perspectives that the soldiers had about the purposes of the Civil War. On pg. 188 of Killer Angels, Chamberlain and Kilrain are pondering the human value of a black man and whether or not he has a "divine spark." Basically, Kilrain's opinion was that a man's value should be determined by what he makes of himself, not by what circumstances he happens to be born into. Respect is a thing to be earned, regardless of race. The south, on the other hand, felt that they were fighting to preserve a way of life, which happened to include a society of class distinctions. There were several references in the book where Lee put the situation in the hands of God. Both sides really felt like they were fighting for the "right" cause. It's too bad they had to kill each other to settle the matter.

Most memorable Quote of Killer Angels

P. 153- Buford remembering an old Indian joke: "follow cigar smoke; fat man there". It doesn't get any more real than this!

Lee takes Command

I have been surprised to hear that many in the South were not excited to see Robert E. Lee taking over command of the Army of Northern Virginia for the injured Joe Johnston. I didn't know about the troubles that he had in West Virgina. I guess I have always heard about how well respected Lee was as a commander and how Gettysburg was the first (or one of the first) Civil War battles that Lee had lost. I never really thought about the challenges that Lee faced, instead I had seen only his success.

Description of war

Michael Sharra does a great job of describing the sounds of the War. Page 329 " He became aware for the first time of the incredible variety of sound"
- great roar like an orchestra of death
- an indescribable keening like old Death as a woman gone mad and a hunting you
- sounds of the bursts, flat splats, deeper bursts, brutal smash and crack of shot splattering dirt, whispers of rock fragments,
-sometimes even joy, screaming with joy at hitting something

It was like listening to a symphony of sounds as I imagined the battle taking place.

Gettysburg Lesson

I have been frustrated with the students' actual internalization of Gettysburg, what happened and its significance. So I went to Home Depot and bought some blue and red line marking paint and went out of the field behind the school and mapped out the valley of Gettysburg. We divided into the North and South. We spent one day (day one) on McPherson's Hill and actually applied what we had learned. Next day, we added "Capture the Flag" to the mix. The Confederates had to get the flag by flanking the Union either around Little Round Top or Culp's Hill. They couldn't come straight in. They realized that they couldn't break the defenses to get the flag. Then for our 3rd day, the Confederates had to make a frontal assault "up" Cemetery Ridge. They discovered it was impossible. At that point, they began to understand why Longstreet had advised against such an assault. They kept asking why the North didn't try to get their flag, then realized the differences between an offensive battle against entrenched troops and being on the defense. I believe my entire class now "understands" what happened at Gettysburg. (And we all had fun!)

Battle Cry of Freedom

As I have read this book, the states' rights argument keeps ringing loud and clear to me. Before the south formed the Confederacy, they cried that the states had the rights to make decisions about their livelihood. After the Confederacy was formed the argument continued within the south, especially when the draft was instituted. As I listen to current politics, I continue to hear about states' rights and realize that this argument has been around for 200+ years and will always be an argument in American politics. In the early part of the text, it was said that without a federal government, states' rights would not be possible. It seems that one needs the other but together they have a hard time getting along!

The Killer Angels-Why They Fought

I was interested to learn about the reasons for fighting from the different perspectives. Even men on the same side of the war didn't always share the same motivation. For some, such as Longstreet and Buford, they fought because they were professional soldiers. This is what they had always done and what they continued to do regardless of the underlying causes of the war.
Lee, on the other hand, "could not raise his hand against his own". He felt that the decision was made for him because he was a Virginian and now that state was no longer part of the country he had always defended. Then there was Chamberlain. He hadn't been in the army before the war started, but he had always wanted to be a soldier and now was his opportunity to live his dream. It's amazing to me that with all of these different perspectives, slavery doesn't seem to be a major factor for any of them. And yet, most people will tell you that when they were in school they were taught that slavery was the main cause of the Civil War.
The one thing all these commanders believed in was their men. Each of them mentioned that they had the best men fighting in their brigade, division or corps. They could always trust 'their boys' to give everything they had. And many of them did.

Another perspective

Check out this website to learn more about the battle at Little Round Top: http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/tstops/tstd2-10.htm It is the National Park Service's accounting of the events of the 2nd day.

Interesting quote by Longstreet

"If the blame (if there is any) can be shifted from him (Lee) to me, I shall help him and our cause by taking it. I desire, therefore, that all the responsibility that can be put upon me shall go there and shall remain there.
James Longstreet

Inflation during the Civil War

I was shocked to learn about the inflation during the Civil War. It would be horrible to have an increase on our economy of 80%, but I can't imagine what the South went trough at a 9,000 % inflation! (page 447). I think it would be interesting for my students to look at our economy today and try and imagine what 80% and 9,000 % inflation would look like today and how their lives would change.

Civil War on the water

I hadn't realized that the Civil War was also fought on the water! I have always taught the Civil War and never mentioned the battles on water. I guess I never thought about it even though I new that the first submarine as used during the Civil War. I diffidently want to include these battles the next time I teach about the Civil War. I feel it is important to include these battles and to explain the importance these battles had on the outcome of the War. I love learning new things especially things that I should have alread known. I am truly enjoying this book better than I did in the beginning.

Sharon.

Crime against the people

Crime against the people
I posted this back in March, but for some reason it didn't post. So here it is now.
I have been reading in the Battle Cry of Freedom, chapters 4-6, and am disgusted with the lack of honesty and the amount of manipulation that when on in the politics of this nation. I don't particularly like politics and this book is not helping to change my mind. I am amazed that this nation has held together as long as it has. I am very American, but am appalled at the political life, which is still happening today in our government (my opinion). On a more positive note, I find that the happenings that lead up to the Civil War are very complex, it wasn't just a matter of slavery. There were a lot of people, states, and rulings from the court that lead up to the Civil War. In some body's blog I read that there is a close correlation between the politics discussed in the book and today's happenings in politics today. I find this somewhat frightening.

Civil Liberties

Why is it that when we study the Civil War, we hear talk about Lincoln and the steps he took to protect the Union, that deprived the people of their Civil Liberties, but we never talk about the fact that Jefferson Davis was doing the same thing? I have been reading about inscription and martial law in the South as it occurred in the South. Some of these things, like the draft, was in place in the South, long before it every happened in the North, yet it seems to be a well kept secret.

Selfish Generals

I found myself ticked at the generals as Chamberlain approached them to talk to Sykes. They all sat there eating fried chicken in the shade of the trees while the men who had just fought and saved the hill without ammunition were starving near them. They didn't even think to offer coffee or food to Chamberlain. He had to ask for food.

Lee: Union's Best Man day 3

Lee was our best man on the fighting of day 3.

Longstreet to Lee: "...over open ground, more than a mile, 1/2 the troops of yesterday"

Lee: "General, we all do our duty. We do what we have to do."

The Killer Angels-Broken Vows

Longstreet and Lee's comments of feeling that they had no choice about fighting for the South were very interesting to me. I knew that Lee had been asked to command the Union army and had turned down that commission. But it didn't occur to me that many of the Confederate soldiers had once fought with the men that they were now fighting against.
Longstreet laments that they "broke the vow". It struck me that serving in the army creates such a tight bond between fellow soldiers. When they are called upon to go into the heat of battle against former friends and their 'former country', they are doing the very thing they swore they wouldn't do. The internal conflict for these soldiers must have taken quite a toll.
Lee at least has the comfort of believing that "the issue is in God's hands. We will live with His decision, whichever way it goes." So even though he has broken a vow, his faith that God will orchestrate the outcome of this conflict, ultimately gives him the reassurance he needs to lead the Confederate army.

The Killer Angels-Chain of Command

I have been fascinated by the Civil War for a long time, but I haven't ever delved into any specific battles or generals. At the beginning of this book, I was having a hard time keeping all the different characters straight. I have found that listening to the book on CD while I read has really helped keep the men differentiated. The reader, Stephen Hoye, does a great job with the various accents and helps me follow each character's journey through this battle. Michael Shaara has an amazing way of giving a distinct voice to each person and helping the reader glimpse the different personalities that were working together for both sides.
One of the things that I hadn't really thought about with regards to battlefield command is how difficult communication was. I didn't realize that so many people were in charge in any given battle. Obviously, Lee and Meade are the final decision-makers but there were so many other subordinate commanders to communicate with and trust to ultimately carry out the orders they were given. All of the aides and political advisors were another part of the battle I hadn't thought much about. It must have been a very intense experience being assigned to work with these powerful men.

Killer Angels...and my lack of knowledge

One thing that has become apparent to me while reading Killer Angels is that I'm actually quite uneducated about many aspects of the Civil War. It's kind of sad, since I teach it to my students every year! Because of time constraints, I skip over a lot of things. I mainly focus on slavery and the underground railroad, a few differences between the Union and the Confederacy, a few key battles, Lee's surrender, and reconstruction. I started the book, but found I was having a hard time keeping the characters straight. I made a list of all the men fighting for both sides, and I keep it as a bookmark so I can refer back to it. Its embarrassing to say, and I'm sure some will find me shockingly ignorant, but some of these men are names I've never even heard of before. I'm excited to be able to gain new perspective and knowledge as I read this book!

One Comparison of Longstreet and Chamberlain

Chamberlain: "There didn't seem to be any alternative."
Chamberlain's men were tired, hungry, and out of ammunition. It seems as if all the union had at Gettysburg was a great spot and some fierce determination. The Confederates were moving in on them the second day. Chamberlain yelled, "Fix bayonets! Charge! Fix bayonets! ..." He leaped down from the boulder, still screaming, his voice beginning to crack and give, and all around him his men were roaring animal screams..." p. 241. I was also moved by the description of Chamberlain running down the hill toward the Confederate soldier with his saber at the man's throat. Swiftly, the soldier hands him his sword and Chamberlain says, "The pistol too." The man surrendered and Chamberlain merely nodded his acceptance.
Here is the difference, Chamberlain leaped and went with his men in the second day battle. Longstreet went in behind his men in the same battle, but the next day when he knew it was hopeless he told his men good bye and sat near a tree. I am still impressed with Longstreet and the things he accomplished. I just think that at the battle of the third day, he should have talked stronger to Lee instead of sacrifice his men straight away. But then where would we be now?

Reaserch paper required?

I signed up for the 5820(?) class, as I do not need anything for a Master's. I got mine in 1981 and hope it's still valad. Does anyone know -if we are taking just for the 3 ctredits- if we have to do a research paper as they were discussing in Feb? I talked with a group that went to Philidelphia and they indicated that only those wanting the Masters credit did the paper. Please help. Thanks

Simple Faith: Killer Angels (Day 3)

After the intense fighting of Day Two, Longstreet's questioning of Lee's stubbornness and decision making to continue fighting on this disadvantageous ground allows the reader to share in the difficult state of mind of these two generals in making such a weighty decision. Once Lee's decision has been made, Longstreet has resigned himself to the idea that maybe it's God's Will that things happened this way (p. 318). This speaks of the great sense of faith and fate that many of these soldiers had throughout the Civil War. 1860's America was a much more simplistic time in which people's faith and belief allowed them to follow questionable military tactics more readily. Gettysburg Day Three certainly called upon this tremendous faith and belief of the participating soldiers to make that fateful charge toward Cemetery Ridge.

Marzano on Note taking

After reading the section on note taking I was again reinforced with the idea of how important it is to have students taking notes during teacher directed instruction. The important thing is that students write down what it important. I don't believe that most fifth graders can determine what is important. Some try to write down everything, " verbatim note taking is, perhaps, the least effective way to take notes." I feel that teacher structured notes will work best for my class. These notes provide students with a clear picture of what the teacher considers important, and provides the students with a model of how notes might be taken. I also was reinforced with the concept that notes should be considered a work in progress. Students should be taking out those notes out and correcting misconceptions and adding new information. These notes should be a study guide. I haven't figured out how to have my students study. They will look over their notes once and say good enough. I am hoping that as they mature in the upper grades they will remember what I tried to teach them.

Courage

I can't believe the courage these leaders had to go into battle. I think that my favorite Confederate leader is Longstreet. He was sensible, yet knew his place. He was never going to go against Lee. He was saddened by his own actions, " couldn't even quit. Even that is not allowed."
I had always thought of Lee as a great leader. Longstreet described, "the man brought strength with his presence: doomed and defeated, he brought nonetheless a certain majesty." I think differently now about him.

I had not realized...

Shaara helped me to realize that men were sent from other countries to actually observe the war. I suppose I knew that other countries would be very interested in what was happening during the Civil War. Yet, my reading has led me to a deeper understanding of our interconnectedness with the countries of the world. What one country does truly changes the world. Who is watching the United States now? How are we changing the world?

Marzano Lesson Plan: Vocabulary and Graphic Organizers

Summary: This lesson plan is designed to be used over an entire Civil war Unit using the Episodal Pattern Graphic Organizer, Marzano's Vocabulary Strategy and Classroom Practice in Summarizing.

Materials:

• Episodal Pattern Organizer (Marzano Pg. 77)
• Teacher vocabulary definitions and linguistic representations (Marzano Pg. 128)
• eMedia video "Causes of the Civil War"
• Various reference Materials

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to describe the political and economic factors that contribute to the Civil War. Students will be able to see that the Civil War was more complex than just the issue of slavery and abolition of slavery. Students will know important historical individuals from the Civil War. Students will discuss and be able to list major battles and events of the Civil War in a time line. Students will be able to recognize the effects of the Civil War and learn of reconstruction efforts. Students will be able to explain and use important Civil War vocabulary in an effective summary after the unit.

Marzano Strategies Covered

1. Classroom Practice in Vocabulary
2. Classroom Practice in Nonlinguistic Representations
3. Classroom Practice in Summarizing

Instructional Procedures

Activity 1 Vocabulary

Use Marzano's five-step process in teaching vocabulary to introduce and teach new terms throughout the unit. Begin with Pre-war vocabulary. Present students with a brief explanation of each word or phrase and a nonlinguistic representation. Draw a sketch of what the word or phrase means to you or what you picture in your mind. Then, as you teach the unit and refer to those terms, have students write their own brief explanation and draw their own nonlinguistic representations in their notes. Repeat this process throughout the unit, introducing words to be understood during the war, and after the war.

Activity 2 Episodal Pattern Graphic Organizer

Use Marzano's strategy, Classroom Practice in Nonlinguistic Representations, Graphic Organizers, to help students process and organize information throughout the Civil War Unit. The Episodal Pattern Organizer on pg. 77 of Marzano's book is used in this lesson plan, but other organizers could also work well. Use this organizer to pattern lessons, and have students fill in sections as appropriate.

Begin discussing the Causes of the Civil War. Break them down into three sections, economic, political, and slavery and have students use additional arrows to add these three main causes. Then watch the eMedia video, "Causes of the Civil War." Have students list other causes as they fit into each main category. You will then need to spend additional time in class focusing on specific causes.

There are many battles and events that a teacher could discuss during the Civil War. The Episodal Pattern Organizer provides space for 4-5, it might need to be expanded to include 10 main events. Choose about 10 main events that you feel need to be covered in depth. Have students add these events in the order that they occur on their time line as you discuss them.

Give students a list of important historical individuals to research. Have them use various informational sources (encyclopedia, Internet, atlas, almanac, etc.) to research these individuals and their connection to the Civil War. As these are researched, they may add them to their Episodal Pattern organizer

Discuss the effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Have students list these under the categories of people, government and land as part of the graphic organizer. As each effect is discussed, they can list it under their main category.

Activity 3 Summary

Students will use their graphic organizers, learned vocabulary and acquired knowledge from the unit to construct a final summary of important information regarding the Civil War. Students should use their graphic organizer as an organizational tool in writing their summary. 1-2 paragraphs should focus on the causes, 1-2 on main battles and events, 1-2 on important historical figures, and 1-2 on the effects of the Civil War. Summaries should include appropriate use of vocabulary and show sufficient understanding.

Evaluation:

The final summary was used as the final test and evaluation of this unit. Students were asked to hand in graphic organizers, vocabulary, notes, and final summary for evaluation at the end of the unit.

Teacher Reflection:

Using Marzano's strategies, especially the Episodal Pattern Organizer, helped me to organize my Civil War unit before actually teaching it. It provided me an organized way to present information, and provided students a way to organize their information in an easy to follow visual. This also provided them with a guide as they wrote their summaries. I really liked the vocabulary strategy, and I am already using it in other content areas. Students are understanding and using the vocabulary in their discussions and summaries. The summaries I received at the end of the unit were insightful, mostly organized, and provided me with information about their learning, that I might not have gotten otherwise. Overall, I feel that these strategies were very effective in my classroom, and assisted in my teaching.

Pictures

Would it be possible to upload your picture so we can see a face with a name. I think that will help when we all get together. Thanks!

Marzano--Graphic Organizers

I liked the section in Marzano's book about graphic organizers. I like to use graphic organizers a lot in my class because it helps the students visualize the concept. I also love how graphic organizers can be used in any subject area from math to vocabulary to history and everything in between. In the book it mentioned that graphic organizers combine the linguistic mode with the non linguistic mode. They are also good for ESL students, students in Resource, and even the gifted/talented students.

One graphic organizer that stood out to me was the Episode Pattern Organizer on page 77. I had never seen an organizer quite like this. It kind of combines a lot organizers and puts them into one. I would like to try using this organizer in my class, especially for a history lesson. I think it could be a really good way for the kids to see the information in a different way.