Reflections from WCSS 2020

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, WCSS provided their sessions digitally in the form of videos. I would have been unable to attend the conference in person even if it would not have been canceled, as I am on maternity leave at the moment. I was grateful for the opportunity to be able to watch the provided videos in order to learn along with others who wished to attend!

Here are my reflections from the sessions that I was able to watch:

Session: Developing Inquiry in Your Social Studies Class

by Tom Freesmeier

Here is a strategy that gives students an opportunity to think about a term and use clues to construct meaning. This strategy makes the students a more active participant in the process, rather than the teacher simply giving the students a definition.

1. Give students a term
2. Brain dump (students brainstorm meaning, questions, what the term reminds you of, what it sounds like... then discuss with a neighbor)
3. Give students a short reading about the term
4. Brain dump again
5. Give students a visual (chart, photo, etc.)
6. Brain dump a third time
7. Give students a sentence stem: “[Term] is…..” (This is a formative check so the teacher can assess whether or not the student understands the term.)

Session: Hands-on Lesson Ideas for Teaching Ancient Civilizations

by Angela O’Regan

Angela's session included many fun ideas to engage students in active learning. Here are my favorites:

Go Fish

Play go fish with a twist. When learning about different types of governments (monarchy, democracy, etc.), have students take on the role of that government and make up rules for the game. A dictator gets to make the rules alone, whereas a democracy requires that everyone agree up on the rules.

Bracketology

In the format of a tournament bracket, students determine which invention had the largest impact on our current society.