We the People…
April 22nd, 2008 |
I’m old enough to remember the Schoolhouse Rock videos airing between cartoons on Saturday mornings. I really liked (most of) them as a kid. I rediscovered them years later as a classroom teacher and was even more impressed by them. Not only do these videos cover a lot of curriculum they are also artistically impressive. My wife and I are getting to enjoy all the Schoolhouse Rock fun again with our kids.
We’re looking at integrating higher order thinking skills and word processing in one of my classes right now. The following video is connected to the lesson. Reminisce and enjoy!
Let’s share ideas about how any/all the following could be integrated with teaching and learning.
- This or any Schoolhouse Rock video
- Word processing technologies (desktop or online alternatives)
- Higher order thinking skills
Related Posts
- An Introduction to Online Word Processing
- An Introduction to Online Word Processing
- U.S. Presidential Elections
- Just for Fun
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:13 PM
Use these videos to engage students in discussing our government and how it operates. Then have the students create their own Constitution and defend their own laws and bill of rights. Students could create a “modern” video or song to explain the process of passing a law or electing a candidate. Heck, have them interview an actual politician to go along with them creating their own process.
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:01 AM
My first thought was similar to something that Dean mentioned…have students create their own video about a topic. I was always amazed at the level of creativity my students showed when given a project such as this. They might not remember questions off of a worksheet, but they were certainly “engaged learners” when they were allowed to let their creative juices flow!
April 24th, 2008 at 8:29 AM
I like the idea of having students create their own constitution. Maybe have them help draw up a constitution for the class. Then students could see what all goes into creating such an important document.
April 27th, 2008 at 7:51 AM
WOW! This really brought me back! I am 29 and can remember watching these…or maybe some tapes. I don’t know. I do remember watching School House Rock!
April 29th, 2008 at 9:13 PM
In order to ensure that students are thinking critically & really thinking about the videos, they could be asked to write summaries or reviews of the videos. This would be used in conjunction with the study of the specific topic or lesson.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:15 PM
By the way, I love Schoolhouse Rock! I remember all of these videos. Many years ago, I actually bought the DVDs and will be so excited to use them in my classroom someday. This is how I learned the Preamble! An alumna from my school is currently producing a version of Schoolhouse Rock in Turkey, where she has lived for 20 years. Neat!
April 29th, 2008 at 9:55 PM
I love Schoolhouse Rock!! My favorite was about the Bill on his way to Capitol Hill. I thinkthese videos teach wonderful lessons and they really reach out to children. They are bright, colorful, musical, fun, and not to mention on television so it’s not like learning ina regular classroom. I would love for them to brought back on PBS or other channels which children view frequently. I will definitely use these videos with lessons in the classroom.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:52 PM
Oh my goodness! I remember my mom making me watch these series. I think the students could start with little paper flip book cartoons and use technology to bring the flip books to life. This would create an opportunity to take the process of making a cartoon from start to finish. For an assessment project, the students could write a summary paper of their experience
July 24th, 2008 at 9:41 AM
I remember being in 7th grade (or so) and having to memorize and recite the Preamble. Our teacher showed this video, with the lyrics of course, amd had us sing along as a way to help us remember the Preamble. In this instance, singing was an effective way of helping us remember specific words. One of my personal favorites is “Conjunction Junction.” I think it would be cool to have students create their own instructional video in groups. Perhaps they could be shown to children in lower grades.
February 14th, 2009 at 3:00 PM
I havent seen this in years! I would LOVE for my 5 yr old to watch. Why can’t television shows still be informative like this?! I love Timothy’s idea of bringing the flip book cartoon to life through technology…what a great way to bring creativity and technology together!
February 15th, 2009 at 7:20 PM
I remember watching this in Civics class in 9th grade. I love that it is still around!
February 16th, 2009 at 7:25 PM
I love these videos. They help keep the students interested in what you are learning.
February 16th, 2009 at 8:12 PM
Wow!! Talk about old school. I loved these video’s!!! This really brought me back. Now I’m thinking about the one’s I remember. Like I’m Just a Bill! The school house rock videos are great and really teach a lot!
June 18th, 2009 at 6:40 PM
Man!!! I could actually smell breakfast on a warm Saturday morning watching cartoons! Sweet!
July 20th, 2009 at 8:12 PM
This taken me back to the early Saturday mornings in the 1980’s.
July 21st, 2009 at 10:32 AM
This video would help integrate technology in the classroom. After watching students could do a multitude of activities.
July 21st, 2009 at 7:49 PM
What a blast from the past! I think I found myself singing along!
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:51 PM
This brings back great memories. Thanks! This makes me realize that older technology should not be ignored.
July 25th, 2009 at 6:36 PM
I don’t remember much School House Rock, about the only thing I can remember is “conjunction junction, what’s your function?” But I think this definitely would have made memorizing the Preamble in 5th grade much easier!
February 9th, 2010 at 11:46 PM
I love School House Rock! I remember waiting for these to come on Saturday morinings. Great!!
February 12th, 2010 at 11:30 AM
I remember watching School House Rock. I remember what stuck out the most was it was a video and I could remeber things in a song quicker than studying. So the same lies today it can be helpful to visual and audial learners.