Academic Language (from TPS Network)

This is the first post to the Supporting Literacy with Primary Sources group of the TPS Network. Although it isn't quite the same format, I am going to re-post what I write here as well. (You have to cover all of your bases, right?)

I remember going NUTS when I received mail as a child. I shared this image we are using as our group image with coworkers and quickly slipped into the nostalgia of “back in the day”.  While we were talking a student explained that she had no idea what party-lines or birthday cards full of dimes in slots were.  (Sigh, these kids are missing out!) It is amazing how a primary source can draw us in and focus our attention, conversation (and vocabulary) to a topic. This is why primary sources work well to introduce content or start a class. 

A student may walk in my room after spending the last 45 minutes intently thinking about the solar system or basketball. They have been immersed in the academic language of another discipline.  Now I expect him or her to immediately transition to my class and continue our conversation about immigration.  A switch like that is even hard for an adult.  To avoid losing precious time to getting everyone on task, I have found that sharing a primary source as students enter the room is key!  The conversation immediately shifts to some aspect of the topic as students see the 1906 motion picture Arrival of emigrants [i.e. immigrants], Ellis Island showing, listen to the audio recording of Don’t Bite the Hand that’s Feeding You  or read a newspaper headline from the Ellis Island page of Topics in Chronicling America. The conversations may not be exactly what I want them to discuss, but at least they are moving in the right direction. Developing content literacy through mastery of academic language builds fluency and comprehension. (Wow - my reading methods profs at SIUC and Murray State would be proud of that sentence.)

Academic language is more than vocabulary. It is connecting new ideas and concepts to what we already know. It is becoming familiar with an era, person or concept so that we can put new information in context. Mastery of academic language allows us to turn a lengthy explanation or description into a phrase or image. It sets a tone.

How do you use primary sources to support and develop academic language and content literacy?

Hello stranger...

I'm sorry. That is all I can say to anyone that reads or follows this blog. I apologize for abandoning you and promise to do better. There is a new energy at TPS EIU and I believe it is more that the sunshine, warmer temperatures and budding plants.

Welcome to 2015, the year of TPS EIU and Literacy!  (and the crowd goes wild!)
I will be back soon, so stick around.
Cindy

Hitting the ground running...

2013 is off to a fast and furious start of workshops and presentations, but TPS EIU would have it no other way!

The application deadline for the 2013 Summer Teacher Institutes at the Library of Congress is Monday, February 4!  If you are planning a trip to DC or are looking for something new for the coming summer, I encourage you to check these out!  Travel to DC can be affordable if you plan early and you will have the opportunity to work with amazing people at the Library of Congress and meet peers from across the country.   Learn more at http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/teacherinstitute/.

On Thursday, February 7, Cindy is presenting  Eyewitness to the Struggle for Change: Teaching With Primary Sources at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in conjunction with the exhibit Courage: The Vision to End Segregation, the Guts to Fight For It. We are fortunate to have several respected museums and facilities in Illinois.  While we may not be able to take our students to these sites, many offer opportunities for teachers to learn about their sites and resources that can be brought to the classroom electronically.

In coming weeks we will announce Summer 2013 plans for TPS EIU.

TPS EIU Update Nov. 2012

RESOURCES
The December 2012 issue of The Source is now available. Our topic for December is Diaries. 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 
Remember that you can always find current information about professional development events on our homepage at www.eiu.edu/eiutps. 

TPS EIU in Action and TPS EIU Jump-Start! We are now offering our hands-on professional development project that combines research, exploration, collaboration and authentic application at your local site, but with two options for scheduling.  TPS EIU in Action allows teachers to participate in the program over six to twelve weeks.  TPS EIU Jump-Start packs the program into four intense weeks with more independent work expected.  Check them out and contact us!! 

2013 SPECIAL EVENT! 
If you are able to travel to the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, Illinois in February, please join us for a packed day of professional development. Eyewitness to the Struggle for Change: Teaching with Primary Sources at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center (Skokie, IL)Thursday, February 7, 2013,9:00 am - 2:30 pm    5 CPDU     Cost $20.00

In conjunction with the exhibit Courage: The Vision to End Segregation, the Guts to Fight For It, The IHMEC in partnership with Dr. Cindy Rich from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program at Eastern Illinois University will explore the stages of the fight for equal educaiton, The Supreme Court argument, and the events that followed. The workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to engage in inquiry learning through the study of primary sources available from the exhibit and Library of Congress and to experience first-hand accounts of individuals who were embedded in the movement and experienced the aftermath. We will study photographs, documents, cartoons, audio, video, and more, and discuss how these events relate to other historic civil rights struggles and those occurring today. Register online.

Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass)

November 9, 1938 

German synagogues and Jewish businesses were destroyed on Kristallnacht, or "The Night of Broken Glass".  Although there are limited primary sources available from the Library of Congress that are directly related to Kristallnacht, some resources can be located for the days and events leading to this night and following. Be sure to look for additional resources and information at trustworthy sites such as the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center.

Berlin Jewish shop owners and wreckage. 1938 Nov. 10.Prints and Photographs Division. Library of Congress.

   Want to learn more?

1. Teaching the Holocaust with Primary Sources themed resource site.  This site is organized much like our other themed resources.  The sections and their contents include, an introduction (Nuremberg Race Laws, Kristallnacht, Ghettos, Concentration Camps and individuals highlighted in Righteous Among Nations), links to Library of Congress resources, primary source and analysis tool information and a primary source set.  

2. The Source is our monthly themed publication.  The October 2012 issue focuses on the Holocaust with more information that supports our themed resource.

3.  TPS EIU is thrilled to collaborate with the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center to present Eyewitness to the Struggle for Change: Teaching With Primary Sources.  This workshop for teachers will be held Thursday, 2/7/13 at the IHMEC in Skokie, IL.  

Common Core State Standards and Library of Congress Teacher Resources

The Library of Congress Teachers Page has incorporated the Common Core State Standards into their teacher resources.  From the Teaching with the Library of Congress blog announced yesterday that we are now able to search for materials based on CCSS.  The Search by Standards option has been in place for a couple of years and results are presented exactly the same.  If you are looking at a specific lesson plan, instead of a list of standards you are now able to search for the aligned CCSS as well.  

I haven't had the opportunity to explore this yet, but I did want to share the new feature with you.  Please feel free to share your thoughts as Melissa and I are trying to learn about the CCSS and how we can improve TPS EIU to support teachers in the classroom.

Researching the Holocaust

Following a 2012 visit to the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, the staff at TPS EIU began researching the Library of Congress website for relevant resources to support educators as they teach about the Holocaust.  The topic of the Holocaust is very broad, so we chose to offer a glimpse at resources on a variety of topics.  There are a limited number of items on this topic found at www.loc.gov, but other institutions and museums offer access to primary sources as well.  We encourage you to explore.

We are sharing our research in three ways.

1. Teaching the Holocaust with Primary Sources themed resource site.  This site is organized much like our other themed resources.  The sections and their contents include, an introduction (Nuremberg Race Laws, Kristallnacht, Ghettos, Concentration Camps and individuals highlighted in Righteous Among Nations), links to Library of Congress resources, primary source and analysis tool information and a primary source set.  

2. The Source is our monthly themed publication.  The October 2012 issue focuses on the Holocaust with more information that supports our themed resource.

3.  TPS EIU is thrilled to collaborate with the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center to present Eyewitness to the Struggle for Change: Teaching With Primary Sources.  This workshop for teachers will be held Thursday, 2/7/13 at the IHMEC in Skokie, IL.  For information see the announcement section at www.eiu.edu/~eiutps.