Guest+Speaker+Strategy

~GRADELEVELS NCSS CURRICULUM STRANDS ..- v K-2 V 3-5 V 6-8 I Culture II Time, Continuity, and Change IV Individual Development and Identity V Individuals, Groups, and Institutions VI Powers, Authority, and Governance IX Global Connections X Civic Ideals and Practices Guest speakers who are eyewitnesses to historical and current events encourage students to obtain data from a primary source. Guest speakers are often the "hook" into a unit of study or part of a culminating event that ties the unit together. Guest speakers can also inspire students to improve their research skills. Data obtained from a guest speaker may enrich or sometimes challenge data obtained from other primary sources such as other guest speakers or first-person accounts. Information presented by guest speakers leads to an awareness of multiple perspectives, a key skill in understanding concepts in history and social studies. Guest speakers also challenge secondary and tertiary sources such as the popular media, the Internet, and texts, thus encouraging students to evaluate their sources of information. Guest speakers also encourage students to employ multiple sources when conducting research. PROCEDURAL RECOMMENDATIONS • Many topics under study in social studies classrooms include varying interpretations of events or outcomes. When considering such a topic for study, also consider the availability of guest speakers who can enrich the study. These may be eyewitnesses to events or scholars who have extensively studied the event or topic. • Include learning objectives that encourage students to examine multiple perspectives and develop research skills. • Examine the basic text or information to which students will have easy access. Search for examples that give only one or two perspectives of the event or for examples that lack detail or explanation. For example, an account of the American Revolutionary War era may contain only the pro-independence perspective. To fully understand the era, it is important also to understand the perspective of colonists who remained loyal to England. • Once the areas lacking detail or perspective are identified, begin a search for individuals in the community who could add information and perspective. Eyewitnesses, university scholars, historical reenactors, and frequent travelers are all potential guest speakers. Contact the local historical society, state humanities committee, area colleges and universities, or veterans association for assistance. • Determine the most appropriate time in the unit to include guest speakers. Consider the purpose of the visit. Will the guest speaker provide the anticipatory set for the unit, or will he or she challenge traditional views? Allocate an appropriate amount of time for the guest speaker to work with the students. • Prepare both the speaker and the students for the visit. • Determine what kinds of interactions the speaker and the students will share. Will the speaker present formally? Will students be encouraged to ask questions throughout the presentation or only at the end? Is a question-and-answer session without a formal presentation a better alternative? Will the speaker bring artifacts? Can the artifacts be handled by students? • Provide the speaker with the goals or objectives of the lesson. It may also be helpful to provide the speaker with a copy of the text or resources used by the students. If the speaker is not familiar with a young audience, give him or her some tips on working with your students. • Remind students of respectful behaviors. Help students prepare questions for the guest. Select one or two students to serve as hosts-they can greet the guest at the office, escort him or her to...and from the classroom, and assist with any materials the guest brings. • After the guest speaker leaves, debrief with the students. What new information was presented? How is that similar to or different from what has been studied? To learn more, what other sources (texts, primary sources, guest speakers) could be consulted? You might use a KWL (what we Know, what we Want to know, what we Learned) chart before and after the guest speaker's visit (refer to Figure 21.4). After the speaker leaves, students can examine the Know and Want to determine what they have Learned and what new questions they have. These new questions become the basis for research. Students in Mr. Chang's kindergarten class are excited and anxious about their first days of school. Mr. Chang has been working with the students to see their classroom and school as a civic community, a place where people have specific roles and responsibilities. In class, Mr. Chang has talked about his responsibilities as the teacher: teaching the students, treating them justly, and keeping them safe from harm. Students also have brainstormed their responsibilities as citizens of the classroom community. They identified being good listeners, taking care of the physical classroom, asking questions when they do not understand, and helping one another learn as some of these responsibilities. Mr. Chang wants to expand his students' understanding of community, citizenship, and rights and responsibilities from the classroom community to the school community. He and the students create a list of people who might provide some insight into the school community, including the principal, a secretary, the school nurse, a fifth grader, a custodian, a librarian, and a lunch room employee. The students and Mr. Chang work to provide as much variety as possible and talk with as many people as possible. With help, the class develops a list of questions to ask each potential visitor. Because tlle lesson is about community and citizenship, all of the questions focus on whether this person believes the school is a community, and if so, what his or her rights and responsibilities are within the community. Questions include where in the school the potential guest works and what he or she does. (A school map helps with this part.) Mr. Chang individually approaches each person to ask if he or she would be willing to briefly speak to his class. They all agree, and he provides them the list of questions. He asks each person to speak for approximately 5 minutes and to answer questions for another 15 minutes. He also asks each one if he or she needs assistance with any materials he or she would like to distribute to the class. One speaker is scheduled to attend class each day for seven days. It will be the first activity of the day after attendance. It is now time to prepare the class for the guest speakers. Mr. Chang shares the schedule with the students, using pictures on the calendar so students will know who is attending. He asks for two or three volunteers to serve as hosts for each speaker. The hosts will escort the speaker to his or her seat, provide a glass of water, hand out any materials, and introduce the speaker. Mr. Chang talks with his students about how to be attentive listeners, when to ask questions, and how to carry out specific host responsibilities. As each speaker visits, students become more comfortable. Mr. Chang facilitates the questionand- answer sessions to reflect his curriculum goals of community and citizenship by asking questions in addition to the ones already given to the speakers. For example, the librarian is asked how books and reading contribute to the development of a citizen. The principal is asked to describe the school as a community. After all of the speakers have presented, Mr. Chang writes two student-dictated records summarizing the visits. The first describes how their classroom is a community and explains the role of each student in the classroom community. The second describes how their school is a community and explains the roles of their guest speakers in the school community. REFERENCES AND RESOURCES Poling, L. G. (2000). The real world: Community speakers in the classroom. Social Education) 64(4, Supp!.), M8-MI0. Guest speakers are almost exclusively available on a local basis only. Some suggested resources include the following organizations: American Legion Art or history museums (education division) Historical societies (state, county, local) Immigrant associations (e.g., Italian-American Club, Korean-American Club) Local colleges/universities Service clubs (e.g., Rotary International, Kiwanis, Junior League) State Humanities Commission/Committee Travel clubs Veterans of Foreign Wars chapters