What Makes an What Makes an Effective S.S. Effective S.S. Program Tick?Program Tick?

Howard County’s Elementary S.S. Program

Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Capacities

Multi-modal experiences increase learning.

Jerome Bruner The Spiral Curriculum

All children can learn.

Elizabeth Cohen Cooperative Interaction

Effectively facilitated cooperative interaction combats the problem of “unequal status interaction” and increases

learning gains .

Visual Discovery

Social Studies Skill Builders

Experiential Exercises

Problem Solving Groupwork

Response Groups

Interactive Student Notebooks

(SRBs)

Engaging Instructional Engaging Instructional StrategiesStrategies

Effective Assessment

Reading Informational Text

Comprehension

Strategy Instruction

Thoughtful Writing

Application

Historical

InvestigationsTCI Approach =TCI Approach =

Running Out of Time?

Content Content IntegrationIntegration

Curriculum ResourcesCurriculum Resources• Lessons that address all

objectives• Aligned Textbooks &

tradebooks • Multimedia resources

– Test Pilot Assessments– Video Clips– Technology Adaptations– Power Points

Notes Notes PagePage

Preview the text in Preview the text in section 7.1section 7.1

Make observations about :

•Text features

•Clarify meaning of bold faced words by using the glossary

Read Section 7.1Read Section 7.1 to learn about the six colonies

that were established by Britain between 1620 and 1733

Read Section 7.2 to compare these regions

STEPS FOR PREPARING A C OLONIAL BILLBOARD

Work with your group to create a billboard that encourages others in the class to settle in yourcolony. Follow the steps below.

_____ Step 1: Review the roles. After your teacher assigns your role, readthe information below. Make sure everyone knows his orher responsibilities.

Historian You will lead the group during Step 2 to makesure that everyone understands key historical informationabout your colony.

Advertiser You will lead the group during Step 3 to create aSlogan and catchy statements that show your colony’s outstanding features.

Graphic Artist You will lead the group during Step 4 to create strikingvisuals that show key features of your colony on the billboard.

Salesperson You will lead the group during Step 5 to create a memorablesales presentation to convince others to settle in your colony.

_____ Step 2: Learn about your colony. Take turns reading aloud the information aboutyour colony in Chapter 7 of History Alive! America’s Past. When you finishreading, the Historian should make sure that everyone in the group cancomplete the corresponding section of “Comparing the Colonies” (StudentResource 3.2, pages 1 and 2) from memory.

_____ Step 3: Write a slogan and catchy statements for your billboard. Your billboardmust contain a slogan that summarizes your colony’s most outstandingfeature. For example, for the colony of Virginia, you might write: Make yourdreams come true with the rich soil of Virginia! This slogan identifies one ofVirginia’s outstanding features, the availability of rich soil for farming. It alsotries to get people to move to Virginia by showing that they could becomewealthy there. After you have brainstormed some ideas, have the Advertiserwrite you slogan below.

Slogan:

52Your billboard must also contain three catchy statements that describe other qualities of yourcolony, such as its geography and climate or job opportunities. After you have brainstormedsome ideas, have the Advertiser write the three catchy statements below.

Catchy statement 1:

Catchy Statement 2:

Catchy Statement 3:

______ Step 4: Sketch visuals for your billboard. Your billboard must contain four visualsthat reinforce the ideas in you slogan and catchy statements. Your visualsshould be simple and striking so that they can be easily seen from a distance.After you have brainstormed some ideas, have the Graphic Artist quicklysketch the four visuals in the space below.

53

______ Step 5: Brainstorm ideas for a sales presentation. Your Group’s Sales-person will have one minute to present your billboard to the rest of the class.Make the presentation educational and entertaining. Use a memorable salesgimmick, such as distributing coupons or singing a musical jingle. In thespace below, have the Salesperson outline the main ideas to include in thepresentation.

VOTE

VIRGINIAVIRGINIA

Presenting your Presenting your billboard:billboard:

1. Post your billboard in front of the room.

2. Remember, you will have only 60 seconds

Cast your vote!Cast your vote!

Which colony would you rather live in?

1. Walk around the room and examine each of the billboards.

2. Stand next to the billboard representing the colony you would have wanted to settle in during the 1700s.

In which colony did most students want to settle? Why do you think so many wanted to settle in that colony?

In which colony did the least number of students want to settle? Why do you think this was so?

What factors were most important to you as you made your decision?

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MS NH RI CT NY PA NJ DE MD VA NC SC GA

Number of Votes

Let’s Analyze Your ChoicesLet’s Analyze Your Choices

Return toRe-Vote

Read sections 7.3 Read sections 7.3 through 7.8through 7.8

While reading, use the questioning strategy to

evaluate the claims made on the billboards and by

the salespeople.

After reading, complete After reading, complete “Comparing the Colonies”“Comparing the Colonies”

Cast your vote Cast your vote AGAIN!AGAIN!

Stand next to the billboard representing the colony you

would have wanted to settle in during the 1700s.

( You may stand next to a different billboard this time if your opinion has

changed.)

RE-VOTE !RE-VOTE !In which colony did most students want to settle? Why do you think so many wanted to settle there?

How many students changed their choice of colonies?

Why did you decide to settle in a different colony this time?

What did you learn about the colonies from the reading that you didn’t learn from the billboards and the salespeople?

Student Re-vote

Click to go back to Original Vote

Curriculum ResourcesCurriculum Resources• Lessons that address all objectives• Pre-aligned Textbooks &

tradebooks • Multimedia resources• Document Repository

• Visuals–National Geographic Picture Packs –Color Transparencies–HCPSS Grade 4 Transparency Pack–Non-linguistic representations

Professional DevelopmentProfessional Development• Targeted Grade Level Workshops• New Teacher Support• Countywide In-services• Summer Seminar • Training for Instructional Team

Leaders• Continuing Professional Development

Course for SCH• Administration training

What do YOU do that makes

your SS instruction effective?

How can you IMPROVE your instruction?

Kimberly PearreHoward County Public School System

kpearre@hcpss.org