Kevin Arseneaux

Dr. Wargo
EDU 415
December 2023

Strategy Collection

Strategy 1: Vocabulary, Graphic Organizer

MacCulloch, D. (2005). The Reformation: A History. Penguin Books.

This book would serve as a more complex trade book for more advanced readers who show a
clear grasp on how, and trace the changes of, philosophy and religion, and their effects on
society. MacCulloch’s book dives into the Reformation’s effects on the everyday lives of the
people, whereas the previous book mention focuses on the experience of a religious leader.

The Reformation can be an extremely complex topic for students to learn, especially if they
have no connection to Christianity. Understanding the religion itself can be difficult enough
alone, nevertheless comprehending why a schism occurred. Developing knowledge of specific
Reformation vocabulary will help students understand the essence of the Reformation and its
relevance to the development of Western History. Likewise, a simple graphic organizer can
serve as an excellent tool to make The Reformation: A History more accessible to students by
compartmentalizing important vocabulary along with their definitions. Example concepts
foundational to the reformation could include: The Bible, The Catholic Church, and Indulgences

Strategy 2: Guiding Reading Comprehension,

Forbes, E. (2011). Johnny Tremain. HMH Books for Young Readers

Another historical novel like Chains, Johnny Tremain focus’ on the other side of the social
spectrum following the story of a young silversmith apprentice in Boston. It demonstrates
historical context along with an engaging narrative that would help students develop a greater
understanding of New England society during the American Revolution.

One challenging part of reading fiction is tracing the events of the story according to their
setting and being able to identify the significance of each of these respective places. Similarly, to
the challenges discussed in Strategy 4, the inability to mentally organize large quantities of
information (like an entire historical novel) can inhibit reading comprehension. I created what I
call a Visual-Setting Organizer, that combines a timeline, visuals, and written summarization,
to help students comprehend the story in question. Not only do the visuals help chunk the story
into parts and categories, but the sequence of the visuals also help students sort the story into a
timeline. These visuals are also accompanied by bulleted notes that demonstrate the significance
and purpose of that place within the context of the story. This strategy helps make the story more
accessible to students by organizing the plot into a visual, accompanied with the important
information they need to know. A Visual-Setting Organizer is used in the example to explore the
first few places seen in the book Johnny Tremain, hopefully making the book more accessible to
students.

Strategy 3: Studying Text, Two Column Note Taking

Brands, H. W. (2003). The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American
Dream. Anchor Books.

The California Goldrush is arguably the quintessential manifestation of the spirit of the age
during America at the time. In seeking to trace and understand historical developments, students
can use this source to understand the culmination of Manifest Destiny during the 19th century.

One common complaint from students when first learning to effectively engage with a
nonfictional source is that there is simply too much information, and therefore inhibiting
accessibility. Sometimes, students for a variety of reasons, just want a summary of what they
need to know so they can move on. Two Column Note taking is strategy educators can teach
their students so they can take on nonfictional texts in an effective way that salvages the main
idea without sacrificing important information and context. For example, the California Gold
Rush is a major period in American History that was crucial to the development of the West, and
the perpetuation of what historians call The Manifest Destiny. If the goal is to understand how
this historical moment demonstrates this phenomenon, than two column notes can help organize
the text unto this end when reading a nonfictional source like The Age of Gold: The California
Gold Rush and the New American Dream. In the left side the theme or focus is written to focus
the students attention as they are reading. Likewise, on the right side they take notes on the text
with that focus in mind.

Strategy 4: Writing to Learn, Reflection Journal with Guided Questions

Vrabel, J. (2004). A People's History of the New Boston. Beacon Press.

Vrabel’s work gives a detailed and accessible account of the lives of Puritan New Englanders,
specifically concerning the experiences of the common man. It takes a deep dive into the various
facets Puritan New England society, and explores the worldview that informs a typical Puritan’s
common experiences.
Studying past cultures and societies can be a daunting task, especially for young students
who are still learning how to engage in the culture they are currently living in today. Giving
students the opportunities to focus on one specific facet of a culture, such as the domestic life of
a Puritan, could make this trade book more accessible. Instead of trying to encounter such a
broad topic all at once, a reflection journal allows for a practical way to intentionally set aside
time to ponder, write, and reflect on a given topic. In doing so, the educator seeks to use writing
as a medium to facilitate learning. An example prompt could be: “Place yourself in the shoes of a
Puritan woman or man. Based on the domestic practices found in this chapter, what are some
salvageable aspects of this culture that could be beneficial to the world we are living in today?”.
The students are then given time to respond and write out their thoughts from their own point of
view. This is an example of a guided question that helps the students focus in a specific topic to
direct their thinking in a writing to learn format.

Strategy 5: Activating Prior Knowledge, Graffiti Wall

Shelly, (2016). Frankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus. Penguin Books

While all of Frankenstein often gets covered late in high school, certain passages in this book
demonstrate the development of natural rights as a fundamental assumption of what it means to
be human. So it may be appropriate to use short passages of this texts as a way to show students
how certain philosophies make their way into the mind and art of the time- another supplement
to primary sources.
One of Shelly’s purposes in writing Frankenstein is to demonstrate the influence of one’s
environment on the development of the individual. I think one way to take this motif of the story
and make it more accessible to students is to make it personal- giving students the opportunity to
put themselves in the shoes of Frankenstein and consider what parts of their lives influence who
they are today. Putting the question on the board: “What experiences or parts of your
environment crucially impacted your upbringing?”, encourages students to practice introspection
and personally engage with the motif Shelly is seeking to convey. Putting these responses on a
graffiti wall gives the class to see what things are common to the human experience that affect us
most. Common answers may be: family, religion, friends, music, entertainment, etc. Therefore,
when students read the story they can look for plot devices and other details that Shelly employs
to develop the character of Frankenstein.