February. The month of love. The month of showing friendship and kindness to others. February can be a lot of fun in a classroom! I know that as a preschool teacher I am having a blast with it! It's okay to talk about Valentine's Day in the classroom, but there is soooo much more to February.
Can anyone think of what else February means? Black History Month!
This is such a special time for social studies loving teachers especially! Teachers are able to teach their students about so much during this month. A few concepts that could focused on are change, freedom, and human rights.
As a future teacher, I want to make sure that I am teaching this subject in an appropriate way so that my students are learning the important ideas, information, and concepts. I want my students to receive everything they should from my lessons. Edutopia had a blog called "6 Teaching Tools for Black History". This blog listed several resources to use when teaching and planning these lessons. The blog mentioned Pat Russo would wrote an article called "Do's and Don'ts of Teaching Black History". He mentions several methods for teachers when teaching this subject. His very first Do stated, "Incorporate black-history year round, not just in February. Use the month of February to dig deeper into history and make connections in the past." This basically said to me that students should already be familiar with what this subject means. Students should be familiar with the Human Rights Movement, the Civil War, and slavery. This should just be an opportunity to really study the details of what was happening during these times. Russo also tells teachers to make sure that students know that ""black" history is American history". I felt that this was a great statement. Students should know that regardless of their culture or background, this subject is always relevant to them. Along with some great do's, Russo gives some interesting don'ts. He states that teachers shouldn't be afraid to talk about the controversial issues. Students need to be aware of what was happening and what is still happening. This may be harder for younger grades to understand and comprehend. Luckily, I see that many young students don't see color and they don't understand the issue. However, with upper grades, this is an excellent way to reach students.
Russo gives specific do's and don'ts that can be great guidelines and tools for teachers. I feel that they would help me in my own classroom. I want to develop great lessons for my students. I also want to develop great performance tasks. We have learned how important it is to not create activities, but performance tasks. Creating great performance tasks connects to standard 3 of the teaching standards. Teachers need to align their teaching with the NCSCS. Creating grate performance tasks related to black history relates to standard 2 of the teaching standards. Teachers should always be embracing diversity. Showing students how important diversity and culture is can make a huge impact.
As a future teacher, make sure that you start making February a significant month.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/black-history-month-teaching-resources-matthew-davis
Read Pat Russo's article to learn more!!!
http://www.tolerance.org/article/dos-and-donts-teaching-black-history
Great post! I love the suggestion in the article, that students should know the subject and holidays are extra special days to dig deeper. I agree, teachers should not be afraid of controversial issues. Many students could benefit and learn better when they have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss these issues. I remember Dr. Parker talking about how debates in the classroom can lead to effective learning. I can honestly say that I remember coloring sheets about MLK and hearing the teacher quote his famous speech, but sadly we never discussed the reason behind the speech or how he died. I think this was because our teacher was afraid to discuss controversial issues.Great suggestions!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post Lauren, I was just shopping at Aldi the other day and I was looking at all the Valentines cards and thinking about how much I loved making those little mailboxes in school! It's cute and all but there is a lot more to February then Valentines Day. When I become a teacher, I hope to bring more to the table in February then hearts and flowers.
ReplyDeleteWow, I like your insights and thank you for making February more than silly, frilly valentines but demonstrating an understanding of real concerns and focusing on how your future students will be impacted by actual historical events. Well done.
ReplyDeleteWow! I really enjoyed this blog. I really the statement you made about as teachers we should integrate Black History Month all through out the year, not just during the month of February. It really opened my eyes when you made the statement about students already being aware of the subject. As a future teacher I want to make sure my students are fully aware of this topic before it is discussed in the month of February.
ReplyDeleteLauren, good perspective here! Your willingness to make your instruction more effective for your students is a great goal!
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