Expected, Inspected, & Respected.
"We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience."
-John Dewey |
"We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience."
-John Dewey |
![]() Yesterday's social studies lesson was a big win. It wasn't perfect but I felt I provided the kind of experience the kids will really remember. I started the lesson by showing the class a picture of Lagimodiere's sash, or ceinture flechee (which I called a ceinture flechette, imperfection #1), and had the students guess what it was. Since we had read The Red Sash the day before, many of the students knew what it was. Then, I had them get in groups of two or three and asked them to come up with as many ways a voyageur might use it as they could think of. They came up with a lot of alternatives such as a tie for a capote, a back support, a washcloth, towel, or rope. They even came up with a couple of ideas I hadn't thought of. Then I told them about a few more things the voyageurs may have used the sash for, such as preventing hernias, emergency sewing kit, and tumpline. Of course, no one had ever heard of a tumpline, so I brought in a Duluth pack to show them. Inside the pack was a a 45 lb plate, a giant stuffed bear (to keep the plate from moving around), and some beaver fur. It was a hassle bringing it on the bus but it was totally worth it - just look at that face! Well, trust me, they loved it. Earlier in the day, I started reading them a novel called The Broken Blade about a 13 year old boy who spends the summer working as a voyageur. The main character discusses being nervous about being able to carry the 180 pounds that voyageurs regularly carried over rough terrain on portages. Being able to feel 1/4 of that weight on their backs was an eye opening experience for the class. The effort I made carrying that heavy and enormous pack on public transit was well worth the effort. I had thought that the class would need something to do while they were taking turns carrying the pack around the room, so I prepared some voyageur themed math questions for them. This was completely unnecessary because I hadn't anticipated what a great spectator sport this would be. 1) Lagimodiere travelled west from Trois Rivieres in Quebec in the year 1800. How long ago was that? One thing that went wrong was that I didn't manage my time as well as I could have and ran out of time for a concluding reflection to the lesson. As a result, the kids were still really amped up when it was time to go to music class. I'm not sure the music teacher will ever forgive me.
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David Wiebe
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