Assessment

Assessment in the integrated unit is very interactive.  Because our unit is 4th grade then we will have a writing intensive unit about the Williams Fishery in Murfreesboro on the Meherrin River.  Our unit will have venn diagram, rubric for group activity.  Cumulative celebration will use a teacher and student rubric for assessing group presentation.  The activities that the students will complete will be artifacts of their learning.  Reflective writing, writing script for a flip slip video.  The assessment should be like the learning and authentic for students.  In the use of integration in the historicfishing unit I have found that The assessment tools used are useful to the students overall learning and assess their true learning. 

Authentic Experiences

 Daniels, H., Bizar, M.,(2005) Teaching the Best PracticesWay and  Madison, l., Rydant, A. L., Jobin, R. A., & Sterling, C.,(2006) Welcome to worm central.  Teaching PerK-8, 6(5), 52-53. Retrieved from http://www-teachingk-8.com/ ) used for my annotated bibliography about integration of math and science were very much alike.  The two readings express learning for students through active experiences.  Daniels and Bizar(2005) discusses how a class of students can observe earthworms for two weeks.  They tell how the students come up with their own questions to lead their learing for small groups to investigate what the worms eat, reproduce how long do they live?  The scientific inquiry helps to nuture the students interest and curiosity.  Madison, l., Rydant, A. L., Jobin, R. A., & Sterling, C.,(2006) Welcome to worm central.Teaching PerK-8,36(5), 52-53. Retrieved from http://www-teachingk-8.com/ does the same thing.  The forth grade class at Epping Elementary in Epping NH have adopted a Vermicomposting Geographic Curriculum.  It was developed by the (NHGA) New Hampshire Geographic Alliance and it helped to make Ms. Lisa Madison's classroom "worm central"!   The students used measurement,weight and other math skills to help build a vermi-village for the worms and all along making connections to our earth.  The lessons were earth related and how the worms helped the ground and make compost for the plants to grow.  I found this article to strongly support the authentic learning idea discussed.  If you wish to get more project ideas you can e-mail Lisa Madison at lmadison@sau14.k12.nh.us.

Task #3 art and social studies integrated with poetry

I would start my lesson with the class veiwing the picture on the site below.

Watercolor drawing "Indians Fishing" by John White (created 1585-1586). Licensed by the Trustees of the British Museum. ©Copyright the British Museum.

http://www.virtualjamestown.org/images/white_debry_html/plate42.html

The integrated unit that we are working on is the Murfreesboro Fisherys.  In our research we have found that the Native Americans had a large part of the techniques used to catch the herring in this area.  They used nets(seines) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seine_fishing which was an art. I would use the link to show the student what a seine is and looks like.  They used this as a way to eat.  Many artist have captured the art of fishing but, John White has captured it so nicely in some of his paintings and drawing of the Native Americans at the Roanoke Island.  Although this picture does not show the seines in use I do believe that it gives a clear depiction of the hard work and skill it took for the Native Americans to catch the fish.  I would use this picture as a reflection piece for asking the students what do they see happening and ask them to write and reflect about it and ask the students to anticipate what might happen next in this picture.  This would be a great way to see who has been fishing before by their answers.  I would then use the Internet to google Meherrin river and herring fish.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herring I feel like this poem below could be shared and paying more attention to the bold and underlined lines of the poem.  I would ask the students to relate why the herring are associated to stars and why do they mention nets and throwing them?  I then would ask the students to draw there on interpretation of what they think the Native Americans may have seen when they were on the river looking down as they caught the herring.

 Wynken Blynken and Nod

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe--
Sailed on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we!"
Said Wynken, Blynken, And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
That lived in that beautiful sea--
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish--
Never afeard are we";
So cried the stars to the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam--Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home;
'T was all so pretty a sail it seemed
As if it could not be,
And some folks thought 't was a dream they 'd dreamed
Of sailing t

Task #2 Unit II Melber and Hunter's Integrating Language Arts and Social Studies

In this task I would use the lesson Exploring Community History for the exploring of the historical fisherys in Murfreesboro NC.  I would use Frank Stephenson's book Herring Fishermen Images of An Eastern North Carolina Tradition.  There are many pictures in the book that were taken by him that could be used to compare the historical area and have students take present day pictures and compare how the area has changed.  As a teacher I would probably read the introduction to this book to my students and maybe even ask Mr. Stephenson to come to our classroom for a visit to help give some background information about the pictures and the area at that time the picture was taken.  The class could use the sample data sheet that is shown in the book on page 45 and still examine the pictures for part 1 Examining the Older image.  Then after the students take their up to date pictures of the area as it is today they could compare what may or may not remain.  The compare and contrast of the lesson would be a great activity to discuss how time changes the environment of a community.

Task #1 Chapter 4 Schell & Fisher's Teaching Social Studies: A Literacy-Based Approach

In this task #1 If I were to use the author's discussion of topics, themes, concepts, and big ideas then I would do it as such.  I would use the Murfreesboro Fisherys( Williams Fishery) and the people who with the help of their family made an idustry which changed the area.  I would use the people and their culture and the ideas of the historical roots that were set by those people that made their living through the Fishery and the way that they had the help from their family and it changed their way of life and had to support their living from their ability to use the fish from the Chowan and Meherrin Rivers.  The people not only used the herring to live but, it changed the area as we know it now.  The industry changed as the amount of herring depleted and many of the Fisherys could not support the Eastern North Carolina herring supply for supply and demand.  The herring disapeared and therefore the environment changed  and now we can look at the past and see how cultures and people and places are products of their surroundings. 

You never know what time will tell! Our life is full of artifacts.

                                                               Dorothy Louise Niblett

   My grandmother was a very loving person!  She had not had a loving childhood.  She lived in the country and her father was a farmer. Her dad was good and kind to her and think that is where she got her smile and laugh from that made me love her. Her mom was not very nice to her and made it known many times that she was not planned.  My grandmother always told me stories about how her mom would make her wear clothes in her least favorite color.  Her two older sisters always wore what they liked.  This first picture means the world to me and it has such meaning. My sister In Law found this in boxes after Mom Mom passed and gave everyone at Christmas.  Mom Mom had written her name on the picture and it made it even more special to see her handwriting.  There was not a dry eye in the room.  My grandmother (Mom Mom) always talked about how hard it was for her family as she grew up.  She said all three girls had to wear boys shoes which they ordered from the Sear catalog and had to help in the fields in the hot Maryland Eastern Shore Summers picking watermelons and corn.  She was very smart and she really ended up having a happy life compared to her other sisters.  She was 16 or 17 in the next picture and that is when she met my grandfather(Pop Pop) who really made her life look wonderful compared to his.  He had stopped school in the 6th grade to help his poor family try to make ends meet with odd jobs.  Mom Mom did go to school until the 11th grade which was all they had then.  She told me all the time not to stop learning because she had dropped out to marry Pop Pop but, she knew that times would change and I would not have to stop because of a man as she put it.  To me she was very smart and quick with numbers and even helped me with homework sometimes.  My memories of Mom Mom are artifacts that show how our times, world and priorities have changed.  She passed away several years back now but, some days I still want to pick up the phone and tell her what new things I have learned or done.  She was so proud that I was the first Chatham  to graduate with my 4 year degree.  She would be so proud of what I am doing now and would tell me all the time.  She was a person who I think would have gone further in life if maybe life and love hadn't gotten in the way.  So I will be proud to someday show her my master degree with Tonia Chatham Chlomoudis on it! 

  Although I know she already knows!! 

  Love ya,  Mom Mom