Civics....Our classrooms.....What does it all mean?

"Civics...It is our past, present and future~it is our rules, how we get along~it is our everything!"                               Sydney Beauchamp and Block 3 Elementary Social Studies Class 

     Aside from everything else we have done and learned about in our Social Studies class, I think the one thing I enjoyed the most that really stuck with me is the Civic's portion of Syd's curriculum (my professor). Maybe it's because our Block has become so close, and we've evolved into a family rather than just students who became friends along the way. Maybe it's because we have developed a true sense of community, and are to each other, all that good, and caring citizens are to a community. We care about each others welfare, we support each other, and do what we can to help each other go further. Maybe this is why this portion of her curriculum resonated so strongly with me because   what she was teaching, I have watched evolve and unfold within our family block. 

Circletime...ALL of us

     I can look inside this small community of people and see everyone helping each other, doing for each other, taking on specific roles and assuming specific jobs among us. We are all leaders, but there are a few that have stepped up and taken on that role and they do it with ease. It is as natural to them as breathing, and they do it well. Ours is a very diplomatic community with mutual respect among its citizens. If only the rest of the world could take a little peek inside Circletime to see how a true community works together, they could watch true civics in action. 

"The first lesson in civics is that efficient Government begins at home." Charles Evans Hughes

    Sometimes, these lessons do not get taught at home, so it is our job and civic responsibility as teachers and role models, to make sure it gets taught in our classrooms.

     Sooooooo.... how do we create this in our classrooms? How do we create a democratic classroom community of learners? How do we create a classroom family?

Image found on Google Images/clipart

We respect, we listen, we hear, we allow student voice, we see, we acknowledge, we care, we problem solve, we feel, we love, we create, we share, we suggest, we guide, we support, we provide safety, we are kind, we protect, we vote, and we model. 

     The list could go on and on, but the bottom line is we as teachers have an obligation to create and model for our students what community is. We show them how to be leaders and how to respect others. We show them how to celebrate their individuality and how to recognize and celebrate others individuality. Everyone has something to offer and it should be recognized and celebrated, regardless of how large or small. Each student is a piece that will make our classroom a whole.

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Look again at the list, just one more time, what is the common factor? Scroll up and look again...

Yep, you are correct....the common factor is "WE" meaning "TOGETHER."

     There are many strategies for teaching civics in the classroom. One thing we unanimously agreed upon, one thing that is important to each of us as individuals, and as teachers, is the importance of.... 

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"You will get respect in the classroom by being on the same page."

      I believe this quote was said by Sydney Beauchamp, our professor during this class discussion. (I have it written down in quotation marks and everything because it really struck me as true, but did not notate that she said it :/ ) Think about that for a quick second....What do these words really mean to you? "You will get respect in the classroom by being on the same page."

     These words speak volumes to me. They speak of trial and error as well as experience, but; ultimately the message in these words are clear to me, you share respect. It does not have to be a give and take, it can be shared. 

     This is the first step that we need to teach to our students through modeling. The teacher gives students respect, students receive respect, students give teacher respect, teacher receives respect = mutual respect....sharing, not taking, not demanding...sharing. 

     This is the foundation for beginning to teach our students civics. I feel we do not "get" respect because we think we deserve it, I feel that it is a privilege that we are "given," and it is up to us to cherish it. Let's share the gift! (I know it isn't this easy, but we have to start somewhere.....we have to create that foundation...)

Let's Plant the Seed....

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Look what I Found!

"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk."  Edison

     This could not be more true! We've been talking about field trips in my last couple of posts. We have discussed how they are an "adventure waiting to be had," preparing your class for said adventure, before, during and after activities, safety precautions, and subject integration. 

     There is a lot that goes into field trips and a lot to consider. Yep, that is just a given that we now understand.... What I would like to show you now, is just one of those subject integration's with a follow up activity after our field trip adventure that we did in class. 

     It's called Found Art. Yep, you guessed it, it is an art activity, ta-da....therefore.....art integration! We were asked to bring a bag along with us and pick up anything we thought interesting. All we were told is that we were going to use what we found to create an art piece. That sounded simple enough, except I forgot the darn bag! Luckily some of us always bring extras! 

     What is Found Art? What I have discovered about it is that basically it is art that is made from ordinary things that you find anywhere and everywhere. It is a fabulous way to really get creative as it is all on "you." In other words, it is what the artist "sees, or envisions" in what others perceive as ordinary junk or trash. It is an art piece where the artist makes something from nothing.

To learn more about Found Art, click on the links below... 

What is Found Art?

Found Art...

To view many different Found Art pieces, you can click on the following link.....................   

                    Examples (images) of Found Art 

There are some pretty amazing pieces.

     Now, back to our field trip Follow Up Found Art activity....As we walked through the wooded trails, my mind was racing with possibilities. I had no real idea what we were going to be making, and with instructions open and consisting only of, "Collect what you find interesting..." I realized that I found everything interesting. Knowing that I was going to use what I found, I began looking at everything in a different light. I am creative and have the ability to see normal items as things with potential possibilities. I also can see a use or potential use for things that let's say.....others do not. "Is that a symptom of hoarding? EEK!" (Just ask my husband, I have a basement full of "useful" things that I will someday use to "make something.")

     I began collecting.....acorns, grasses, many different types of bark, flower heads, Catalpa pods, leaves, etc. Like I said, I found everything interesting. I began to think about textures and colors, among a modge podge of other things. (I tend to collect many things I probably do not need, "but just in case....")

Oh the goodies!

     During class, after discussing our adventure, during Art, we were asked to get our bags of goodies out. We were given roughly 15-20 minutes to create a piece of art using what we had found. 

     "WHAT?!....WHAT?!" Oh my, for this girl, that seemed virtually impossible! My mind may have been racing with possibilities when I was collecting, but they somehow vanished when I needed them the most. This was not to be a masterpiece, this was not to be something that consisted of a lot of thought, this was reality.  "Oh no! What am I going to create? Where do I even start? What to do, what to do....."As I looked around, my classmates did not seem to be having this dilemma, which made it even worse..."Did I miss something? Were we supposed to already have a plan in place?" Needless to say, I spent the first 7 or 8 minutes trying to look like "I had a plan and knew exactly what I was going to do." So.........

Can you say that again? My mind was a chaotic mess at that moment. 
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      Okay, I'm creative, I tend to do my best work when I am "under the gun" and do not have a lot of time. So I began playing with the different items in my little bag. I randomly laid them on my paper, here then there, and KABAM! With only a few minutes to go, it hit me out of nowhere! I had a plan and I was off and running!

     I had a vision in mind, and just had to make it happen. This is what I created from my found items. It is right in line with what we looked at during our field trip. I was quite pleased with what I came up with and was able to get done during construction time after I stopped "freaking out" and "just let it happen...."

TA-DA!!! A little split rail fence constructed of bark, Catalpa Bean pods, and dried grasses, isn't it kind of cute?

     Oh the things I could still do with this little piece. My mind was off and running, and I didn't want to stop. I could have created a windmill in the back ground with additional trees and such. the path could have been filled in with seeds, or whatever....

     I realized that as I was creating this, I was thinking about all that I had seen on the field trip, as well as all that I had learned. I was processing all of this while creating art. IMAGINE THAT? I would say that our professor's goal was accomplished. This was a great activity to show us how to not only integrate Art into other subjects, but also how it helps the student to reflect and process what they learned. It is a wonderful way to draw information that is stored and tucked away to the forefront. 

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     If I would have taken the time to finish the piece, with the windmill, etc., I could have used it as an opening to research windmills and split rail fences. I could have researched Catalpa Bean Trees, where they are located, any uses for, etc. There are so many subject areas that can be utilized with one simple art project. INTEGRATION....it just makes sense. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to be a part of this course where I have learned how to incorporate Art into just about everything. When I create anything, it feels like I am playing, so with that being said.....

Let's stick together!

"Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure" Bob Bitchin

     It is all about perspective. A field trip....well that is just an adventure waiting to be had! So why not really make it fun, as well as create a sense of community, and add a little safety bonus by providing an additional way to "keep track" of students. This can all be done with one little activity. As you read on, you will find a plethora of uses for this one little activity....Any guesses? 

     Well....before we embarked on our adventure to the Bailly- Chellberg Homestead, we took a day and made tie dye shirts in class. This was what we were all to wear on the day of our upcoming adventure. 

     Thinking about this, I believe this is a fabulous idea. It is a fantastic way to show a couple of different things that would prove to be very useful when taking students on a field trip. 

Tie Dye T-Shirts

Shows that everyone belongs "together." 

We are a group.

Easier spotted should one decide to wonder.....

Promotes anticipation (before adventure activity)

Promotes community, unity "We belong together."

Shows individualism in a group (same shirts as a whole, yet each shirt is uniquely different)

Shows creativity

I have never tie dyed anything before so this was a mini adventure all on its own. I can see how this can get addicting as there are many different techniques (see tutorial link below) that can be used creating many different results. 

Click below...

Different Tie Dye Techniques/Tutorials

This before field trip activity is a great way to integrate several subjects. A creative teacher could use this before field trip activity as a spring board for many different lessons. It can be used as a great introduction activity for these lessons, as well as serve a purpose with the field trip. 

Subject Integration....All from Tie Dying T-Shirts....

• Art and Science: creating something unique that is the students own. Mixing colors can be talked about, light and dark, complimentary colors, primary colors, different dying techniques, predictions, hypothesis, experimentation...
• Language Arts: Predictions, reading instructions, following multi-step instructions, compare and contrast, cause and effect, sequential steps, retell how to tie dye or retell how to do a technique...
• Writing: Write steps in students own words, response writing (reflection about process and shirt), use interactive notebook to journal about it....
• Math: create graphs and charts about students who only chose certain colors, who chose only two colors, three, etc., lights, darks, preferences, sizes, amounts of dye used, steps involved, first, second, third, measurement....
• Social Studies: When was tie dye the most popular, what era, what was going on in the world, who was tie dying, what attitude is attached to tie dye and why, where did it originate, what's the purpose for our group doing this activity, what does it promote, what does it mean to belong to a group, community......

Maria and I getting our shirts ready with a pre-soak....We always have fun!

                                                                         

I used several colors and created my own random technique, here, there, and everywhere...It was so much fun and when that dye hits that brilliant white shirt...oh its  "sheer joy!"

And the finished product!!

There was not one shirt among us that was identical to another, yet it was easy to tell that we were all a group and that we were all together.....

Randy and Mike...great shirts!

Clare and Wendy....See the difference in their shirts?

Kasey, Jen, Syd, Mike, Lynnette, Maria, Wendy, Randy (he is part of the group, even though it looks as if he is going off in his own direction. It was his birthday..... and I don't know what Krystle is doing haha, a Clare. Look closely at the shirts that you can see, all different, but easy to see we are all in a group together :)

And this is for Krystle and Randy......

But....

Quotes and images found on Pinterest