Q:
Our shipment of Fasttrack
to America's Past just arrived. What should we do to start
using
it with our students?
A: First, set aside
some time to become familiar with the book's
organization
and this Internet site. Begin by reading the Getting
Started pages at the front of the book. (To
read them now on-line, click here.)
This book will help pull you and your students
together as active participants in
learning. The framework is there to help keep everyone on track,
but you can be as creative as you wish in
designing lessons and delivering instruction.
Next, go back to the Home Page of this site and
spend a few minutes exploring the finished maps, charts, timelines, and
glossary.
These all match pages in the book that students will
complete.
(Also notice that the Teacher
Guide & Key section of this site presents the
same information - plus additional material for teachers -
organized in a
page-by-page
format.)
Now get your #2 pencils and color pencil set,
jump
in, and try some pages! Teachers, like students, learn best by
doing,
and it is more fun and productive if you work with a group of your
colleagues.
If you'd like a more detailed walk-through to
help get
started, or just want more advice on using the study guide in your
classroom,
continue below.

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All the sections in the book have
similar
pages, so we'll look at one example of each type of page in the first
section.
Like all the units, Section 1 starts with a Section
Title Page. Find it on page 1 - 1 (Section One, page one)
and leave it open.
Page
1 - 1: Section Title Page
The pictures and
famous
quotations on the Section Title Page give you a good starting point or
"set up" page as you begin the unit. They are not labeled or
captioned
because you want to get the students talking, sharing
what they already know, and making educated
guesses about what they see. That's a proven way to hook
students
and build interest.
Of course, it pays to know the background on the pictures and quotes
before
you begin the discussion with students. Usually you will
recognize
the items from your own studies. If not, go to the Home Page
of this web site and find the Famous
Quotes
help icon. Select Section One and look over the information there.
You don't have to discuss all the quotes
or pictures at once. Come back again another day to
help set up another lesson. Remind students they can jot short
identifying
notes right on the page.
(Information for this page can also
be found in the Teacher Guide & Key section of this site.)
Page 1 - 2: Learning
Checklist
This page gives students a clear statement of
the content they are expected to master. It also
provides
six essay questions that can be used in a variety of ways as you and
your
students move through this section. For example, students
can be
divided
into teams to prepare class presentations.
(You can find sample answers for these
questions in the Teacher Guide & Key section of this site.)
Pages 1 - 3 and 1 - 4:
Timeline
A good sense of when things happened and the
sequence of events is, of
course, essential to understanding history.
Click on the Timelines
help icon on the Home Page, and find the finished timeline for Section
One - Discovery and Exploration. (You may also have our
booklet, Timeline
Keys for Teachers. The booklet is shipped free with volume
orders,
and carries permission to make its pages into transparencies for
overhead
projectors.)
At first you will probably want students to
finish
the timelines directly from the computer screen or overhead
transparency.
Later, you can set students to work in groups in the library to
complete timeline pages.
Fill in a few of the blanks on the left hand page
to
see how it works - word choices for blanks are
always
at the bottom. Your classes can complete this page in many
ways: as a group activity, as a review
near
the end of the unit, etc.
(You can
check your answers for this page and also see the
finished timeline in the Teacher Guide & Key section of this site.)
Pages
1 - 5 and 1 - 6: Topic Summary
These pages help
students pull together the essential concepts related to a particular
topic.
This spread is titled "New Worlds Discovered."
The words at the top are NOT the words for the blanks - they
are
the key vocabulary terms you and your students should explore in more
detail in class.
As you introduce
these pages, use the images to hook
student interest. They are not captioned, so engage
students
and ask them to help figure out what the pictures show. For
example,
the first picture shows a town in the late Middle Ages or early
Renaissance.
Invite students to tell you what they already know about the period or
what they see in the picture.
Try completing this two-page spread now, using
the word choices listed at the bottom. Use
a pencil so you can make changes, and lightly mark off words in
the list
as you go. The blanks, incidentally, are there just to keep
students
involved and have a fun challenge as they go.
After an introduction, you can have students work
on these pages alone at their own pace or in small groups. Walk
around the class checking and quietly
helping
anyone who seems stuck. Remind students to print neatly.
(You can check your
answers in the Teacher Guide & Key section
of this site. There is also information about each of the
pictures.)
Now pick one of the vocabulary words at the top of the page and look it
up by clicking on the Names and Terms
help
icon on the Home Page. If you wish, have students create an
index
card collection or a vocabulary notebook of these terms. They can
get the information in a variety of
ways
to condense into short entries: a video based lesson, library
team
work, or even directly from the Names
and Terms glossary - the choice is yours.
With Fasttrack to
America's Past, you
are the instructional leader. You will decide how much emphasis
to give various terms, topics, and concepts. Be a lively and
engaging
leader. Listen to your students' interests along the way, and
don't be afraid to expand or even add new items to meet those interests.
Pages 1 - 7 and 1 - 8:
Map
Students' favorite pages are the maps.
Try the first one
yourself,
using a set of color pencils. If you purchased our Overhead
Maps
of America's Past, use them.
If not, click on the Maps help icon on
the
Home Page of this web site and find the first map, "Trade
Routes Before Columbus." Be sure to complete the facing
page
as well for background about what the map is showing.
Some tips for coloring the maps are in the
"Getting
Started" pages at the front of the workbook. Be sure to review
them
with your students, and insist that they work neatly and carefully!
Also, think about ways you can make this map come
alive.
Bring to class something made of silk, some jade jewelry, and spices
like
pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. Ask students how far will people
will
go today to get things that are rare and valuable and convey status.
A good homework assignment for the maps:
have
students create a 10 item quiz (with answers) based on the map and its
facing page.
(You can also see the
finished map and check your answers for the
facing page in the Teacher Guide & Key section of this site.)
Now flip ahead to see examples of
reading selections
and charts.
Pages
1 - 15 and 1 - 16:
Historical
Reading
Each of the sections includes brief historical
readings from primary sources designed to get students stretching their
higher-level thinking skills. These are short enough to read
aloud
in class, with plenty of time left for discussion and highlighting of
interesting
points, etc.
Read the first one, "The
English
Meet the Native Americans," starting on page 1 - 15. There
are discussion questions to help get your class thinking and
talking.
The drawing on the right hand page asks
students
to interpret an historical drawing of a Native American village like
those
described in the reading selection. Try it yourself, making
margin
notes beside the drawing as students will do to help answer the
discussion
questions.
(You can get more
information about the historical readings,
and sample discussion points, in the Teacher Guide & Key section of
this
site.)
Pages
1 - 19 and 1 - 20: Charts
A key skill
students
should develop is the ability to analyze historical data, and every
section
will give students practice at this. Look over the page titled "Charting
Golden Crops." Complete one of the bar graphs,
using the data in the matching table, so you see how students will
do
them.
You can go to the Charts / Graphs help
icon
on the Home page and look at the graphs in finished form.
As always, try to think of
ways
to get students thinking and involved as they complete the charts.
What impact might the new high-yield crops have had on the population
of
Europe? What would change if the corn and potato crops suddenly
disappeared
from the world today?
(You can get additional
help for these pages and also see the finished charts in the Teacher
Guide & Key section of this site.)
On-line Resources
One good way to get students more involved is
to use the Links
to Historic Sites & Documents, which can be reached from the
Home Page. Go there now, and click
through to some of the sites.
Practice
tests for all the sections can be reached with a link on the
Home Page.
A list of Recommended
Videos
for Classroom Use can be found in the Teacher Guide & Key
section.
Click on the name of any program to get more
information
about it.
Good luck, and thank you for using Fasttrack to America's Past - the
history book that students ask to keep!
Copyright 2004 by David Burns
www.fasttrackteaching.com
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