Showing posts with label instructor resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label instructor resources. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

StoryCorps in the Sociology Classroom

I love a good story. Don't we all love a good story? This is why StoryCorps is my favorite podcast. I am so excited to begin the conversation of how we can integrate it into our classrooms.

Here is an introduction to StoryCorps from their founder, Dave Isay:


StoryCorps reminds me of Humans of New York because it displays raw emotion from real people and real relationships in a small glimpse of these people's lives. These short stories serve as a great free supplemental resource for our Sociology class.

Due to the diversity of stories they have recorded, there are limitless ways to incorporate this resource into your classroom. By searching their website by theme, you could find a story/podcast to introduce almost any of our units. (The transcripts of each podcast are also available for each story.) Hearing these short podcasts, from real people could make our course come alive for our students, they can help our students relate to our content, and is an excellent way for students to apply their sociological imaginations!

Here as an example of how you could use a podcast:

You could use this story about two black men who moved to Hollywood in the 1960s to become stuntmen to begin a discussion about the history of race, or the state of racism in different industries, or to connect current issues to the race unit (2016 Academy Awards).

Another idea is you could assign your students to record an interview with someone important in their lives, like Ms. Mieliwocki did. After listening to various podcasts throughout the course, it would be very empowering to "hand over the mic" to our students and to allow them to uncover powerful stories in their community. (Official project write up will be in the Google Drive folder before school starts.)


If you aren't intrigued yet, here is a glimpse of the impact StoryCorps has had:



The Sociology classroom can serve as the perfect platform to increase these understandings in our high schools. 

Please tell us your ideas of how you would like to use StoryCorps in the comments below!




Sunday, June 5, 2016

Semester Syllabus, Pacing, and Topics


For our new Sociology teacher readers, or those looking to revamp their courses- this post will provide you with a few tips and ideas for designing your course.

*Disclaimer: I teach a semester long Sociology course.


1. First, chose the units you will teach. 

I use my textbook for this task. If you do not have class textbooks, I would order an exam copy from a publisher (or multiple). They are free, and will serve as a useful resource throughout this year. You can also use the ASA (American Sociological Association) Standards for this task.

My units include:
  1. Founders & Research Methods
  2. Culture & Media
  3. Deviance & Crime
  4. Socialization
  5. Stratification
  6. Race
  7. Family & Gender
2. Following, design your syllabus. 

Here is an AP Lang example.
I strongly advise to keep your syllabus to be 1 page, front and back. This way the most important information is in the document, and your students and parents are more likely to read it. (And you save some trees!) You could even let your creative juices flow and make your syllabus an infographic! (If this suits your fancy, here are two websites (1) (2) that I have used to make infographics.)

3. Include your VIP classroom procedures in your syllabus.

From my experience, it is crucial to include procedures and policies such as your late work policy, academic dishonesty policy, and absent work policy. (These 3 are very important) If you have your students and parents sign the syllabus, this helps to reinforce the policies throughout the duration of the course.

4. When tackling pacing, think about what you want your units to look like.

Ask yourself- How will I introduce your units? Will I need to provide your students work time for a project? How will I assess them, authentic assessment or traditional test? How excited am I about this topic, and will I want extra time to engage my students in my favorite activity we did in college? 

In my course, I try my best to introduce each unit with an experiment or simulation. I like to stick to approximately 10 class days per unit, including assessment day. I pace my course this way so that I have all of December (for semester one) for our final project, our Sociology Capstone (I will blog about this project in the future). 

5. Factor in any major projects into your pacing guide.

I used to integrate a semester long research project through out the course. This year, I am revamping the project into a capstone project at the end of the semester. You may like to implement 20% time.  Decide if this is something you want to include in your course. If so, schedule time for it, and include a little blurb about it in your syllabus!

6. Use resources besides your textbook! Or if you don't have a textbook, consider using these books as a resource for you!

Here are two supplemental texts that I love and use in my Sociology course:
               The Contexts Reader                 Down to Earth Sociology, by James Henslin
                



As always, thank you for reading!


Saturday, April 23, 2016

Introductions and A Call for Input

Welcome back to the Teaching High School Sociology Blog. My name is Caitlin McGrew and I will be taking over this blog, from Chuck (thank you, Chuck!). I currently teach at Rutherford B. Hayes High School in Delaware, Ohio. Similar to Chuck, I plan to share resources and lessons so we can have an online community where we can connect, collaborate, maintain an updated curriculum, and continue to grow as Sociology teachers.

One space I plan to use to collaborate is a Google Drive folder in which I will store files I blog about, and other resources that are high quality for you to implement in your classroom. If you have a lesson or resource you wish to add to the folder, please email it to thssblog@gmail.com.

I hope to also include book and video reviews that are pertinent to our content, and appropriate for our students.

My AP Psych students and I were able to meet Dr. Zimbardo!
If you have a topic you are interested in reading about, a weak area in your course you want to improve, or resources you want reviewed, please send me an email at thssblog@gmail.com.

To conclude, here is a little background information about me: I have been teaching for 3 years in central Ohio, and I am originally from Northeast Ohio. I have taught World History, Sociology, Geography, and AP Psychology. I have presented at various local and state conferences on topics including the Flipped Classroom, Google Apps, and Mastery Learning. Thank you for reading my first blog post, and for joining me as we transition ownership of the THSS blog!

Friday, August 3, 2012

High School Sociology Syllabus

I have alluded to it a variety of times and people have asked for it.  I perceive it as nothing special, but please feel free to take it and modify it however suits you.

The link for my entire set of docs (will be updated soon) is here:
https://sbhs-sbhsd-ca.schoolloop.com/sociology

This includes a link to a .doc version of the file below.


SOCIOLOGY
COURSE EXPECTATIONS & ACADEMIC SYLLABUS
Mr. Schallhorn
Class Behavior Expectations: What I expect from you!
®      This is a “Safe Classroom” and therefore certain types of behavior are encouraged and others discouraged.  I hope all students will feel welcomed and included and be free from harassment based upon ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation or any other difference.  I encourage you to take risks, share ideas and stories appropriate to the class.  Respect is a very big issue for me.  To that end, I expect all of us to avoid “put-downs” as well as derogatory comments or gestures.  Should I do any behavior that violates this principle, please call me on it.  You and I are responsible for every behavior we do. This is a college-prep course and you will be treated as responsible adults, not children.

We will observe three fundamental rules:
1.       all students have the right to express their own ideas, and
2.       all students' ideas are to be heard and treated respectfully.
3.       Each student will bring the text, paper, unit materials, and writing utensils to class (be prepared)

Introduction:
                Greetings!  I am Mr. Schallhorn, your teacher for this course.  You ought to know a few things about me.  I taught in Indiana and Illinois for 15 years (1987-2001) and began at San Benito High School in the fall of 2001.  I have taught Psychology, Advanced Psychology, AP Psychology, Government, Sociology, Honors Sociology, Comparative Religions, World Geography, Philosophy, Anthropology, US/World History/Government (Civitas), Hindu Literature, American Metropolis, and Popular Culture.  Over the years, I have coached volleyball and basketball.  I’m also a bit of a computer and video geek.  Basically, I have been into a lot of different things.

To paraphrase Emile Durkheim (a famous sociologist) - Society was/is more powerful than any of us and is beyond our personal control.  It’s separate from us, yet we are a part of it and it’s a part of our consciousness.  It outlives all of us and we depend on it.

                Introduction to Sociology is one semester course for seniors intended to give you a broad picture of the field of sociology with an emphasis on preparation for college and critical thinking.  This course is all about problem-solving and working in groups.  The course will offer you a set of intellectual tools with which to more accurately understand the society in which you live.  Your participation, discussion, and feedback are needed.  Group activity, work and cooperation are heavily emphasized.  Most of the readings in this course are on the college level.

Things you ought to learn by taking this course:

A.      To understand how sociology views society and to develop a broader and more comprehensive understanding of the complex society in which we live.
B.      To explain the relationship between the most basic cultural concepts: values, norms, roles, and sanctions.
C.      To explain why people behave the way they do employing the concept of socialization.
D.      To explain why people deviate from and conform to the norm.
E.       To evaluate our society's system for dealing with deviants and deviance.
F.       To identify and explain the basic causes for human hatred and prejudice.
G.      To explain the unique position of blacks in our society and why they are in that position.
H.      To critically examine how the school as a social institution has molded their behavior.
I.        To understand the nature and variability of cultures in order to better understand our own.
J.        To explain human motivation in terms of interaction and group membership.
K.      To begin to be able to explain human behavior in terms of abstract sociological concepts.
L.       To analyze how families and family systems influence their behavior.
M.     To identify major social concerns and understand their importance so that students as future citizens will be better prepared to confront these problems.




Course Content
Units Covered
1.       The Sociological Perspective
2.       Culture
3.       Socialization
a.       Education
b.       Sex and Gender
c.        Media
4.       Race and Ethnicity
5.       Families and Intimate Relationships
The grade you earn will be based upon the number of points within the context of the following weights.
·         Classwork/HW/Projects/Essays=40%
·         Quizzes/Tests = 40%
·         Final Exam = 20%
Final Exam—Yes, we have one.
The final examination will be comprehensive (cover the entire course) and will represent 20% of your semester grade.
Grading Scale:
92+ = A
90-91.9  = A-
88-89.9  = B+
82-87.9  = B
80-81.9  = B-
78-79.9  = C+
72-79.9  = C
70-71.9 = C-
68-69.9  = D+
62-67.9  = D
60-61.9  = D-
Below 60%  = F

Procedures
Materials: bring daily your textbook, loose-leaf (binder or notebook) paper, notebook, folder, pens/pencils

Attendance:
·         Please make note of the San Benito High School Attendance Policy.  Everyone is expected to be in class.  This is a participation and experience-based class and although class notes can assist in making up information, nothing can totally replace the experience of being in class. 
·         Be sure to go to attendance to obtain an Admit Slip. 
·         ***I will not allow you in class without an admit slip/pass/being on excused list after an absence.

Late Fees” (for homework and other assignments)
  1. For major assignments (40 points and above), late assignments will have a penalty of 10% per school day. 
  2. Late homework is worth 50 percent of its original score if it’s done well and turned in by the day of the exam. 
  3. If work is turned in after a unit exam, only completion credit is available.

Assignments—General:

Every assignment will be labeled with the following information
(if not, it will be counted as a late grade): 
·         Staple all assignments before class begins
Name (First and Last)
Class/Period
Assignment/Title of Assignment
Date turned in
To the left, the format
Ü
To the right, an example
Þ
Charles Schallhorn
Sociology—5
Syllabus Project
January 4, 2014

Testing procedures:  Tests will be given at the end of most units.  Quizzes will be given at a variety of times during the course.

Extra credit:  Extra Credit may be earned only after the regular work is completed.  It will be available only at the instructor’s discretion.  Most often it will be for a superior effort on an assignment.

Participation:
·         I strongly encourage you to participate in class discussions and activities.  Students assist in creating the atmosphere and mood of the class.  Please become actively involved when appropriate.  Participation in a class such as Psychology where we will be doing many demonstrations and activities will enhance your interest in class and learning.
·         You are also encouraged to bring into class any materials, ideas, news, articles, artifacts
·         Positive class participation is expected.  It includes: paying attention; not sleeping in class; looking interested in the class material; asking questions about the material you've read; bringing in cartoons, magazine, newspaper and journal articles related to the topics studied; being willing to summarize the content for the class; arguing with me on the basis of evidence/logic; and actually contributing something to the class activities of the day.


Topics We Will Examine


·   The Sociological Perspective
·   sociological points of view on group behaviors
·   Durkheim and studies on suicide
·   suicide from both sociological and psychological viewpoints
·   Culture; definition
·   language and culture
·   values, roles, status and rules of cultures
·   American culture
·   Socialization; agents of socialization;
·   personality as created by the social processes;
·   sociological theories of socialization;
·   the roles of the media, education, birth order and family;
·   Social Structure and Interaction; 
·   groups, roles, status
·   nonverbal communication
·   Sex and Gender
·   Sexism
·   gender role socialization
·   Deviance
·   personal abnormality
·   the handicapped
·   history of deviance
·   theories of deviance
·   crime, prisons, and penal reform
·   Race
·   Ethnicity and Prejudice
·   sociological definition of minority
·   causes of bigotry
·   stereotypes
·   prejudice
·   discrimination
·   sexism
·   theories as to the causes of prejudice
·   History of prejudice in the U.S.
·   Sexual Harassment
·   Multiculturalism
·   The Family and Intimate Relationships
·   What is love?
·   family types
·   forms of marriage
·   historical change of the American family
·   attraction
·   relationship issues
·   perspectives on families
·   Social problems
·   Current Issues as decided upon by class


•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••


Readings
1.         You are expected to read all assignments given in this class (text, boxes in text, handouts, additional readings)

2.             I will give periodic "pop" quizzes on the readings but, in most cases, I will require you to turn in notes over the reading the day the assignment is due or assign a worksheet to go with a reading.  Handing in the assignment when you return can make up a missed assignment.

Academic Integrity and Ethical Standards

                Students are expected to abide by ethical standards in preparing and presenting material that demonstrates their level of knowledge and which is used to determine grades.  Such standards are founded on the basic concepts of honesty and integrity.  An Academic Integrity Policy is an important part of your academic life.  You are responsible for knowing, understanding, and following that policy.  Should any questions arise regarding the policy and your activities, please contact the instructor as soon as possible.

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Please sign below and return to the instructor.
I acknowledge my reading of the course syllabus and the demands and responsibilities and consequences that will be required for the Sociology Course.  Extra help is always available—set up an appointment for before or after school.
Student Name (print):

Student Signature

Parent Name (print)

Parent Signature: