The Week That Was In 505

This week in 8th-grade social studies, we delved into the War of 1812 with a unique and interactive “This or That” choice board assignment. Students were given the task of exploring different aspects of the war, but with a twist. Instead of traditional options such as writing a diary entry or creating a political cartoon, students had the choice of creating either a Netflix series or a Yelp review about the War of 1812.

The “This or That” choice board was a hit with the students, as it allowed them to think creatively and engage with the material in a way that was both fun and meaningful. The Netflix series option gave students the opportunity to develop a plot, characters, and a setting for a fictional show about the War of 1812, while the Yelp review option allowed them to explore different perspectives on the war from Federalists or War Hawks.

In addition to the War of 1812, we also covered the Monroe Doctrine. To do this, we followed a CybereSandwich format, where students read a section of the textbook, took notes and discussed them in small groups. But to make it more interactive, we also did a variety of activities such as Retell in Rhyme, Upside Down Learning, or the new 5xGenre.

All in all, it was a great week of learning about these important historical events. The “This or That” choice board and the various activities helped to make the material more engaging and interactive for students. The student’s understanding of the War of 1812 and the Monroe Doctrine was greatly enhanced as a result, and they had fun while doing so.

I have been using ChatGPT in a variety of ways – differentiating for various reading levels, creating 2 truths and 1 lie, creating essays with factual errors, creating questions for readings, and even writing the opening to this blog post that you just read. (I wanted to try this out to see what it could come up with. I was specific with my requests for writing this opening. But this blog is too personal for me to have a computer write it.)

Monday – This or That War of 1812

Tuesday – This Or That War of 1812

Wednesday – This Or That War of 1812

Thursday – Monroe Doctrine CyberSandwich, 5xGenre

Upcoming Shows – EdPuzzle Live with Corippo, EduProtocols+

Monday and Tuesday

The War of 1812 is often overlooked and under taught. Last year, I used a This or That Choice Board template created by Stephanie Howell (@mrshowell24). I like this style of choice board because each new column builds on the previous one.

For this particular choice board, I created three I Can statements:

1. I can identify and describe 2 causes of the War of 1812.
2. I can analyze perspectives of Federalists and War Hawks when deciding to go to war or not.
3. I can identify and describe 1 effect of the War of 1812.

For the Explore column, I wanted two activities to introduce the War of 1812. I decided to add a Frayer because it’s familiar. Plus, I could have paper copies of a Frayer. I also included an EdPuzzle as a choice. EdPuzzle is familiar for all the students, and I always try to choose videos that are under 10 minutes. This particular video on the War of 1812 was created by EdPuzzle and is around 7 minutes long.

In the Read column, I had a Thick Slide as an option because it’s familiar to the students. I also used ChatGPT to create questions with the textbook section. I pasted the textbook section into ChatGPT and asked it to create five questions. Some students like the traditional read and answer the questions (even though it makes me cringe). The questions also allowed me to have paper copies. Both the Thick Slide and questions focused on causes, reasons for war, and effects of the war. The Thick Slide or questions could be used as a resource. Everything we do in 505 has a purpose.

In the Connect Column I wanted students to think of the War of 1812 from the perspective of a Federalist or War Hawk. The options were an Empathy map or Dialogue slide. The empathy map has students thinking about the war from a Federalist or War Hawk perspective. The Dialogue slide had the students creating a conversation between James madison and Rufus King. These two men were mentioned in the article from the Read column.

The Create column I changed from last year. This year I had students write a Yelp Review as a federalist or War Hawk. Students also had a choice of creating a Netflix series. The Netflix template is familiar. The Yelp Review was new.

Some students had trouble thinking about how to write a Yelp Review so I got on ChatGPT. I literally asked it, “Write a yelp review about the war of 1812 from the perspective of a federalist.” Sure enough, it spit out an amazing review. I copied and pasted the review to a Google Doc, shut off the ability to copy and paste, and shared it with students. (The review, however, didn’t identify 2 causes of the war or effects of the war. But, it was a good starting point for students.)

Overall, this choice board was successful. The students enjoyed it, and did a nice job completing all the activities. If I could change one thing, I would change the Connect column. Something about doesn’t seem to fit. I might add in more of an exploration of the war and it’s battles. Maybe a Number Mania? Maybe focus on some of the people? I don’t know….this is me thinking out loud.

Wednesday

I was hoping the students would be finished with the Choice board by Tuesday. In my mind, Monday and Tuesday were enough. However, I gave them another day. I felt like I was going too fast and rushing them through stuff. Every now and then I need to remind myself to slow down.

When Wednesday rolled around, I had some students finished with everything. Most were behind. For the students that were ahead, I wanted them to have a day where they could review, and make connections with the he content they have learned up to this point.

To help with this, I went to EMC2Learning and found some Penny Pedagogies. Penny Pedagogies are quick, ready-to-use lessons that can work with any subject area. The Penny Pedagogies I chose were (I cannot share these – please visit the EMC2Learning Site):

1. Linking Logs – Students add people, places, events, ideas and find the connections with each layer.
2. Upside Down Learning – Students retell the real story of an event. Then underneath they create a false story by changing some minor details.
3. Content Crossword – Students play on a scrabble board using letter tiles and making words and connections related to the content.

Overall, it was a good day. The students that needed to finish Netflix or Yelp reviews had a chance. The students who were finished had an opportunity to review content, make some connections, and take their thinking to the next level.

Thursday

Thursday we learned about the Monroe Doctrine. I began with a Thin Slide and asked the questions, “List a continent in the Western Hemisphere.” Students had 2 minutes, 30 seconds to locate and list a continent. This was done to build background knowledge and give the students a sense of location.

After a quick discussion, we used a remixed CyberSandwich. Students read and took notes for ten minutes. I used a Main Idea note taking strategy where students looked up who, where, what, why, etc. with the article. Then students discussed their notes. This was followed by a simple twist of bazinga, 2 important facts, or questions. This is a great way to get a sense of students learning, and a great way to get your class communicating and collaborating. What do these 3 categories mean?

1. Bazinga – students wrote on the board a fact that surprised them.
2. Two important facts – students wrote on the board two important facts.
3. Questions – students wrote down a question they had from the article.

Students could choose to contribute to any category. It allowed me to clear up any misconceptions and answer any questions.

We ended the CyberSandwich with a Retell in Rhyme. The students had 10-15 minutes to write as many couplets as possible. They did okay. I need to use this more often in class.

Throughout the day, however, I changed the CyberSandwich summary to a 5x Genre. I found the template on the EduProtocols Community on Facebook. The 5x Genre has premade genre’s, or focus areas, for students to write about. This EduProtocol has students shift their thinking while writing about content, pictures, or videos.

Instead of having premade genres, I created 8 different genres, or focus areas and we rolled dice. I timed each writing prompt 4 minutes, but then shifted it down to 3 minutes after two rounds. The students loved this new EduProtocol. I was going to stop at 4 rounds, but the students asked to do another round. The dice added a new level of fun.

Here were the eight different focus areas:

1. Informational (Did you know…)
2. Use Rhyme (Monroe made a statement clear, Europe stay out of here.)
3. Narrative (Once upon a time…)
4. Persuasive…(This is the best/worst because)
5. Point of View (Europe)…
6. Angry Tone
7. Happy Tone
8. Haiku…(3 lines, 5-7-5)

Upcoming Shows

EdPuzzle Live Event – To learn more about EduProtocols, 505, or any of the lessons you see on hear join Jon Corippo and me on the EdPuzzle Live show Feb. 9, 2023 at 7:30 PM est. In this Edpuzzle Live we’re exploring how teachers can create student-centered learning experiences using EduProtocols. Register for Free.

EduProtocols+ – To learn more about EduProtocols, implementing EduProtocols, and connect with other teachers and coaches, sign up for EduProtocols+. Join Dr. Scott Petri and me as we do a live show each month to discuss implementing EduProtocols in the Social Studies classroom. Also featured on the site:

1. Nearly a dozen live EduProtocols-based shows featuring effective instructional practice.
2. Access live, video and AUDIO versions of all the shows + each show comes with a companion guide with all the links.
3. Exclusive access to reusable lesson frames and resources not found in any of the books.