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March 9, 2013
by blogwalker
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Saying Good Bye to Wayne Maeda

Wayne Maeda

I will remember for a long time to come the beautiful memorial service, reception, and solidarity of the diverse community who gathered Friday at the Sacramento Buddhist Temple to honor the memory of Wayne Maeda. He leaves a huge legacy.

You can learn more about Wayne’s commitment to teaching for tolerance by reading his book Changing Dreams and Treasured Memories: A Story of Japanese Americans in the Sacramento Region.  Sac  State’s Asian American and Ethnic Studies program and department is a result of Wayne’s vision and passion for combating hate crimes and other social injustices.

I called on Wayne many times in the last eight years to meet with teachers in my district to provide the historical context needed to help build our Time of Remembrance Oral Histories Project. He never once said no to my continual guest speaker requests.

Two years ago, I traveled with a group of Sacramento teachers and students to the legendary World War II internment camp Manzanar. I will never forget this experience. The trip was paid for through a California Civil Liberties Public Education Grant – written by Wayne.  Wayne also invited my friend and talented videographer Doug Niva to accompany us. The result was the I’m American Too documentary. I know that all who have watched the documentary and who knew Wayne, myself included, will consider the documentary a tribute to Wayne’s dedication to “never letting the mistakes of American history be repeated.”

November 19, 2011
by blogwalker
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Three Things Schools Should not Drop

In a time of continued budget cuts, I would argue that schools should not drop:

Image from http://tattoartistmagazine.files

1. Spelling – Students need to recognize when spelling is important (as the image above illustrates) and to have the confidence to question the spellchecker:

2. Cursive writing – I get that the Common Core State Standard’s technology-based approach calls for students to use

Image licensed for reuse by http://2.bp.blogspot.com

Internet-based tools to produce and publish writing, but why is that at the expense of cursive writing? The National Archives director of education, Lee Ann Potter, has captured my thinking on the value of teaching cursive writing in her recent Point/Counterpoint piece. Yes, cursive is about handwriting, but it’s also about reading. I treasure a stack of letters my grandmother saved from my grandfather, who died when my father was only five.  These primary sources provide a window into events in two small California towns prior to World War I.  They also are a direct connection to my heritage and to a grandfather I never met. I can read these time capsules without a translator, and so can my children, who both learned cursive writing in 3rd grade.  But I can already see that the “writing is on the wall,” and that, most likely, the teaching of cursive will disappear from Title I schools (but remain part of private school curriculum – as one more dividing line).

3. Librarians – I stand back in awe of the talent, commitment, and impact of my district’s librarians.  I’ve been joining their monthly after-school meetings, and each time have left inspired by the powerful ways they help teachers and students extend learning through technology integration (Glogster for a history assignment, Animoto for book trailers, QR codes to provide student-read intros to new books, etc.) My long-time hero Jamie McKenzie sums up my observations in his Why We Still Need Libraries and Librarians article.

Crossing my fingers that January does not bring worse news and realities into California schools!

August 18, 2011
by blogwalker
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Resources for Teaching about 9/11

With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 just a few weeks away, I wanted to share some resources for commemorating an event we cannot forget.

Image via Creative Commons http://www.hyscience.com/9-11.jpg

From Edutopia’s Suzie Boss (Reinventing Project-Based Learning co-author):

From the New York Times Learning Network:

From PBS:

  • American Responds – resources to help educators teach students about peace, tolerance, war, patriotism, geography, and other related issues.

From Teaching for Change:

  • Resources for Teaching about 9/11 – provides links for teachers to address in the classroom including such topics as U.S. foreign policy, Islam, and Arab and Arab American news.

From Facing History & Ourselves:

  • Legacies of September 11 –  lesson looks at the issues of civil liberties, freedom and safety and the tensions that may arise in a democracy.

From Thinkfinity.org:

From the Anti-Defamation League (ADL):

From the New Jersey Dept of Education Commission on Holocaust Education”

From the National Writing Project – Broadcast discussion on NWP Radio:

  • Marking a Moment: Teaching about 9/11 – Wonderful archived discussion on how and what critical literacy practices support students in finding a voice as they navigate the complexities of challenging topics, such as 9/11. Links to lessons, texts, and resources referenced in the program will soon be available at the NWP Radio archives.

From Internet Archive:

  • Understanding 9/11: A Television News Archive – Incredible collection of video footage of “the events of 9/11/2001 and their aftermath as presented by U.S. and international broadcasters. A resource for scholars, journalists and the public, the library presents one week (3,000 hours from 20 channels over 7 days) of news broadcasts for study, research and analysis, with select analysis by scholars.”

From Larry Ferlazzo’ Websites of the Day:

If you have resources for teaching about 9/11, please join the conversation and leave a comment!

May 2, 2011
by blogwalker
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Remembering Anne Frank: An Update

As we approach the 2011 Holocaust Days of Remembrance (May 1-8), I have a few more resources to add to last year’s  Remembering Anne Frank post:

  • Anne Frank the Writer: An Unfinished Story – From the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the resources include a beautifully done tour of Anne Frank’s diary through images and audio clips.
  • Beyond Anne Frank.pdf – Created by Jennifer Norton, Regional Education Corps Member, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, to complement reading of The Diary of Anne Frank.
  • The Danish Solution – From Snag Learning, this documentary film is a tribute to the “upstanders” of Denmark.  It details how the Danish were able to save many of Denmark’s Jewish population when the Nazi’s Final Solution was implemented.  There are even discussion questions on the page, but thanks to Holocaust Educators Network (HEN) educator Diane Williams, here are two more thought-provoking, guiding questions:
    • What inspires us to act?  or Why act? (I think this is a question that gets to the root of what my students have grappled with over the years when studying the Holocaust – why did some act and some did not?)  This also allows them to look at fear as a motivator, principles, religious beliefs, humanitarian reasons.
    • What forms of resistance are the most effective?  When and Why?
  • An Interview with Hannie Voyles – Coming soon!! Last month I traveled with videographer Doug Niva to Chico, California, to interview Hannie Voyles, a Holocaust survivor and former schoolmate of Anne Frank. Hannie is also the translator and contributing author of the newly released Storming the Tulips, ““A tightly-knit connection and complement to Anne Frank’s story.”  I hope to have video clips online by next month.

May 23, 2010
by blogwalker
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Remembering Anne Frank

anne_frank_3

Image from http://annefrankbiography.com/

I was introduced to the Holocaust in 7th grade. Like many middle school students, I was given a window into the horrors of the Nazi “round ups”  through reading the Diary of Anne Frank.

My long-time interest in Anne’s story was rekindled last weekend when I had the honor of meeting with Hannie Voyles, a schoolmate of Anne Frank’s. Hannie’s story of survival under five years of Nazi occupation of the Netherlands is every bit as compelling as Anne’s story. It is my hope that Hannie will soon share her story beyond her community (Chico, California). I just finished watching footage from a recent interview she did with a group of 8th grader peer mediators  from Chico’s Marsh Jr. High.  While Anne Frank was hidden away, Hannie and her sister were out on the streets everyday in the eye of the storm.*

Teaching the Holocaust requires having age-appropriate resources.  I was initially taken aback when I discovered that the Open Court Reading Program includes a piece about Anne Frank in the 4th grade anthology. However, in working with several 4th grade classes (in my role as coordinator of my district’s EETT grant), I have come to see that elementary students are quite capable of delving into complex social issues that span communities and generations. If the materials and the manner in which the topic is introduced are age-appropriate, 4th graders are ready for and capable of joining in meaningful shared conversations on tough topics.

Through my participation in the National Writing Project’s Holocaust Educator’s Network, I’ve accumulated a variety of resources for teaching about genocide in general and the Holocaust in particular.  After meeting with Hannie Voyles, I am now seeking resources that best tell the impact of Nazi occupation on school-age children and their families and that provide insights into the topic of resiliency of the human spirit. Anne Frank’s story will be my starting point.

Here’s what I have so far:

  • Film footage of Anne Frank – Filmed in celebration of a neighbor’s wedding in July of 1941, shortly before the Frank family went into hiding, this is the only footage of Anne Frank.
  • We Remember Anne Frank – Scholastic’s unit includes interviews with Miep Gies, the loyal employee of the Frank family. Lessons are arranged by grade level, starting with grade 3.
  • Anne Frank, Writer – From EDSITEment (National Endowment for the Humanities), this site scaffolds their lessons and provides resources for connecting Anne’s story to other examples of racism and exclusion.
  • Anne Frank – Lessons in Humanity and Dignity – Provides activities for school and home.
  • Anne Frank Received Her Famous Diary in 1942 – From ReadWriteThink!, the unit introduces students to the importance of first-hand accounts in understanding historical events.
  • Diary of Anne Frank, the movie – PBS provides a Teacher’s Guide to accompany the DVD (which you can order from the site). The site also includes the Take Action page, a listing of projects and activities for empowering students to make a difference.  In the current test-driven climate, all too often the reading of powerful stories ends with the “what,” and students are not moving on to explore the next two components, so essential to meaningful learning: “so what” and “now what.”
  • Anne Frank Timeline – Part of the Secret Annex Online site, the timeline provides background and compelling images from Anne’s story, starting in 1914.

* May 2011 Update:

  • Anne Frank the Writer: An Unfinished Story – From the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the resources include a beautifully done tour of Anne Frank’s diary through images and audio clips.
  • Beyond Anne Frank.pdf – Created by Jennifer Norton, Regional Education Corps Member, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, to complement reading of The Diary of Anne Frank.
  • The Danish Solution – From Snag Learning, this documentary film is a tribute to the “upstanders” of Denmark.  It details how the Danish were able to save many of Denmark’s Jewish population when the Nazi’s Final Solution was implemented.  There are even discussion questions on the page, but thanks to Holocaust Educators Network (HEN) educator Diane Williams, here are two more thought-provoking, guiding questions:
    • What inspires us to act?  or Why act? (I think this is a question that gets to the root of what my students have grappled with over the years when studying the Holocaust – why did some act and some did not?)  This also allows them to look at fear as a motivator, principles, religious beliefs, humanitarian reasons.
    • What forms of resistance are the most effective?  When and Why?
  • An Interview with Hannie Voyles – Coming soon!! A year after first meeting Hannie, I traveled with videographer Doug Niva to Chico, California, to record an interview with Hannie. We hope to have video clips from the interview online within the next few weeks. The interview will be a wonderful resource to accompany her newly released Storming the Tulips, “A tightly-knit connection and complement to Anne Frank’s story.“

If you have Anne Frank resources to add to the list, I hope you will post a comment.  My goal is, over the summer, to develop a unit on name calling that could be used across grade levels and would help students make connections and comparisons between what was “then and there” (the Holocaust) to what is “here and now.”

March 1, 2009
by blogwalker
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What do you lose if newspapers don’t survive?

from Oakland Tribune 1948Sixty years after the fact, I just finished reading the reprint of a lead story that “captures the excitement which must have been felt by Oakland Tribune reporter Ray Haywood as he witnessed the historic event and later recorded it on his typewriter”: Casey Stengel and the Oakland Oaks’ first pennant in 21 years!

It was starting my morning with Bud Hunt‘s tribute to the Rocky Mountain News combined with the SacBee’s feature California Forum article What do you lose if newspapers don’t survive? that has me considering the likely reality of a “newspaperless” future.  Worth pondering is Paul Starr’s (reprinted by SacBee) statement:

And while the new digital environment is more open to “citizen journalism” and the free expression of opinions, it is also more open to bias and to journalism for hire. Online, there are few clear markers to distinguish blogs and other sites that are financed to promote a viewpoint from news sites operated independently on the basis of professional rules of reporting.”

While I too am a member of the rapidly escalating group that tends to check out morning headlines online, I also continue to subscribe to the SacBee. Local newspapers capture the uniqueness of a community – something I haven’t experienced through the online venue. Davis resident Janice Bridge, also quoted in this morning’s Bee, describes well what I mean: “Local papers weave the elements of our daily lives into a fabric that becomes community. Children who grow up with a local newspaper know they and their friends matter because they have read about themselves and each other in the daily paper.”

Oh, and the young sportswriter who witnessed and reported the Oakland Oaks’s historic triumph…my father, Ray Haywood.  Good luck to the Oakland Trib, Sac Bee, and all other newspapers in your struggle to survive. We take you for granted, but you are “an integral part of daily life in America.”

August 29, 2008
by blogwalker
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Remembering Katrina

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s sweep through the Gulf Coast. Having lived in – and loved – New Orleans for 4 years (teacher’s credential from Tulane), I want to annually remember this catastrophic event with a mini film festival:

Where Y’at New Orleans?

When the Levee Breaks

Hurricane Katrina: The Ones We Forgot

Heading out for a walk through the Sierra Foothills, at 2,000 feet above Sacramento – another levee town, with my Katrina survivor Nola.

March 9, 2008
by blogwalker
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Reflections on CUE 2008 – Day One

Starting with Wednesday’s Edubloggercon and ending with the Friday poolside reception, the trip to Palm Springs to attend the 2008 CUE Conference was well worth the trip to Palm Springs! Despite some lousy connectivity issues for both presenters and participants, I walked away with new ideas and resources from every session I attended. Here are some snippets from Day One – Thursday:

Technology to Bring the Past Alive – Mike Lebsock: Well right off the bat, when you meet an 8th grade history teacher with the guts to dress in colonial attire, that’spodguy.gif sort of an indicator that he’s all about engaging students with the past. I valued the resources he shared (in his demonstration and handout) and, even more, his sharing of how he structured the introduction of and integration of podcasts in his US History curriculum. Before having students create collaborative podcasts on the Declaration of Independence, for instance, his students listen to professionally done podcasts hosted at the Colonial Williamsburg site. After listening to actors readings of historic documents, the students are ready to start recording their own versions. To build on comprehension, Mike also has students include images with their podcasts. Excellent presentation! (Note to self: Notify CUE staff that you were not totally focused when filling out the evaluation for Mike’s session – and might have marked all 1’s instead of the well-deserved 5’s.)

Blogs and Wikis: Writing Across the Curriculum – Brian Bridges: This was my first time to hear Brian Bridges present. Even though he has posted all his handouts online, his hilarious presentation style made it a memorable hour. Since I am always looking for royalty-free music for students projects, I was glad to learn that Jamendo, a site I looked at a year ago, now has over 7,000 albums online, with artists offering them to the public royalty free. (Note to self: send link to Jamendo to all DOLCHE project teachers.)

Integrating the Internet into the Primary Classroom: Gayle Berthiaume – One of my goals for this school year is to take a closer look at technology integration in the primary grades, so I’m glad I caught the tail end of Gayle’s presentation. I’ve always been a fan of Scholastic products, so it’s no surprise that they offer a ton of resources for the younger student. (And thanks to a little prompting from Alice Mercer, they be adding RSS feeds to their sites.) Besides sites like Scholastic’s Go Buggy, Send a Letter to Clifford, Publish Prehistoric Tales, and the spinning wheel of computer lab favorites, we also toured fun sites such as Giggle Poetry and very promising sites such as Panwapa – where students can make their own avatars, play many learning games, and make safe “connections” with students around the globe. Here’s a link to Gayle’s favorite primary sites – http://del.icio.us/tag/gayleinternet(Note to self: start putting together workshop for primary teachers.)

Digital Imaging and Tips & Tricks for Photoshop & Photoshop Elements – Arnie Abrams – I would love to do a hands-on workshop with Arnie Abrams. He is a master at simplifying all things Photoshop. I’m still working with PSE 3, but am tempted to spring for PSE 6, based on the Photomerge Group Shot option and the right click ability to send photo to a Google Maps.

Coming up next…Reflections on CUE 2008 – Day 2

November 5, 2007
by blogwalker
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Remembering Leni Donlan

Leni Donlan died earlier this week. Leni was my introduction to the Library of Congress. She was a source of inspiration, my mentor, and my friend. In looking through my email, I see that I have kept messages from Leni as recent as last spring and as distant as 1999, when I headed back to the Library of Congress for a week-long summer institute, a week I will never forget.leni.jpg

In my last blog entry, I talked about my Time of Remembrance project, a website that is this month’s focus of both my district’s website and the wonderful SECC’s BESTNet site. What I neglected to mention was that during my first year in the Elk Grove School District, the year I met Marielle Tsukamoto, I also applied and was accepted to the Library of Congress’s American Memory Project. Leni was one of the project directors. The end product of my week at the LOC was the online lesson Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself. Leni was my “thinking partner” and generously gave of her time to share the importance of students having access to primary sources in order to construct their own understandings of history and how it relates to them.

Last spring, Leni again became a thinking partner as I began to draft a NEH (National Endowment for History) RFP for a grant modeled after the Time of Remembrance project. This time I wanted to focus on the women of World War II. Leni helped me, from start to finish, with the Rosie the Riveter: United and Divided on the Home Front proposal. We were not funded, but I never regretted a moment spent on the effort because it was such a privilege to be co-designing and writing with Leni.

I am too sad about her passing right now to go back and read through her emails. But I will keep them, eventually revisit them, and treasure them for a long time to come. How lucky I was to have known and worked with Leni Donlan.

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