“True Cavalier Pride” is to reconnect JHS students with true Cavalier Pride, while also developing historical thinking and writing skills through interactive, enriching and hands-on student conducted research. Over the course of the past year, while conducting Social Studies classes, I have identified that my students have difficulty discerning between choices on assessments. It appears to me that my students are not making a direct connection to the content being taught, and, therefore, cannot easily identify the correct answers. Students are struggling to connect with prior knowledge – much due to the fact that the content being taught is not of particular interest to them. Additionally, my students are not using effective literacy skills, strategies, and/or techniques when exposed to Social Studies content. In order to properly address this specific problem, it is my desire to implement student-centered teaching techniques, (such as conducting Learning Centers) which will strengthen the students’ literacy skills and strengthen their abilities to comprehend, read fluently and make text connections, promote student interest by teaching a lesson based upon the history of Jenkins using the guiding question – how the early history of Jenkins shaped our community today?
We will develop student critical thinking skills and enhance writing skills by allowing them to conduct research, make connections and draw conclusions, make real-life connections to the lesson through the implementation of field trips, guest speakers, community tours, etc., and develop a desirable classroom climate that proves to be enriching, encouraging and student-led.