What is the defining difference between history and prehistory?

According to Wikipedia:




The history of the world is the memory of the past experience of Homo sapiens sapiens around the world, as that experience has been preserved, largely in written records. By "prehistory", historians mean the recovery of knowledge of the past in an area where no written records exist, or where the writing of a culture is not understood.




That seems like a great demarcation and a great point from which my students will come to understand history.


In class we started with a Venn Diagram: one side history, other prehistory and the common area would be which characteristics are shared: artifacts, analysis and interpretation where ideas I wanted them to intially have there.

Glenn dando clase introductoria: escribir una carta a ti mismo/a

Using Images to Channel Student Intuition about School

I have been doing this activity for several years with older private school students and public university students. I give them a set of images I have collected over the years that could symbolize any number of feelings about the school year in indirect manners. In my new job as 6th grade teacher at a public middle school, I was wondering just what these images would elicit from my students. I asked them to look at the images, choose one that seemed to represent something about their school year, then spend some time describing the image in writing. Then I gave them a sentence starter: This image represents me because....

Here are a couple of example:

I did this activity with my English class of students from our Spanish Immersion Program. It took about 30 minutes. I was impressed with the positive energy expressed by most and the sense of fear from other. I thought that the Rock picture interpretation by the first student was particularly poignant. I hope I am not just stacking her again.

6th Grade Goal Setting for my English Language Class

6th Grade Goal

As you start 6th grade and Middle School, you will learn that you are more and more in charge and responsible for your own learning. If you have a good understanding of what you want to happen as a result of your work, you are far more likely to achieve it.

This about these questions and answer them carefully and honestly. They will help you set goals for your own education and guide you towards making good decisions.

1. What is one thing you are good at and how do you know this?

1. What is one thing you need to work on to get better and how do you know this?

1. Write one specific goal for one thing you would like to achieve in school while in the 6th grade.

1. List any challenges that might prevent you from reaching this goal.

1. List any benefits from reaching this goal.

6.  Who can help you reach this goal and how can they do this?

Presentando Glenn 2010

La presentación que preparé para mis alumnos el primer día de clases.

Presentando glenn2010

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Word Generation and Sixth Grade Orientation

Today was a District wide inservice on Word Generation, a program developed in Boston to help explicitly teach academic language. I liked the scope and the focus and look forward to implementing it.

It was fun to see all my school's new sixth graders and families wander the school during orientation tonight. It was "fun" to be translating once again.

First Day in New School

My first day was very nice. Extremely friendly and warm staff. Very interesting building. I am coming to really like my classroom: huge space with lots of potential and only for me and my students. Great teaching partner as well. Jitters gone.