Archives

Please excuse the mess. 

This is the place where I store random useful information that once lived on the home page. 

Tools for students to show what they know

TimelineJS is an open-source tool that enables anyone to build visually rich, interactive timelines. Beginners can create a timeline using nothing more than a Google spreadsheet, like the one linked here. Check here to see a short video on how to make one.

Coggle is a free collaborative mind mapping tool! It's great for pre-writing, brainstorming, and organizing thoughts and it's simple to use! 

Use your CCSD gmail to create a free account in Streamable Learning. This Charleston-based company connects teachers & students with experts all over the globe. Check the schedule for Ancient Egypt experts in October, Civil War experts in December, and many more. 

Flipgrid is a FREE social learning platform designed for teachers and students. 

Students record short, authentic videos and can reply to each other’s videos. Educators are 100% in control with video moderation, access controls, and much more.

Have a few extra minutes in class? Let your kids embark on a journey that takes you all over the world. Students are randomly dropped in locations like the most desolate roads in Australia to the busy, bustling streets of New York City.

Screen Recording Tools

Screencastify is a lightweight, easy to use screen recorder for Google Chrome users. 

WeVideo is a robust screen casting platform that includes many video editing options.  CCSD students have access to the full version of WeVideo.

Information Gathering Tools

Music, the Constitution, & Education

Do you teach the US Constitution? 

The podcasts RadioLab and More Perfect got together with some popular musicians to write songs about the 27 Amendments. Each musician was given the text of one amendment and asked to write a song about it. The songs are a variety of genres and include a variety of famous and upcoming artists. 

One interesting activity may be to give students the text of an amendments, have them listen to a corresponding song, and analyze one/both of the texts based on what they learn. 

a deep dive into Google Tools

Google Trends is a search trends feature that shows how frequently a given search term is entered into Google’s search engine relative to the site’s total search volume over a given period of time. Google Trends can be used for comparative keyword research and to discover event-triggered spikes in keyword search volume.

Google Trends provides keyword-related data including search volume index and geographical information about search engine users.

AutoDraw is a new kind of drawing tool that pairs the magic of machine learning with drawings from talented artists to help everyone create anything visual, fast.

AutoDraw is great for projects and visual presentations especially for students who are reluctant to illustrate their thinking because they "can't draw." Read @ericcurts article here and check here to see Quick Draw. 

This Breakout Lab is designed to teach people how to use Google products in unexpected ways to get students thinking creatively and critically about their work. This project is a digital version of Breakout EDU and Escape Rooms. 

Do you use Google Hangouts? I use Hangouts to connect with teachers, content experts, and community members on a regular basis. Sometimes we use the chat feature to send quick messages and sometimes we use the video call to have a conversation when we can't be in the same place at the same time. Use your CCSD gmail account to send me a message on Hangouts!

1.mp4

Rank Country is a website that features datasets about education, healthcare, infrastructure, tourism, weather, and dozens of other topics. It is easy to browse the Rank Country data maps. Simply head to the site and open the "browse" menu in the upper, left corner of the page. That menu will reveal all of the data categories. Clicking on a category will reveal all of the datasets available within the category. Once you've selected a dataset it will appear on the map. Clicking on the map will reveal more information about the data as it relates to that location.

2.mp4

Cronobook is a new-to-me website that features a searchable map of historical photographs. The premise of the site is simple and using it is easy. Just head to the site, search for a location, and click on the small images to see them in full size. A little bit of information  including location and date is included with the images. 

"Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble."

John Lewis

The Gaillard’s artist-in-residences Charlton Singleton and Marcus Amaker are doing their part to open up these conversations in the community and in the classroom. Below you will find a link to our first three episodes of Raising the Volume. The lesson plans for middle and high school students are available in the link. We are hoping that watching these interviews with students will open discussions on Black community members and social issues.  Our attached lessons and bullet points can serve as a guide. We will have three more available in January and again in February. Each interview gives us all the opportunity to learn and listen. 

To open the discussion even further, we will facilitate cross-school zoom meetings. The purpose of this meeting is for one class from a school to have the chance to discuss the interview with a class from a completely different school.  Please email me directly at sdevries@gaillardcenter.org to inquire. In this model each class will watch the interview and then have the opportunity to discuss their reaction with a class from across the tri-county area. This will give all students a chance to hear a different perspective. 

 We hope these interviews are helpful and meaningful to your classrooms. Please note that these videos support the SC State Academic Standards for 21st  Century Skills. Be on the lookout for part two the second week of January. We look forward to seeing you all back at the Gaillard soon.

Click here for lesson plans: 

https://gaillardtickets.org/t/603D-CT6C-B253BE22721384B34DPSDKC10EE56A6962DFBB/cr.aspx

STREAMABLE LEARNING is free for CCSD teachers. Log in via Clever. 

Here are some great sessions scheduled for March!

(Click the down arrow to see some February offerings)

Mar 8  The New Deal, the WPA, and the Federal Art Project

The Arts, Visual, Social Studies, U.S. History

Launched in 1933 during the Great Depression, the WPA program sent millions of unemployed Americans back to work, including more than five thousand artists. Under the WPA, the Federal Art Project (FAP) provided opportunities for employment and creative expression to a diverse group of artists, including women, African Americans, and immigrants. Artists created murals, paintings, and prints for public buildings such as courthouses, post offices, and libraries.

Grades 4-6 Mar 8, 2021 11:10am EST

Grades 7-12 Mar 8, 2021 12:10pm EST

(Duration 30-40 minutes)


Mar 11  The Price of Freedom

Social Studies, U.S. History

Grades 4-9

Was the Civil War worth the cost to our nation? What were the causes and consequences of the Civil War? Students will be invited to think critically about these critical questions on our newly developed virtual tour: Price of Freedom. By the end of this virtual tour, students will have done more than study history; they will have participated in it.

Mar 11, 2021 12:10pm EST

Mar 11, 2021 2:10pm EST

(Duration 30-40 minutes)

Virtual Performance of Harriet Tubman and the 

Underground Railroad

(Click the drop down arrow on the right)

The Charleston Gaillard Center is disappointed we cannot see our students in person this year, but we are excited to provide a virtual offering for one of our favorite performances: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad! This exclusive, virtual performance written by Virginia Repertory Theatre will be available for viewing now until February 28. Go to the link below and type in the password to view the performance via Vimeo!

PERFORMANCE LINK: vimeo.com/477784116

PASSWORD: D#sp5M

This performance is accompanied by a lesson plan written by the Gaillard Center's education team, which you can view now at the button below! For more virtual educational resources, visit our website here. If you have any questions, please reach out to Sterling deVries, Director of Education, at sdevries@gaillardcenter.org. We look forward to seeing you again soon!


Click here to View Harriet Tubman Performance


Click here to View Harriet Tubman Lesson Plan

African American History Month.pdf

March 18 is South Carolina Day

March 18 is designated by South Carolina law as South Carolina Day! The day was established to remember John C. Calhoun. Though honoring Calhoun should not be your focus for the day, this still remains a law that we celebrate our state. . .take this time to honor famous SC women, famous SC African Americans, famous historical/geographic sites in our state, famous historical events, etc. Make sure you follow the spirit of the law and honor our state! 


Attached is a list of suggestions to honor the contributions of our state, all of the people of our state! I've also attached a list of the state laws requiring celebration of special days. 


Click the grey arrow to expand the documents below.

South Carolina Day Chart
Requirements form the SC Code of Laws - Revised May 30, 2017

Sharing for HS Students: Black Males needed at Meharry Medical College 


I am sharing this message from Dr. Glenda Glover, President of Tennessee State University and her Community Affairs Liaison, Mrs. Barbara Murrell:


There is a program between TSU and Meharry Medical College where the student would go to TSU for three years and then on to Meharry and finish to become an MD or DDS in 7 years instead of the traditional 8 years. 


The program has enough women already signed up for the program, but no Black males. If you know any Black male students who are high school seniors who want to become a medical doctor, have a 28 on the ACT and a 3.5 GPA, please send prospective candidates' information to Mrs. Barbara Murrell: bmurrell@tnstate.edu.


The student’s info needs to be submitted as soon as possible.

Check out this fascinating article on Reconstruction in South Carolina in Smithsonian Magazine. Click the arrow to enlarge PDF. 

SC_History_Reconstruction.pdf

Black History Resources

As a reminder, it serves all students best when history is taught from multiple perspectives. 

Teaching African American history should occur throughout the school year, not just in February.

Here is an interesting article from Teaching Tolerance.

"I believe unconditionally in the ability of people to respond when they are told the truth. We need to be taught to study rather than believe, to inquire rather than to affirm."

Women's History Month.docx

The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Did you hear about the rose that grew

from a crack in the concrete?

Proving nature's law is wrong it

learned to walk with out having feet.

Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,

it learned to breathe fresh air.

Long live the rose that grew from concrete

when no one else ever cared.

Tupac Shakur

Check out this fascinating article on Reconstruction in South Carolina in Smithsonian Magazine. Click the arrow to enlarge PDF. 

SC_History_Reconstruction.pdf

Start this video at 9 minutes to see how to use your document camera while in zoom. 

You can receive PD Credit in Frontline for this course.

Somebody Had To Do It - First Children in School Desegregation. 

This project is a collaboration with Dr. Millicent Brown (one of our first students to integrate in Charleston, SC) and the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture. 

Includes: 

Click here to visit the website

Click here for a video of Lacy showing you neat things in the Black Life in America Database - and how to share with students in Canvas and Google. See the link I clipped here.

Learn more about News Bank: Black Life in America Database

Black Life in America Database Webinar~ Join NewsBank for an overview webinar of our new Black Life in America database on Sept 23 at 3PM.  You can register here.  Even if you can't attend, a link to the recording will be sent to you afterward. 

Big News in Digital Resources for SS & ELA! 

CCSD Teachers have just been granted access to NewsBank: Black Life in America Database. You can access this database through CANVAS or MackinVIA (MyPortal > Clever > MackinVIA). 

Overview: From the early days of slavery to modern times, people of African descent have had a profound impact on American history. This primary source collection offers an expansive window into centuries of African American history, culture and daily life—as well as the ways the dominant culture has portrayed and perceived people of African descent.

Black Life in America covers the experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media, from 1704 to today. This resource is designed to support classroom discussions and research around issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.

DBQ Alternative Endings

The DBQ Project is unapologetically a writing program. We are also a social studies program, and a literature program, and a literacy program. Most importantly, the DBQ Project resources are inquiry. Inquiry-based learning not only piques students’ curiosity and engagement but also leads to deeper learning! The DBQ Project offers structured and scaffolded lessons to guide students through this inquiry process culminating in an evidence-based writing exercise. But, writing a 5-paragraph essay is not the only way for students to demonstrate their learning and articulate their arguments. Writing can also take many different forms. Have you considered creating an alternative end product for a DBQ or Mini-Q your students are working through? If you are a choice board person or love project-based learning, this is for you!

Some Possible Alternative Endings:

Lacy's Copy of Taking Sources Apart

A simple document analysis guide for students. Click here to make yourself a copy to use with students

SEL Presentation: SS & ELA

This presentation has many check-in and check-out examples for building communities in Humanities classes. Get a copy for yourself by clicking here. 

AAHistory