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.)
Next, go back to the Home Page of this site and
spend a few minutes exploring the finished maps, charts, and
timelines.
These 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.
All the sections in the book are organized in
a consistent pattern, so we'll look at one example of each type of page
in the first
section, Discovery and Exploration.
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.
Section Title Page and Study
Checklist (page
1 - 1 and 1 - 2)

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Section title pages give you a good starting point
or
set up page as you begin each unit. The pictures and quotations
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. Divide students into small groups to
look over and discuss the quotes and pictures. Each group should
write their ideas on large sheets of paper, then have the groups share
some of their ideas with the class.
As
the teacher, you will probably recognize many of
the items from your own studies. If not, go to
the Home Page
of this web site and find the Famous
Quotes
help icon - the cartoon "talk balloon." Just select the section
you want, and look over the information there. (The teacher key
pages, of course, will have the same information.)
As students present their ideas, steer
the discussion toward the correct answers, and have students jot down
short identifying notes right on the page.
A study checklist page, always across from the
section title 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 small groups to prepare brief presentations for the class.
Spread these presentations out over several days, or
put them all together as part of the test review. (The teacher
key pages have sample answers for all of the Learning Checklist
questions.)
Timeline Pages (page 1
- 3 and 1 - 4)

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(Items to be added by students are shown
in red.)
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Timeline pages are at the head of
each unit to give students another opportunity to work together in
small groups while getting an overview of the main themes and events of
each period.
On the left side of the double page spread is a list
of items that students will search for in a textbook, encyclopedia,
dictionary, or online sources. Next to each item is a statement
in a form teachers often call a "cloze." Students in each small
group can
divide these up among themselves, find the correct dates, and scan for
enough information to complete the cloze.
The possible word choices are at the bottom of the page.
Students share within their group what they have learned. Then
the students will complete the timeline itself, working carefully in
pencil. (The sample page above on the right shows in red
the items to be added by students.) 
Circulate among all the groups, giving
advice and keeping students productively on task. You may
have our
booklet, Timeline
Keys for Teachers to help you. If not, you can find the same
information on our web site. Click the antique clock icon on the
home page, or go to the teacher key section.
The first few times you assign timeline pages,
you
should first briefly show the finished
timeline from the web site or from the Timeline Keys for Teachers
booklet. Explain how a timeline shows the sequence of
events. Show students how events should be listed neatly, without
excessive crowding.
Topic Summary Pages
(page 1 - 5 and 1 - 6)

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Topic summary pages help
students pull together the essential concepts related to a particular
topic. The words listed at the top are key vocabulary terms you
and your students should focus on in class.
As you introduce
these pages to the class, use the images to hook
student interest. They are not captioned, so engage
students
and ask them what they think the pictures show. For
example,
the first picture shows a town in the late Middle Ages or
early
Renaissance. Ask students to tell you what they already know
about the period or
what they see in the picture.
After this introduction and any video or other
lesson you wish to give, students can work on the double page spread on
their own or in small groups. Like many other pages in the book,
they are set up in a format educators call a "cloze." Students
should fill in the blanks as
they go using
the word bank at the bottom. Tell students to use a
pencil
so they can make changes, and lightly mark off words
in
the list
as they go. The cloze format, reading experts say, helps keep
students
involved and focused on the content.
Walk
around the class checking, praising successful effort, and quietly
helping. You can find the answers for the blanks and information
about the pictures in the teacher key pages of the web site.
The next step is for students
to expand their knowledge about the people and terms listed at the top
of the topic
summary page. You can have students work in small groups to make
an
index
card collection or a vocabulary notebook of these terms. Each
student in a group can take a share of the terms, find more
information, and share with the others. Of course, some
information is
already in the topic summary pages they just read - so that goes on the
card first. Students can
get additional information in a variety of
ways: from a textbook, from library work, or even directly from
the online Names
and Terms glossary on this web site - 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.
Map Pages (page 1 - 7
and 1 - 8)
The page to
the right shows the workbook map "Trade Routes Before Columbus" as it
appears when colored properly by the students.
In the
workbook, the maps to be completed are always on the right hand
side. The page giving directions (shown below) will always be on
the left side of the double page spread.
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A page of directions always tells
students exactly what to put on the map, and gives some
background information as well.
Students should color the map in the workbook by looking at the
completed maps
on this web site, or from our collection of overhead transparency maps
for teachers. (Tip: For any student with bad eyesight and
no
glasses, print a copy of the online map onto paper so it can be seen up
close.)
Think about ways you can make the map come
alive.
Bring to class something made of silk, some jade jewelry, or
spices
like
pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. Ask students how far will people
will
go today to get things that are rare and convey
status. The maps are not just an exercise in coloring (as much
fun as that is!) but also a chance to help students incorporate
geographic knowledge with the broader framework of history.
A good homework assignment for the maps:
have
students create a 5 or 10 item quiz, with answers, based on the map and
its
facing page.
Historical
Reading (pages
1 - 15 and 1 - 16)
Each section 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 in a whole class
setting or in small groups. Be sure to teach students how
to highlight passages they
feel are important, and how to make margin notes on the page.
These are important skills that can't be practiced in a regular
textbook, but are very helpful to all students and vital to success
later in college classes.
This example includes another kind of primary source
document, a historical drawing. Students are asked to analyze the
drawing of
a Native American village like
those
described in the reading selection. The teacher key pages have
information about the material on all the historical reading pages.
Pages
1 - 19 and 1 - 20: Charts

(Shown as page appears
with graph
completed and colored by students.)
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(Shown as page appears
with graph
completed and colored by students.)
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A key skill
students need to develop is the ability to analyze historical
data. Every
section gives students practice at this. Students
complete the graphs in the workbook by
using the data in the matching table, then analyze and discuss
in class the significance of the data.
You can go to the Charts / Graphs help
icon
on the Home page and look at the graphs in finished form, or find them
in the teacher key section.
The first few times, it is a good idea to give students a
quick look
at the finished graph before they start completing the graph in the
workbook. Be sure students understand clearly whether they are
making a bar graph, a
line graph, or a pie chart. Remind students that pencils will
erase, but pens will not!
Keep students thinking and
involved after they complete the charts. Ask the class to
respond, on paper or in a discussion group, to any questions on the
charts and graphs pages.
Our
On-line Resources
One good way to keep students involved and motivated
is
to use the Links to More History Resources,
which can be reached from the
Home Page. Remember that students enjoy learning and exploring
topics independently or in small groups much more than they enjoy a 45
minute lecture.
Practice
tests for all the sections can be reached with a link on the
Home Page. It's a good idea to make a classroom game of these,
which is especially easy if you have an LCD projector available.
Good luck, and thank you for using Fasttrack to America's Past.
Copyright 2004, 2008 by David Burns
www.fasttrackteaching.com
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