1. To provide a respectful and safe forum for a collegial discussion about the apprentice teaching experience.
2. To discuss history as a discipline - how it is taught in the schools and how we would like to see it taught in the future.
3. To create a well researched, thematically based, academically sound, creative, and exciting one-week unit for use during next semester’s PACT teaching event.

• Fried, Robert.  The Passionate Teacher. (Beacon Press, 1996)
• California State History/Social Science Standards at http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/standards/
• Percoco, James.  Divided We Stand: Teaching About Conflict in U.S. History.  Portsmouth, NH: 2001)

Additional reading includes two books of choice that you read over the summer; and various articles and current events as assigned throughout the course.

• 410-375 = A
• 374-340 = B

1. First day assignment (20 points).  On the first day of class, August 26th, you will discuss your personal vision for teaching “good” history and share your personal artifact with your colleagues.  To review the first day assignment, click here.
2. “Thinking like a Historian” assignment (40 points).  At the second-class meeting on September 2nd, you will work in groups of 3-4 to share the graphic presentation of how the authors of your two books compared and contrasted. To review the first day assignment, click here.
3. Thematic assignment (20 points).  You will create five course themes or questions for the class you will teach next semester.  Your work on these themes will evolve throughout the course.  Your first draft of these themes will be due on September 23rd (10 points) and your final draft of 10 themes is due during your exit discussion with me in December (10 points).
4. Course syllabus assignment (20 points).  You will create a course syllabus, introductory letter to parents, and extra credit movie list for the course you teach next semester.  Your work on these assignments will evolve throughout the course.  Your first draft of these student handouts is due on October 14th (10 points) and your final draft during your final portfolio discussion with me (10 points).
5. One-week unit lesson plan (180 points total).  Throughout most of the semester, you will be working to create an academically challenging, thematically based, creative, and exciting one-week lesson plan on a topic that you will be teaching next semester and that you will teach for your PACT requirement.  This requirement has several assignments that build upon each other.
   • First assignment. (20 points and due on September 30th).  Submit a one-page, typed description of the unit topic you have selected and a discussion of how your topic will fit in with at least one of your overall course theme(s) or question(s). You must also attach a bibliography of your resources - at least three secondary sources, two primary sources, and one movie that you will use as you proceed with your research.
   • Second assignment (40 points and due on October 7th). Submit a one-day lesson plan that follows the template discussed in class and that will be part of your one-week lesson plan.  Pay particularly close attention to your hook and transition – you will be sharing them with your colleagues at our next meeting.
   • Third assignment. (40 points and due on October 21st). Submit a detailed annotated chronology of the major events, issues, etc. that will be included in your one-week unit lesson plan.
   • Fourth assignment. (40 points and due on October 28th) Submit a one- or two-day lesson plan that begins with a 3-10 minute film clip hook  (documentary or Hollywood feature), includes at least one primary document, and incorporates a learning lab.  This lesson will be used in your one-week unit lesson plan next semester and must use the lesson plan template.
   • Fifth assignment (40 points and due on November 10th) Submit a one-day lesson plan in which you use at least 2 maps to teach a geopolitical approach to one or more of the topics explored in your one-week unit lesson plan.  Lesson plan must follow the lesson plan template used for class.
   • Final one-week lesson plan due on the date scheduled for your exit interview.  Submit your entire one-week unit lesson plan. This 5-8 day unit must include assignments 2-6, must provide clear transitions from one day to the next, must include revisions based upon the comments from your first draft submissions, and must include all of the PACT requirements for Task 2. 

• Discuss what you observed in your mentor teacher's classroom during the previous week – what you especially liked (in terms of both classroom management and course content), what you might incorporate into your own classroom, and what you might have added or changed if you had been “the teacher.”
• Discuss the above in terms of other classrooms that you visit during the observational phase of your student teaching that are not those of your mentor teacher. 
• Discuss anything else that you wish to reflect upon in regard to your apprentice teaching experience.

There is no page requirement for the journals. These must be emailed to me no later than Monday of each week. I will provide comments to all journal entries in a timely manner.

7.  “Heart of the Journal (20 points).  For your exit interview (described below), re-read all the entries in the "Personal Reflections" section of your Portfolio and write a brief paper entitled, "Heart of the Journal".   In this paper, please address the following: (1) Patterns of teaching methods and content that you particularly liked during the semester.  (2) Any teaching methods and content that you would have changed during semester – as well as how you might make such changes.  (3) Any thoughts, hopes, dreams, fears that regularly emerged during semester.  (4) Any changes in or reinforcement of your visions for becoming a “good” history teacher.  (5) A discussion of what Methods course requirements you found most and least useful for this class. Turn this paper in with all your journals from the entire semester.  We will discuss this on the day we meet for your exit interview.  Please note:  You will be continuing weekly reflections next semester.8.  PACT.  You will be completing Tasks 1 and 2 for your PACT assignment by the end of this semester - so that by December, a large piece of this SED Program requirement will be completed!    Because your PACT work includes some work already completed and graded, you will not receive a grade for this submission. 9.  Exit Interview. Between the weeks of December 1st -18th), you will each schedule an individual 90-minute appointment with me in which we will go over the following:

• PACT Task 1
• PACT Task 2 that incorporates your one-week unit lesson plan which will comprise your PACT teaching event for next semester.
• The “Heart of the Reflective Journal” paper.
• Your revised course syllabus, course themes/questions, letter to parents, and extra credit movie list.

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Course Outline for SED 741

Session 1, August 26th: Creating a Collaborative Learning Community – What can we learn from our individual and collective teaching visions and goals?

Required assignment: Personal vision statement for teaching “good” history and your personal artifact.  Required reading: Robert Fried, The Passionate Teacher.  Things to be thinking about when reading Fried and preparing for class discussion:  How do you think Fried would describe a good history teacher?  What does Fried think is wrong with public schools today?  Do you agree or disagree with his beliefs in this regard?  What do you think your “stance” in the classroom will be and how does it compare and contrast with that of Fried?  What did you find most useful about reading this book?  Least useful?

Reflective journals are due Monday, Sept. 7th and 14th. 

9/2 – Teaching good historical content. Required Reading: What does it mean to teach for social justice? by Pat Russo (handout); and "How to teach controversial content and not get fired."   Required assignment: “Thinking Like a Historian.”

9/9 – Becoming good history teachers. Required assignment: Bring your signed copy of “Discussion Questions for Apprentice Teachers and Mentor Teachers, Fall Semester”

9/16 – Teaching thematically. Required reading:  Divided We Stand.  Things to be thinking about when reading and preparing for class discussion:  How does Percoco use his history lessons to connect his students with the real world?  Which of Percoco's instructional strategies and resources would you most likely use within your 3-week unit lesson plan?  How and why?  What makes Percoco a good history teacher?  How do your mentor teacher's history lessons connect what is going on in the "real world" with the course content?  With the students' prior knowledge, life experiences, and interests with the course content?  How would you describe Percoco’s “stance” in the classroom?

Reflective journals due Monday, Sept. 21st and 28th and Oct. 5th 

9/23 – Creating standards and thematic based lessons.  Required assignment – 5 Course themes or questions: First draft of the five themes or questions for the course you will be teaching next semester. Required reading - California History Standards online at http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/standards.  Read either the 7th and 8th, or the 10th and 11th grade standards, depending on your middle or high school placement.  Jot down a few responses to the following questions when reading the standards which will help you prepare for class discussion:  Which of the 7th and 8th grade standards address your current strengths and weaknesses in World and U.S. History? (For middle school apprentice teachers.) Which of the 10th or 11th grade standards address your current strengths and weaknesses in world and U.S. history?  (For high school apprentice teachers.) What particular topics in U.S. and World history are you passionate about, but are not included in the standards? Where do you think you might place these topics within the standards framework?

9/30  – Raising the bar, designing good hooks, and becoming historical scholars. Required assignment - First assignment in one-week lesson plan due: Submit a one-page, typed description of the unit topic you have selected for your one-week lesson plan.  Include a discussion of how your topic will illustrate at least one of your overall course themes or questions. You must also attach a bibliography of your resources - at least three secondary sources, two primary sources, and one movie that you will use as you proceed with your research. Be prepared to share your topic and possible theme(s) or question(s) with your colleagues during the next class meeting.

10/7 – Designing a course syllabus and assessing our students. Required assignment – Second assignment in one-week lesson plan due: Submit a one-day lesson plan that follows the template discussed in class and that will be part of your one-week lesson plan.  Pay particularly close attention to your hook and transition – you will be sharing them with your colleagues at our next meeting.

Reflective journals due Monday, Oct. 12th, 19th, and 26th

10/14 – Required assignment - Course syllabus:  First draft of your course syllabus, letter to parents, and extra credit films. 

10/21 - Required assignment - Annotated chronology:  Submit a detailed annotated chronology of the major events, issues, etc. that will be included in your one-week unit lesson plan.

November 4th: Class cancelled and no journal due

November 11th - Veteran's Day; HSU campus closure and no journal due

11/12 - Required assignment – 1-2 day lesson plan with a film clip hook, primary document, and learning lab: Submit a 1-2 day lesson plan that begins with a 3-10 minute film clip hook  (documentary or Hollywood feature), includes at least one primary document, and incorporates a learning lab.  This lesson will be used in your one-week unit lesson plan next semester. This lesson must use the lesson plan template.

Session 5, November 18th: Blending History and Geography - How do we teach geopolitically?

Reflective journal due Monday, Nov. 16th.

Please note - the assignment that was originally due on Nov. 10th, will now be incorporated into your unit lesson plan that we will discuss during your exit interview. The assignment was a 1-2 day lesson plan in which you use at least two maps to teach a geopolitical approach to one or more of the topics explored in your one-week unit lesson plan. Lesson plan must follow the lesson plan template used for class.

Required readings:

• “How to Teach Controversial Content and Not Get Fired” by Kelley Dawson Salas at http://www.rethinkingschools.org/publication/newteacher/NTFired.shtml
• “What does it mean to teach for social justice?” by Pat Russo.  (Handout) Things to think about when reading these two articles and preparing for class discussion:  How do the two author’s definitions of social justice compare and contrast? Using both interpretations as well as your own, how would you define social justice? Why do you think that teaching with a social justice perspective is so controversial in the K-12 community?  Do you think a social justice perspective fits your teaching “stance?”  Why or why not? If you plan to teach with a social justice perspective during your apprentice teaching experience, what problems do you think might arise?  What ideas did you find in these articles about how you might overcome such problems? Which of Russo’s cycles do you think would be the easiest and most difficult for you to integrate into your historical content – race, class, gender, disability, and sexuality?
• "The Big One" by Bill Bigelow - read the article (http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/23_04/big234.shtml)and review the curriculum materials (http://www.rethinkingschools.org/climate/). Things to be thinking about when reading the article and reviewing the curriculum materials: What are the strengths and weaknesses of this approach to teaching for social justice? How and why is the content of this unit controversial? What types of teaching methods used in this unit would you be most likely to use? How and why? How might you adapt and integrate some or all of the content in this teaching unit into the course you will be teaching next semester

Session 8, December 9th – Learning from the Experts – What can we learn from veteran teachers? PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL BE MEETING ON WEDNESDAY EVENING FROM 6-8pm so we can accommodate our guest teachers. Room TBA. Final reflective journal due on Monday, Dec. 7th.