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| SUMMER INSTITUTE TO FOCUS ON IMMIGRATION AND WOMEN'S ISSUES |
COURSE SYLLABUS FOR SUMMER INSTITUTE for TAH GRANT
ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AND LEARNING THROUGH PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION COMMUNITIES
AURORA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS
Course Number: OEDC 5053
Course Title: History Connections II
3 Semester Graduate Credit Hours
1. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is being offered for history teachers to improve their content knowledge. The objective of this course is to increase student achievement through professional development of teachers which will enable them to increase classroom instruction skills and improve the content of their lessons. The course will focus on the two themes of Immigration and Women’s Issues, stressing their relevance to and impact on the northern Illinois area.
2. COURSE OVERVIEW: An intense, one week institute covering immigration issues and women’s issues, past and present, in the Rockford Area. Beginning with a “Symposium on Immigration” sessions will also include a “Focus on Photos” technology training session, a tour of Tinker Swiss Cottage with focus on the early women’s movement in Rockford, a cemetery walk with several noted historians sharing the lives and legacies of Rockford’s founding fathers (and leading ladies!), a day at Midway Village & Museum Center for a close look at “Immigrants and Industry in Rockford,” and a final day-long workshop, “The Student as Historian.”
3. STUDENT LEARNING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the following skills:
a. Historical Perspective:
1. Recognize and understand the importance of various ethnic groups in the shaping of Rockford
2. Recognize and understand the importance of immigrants as leaders in industry in early Rockford
3. Recognize and understand the significance of local leaders in the women’s movement
b. Critical Thinking:
1. Interpret historical events through the use of primary source materials
2. Investigate and discuss rationale for historic events
c. Effective Communication:
1. Research, design, and produce a well-written unit to be taught at appropriate level of instruction using primary source materials and technology skills acquired through this course
2. Share the unit with members of the Institute also taking the course for credit
3. Actively engage in class discussions throughout the Institute.
d. Social and Global Awareness:
1. Become aware of the various prevalent beliefs and differing points of view of individuals studied throughout the Institute.
2. Understand the differences in culture and differing value systems of the various ethnicities.
3. Understand the significance of actions taken by those in the local area and how they relate to the broader picture or world view.
e. Historical Research Practice:
1. Become familiar with and learn the appropriate use of primary and secondary source materials.
2. Understand and acknowledge the importance of diverse historical interpretations and perspectives.
4. TEACHING METHODS/CLASS FORMAT: To accomplish these goals and objectives, the students will participate in coursework which will include the Symposium on Immigration, a technology workshop for creating multi-media presentations, an architectural and cultural tour of the Tinker Swiss Cottage, sessions on the women’s movement in Rockford, a cemetery walk to learn more about Rockford’s immigrant founders, sessions at the Midway Village & Museum Center with focus on Immigrants and Industry in the shaping of Rockford, a living history presentation by an early proponent of the women’s movement, and a final workshop on “The Student as Historian.” During each of these sessions, guest lecturers with expertise in their subject matter will be presenting valuable content information on the themes being studied. There will be five day-long sessions which will each be 8 hours in length. There will also be a three hour session following the Institute at which time the participants will give their presentations.
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| Tinker Swiss Cottage to Feature Tour and Programs for TAH Participants |
REQUIRED READING/SCHEDULED SESSIONS
5. REQUIRED READING: Students taking the TAH Summer Institute for graduate credit are required to read the following:
Teaching Diversity: People of Color—Teaching Mexican American History by Neil Foley. American Historical Association, 2003.
SUGGESTED READING:
The White Scourge: Mexicans, Blacks, and Poor Whites in Texas Cotton Culture (1997), by Neil Foley, which focuses on issues of racial identity and civil rights politics in the twentieth century.
Rockford: an Illustrated History by Jon Lundin (1998)
Other selected sources and documents which are recommended are listed in the class bibliography. (See attached.)
6. UNITS OF WORK:
Session 1: “Focus on Immigration”—a symposium featuring Dr. Neil Foley, author and history professor at the University of Texas, and Christina Johansson, archivist for the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center at Augustana College.
Required reading: “Teaching Diversity: People of Color—Teaching Mexican American History.”
A. Keynote address: “Hispanic Immigration” by Dr. Foley
B. Book discussion on “Teaching Diversity: People of Color—Teaching Mexican American History.”
C. A “hands-on” session with Neil Foley, providing background information on the history of Hispanic immigration and suggestions for teachers as how to best accommodate Hispanic students in their classes by incorporating significant Hispanic events and individuals in their US history presentations.
D. “Swedish Immigrants in the Settlement of Northern Illinois”—Christina Johansson. A look at the culture and values of this group of immigrants which comprised a large percentage of early settlers in the Rockford/northern Illinois area. Also, Leah Nelson of the Erlander Home and Swedish Historical Society of Rockford.
E. Documents/case studies of early Swedish settlers.
F. Discussion/feedback/evaluation
Session 2: “Focus on Photos.”
A. Day-long technology session presented by Jennifer Wood of the Regional Office of Education held in the computer lab at the NIU Rockford Center.
B. Teachers will learn ways to incorporate photos, documents, maps, and other graphics into multimedia presentations they will create for classroom delivery.
C. Using the Library of Congress and the National Archives, teachers will create Illustrated Stories and other formats through which students will be able to interact with primary sources.
D. This session will provide teachers with technical skills and training that go beyond the textbook to provide students an unparalleled learning experience that will enable them to make personal connections to history.
E. Presentations/feedback/evaluation
Session 3: “Focus on Rockford”
Suggested reading: “Rockford: an Illustrated History” by Jon Lundin
A. Tour of Tinker Swiss Cottage in downtown Rockford.
B. Programs at Tinker Cottage presented by Janna Bailey, Director of Education
1. Robert Tinker’s Rockford—architecture and history of Rockford
2. The Tinker-Dorr Women and Women’s Rights—women’s rights pioneers in Illinois; the Declaration of Sentiments (document of injustices suffered by women in the 1800’s)
3. An American Adventure—a look at Rockford through the eyes of Swedish immigrant, Nels Ekblad, the Tinker’s coachman.
C. Cemetery Walk through Greenwood Cemetery led by David Byrnes, President of Midway Village & Museum Center, Dave Oberg, executive director of the Geneva Historic Park, and Don Swanson, former RPS principal and historian.
Session 4: “Focus on Immigrants and Industry in Rockford, Then and Now”
Suggested reading: “Rockford: an Illustrated History” by Jon Lundin
A. “Immigrants and Industry, Shaping Rockford’s Past” presented by Mark Herman and Dan Bartlett, Midway Village & Museum Center staff
B. Oral Histories: a study of 100 local immigrants, their interviews, their lives
C. A visit with Julia Lathrop—a living history presentation by Pamela Moore as the early women’s rights leader from Rockford
D. “Writing Rockford’s Past,” presented by local historian and author, Jon Lundin, who will share content on his experiences researching and writing about Rockford’s past.
E. Document study using primary sources.
F. Feedback/evaluation
Session 5: “Focus on the Student as Historian.”
A. This is a day-long, professional development workshop presented by Dr. Aaron P. Willis of Culver City, California.
B. Provided by the Social Studies School Service, the workshop provides teachers with materials and techniques for improving delivery of US history lessons in their classrooms, and thereby raising student achievement.
C. Topics for the presentation will include:
1. Strategic Reading in US History—focuses on strategies to help students learn how to read and understand historical texts; how to use graphic organizers, webs, and other strategies
2. Working with Primary Sources—focus on developing strategies for working with students so that they better understand the nature of primary and secondary sources and the role they play in creating historical narrative
3. Working with Document Based Activities—lessons which employ a variety of primary source data available online, targeted questions which require analyzing and interpreting. 18 units each with five activities, including a culminating activity focusing on a broader theme.
D. Feedback/final evaluation
E. Meeting with students taking Institute for graduate credit.
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| COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATE CREDIT THROUGH AURORA UNIVERSITY |
7. CLASS ASSIGNMENTS:
A. TEACHING UNIT. Using a primary source related to one of the topics discussed during the Summer Institute Sessions, create a unit with related activities. The project will comprise the development and implementation of lesson plans targeted at the specific grade level taught. The project must be approved by the instructor and should be something the class participant will implement in their classroom next year. Extensive lesson plans with stated objectives, materials needed, measurable outcomes, planned assessments, bibliography of sources used (books, articles, internet sites, videos, primary sources, etc.), and follow-up activities must be written into the project.
B. GROUP PRESENTATION. During the follow-up session, Session 6, the student must present his/her unit project to the rest of the group. Students should provide handouts with a brief explanation of the materials used and a summary of the lesson plan that comprises their project or unit.
8. EVALUATION AND GRADING PROCEDURES: At the end of the course, letter grades will be awarded as defined:
A (4 quality points per course unit) Excellent. Denotes work that is consistently at
the highest level of achievement in a graduate college or university course.
B (3 quality points per course unit) Good. Denotes work that consistently meets the
high level of college or university standards for academic performance in a
graduate college or university.
C (2 quality points per course unit) The lowest passing grade. Denotes work
that does not meet in all respects college or university standards for academic
performance in a graduate college or university course.
F (0 quality points per course unit) Failure. Denotes work that fails to meet the
graduate college or university standards for academic performance in a course.
The final course grade will be based upon the quality of work with components weighed by percentage and point value as follows:
I. Research Project or Unit @ 60% = 60 points
II. Group Presentation @ 30% = 30 points
III. Participation in Discussions @ 10% = 10 points
Total Maximum = 100 % or 100 points
Point Grading Scale:
A = 90 – 100
B = 80 – 89
C = 70 – 79
F = 69 & below
9. BIBLIOGRAPHY: In addition to the Required Reading Texts, prior to the first session of the Summer Institute, students will receive a list of recommended primary and secondary sources to peruse online. (See attachment)
10. ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance at all 6 sessions of the summer institute is a mandatory requirement.
11. ACADEMIC HONESTY AND INTEGRITY STATEMENT: Students are expected to maintain the academic honesty and integrity standards of Aurora University by doing their own work to the best of their ability. Academic dishonesty (cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, etc.) will result in the student receiving a zero for that assignment.
12. FINAL EXAMINATION POLICY: The final examination will consist of submission of the Research Project or Unit and the Presentation of same at the last session of the Summer Institute, as well as successful completion of the coursework throughout the Institute.
13. AMERICAN DISABILITY ACT COMPLIANCE: In compliance with ADA guidelines, students who have any condition, either permanent or temporary, which might affect their ability to perform in this class, are encouraged to inform the instructor at the beginning of the Summer Institute. Adaptations of teaching methods, class materials, including text and reading materials or testing may be made as needed to provide for equitable participation.
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Suggested Readings for Summer Institute |
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