Current Events... one cube at a time!

                                                  Learning by Cubing 

This past Friday Felicia, Susan and I presented a lesson on current events. The topic we decided to focus on was cubing. I came up with the idea of cubing because it is something that I read about in my Language Arts  Methods textbook, and I thought it would be a very engaging and creative way for students to look at an article, aside from the unoriginal who, what, where, when, and how.


    

So what is cubing you ask? Cubing is exploring a topic from six different viewpoints or perspectives. There are four steps  that involve cubing:

Step 1: Read instructions for your viewpoint, so that you know what you are looking for when reading. 

Step 2: Read an article. 

Step 3: Write your viewpoint as a title and then compose about 3 sentences from your viewpoint. 

Step 4: Tape your paragraph to our "Supper cool Class Cube." 

The great thing that I learned from exploring the topic of cubing is that this activity can be done with any article, as long as it is the appropriate length, and any grade level, although we focused on fifth. Even though the idea of cubing is engaging and exciting for students because they get to tape their response to a cube and the cube can be decorated in any way that is appropriate, the main reason why I like cubing is because students will understand that there are many ways to read and respond to an article. In addition, students will  become knowledgeable with the fact that looking at anything from different viewpoints is crucial, whether it be in school, in our own occupations, or in our own social or personal lives.

The Six Viewpoints 

Description: After reading the  article, you will describe what the article is about. 

Comparison: After reading the article, you will compare your findings to a time when you were praised for something you didn't think you deserved. 

Association: After reading the article, you will associate what you read with something else that you have learned about, either in the news, class, or in, your personal life. 

Analysis: After reading this article, you will analyze the details that you read in order to break it up into main parts. 

Application: After reading the article, you will write down how you can apply the message that learned to your own life. 

Argumentation: After reading this article, argue whether you believe that Faulkner did the right thing by asking for his Purple Heart later on in life or if you think it was too late? Why? 


The descriptions of each viewpoint is content specific to the article that we utilized, but the descriptions would change according to the topic of the article and how well students are familiar with cubing. The article that we used is entitled "Richard Faulkner, World War 11 veteran, awarded Purple Heart after declining honor 70 years ago." Felicia found this article on one of the news websites.

      

 In short, this article was about a World War 11 Veteran who was awarded a purple heart, the oldest military award still given to U.S. service members, back in 1944 after he was the sole survivor on a B-12 plane. Back then, Faulkner did not receive the award because he found it difficult to accept what happened, but many years later, he finally accepted it so after he died, his grandchildren would remember his heroic and brave efforts in the military. 


For this lesson, I modeled the first viewpoint, description, and put it on the cube so students would know how to respond to the article based their viewpoint. Afterwards, we assigned each pair of students a viewpoint, even though the responses would be done individually, and students had about five minutes to respond to the article.  After students were done responding, they put their written responses on their cube and we even had some students read what they have written in relation to their viewpoint. When students reflected, most of them said that they wished that they had more time to respond, because people had a lot to say. Therefore, this lesson may be better suited in forty-five minutes intervals rather than ten minute intervals.

In short, I feel like this lesson went well!!!


First Grade 





This lesson could be used with the first grade classes by modeling and explaining in detail every perspective. In addition, I would also split students up into pairs and have them work with one another. While cubing works well in the other grades  since viewpoints is a complex topic, as long as teachers  model, this could still be an engaging experience for first graders. In addition, I would use a book, rather than an article, and make sure it is a book that was read to students already, more than one time. I would explain viewpoints as looking at something in a certain way, and I would guide students through the process every step of the way.

Sixth Grade 




Since the lesson on cubing was for fifth grade, I would not make that many changes to the lesson when it comes to sixth grade students. Contrasting from first grade, however, there would be less teacher support. However, I would still model how to do the first viewpoint, and I would have students write 4-5 sentences, rather than 3-4. In addition, the complexity of the article may vary and students would also be required to use one of the viewpoints to respond to an article at home. The overall themes of viewpoints and perspectives would also be utilized and integrated within the lesson as well, so students understand the sole purpose of why cubing is so important. By the end of the lesson it would be hoped that students would understand perspectives, not only when looking at various texts, but their own lives.

Current Events inside of the Classroom 



I learned many new things about  using current events inside of the classroom. I never realized until today how important it is for students to be able to read and gain valuable information from articles, not only information either, but gaining important skills in the process. For example, I know many groups who used listening and speaking as the skills that would be taught for current events. However, I used the CCSS ELA Literacy standard on writing which is writing informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. By responding to the article using the six perspectives makes it possible for students to do so. It allows them to look at anything , whether it is an article, a book, or even a picture, and be able to write about it  from that point of view. Even the performance indicators state how students will be able to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly,  develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic, and use precise  language and domain specific-vocabulary to inform or explain about the topic, and eccetra. As it is explained, it is not all about writing, but  getting skills out of it.


Current Events and Technology

It is the 21st century, so teachers are moving away from using paper and pencils to teach students about current events. Since technology is expanding, that is what many teachers are utilizing inside of the classroom now. There is a great website  entitled "5 Ways Students Can Visually Explore the News" which provides resources to teachers about how to find current event stories that are visually appealing and  informative to students and allows them to explore the news on their own (Byrne 2011).

Here are two of them that I found interesting:

Ten by Ten: This is a program that links images with new stories by a ten by ten grid (Byrne 2011).  . Clicking on an image will provide students with more articles about the story. I like this program because it allows students to make connections between pictures and stories. They can make connections not only between those two, but personal connections as well.
 



Newspaper Map: This is a tool used for locating and reading newspapers from locations all over the world. There are many ways to find a newspaper, such as browsing through a map and clicking on the link to read the newspaper. It can also translate  the newspapers on the map (Byrne 2011). I like this tool because it teaches students  new ways to look at maps, and again, students get an opportunity to make connections between the map and the story. It is also great because this tool gives access for students to read papers from all over the world.



Besides using these awesome tools, it is also possible to teach students about using current events using technology such as TweenTribune, twitter, and Newsela. All of these are great resources to use and can be used for students in the elementary grades. Tweentribune is a great website for all students to use because it provides a range of relevant and interesting topics for students to learn about from animals to entertainment. It is also easy to negotiate for both teachers and students. First grade students may need to be  modeled and shown how to use the site, but the older students should be able to easily find important and interesting articles without as much support.



I do not know if I would use twitter inside my classroom as often. When I think of twitter, I think of social media. However, it is a great and quick way to get updated news stories. When something is considered "breaking news" twitter is usually the first place I would I look. However, I do not think that twitter is necessarily appropriate to use inside the school classroom and since first-third grade students would not be familiar with Twitter, I would probably utilize it with the older students.

    


When it comes to newsela,  this is a way to build reading comprehension with nonfiction that is relevant when it comes to daily news. After reading the news stories, students could test their comprehension or what  they understood from reading the article. What is great about this website is that it could be used for students of all ages, no matter what grade depending on the news stories.





As demonstrated, current events is important in students  lives so they can keep up what is going on in the world, and so they can increase comprehension, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Using the article when it comes to cubing was great and interactive to use because it gets all students involved and is interactive and engaging for them to be apart of.

Links 


Below are the links to the PowerPoint and lesson!

PowerPoint Presentation on Cubing!

Mini-Lesson on Cubing




 

It takes many parts to make a puzzle

This past week, Monday, I worked with my jigsaw group in order to put together a presentation on parts of cooperative learning, or what it is usually known for as PIGS. I worked on this presentation with my base group, who consisted of Brian and Sara and our jigsaw topic was on social skills and face to face interaction. After we were finished creating the PowerPoint we taught to members of our expert group, who consists of Jessica, Kristen, and Julie, what our cooperative learning topic was. This was a beneficial assignment for me because I got to teach to my group why social skills and face to face interaction is crucial when it comes to cooperative learning. As I look at it, the more experience I get with teaching the better prepared I am for the classroom. I want as much experience as I can get while I am given the opportunity and teaching social skills and face to face interaction provided me with that opportunity!!

Social Skills and Face to Face Interaction 

The beginning of the PowerPoint was a warm up of how social skills and face to face communication is utilized inside  elementary school classrooms and how teachers  play a vital role as the  facilitator. After showing this short  clip to the members of my expert  group, I asked them what they learned about social skills and interaction. This was a great way  to jump right  into the lesson because  it showed my members what it looks like inside of the classroom, and how teachers become involved. 

  Overview

• One of five key elements of cooperative learning
• Group tasks require complex interactions and social skills.
• Helps students to develop interpersonal, small group and teamwork skills
• Teachers can help students to use, and develop these skills through: explicit instruction, reinforcement, and feedback  

The next slide was the Overview. I explained to my group members that social skills is a key element of cooperative learning, how group tasks require interactions and social skills, how having students  work together can develop students  teamwork and interpersonal skills, and how teachers  play a part to help students use and develop these skills.

When it comes to social skills and face to face interaction, I learned  and taught that there are six important outcomes to having social skills and interaction. These six outcomes include:

Personal Development and identity

Career Success 

Quality of Life 

Physical Health 

Psychological Health 

Ability to Cope with  Stress 

These six outcomes  stress that when students develop social skills and positive interactions  within the classroom environment and among their peers, later on in life students will have strong social skills, and this will impact  the way they live their  lives. For personal development and identity, it is shown that interacting with others results  in a better understanding of ourselves where having few interpersonal skills may develop inaccurate or incomplete view of ourselves. This shows that we have a better sense of who we are based on relationships with other  people. The second outcome is career success. It is shown that social skills enhance major skills required in the real world of work, so maintaining strong interactions will be beneficial out in the real world when it comes to all professions, from a waiter at a restaurant to a teacher. We need strong social skills in order to cope with  complex situations and getting others to corporate. Then there is quality of life, which means that social skills allow people to form close intimate and personal relationships, such as friendships and romantic relationships, like marriage. We need positive interactions in order to form these types of bonds, and to make these bonds last. The fourth outcome of social skills is the impact it has on physical health. Research shows that high-quality relationships are linked to quicker recovery from illness and injury and to a longer life outcome. The stronger social skills we have, the quicker we recover. The fifth outcome is psychological health, which is the ability to build positive and supportive relationships, which increases autonomy, self-identity, and self-esteem. This outcome goes along with the ability to cope with stress. Having positive relationships decrease anxiety by providing care, information, and feedback. When we find ourselves in stressful situations,  we are able to deal with it better by the relationships we have and the support we receive from those relationships.

Below are skills needed for corporate learning. These are skills that should be utilized inside of the classroom and should help build stronger social skills and positive interactions among group members.

Forming Skills 

Functioning Skills 

Formulating Skills 

Fermenting Skills 

 Forming skills helps organize the group and establish guidelines for using appropriate behavior. These include the  rules  that are assigned to each group member, such as noise monitor, participation monitor, and
turn-taking monitor. Assigning student roles ensures that all students are participating in the lesson.





Functioning skills helps the group manage their effort and maintain working relationships. In order for this  to be successful, students must share their ideas and opinions and asks for facts that make interactions easier. This will help students gain an understanding of each other's work so that no one falls behind or becomes confused. Questions students  may ask include: Why don't we try this in the time we have left? Other comments may include: Come on, let's get this thing moving!




Formulating Skills helps maximize student learning and the goal is to stimulate the use of higher reasoning strategies and enhance  mastery and retention. This could be done by summarizing out loud by memory or by  helping a group member correct his or her summary. Examples could include: I am not sure this is correct. We should check... and We should use colors for this table...





Fermenting Skills helps understand the material that is being studies, manage cognitive conflict, search for more information, and explain the reasoning behind other member's confusion. Examples may include: Can you explain your answer? would this conclusion summarize everyone's ideas?





All four of these skills enhance students communication skills, develop interactions among group members and social skills.

Also included in the presentation were two t-charts. The first t-chart explains how students may go about suggesting ideas and what they may look like doing that. The second chart is checking for understanding and how students may go about that  and what it looks like.



In order to teach students adequate social skills and prepare them for real life, there is also four steps for teachers to follow.

Step 1: Ensure Students see the need for the desired teamwork skill
Step 2: Ensure students understand what the skill is, how to engage in it, and when to use it. (Refer to t-chart)
Step 3: Set up practice situations to encourage mastery of skill. 
Step 4: Ensure that each student receives feedback on their use of the skill, and reflects on how to engage in it more effectively the next time. 

Check for Understanding

Using Kahoot!

This is the online quiz to check for understanding. It would not work when I was teaching my expert group, but I hope it will work this time!

On a final note, I just wanted to reflect on cooperative learning as a whole. To be honest, I thought I knew about cooperative learning and many of the components that are involved, including social skills and face to face interaction, but listening to my group members present  to me their PowerPoint' s and doing my own research on my part of the  puzzle, I realized that there was a lot of it that I did not know. Understanding and learning about what makes a cooperative learning lesson successful was interesting to learn about and as a future teacher, I can utilize many of these characteristics and do my best to enhance positive interaction and develop social interaction. After all, academic learning is one side of the classroom experience. The other side is developing social skills and working with one another. These are skills that have to be taught too. 

PowerPoint Presentation