Think about all that you have observed in your assigned class this semester.    List two very important educational observations that you have made with regard to teaching (and being a teacher) during this semester.   How will these two pieces of knowledge help you as you move forward in your career?     

Dr. Ries asks a science question

 What was your experience with science while you were in elementary school?   Can you remember a science unit that was exciting to you?   Middle school?   High school?   Did any teacher, along the way, spark your interest in science?   At what grade level did that happen?    What was the topic(s)?   How confident do you feel about teaching science today?   

Dr. Ries and Women's History

 As you know, March is Women's History Month.   Have you seen any special lessons or units of study that have addressed that particular topic?   How is the school in which you are observing handling Women's History month?   What might you do on the second grade level to introduce women's history to your young students?   Is it an important topic?   How might you celebrate this particular topic or would you devote time to it during the entire school year?    

Dr. Ries and Young Adult Literature

 Do you remember the literary works that you were required to read while in middle school, grades 6,7 & 8?  Which one (or two) were the most memorable?   What did you like about this novel?  Did you learn anything new as a result of reading this particular piece of literature?  Were either of these stories related to social studies in any way?      

Dr. Ries has a geography instruction question.

 Imagine your own classroom with a globe placed importantly on the teacher’s desk and two or three world wall maps of different projections. What else might you add to stimulate your students’ knowledge of the world? Don’t forget the ceiling and floor.

Dr. Ries and February holidays

 February is the beginning of Black History Month.   It is also the month in which the Lunar New Year occurs.   Pick either one of these diversity celebrations and share with us a social studies activity that you think may interest your primary-aged students and, at the same, educate them as to the importance of these various groups. Are there any other days in February that might give you an opportunity to stress the importance of United States history and its people to your students?       

 Yesterday,  Governor Murphy signed a bill that has now become law.    This particular law makes it mandatory that the contributions of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAP) be included into the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Social Studies (K-12). We can expect that all school districts will be expected to infuse that information into their district-wide curriculum by September 2023.  Do you have an opinion on that new requirement for New Jersey students?    Do you feel that it is an important topic to include into the social studies curriculum and why?  

https://www.nj.com/politics/2022/01/gov-murphy-signs-bills-to-recognize-asian-americans-in-njs-k-12-curriculum.html