Applying Right Brain/Left Brain While Teaching Historical Literacy
Deeper learning will give our students a lesson they can sink their teeth into. Having a classroom with many different Genres of history being read during our literacy time with the activities carefully thought out to engage both hemispheres of the brain.
Wow! How inspiring is Matthew Reif’s classroom! In my 5th grade classroom we read our history and science books using our reading strategies, comprehension/thinking strategies. Infering and drawing conclusions. We learn to read non-fiction differently from fiction to find information. At the end of each chapter we summarize it in our summary point writings. I am eager to take my history classes to the next level as Matthew does. Our goal is to connect history with our lives by having students linking the past to the present by learning to think for themselves. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Every effort must be made in childhood to teach the young to use their own minds, for one thing is sure, if they don’t make up their own minds, someone will do it for them.”
3 comments:
Hello Mrs. B. I couldn't help but read your post on the right and left brain over and over. It was short and to the point. I liked how you quoted William's differentiation of the left and right hemisphere.
I can imagine that many of us who are taking this 1776 class will turn our own classrooms into Matthew Reif's classrooms. A place where there will be so many different genres of history being used the students enthusiasm and appreciation for the past will go above and beyond many of our prior expectations of students in history.
Eleanor Roosevelt made such a great point that we must teach the students to use their own minds. IF not the world will walk all over them. Feeling helpless and wanting to give up in this world comes to easy to all of us. However, teaching students right from the start how to think, debate, write, question, infer, discuss, etc will mold our future generations into wonderful citizens. Just think this can be done by simply reading an array of historical documents from an individuals journals from the 1700's to letters written between loved ones in times of war and/or hardships.
Tammy, We will have to continue to talk to each other regarding the strategies we are using for left brain students and the strategies we are using for right brain students. Having you in my building as a fifth grade teacher, and doing this class with me, will reinforce good teaching practice for my second graders.
Tammy, You certainly are industrious! I have seen you in action as you are doing so many end of year projects with fifth grade. You certainly are tapping left brain/right brain strategies in helping children maximize their critical thinking skills. Just as you have been inspired by Matthew Reif and Eleanor Roosevelt, you too are inspiring to those of us who see what you are doing at Montandon Elementary!
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