K-16 Workshop 2011 - Notes from the Workshop
A Few Good Women: Using Oral Histories to Enrich Student Learning
http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/afgwcur/home.html
The Project:
- PACFTB was charged with creating curriculum for K-12 surrounding the oral history interviews of women in government 1969-1974.
- It has become a four-year project funded through two grants.
- Currently, the lessons are mapped to national standards and are best suited for use in middle school and high school classrooms.
Background:
- The Task Force on Women's Rights and Responsibilities was created by Nixon in response to a reporter’s question as to why there were so few women (3) among his first 200 political appointments.
- As it became apparent that the stories of these women were an important contribution to the history of women in American politics, an advisory board was created. Its mission was to document, through oral history interviews, how the task force assisted in the progression of women in government and, subsequently, the rest of society. These interviews were then housed within the Special Collections Library at Penn State.
Content:
- Fits within curriculum standards for social studies, as well as Renzulli’s document
- Collection Information
- Timelines
- A biography for each person interviewed
- Historical documents
- List of related links
- Classroom Activities
- WebQuests
- Reader’s Theatre
Makes the words come alive for the students. They can simply be read or performed. As long as you have a script, you can do it on the spur-of-the-moment. It’s a non-threatening activity.
- Archivist Interviews
- Concept Map - Fashions & Fads
For students so that they know what the period was like. They can help generate additional ideas for research; what it was like for women.
- Essential Questions
Allows the students to be involved with the oral histories on the site.
- Fast Facts
- Lists additional women with “firsts”
- Includes lessons to be used with fast facts
- Resources
- Timelines
- Glossary (scroll-over feature)
- Suggested readings
- Websites
- Women in the cabinet
Upcoming
- Adaptations for special needs students
- Projects for high school students (please share your ideas)
- Significant events for women timelines
- Companion book
The PACFTB will be looking for pilot teachers to implement the program and give feedback.
Pennsylvania Center for the Book lists of Awards and Projects for 2012:
http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/about/
2011 Baker’s Dozen – The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy
- Bunny Days – Tao Nyeu
- Chalk – Bill Thomson
- City Dog, Country Frog – Mo Willems, illus. by John J. Muth
- Dogs – Emily Gravett
- Frankie Works the Night Shift – Lisa Westberg Peters, illus. Jennifer Taylor
- I Am a Backhoe – Anna Grossnickle Hines
- Little Pink Pup – Johanna Kerby
- Mad at Mommy – Komako Sakai
- Our Grandparents: A Global Album – Maya Ajmera, Sheila Kinkade, Cynthia Pon
- Please Take Me for a Walk – Susan Gal
- Roly Poly Pangolin – Anna Dewdney
- Soup Day – Melissa Iwai
- We Are in a Book! – Mo Willems
2011 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
- Winner: The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane – C.M. Millen, illus. by Andrea Wisnewski
- Honor: Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night – Joyce Sidman, illus. by Rick Allen
2011 Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize (Inaugural)
- Winner: Duncan the Wonder Dog – Adam Hines
- Honor: Set to Sea – Drew Weing
Drew will be accepting his award during a Pennsylvania Humanities Council event in Foster Auditorium on May 23rd at 7:00 p.m.
2011 Public Poetry Project selected poster poems:
- Knocked - Joseph Bathanti
- Urban Renewal XVIII - Major Jackson
- Anthracite Country - Jay Parini
- Knowing the Enemy - Eleanor Wilner
2011 Pennsylvania ONE BOOK: Whose Shoes? A Shoe for Every Job – Stephen R. Swinburne
Literary and Cultural Heritage Map: http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/litmap.html
Knowledge Commons Initiative:
- http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/admin/knowledgecommons.html
- Traditional learning spaces have students in rows, facing forward with the instructor at the front of the room. The Knowledge Commons reimagines that.
- Knowledge Commons = flexible learning
- Principles – open, free (movement, availability), comfortable, inspiring, practical
- First floor of Pattee and Paterno is changing
- Includes:
- Knowledge Commons proper: living room spaces, group study spaces, reference desk, IT help, multimedia classroom, multimedia production spaces, multimedia specialists, mediascapes, informal learning spaces, green walls, moveable furniture
- New Leisure Reading Room – just inside the Central Pattee Entrance
- The lion is moving! In its place will be an opening into the Gateway computer area.
- Lending Desk – moving over one room
Shared Ideas:
- Dropbox – online file storage and back-up system. It’s installed on your computer, syncs with any computer you use that has the program, and is available on the web. There’s an app for iPhone and iPads. http://www.dropbox.com/
- PSEA site for Pennsylvania State Legislative Directory (letter writing campaign for state funding):
http://capwiz.com/psea/directory/statedir.tt?state=PA&lvl=state&action=myreps_form :
- E-books by Pat Griffith. Started the collection using district money (all of the libraries had to get on board). Schlow buys them and puts them out for the entire district. They have divided audio book budget and shifted copy dispersion (ex: 2 ebooks,, 2 hardcovers, 1 audiobook, etc.). Public libraries can do fundraising. Interesting patron rationale: buy for the library, then you can read and you can share it as well.
- Suggested Resources:
- The Women’s Conference by Maria Shriver – possible tie-in with A Few Good Women http://www.womensconference.org/
- Book Recommendation: Karla recommends Ellen Levine’s book If You Lived at the Time of the Great San Francisco Earthquake, as well as her other historical books.
- Ancestry.com – Schlow has access though you need to use their computers. You can get a borrower’s card at the Philadelphia Free Public Library and have access to the site through their website.
- Suggested Library of Congress projects:
- Veteran’s History Project - http://www.loc.gov/vets/
- StoryCorps - http://www.loc.gov/folklife/storycorpsfaq.html
