Truman Elementary is very much involved with brain-based education. We work hard at connecting what is presented in the classroom with reality in the world around us. Part of our instruction, AK - 5, is life skills education. Sixteen life skills are taught in two week segments throughout the school year. It is a challenge finding ways to teach life skills year after year that are relevant and interesting. With brain-based philosophy we know that each child has a specific store of information, and we must somehow connect what is being taught with each individuals specific knowledge.
The information made available in the course, "The Life and Times of Harry S. Truman", provides a wonderful basis for teaching life skills in a new and interesting way. Harry lead life in a way that exemplifies each of the life skills we emphasize. It is my intent to build lessons throughout the year based on the experiences of Harry Truman, trying to realistically tie his life experiences to experiences of each of my students. This will be a year-long project in which I am sure I will learn more than my students, but build a wonderful foundation for years to come.
It is difficult to know which life skill should come first, but I have chosen "problem-solving". I have a strong belief that each of us strives to survive, both emotionally and physically, each moment of our life. We are constantly seeking to make the choices that will keep us safe, secure, and feeling good about what is happening in our individual worlds. In order to keep us on the right path we must constantly meet the challenges that would prevent us from achieving those goals. Therefore we must be constantly "problem-solving" in order to survive. In the course of meeting challenges, there are a myriad of skills (life skills) that must be mastered. If they are mastered, we live our existence in a more happy and fulfilled way. If not, we struggle, causing all sorts of unhappiness for ourselves and our world. So now it�s time to get behind the plow with Harry and build life skills and happiness with every kid I can.
Students will develop problem solving skills learning about Harry Truman
1) To provide a format for introducing and establishing
relevance to the sixteen life skills taught at Truman School.
2) To provide an avenue for each student to express his/her understanding of the life skills being taught.
3) To connect the life and times of Harry Truman to the life skills being taught for the purpose of adding relevance for each student.
4) To develop research skills in the process of comparing personal experiences to the life of Harry Truman.
5) To integrate all life skills into a pattern of behavior that promotes success and happiness.
Missouri Standards
2. Continuity and change in the history of Missouri, the United States and the world
6. Relationships of the individual and groups to institutions and cultural traditions
7. The use of tools of social science inquiry (such as surveys, statistics, maps, documents)
Kansas Standards
Benchmark 4: The student engages in historical thinking skills.
5. (A) observes and draws conclusions.
6. (A) uses research skills to interpret an historical person or event in history and notes the source(s) of information (e.g., discusses ideas; formulates broad and specific questions; determines a variety of sources; locates, evaluates, organizes records and shares relevant information in both oral and written form).
Access to a computer.
1) Teachers will be asked to briefly introduce the life skill of the week and ask students to be thinking how using or not using this skill has affected them. They will know that Mr. "D" will be asking them very soon about their thoughts.
2) Each life skill will be taught by Mr. Davenport, the counselor, in 30 minute segments, with a new life skill being introduced every two weeks.
3) Each student will be asked to connect personal experiences (in quiet contemplation or recorded on paper) with the life-skill of the week. A short discussion will follow.
4) Specific experiences of Harry Truman will be related each lesson to the life skill of the week. These experiences will be introduced in different ways (for example - video, printed material, cartoons, letters, role-playing, items from the Truman trunk, personal items, etc.
5) Connections between the experiences of Harry and the those of students will follow to add relevance and interest.
6) Each classroom will be given the option of expressing how they have made the connection between their personal lives and the current life skill. Sharing will generally be within the classroom.
7) The counselor will rotate between grade levels and follow- up on how connections have been made, sharing those reflections with the rest of the school. Options for sharing could be art and written work on bulletin boards, creative intercom announcements, video presentations, internet web page construction, plays for other students, etc. Options for sharing will depend on the grade and ability level of students.
LESSON # 1 - PROBLEM-SOLVING
PROCEDURE:
1) Each classroom teacher is given instruction to introduce the life skill of "problem-solving", asking students to be thinking about how they have used this life skill. Reference is given to the internet site www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/fastfacts/ffearly.htm
2) Mr. Davenport will follow-up with classroom by breaking down and defining the term "problem-solving", and identifying it as a life skill.
- What is a problem?
- What does it mean to solve something?
- What does problem-solving mean to you?
- Why is problem-solving a life skill?
3) Students will be given two minutes to contemplate problem solving and how it has effected their lives. A short discussion will follow on their experiences.
4) The class will be asked who researched the life of young Harry Truman and what were some of his problems.
5) Examples will be chosen from the life of Harry Truman, specifically related to what they have found with individual research at Whistlestop. Possible examples to center on are Harry’s vision problems and his diphtheria illness, with the following probe questions.
- Why is poor vision a problem?
- Does this problem have to stop you from being successful?
- How can this problem be solved?
- Who has that same problem here?
- Was Harry’s problem harder to solve than your problem?
- Why was Harry’s problem harder?
- Did Harry let his vision problem stop him.
- What can we learn from his experience.
6) Students will be asked to write a short paper centered around the following questions.
- What was a problem Harry Truman had in early life?
- How did Harry solve his problem?
- What did you learn from Harry’s example about problem-solving?
7) If time allows, go over the same process discussing Harry’s battle with diphtheria.
8) Student essays will be placed on the "Truman Ties" bulletin board for everyone to read and learn. Evaluation of this lesson will come from the quality of responses, showing how well they have grasped the concept of problem-solving.
LESSON # 2 - CURIOSITY
1) Each classroom teacher is given instructions to introduce the life skill of "curiosity", asking students to be thinking about how they have used this life skill. Reference is given to the internet site www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/schlyears.htm and www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/archive/photos/images/farmer.htm
2) Mr. Davenport will follow-up with classroom discussion on the life skill "curiosity".
- What does it mean to be curious?
- Give me some examples of curiosity.
- Why is curiosity a life skill/How can it help you?
3) Students will be given two minutes to contemplate curiosity and how it has effected their lives. A short discussion will follow on their experiences.
4) The class will be asked who researched the life of young Harry Truman and what showed he was curious.
- Why do you think he took to books instead of sports?
- Why did he read so many books?
- How do you think Harry’s curiosity shaped his life?
- How can curiosity change your life?
- Why do you think I directed you to a picture of Harry plowing?
5) Follow-up with examples of tools and implements from the period in which Harry grew up. Examples are a crock butter churn, a potato masher, a rug beater, a curling iron, a toaster, a popcorn popper, and a jar opener (All from personal collection).
- Connect these objects to the life and times of Harry Truman.
- In a paper and pencil exercise, ask each student to identify each object and state its use.
- Discuss each object and what its counterpart is today.
- Ask how we got from the old to the present. How did curiosity play a part in what we have now?
- Why do you think I collect all of these things?
6) Students will be asked to do one of the following to demonstrate what they have learned about curiosity.
- Write a short paper about something that peaked their curiosity from the old implements they saw. What do they think Harry thought about them?
- Write a short paper on how the life skill of "curiosity" helped shape the life of Harry S. Truman.
- Draw a picture of an old implement and its new counterpart.
- Bring an old implement to school for show and tell to stir someone else�s curiosity.
- Write a paper on what your curiosity will lead you to invent for future generations.
7) Student writings and art can be placed on the "Truman Ties" bulletin board for everyone to read and learn. Also curiosity can be peaked from items brought in for show and tell. The quality of learning can be judged by interest shown in the process of identifying old objects, in the quality of writing generated, and if show and tell is a success.
Fourteen more lessons will be developed throughout the school year to complete our life skill sequence. I am excited about exploring the many facets of Whistlestop and finding new and interesting ways of connecting the life and times of each Truman student to the life and times of Harry S. Truman. Each time another life skill is instilled, there is a little bit more of the puzzle completed for success and happiness, both individually and in our world.