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Conference Session Previews
Then and Now:
Hands-on Activities to Engage Students
Presenter: Karin Huttsell,
Eel River Elementary, Ft. Wayne Indiana
Working as an apprentice or in a mill when you are only 6 to 8 years old was a different life for students 200 years ago. Students had no video games, no soccer games, no I-pads, no cell phones, no T.V, no music videos. Yet, teamwork and problem-solving were an important part of a kid’s life yesterday and today. This session will provide all the materials needed to give you a feel for life 200 years ago. You will leave with an appreciation of life as it exists today and take back classroom activities to engage students using teamwork and problem-solving.
Some additional resources that are worth looking over:
Units on Hoosier History and Indiana's State Parks
Using Literacy to Leverage Knowledge in Science and Social Studies
Presenters: Nicole Caulfield & Stacy Neal
Why is it important to explore how we, as educators, can build knowledge about content while also nurturing literacy? What does science and social studies instruction look like in our classrooms? On a continuum of elementary science instruction, there are two potential polar extremes. On one end are approaches that rely almost exclusively on “reading in the content areas” to help students learn about science concepts and ideas. On the other end are approaches that involve participation in hands‐on demonstrations and experiments without a grounding in communicating about science concepts. Impactful science instruction must include both experiences to help students understand science concepts, as well as opportunities to read and view, write and communicate understandings about science (Wellington & Osborne, 2001). Do these same extremes exist in social studies?
In this session, teachers will explore how they can amplify student learning by integrating the teaching of content and literacy. Learning to support students in not just the doing of science and social studies, but the thinking, talking, reading, and writing about science and social studies concepts. Participants will learn how they can build literacy skills through deep content knowledge‐reading across texts, critical reading, and writing.
Participants will work to develop ideas around the inquiry question, As teachers, how can we build knowledge about content while also nurturing literacy. The interactive session allows teachers to explore this question through both the teacher and the student lens. Ultimately, participants will gain insight into this question by engaging in content literacy experiences, similar to those they could use in application with students.
Wellington, J. J., & Osborne, J. (2001). Language and Literacy in Science Education. Buckingham: Open University.
Open University.