My Observation of Mr. Ferlazzo’s Theory of Knowledge Class Fall 2010

November18

Today, I had the pleasure of sitting in on Larry Ferlazzo’s (Mr. Ferlazzo to his students) Theory of Knowledge class which is part of the IB (International Baccalaureate) program at Luther Burbank High School.

Background:

Last year, in February, I observed him teaching the same class, with a different group of students. This class is much larger, as the school is allowing for open enrollment in the class (students who are not in the IB program or seeking that certificate can still take the class). It had a different feeling because there were more, different students, but I liked that about it. The students required more “work” from Mr. Ferlazzo, which is a good thing, as we would not want him to get a “spare tire” from sitting at his desk. That said, I was still impressed with how bright and insightful the students were.

The Lesson:

Students had been looking at the issue of bias in the study and practice of history. To finish things up, they were assigned homework to watch a film depicting a historic event that they had done some minimal research on. They were reporting back what they had seen in the class.

  1. Mr. Ferlazzo picked a student to put the other students into groups;
  2. The students then answered a series of questions about their movie;
  3. They had to pick out the best answer from their group to share.

Here are the questions:
IMG_20101118_135259

Overall, it seemed a little rough, and some of the kids seemed to miss out on the last task, but did report out something when called upon by Mr. Ferlazzo.

My favorite comments: One student on Gandhi discussed how they are creating a character because it makes people want to see the movie which is the goal and that is not the same as writing history.  Another talked about how movies were good because it’s hard to visualize what things really looked like in the past, and movies bring that to life. Common themes, movies helps us get emotion, the personalities. Others see it as a way to get details and facts.

Next, students were regrouped by Mr. Ferlazzo by moving some students, and putting them in dyads and triads (twos and threes). Once this was done, he had them come up with a list of 10 items to put in a time capsule, with no video, or voice recordings allowed.  They were then shown a photo of a toilet seat, that is mis-interpreted as a “head-dress” and asked to look at another group’s 10 items, and misinterpret them.  This had a variety of answers, paper money = toliet paper; Clothes are people trapped in time capsule; pictures are porn mags ?!?; Skeleton is a weapon. I accidentally got a snippet of Mr. Ferlazzo giving directions for this, so here is your chance to hear him teaching:

Larry Ferlazzo TOK 11_18_2010

Finally, for assessment, Mr. Ferlazzo had the students do a poster with what they had learned how they would apply this in their lives. This where things came together, and the early work students had done paid off. Just coming into the classroom on one day, it wasn’t always clear what they learned until then. I was impressed with a lot of the work. Here is a slideshow of those posters:

Here are all the photos and video from my observation.


To my adult readers, Mr. Ferlazzo’s will be looking at this post, and responding to the questions below tomorrow:

Questions for Mr. Ferlazzo’s students:

  1. Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real?
    Or
    What is more important in a historic film, the history or telling a “story”?
  2. Does having a point of view or opinion have a place in history?
    • There was a recent public opinion poll done that said most people in he U.S. believe in “American Exceptionalism” that the U.S. is a special place and “blessed” by God. Many want to see this reflected in history books. Is there a place for this?

    Or

    • Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?
  3. Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?
  4. When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?
  5. What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?
by posted under practice/pedagogy | 37 Comments »    
37 Comments to

“My Observation of Mr. Ferlazzo’s Theory of Knowledge Class Fall 2010”

  1. November 19th, 2010 at 7:48 am      Reply Jason Schmidt Says:

    It is interesting to see how Larry conducts his class. One thing that struck me about the method of instruction was the high level of thought required by the students. Kids were working in groups, discussing, writing, making posters, and thinking deeply about the concepts. This is an example of excellent instruction.


  2. November 19th, 2010 at 3:05 pm      Reply yang xi Says:

    What is more important in a historic film, the history or telling a “story”?

    i think that the history is more important because it shows how it happen during that time.


  3. November 19th, 2010 at 3:09 pm      Reply yang xi Says:

    ■Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?

    well it depends on the one that is looking at it. Also of who is the one that is interpreting the history views.


  4. November 19th, 2010 at 3:10 pm      Reply yang xi Says:

    3.Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?

    yes, he is an effective teacher because he keeps you in touch.


  5. November 19th, 2010 at 3:12 pm      Reply Kristie Lee Says:

    1.Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real?

    The romance in Titanic added realism to the plot of the story. I thought that it was really good, how they made romance in the film. The romance brought out a situation that could have really occured and that can really help people realize how it could have been at the moment.

    2.Does having a point of view or opinion have a place in history?
    ■Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?

    Having a point of view in history does have a place in history. I believe that history is based on person or one whole side’s perpsective. Each person sees history differently, based upon what they think and what they see in through their perpective.

    History can not be accurate because for some people, one maybe a hero and for another, they can be the worse person ever. So history is not totally accurate, and history is very bias. Not everyone’s perspective has been told in history.

    3.Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?

    I do find that he is an effective teacher because he knows how to communicate with us. He also understands his students and he knows how to help them. He allows us to share our knowledge and see what other students think. I like his method of teaching, because it helps me learn new things and it also helps me get a sense of what other students in my class thinks.

    4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?

    I feel like the poster was an effective end of the unit assessment. It really helps us reflect backs on what we learned in a fun way, and a way that we can share our knowledge together. It also helps us create a more better image of what the unit was about.

    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?

    Personally, I think that you did not leave out anything in your report. It is very complete and it has a little bit of everything that we did in the class.


  6. November 19th, 2010 at 3:13 pm      Reply yang xi Says:

    4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?

    yes because it helps a lot and the work is more easier.


  7. November 19th, 2010 at 3:15 pm      Reply yang xi Says:

    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?

    well you had to let us rest a little bit or for a while because it is a hard stuff do.


  8. November 19th, 2010 at 3:16 pm      Reply Brandon Garcia Says:

    1.The History aspect is most important, however viewers would not want to watch a film mainly directed at the historical aspect, the viewsers want to see something realatable or something that incudes drama or action.
    2.No technichally it wouldnt be accurate for the simple fact that history is mainly based on perspectives and opinions, however some things are emphasized and in a way form our opinions, like hitler’s story.
    3.Yes, the eaching techniques and group projects are very effective.
    4.In a way yes, for the simple fact that it gets our brain thinking but the only negative thing is that there is not allways enough time to put all the information that we found on the paper in time.
    5.This is an overall good report.


  9. November 19th, 2010 at 3:16 pm      Reply Josiah(J.J) Virnoche Says:

    1.Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real?
    Or
    What is more important in a historic film, the history or telling a “story”?
    I think the romance in Titanic took over the movie and its historical content.It made it less real.
    I think that the anser to part two depends on who they are. If it is made by a person who wants to make money then it will be more focused on a story not the historical accuracy to attract a bigger audience and thus make more money.


  10. November 19th, 2010 at 3:17 pm      Reply Anne Moua Says:

    1. Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real?
    Yes it did add a real feeling to Titanic. I mean the romance was not true but i believe that the director created the romance to carry on the movie; to make the movie more interesting. At first, I thought that the romance was real but later i found out it wasn’t. 🙁
    I thought the romance did a great job of carrying out the movie.
    2. Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?
    History cannot say that someone is bad. The one who write the history shows what exactly that person did towards others. Then it’ll be your opinion whether they are bad or not. It also depend on who views it. Some people may think that Hitler was a great hero and some will think he is a evil man. I believe that history is written to tell us to not make the mistakes again and to learn why or how that event happened.
    3. Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?
    Yes, Mr Ferlazzo is an effective teacher. He’s good at explaining things when the class does not understand it. I like how he splits the class into groups so that we can share what we have written. 🙂
    4. When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?
    Our poster is accurate. It shows the three points of the topic, which i believe is a very helpful. It helps everyone in the class understand their classmates’ perspective.
    5. What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?
    You did not leave anything out. I think you did a pretty good job at viewing this class. 🙂


  11. November 19th, 2010 at 3:19 pm      Reply kalia Says:

    yes the romance in “Titanic” added more realism because it made rose the narrartive and it made her show her perspective in the movie.
    yes a point of view or an opinion have a part in history because it shows how they think and feel. thats is a part of history. Not only that it shows us their good action and bad actions.
    Mr.Ferlazzo is an effective teacher because he makes us think and not only that but he rushes our thinking which make us think even faster.
    yes the poster was an effective and accurate end of the unit assessment because what we wrote were important things that we learn so if he write about it in his essay than he is writing important things and he have the reasons to why its important.
    you did not over look or leave anything. you were a great guest and we would like to see you again.


  12. November 19th, 2010 at 3:19 pm      Reply Chai Yang Says:

    1.What is more important in a historic film, the history or telling a “story”?

    A: I believe that if the film is about a historical event, the movie should be more about the history rather than the story. If the movie’s setting is a historical event and the story is not about the actual event than the story is important.

    2.Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?

    A: No history should not label people as bad or good because it will be bias and an unreliable source for people writing about history. Only facts should be given about people and the choice to label that person is up to the reader.

    3.Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?

    A: Yes I belive that Ferlazzo is an excellent teacher. He makes te class laugh and that is what I like most. His teaching methodes somehow works.

    4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?

    A:Yes because you don’t have to write out whole paragraphs. You get to the point of what you learn and you don’t have to spend hours on it.

    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?

    A: Nothing…it was a well put and accurate report of what goes on in class


  13. November 19th, 2010 at 3:20 pm      Reply Alan Lor Says:

    1.What is more important in a historic film, the history or telling a “story”?
    Telling a story because if someone tell a story of what had happen it will be more accurate because what if he/she have been the one who was there.
    2.Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?
    Yes, history can say someone is bad or good because like ghandi. they did a movie about him that him the good one because he stand up to the people.
    3.Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?
    Yes , he is a very good teacher because he is very very nice, he also tell us what is right and wrong and etc…
    4.4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?
    no because some people caould be bias about what they learn about history. also, it can also be a yes but if he is going to do his essay on history.
    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?
    You didnt leave anything out and what you said was perfertl written/ write. also you have a humor of goo writing


  14. November 19th, 2010 at 3:20 pm      Reply Mai Yee Pha Says:

    1. The way the movie was directed was what gave the Titanic a really real romance feeling.

    The history is more important than the storytelling because the history is the actually fact were the story is just made up. By adding in history and a story it’s able to give us a better visual of that specific history.


  15. November 19th, 2010 at 3:20 pm      Reply JayVon DeVonaire Stone Says:

    1.yes,it gave you a personal connection with a group on the boat, then just trying to use your own imagination to get the feeling of what happen in real life.
    2.key words “Historical Film” the big part of the picture should be getting across the historical aspect.
    3.yes, he has been practicing his methods for over a thousand years,… he is 1,051 in december they better work !
    4.yes we have put in our times as youngster doing superduper hard work! now we work wise instead of hard
    5.i think you got it all,great job=)


  16. November 19th, 2010 at 3:21 pm      Reply Josiah(J.J) Virnoche Says:

    2.Does having a point of view or opinion have a place in history?
    ■There was a recent public opinion poll done that said most people in he U.S. believe in “American Exceptionalism” that the U.S. is a special place and “blessed” by God. Many want to see this reflected in history books. Is there a place for this?
    Or

    ■Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?
    No it doesn’t because bias gets in the way of presenting the cold hard facts.History cannot show opinions because it messes up the readers take on the facts and interferes with their own reasoning.


  17. November 19th, 2010 at 3:21 pm      Reply Nadine Saelee Says:

    1.Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real?
    – Yes, the romance in Titanic added “realism” to the movie even though it wasn’t real because it gave an actual feeling unlike just a historical movie that just tells everything the way it really was.

    2.Does having a point of view or opinion have a place in history?
    – Yes, having a point of view or opinion has a place in history because your opinion tells you where you stand on that story (which side) and by that, it tells you where you stand in history.

    3.Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?
    -Despite his flaws and the flaws of the classroom as a whole, I think that Mr. Ferlazzo is an effective teacher because he does teach about the theories of knowledge and it just isn’t a regular subject in school, so he makes it fun and educational which makes his teaching effective.

    4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?
    – I think it was an effective way but it wasn’t the most effective way. It’s just a fun excercise to sum up the end of the unit assessment.

    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?
    – I don’t think you left out anything or overlooked anything in your report on the lesson.


  18. November 19th, 2010 at 3:21 pm      Reply Feelisha Teewari Says:

    1.Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real?
    a:I think the romance added a more emotional concept to the historical event in the movie that protrayed how people may have felt and what they might have done rather than just showing something that had happened. In a way it was real, well to the viewers of course.

    Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?
    A: History can be biased and determine who is “bad” and “good”. For example actions that Hitler and Gandhi both did are completely opposite from each other but that gave them their image. That is how people judge, and it can lead to diferent things because everyone may have a different perception.

    3.Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?
    A: Defining effective, Mr. Ferlazzo is an effective teacher eventhough “we make him sad”. The things we learn in class teaches us how to question what we may believe is right and true. TOK teaches us to be openminded and view things differently.

    4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?
    A: I believe that making a poster is more effective than writing an essay because it gives us students a chance to be creative, present orally, and learn visually rather than just sitting down and writing an essay. I believe it is more fun as well.

    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?
    A: I think Mr.Ferlazzo did a pretty good job in reporting the lesson. We hade creative group activities, made posters, etc. Group discussions and sharing ou loud as well as debating is also a fun learning experience.


  19. November 19th, 2010 at 3:22 pm      Reply Manuel Sosa Says:

    1.What is more important in a historic film, the history or telling a “story”?
    -I think its more important to tell the history beacuse without the history it wouldnt be a historical but just another movie

    2.Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?
    -Well it depends how you feel about the person but I think you can depending on what the person has done and how he has changed the world.

    3.Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?
    -He is a effective teacher because the work is being done and the class is participating

    4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?
    -yes beacuse it reflect what we have learned throught the unit in a way that makes it more intertaining then a regular boring essay

    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?
    -you did not leave out anything i thought it was a accurate report.


  20. November 19th, 2010 at 3:24 pm      Reply Wendy Kwong Says:

    1.Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real?

    The romance Titanic added realism to what actually happened. Obviously people today weren’t able to feel the devistation of actually losing a loved one. What happened during the actual Titanic was that over 2,500 people died and it was an emotion event that hurt family and friends. Titanic was able to recreate the event and not just recreate what happened to the Ship Titanic but the movie also showed us how couples faced a tragic lost. It showed us how much effect it had on people of the past. It stirs emotions within us making us feel what others felt [refering to Rosa and Jack] .

    2.Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?

    There is no accuratcy in the opinion of History. Theres only accuratcy in the facts. For example what Hitler did and how Gandhi changed things. Sure, sometimes the facts could be wrong but its doesn’t mean its not completely acurate. So an opinion saying Hitler was bad and Gandhi is good is incorrect because that is an opinion. I can say that kittens are sweet and dogs are violent, but it doesn’t mean i’m correct and accurate because someone else can think the oppisite.

    3.Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?

    Mr.Ferlazo is an effective teacher in many ways. He comes up with creative ways to teach us that doesn’t require him to talk and have us take notes but he has us get involved in many different ways that help us process the task that was given to us. The way he teaches us helps us learn in our own way and at our own pace.

    4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?

    I think making a poster i a great way to end a unit. Its a fun and creative way to end the unit and the students [including myself] enjoy making a poster rather then a essay which most likey mean that we put more effort into the poster. When you do sometime fun you tend to put more energy into the work you do and when you go it in groups you don’t just get you own opinion put onto a paper but also your classmates. Your able to discuss what you learned and while doing that you learn even more. Rather then writing alone and geting your own judgement on it.

    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?

    I think you did an extremely well job on reporting our class. It was a pleasure that you were able to come join us . It was really interesting to see how someone outside of the class saw us. I hope you benefited from your visit and come back soon!

    ~Wendy K.


  21. November 19th, 2010 at 3:24 pm      Reply Marcela reyes-lino Says:

    1.Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real.

    A: The romance in the movie did add a realistic feeling to it, it made the film pop out and more realistic and more interesting to watch compared to a film with nothing but a sinking ship, although the whole romance was not suppose to be the main concern in the movie. The “titanic” sinking and falling apart was or in other words should have been the main problem, instead the love between the two characters took over the whole scene making it more as a love movie than a documentary, not allowing us to see the real meaning behing the movie.

    2.Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?

    A. history at times depending on what the situation is can say wether or not that person was good or not. If history of the historian himself or herself does not have the sufficient evidence needed then of course you can not agree to that opinion unless you have researched in more deeper. I believe history already exists, its just up to us to find it.

    3.Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?

    A.I honestly believe that mr.ferlazzo is an effective teacher, when called upon he expects a good response, which makes us have a response right away incase we are called upon. His activites are fun, but we can use those hints and excercises in our everyday lifes, which is a good thing. He believes in us which makes us want to do better.

    4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?

    A.I feel like the poster works better because its fun, and a creative way to write down what we learned in a colorful way, that way we also hear what someone else thought or had a question on and that way we can have a little bit more of an understanding.


  22. November 19th, 2010 at 3:25 pm      Reply shanna daniels Says:

    1.Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real?

    yes i feel like it created more sympathy for not just the lovers but everyone that experienced a loss even though it wasnt real everyone experiences love and it provided a twist when jack died that had thousands and thousands of hearts and really focused on loss.

    2. Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?

    it can say it but it isn’t necissarily is true . my opinions on history is not to believe everything you are told about history because what really can we believe.

    3.Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?

    no because he is telling us what we already know his methods are great but he lacks that extra push.

    4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?

    YES! it is accurate and effective because it shows what others thinks and breaking it apart rather than trieng to hurry and get to 5 pages.

    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?

    how fun it was


  23. November 19th, 2010 at 3:25 pm      Reply Josiah(J.J) Virnoche Says:

    3.I don’t find Mr.Ferlazzo an effective teacher because he talks too much and uses the same teaching tactics again and again. He always talks about his tie and discourages fun. At least he doesn’t go on tangents.He also shows a lot of favortism and in case you couldn’t tell im his star student.


  24. November 19th, 2010 at 3:26 pm      Reply Zoun Says:

    1. The romance in Titanic did not add realism because the movie was named “Titanic” which was the ship’s name. Why wasn’t it named “Romance on the Titanic?”

    2. Yes, a point of view or opinion have a place in history because without no views, how can we further the knowledge of history? We need to bring logic to play.

    3. Yes, I find Ferlazzo as an effective teacher because he enlighted my knowledge of the puzzle of life and mind.

    4. Yes, i feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assignment because it shows what the student is cabable of and what the student has learned.

    5. You did not leave out or overlook in your report. Everything seems to be correct.


  25. November 19th, 2010 at 3:26 pm      Reply ambalika dayal Says:

    1.Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real?
    -I think i does add sense of realism, adding the romantic love story and the boat sinking making the event so dramtic.

    2. There was a recent public opinion poll done that said most people in he U.S. believe in “American Exceptionalism” that the U.S. is a special place and “blessed” by God. Many want to see this reflected in history books. Is there a place for this?
    – I think there is a place for it, however people will have there own opinion on that statement. they will either agree or disagree.

    3.Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?
    – it hink he is an effictive teacher because i have learned a few things from his classes for example i have learned about fallacies.

    4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?
    -i think it is an accurate way for a unit assessment because its easier to present and shorter than an essay. not meaning you can put simple things ont he poster it should be more thought out. unlike and essay where its hard to read everyones because of the length.

    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?
    -i think you did good you asked about things you were curious about your observations.


  26. November 19th, 2010 at 3:27 pm      Reply Chia Vang Says:

    1.Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real?

    The romance in Titanic did add realism to the story. The romance between Rose and Jack can portray real feelings that happened to real people who experienced the event. The viewers get to experience how real people, played by actors, felt while the Titanic was sinking. The romance did add realism.

    2.Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?

    I do not believe that history can say some one is bad or good. Bad and good are judgements and everyone has different judgements and opinions. I believe that what Hitler did may be bad, but it could be good to those who believe it is good and vice versa with Gandhi. History is written by the winners, and the winners say that Hitler is bad.

    3.Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?
    I find Mr. Ferlazzo effective in some ways. He is effective in helping us apply theory of knowledge in life and in school.

    4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?
    Posters do help because it give us a visual and most people need visuals to help them understand something.

    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?
    I do not think that you left out or overlooked anything on the report.


  27. November 19th, 2010 at 3:27 pm      Reply Josiah(J.J) Virnoche Says:

    4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?
    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?
    Yes because it lets us talk to each oother and get other ideas that we may not have thought of.You left out how i made the class much more fun and interesting.


  28. November 19th, 2010 at 3:28 pm      Reply Erica Gonzalez Says:

    1. Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real?

    Yes it did. When one watches Titanic they forget that they are watching a movie, on feels as if they are actually there and they can relate to the emotions portrayed in the movie.

    2. Does having a point of view or opinion have a place in history?

    No. I believe that history is or should be based solemnly on facts. It would not hurt to learn the opinions of those long before, but when it comes down to it – they do not matter.

    3. Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?

    Yes, I do. I say this because he comes up with fun activities for us to do that have to do with the day’s lesson. He keeps the lesson interesting so that it is hard to forget what has just been learned; he keeps us engaged. Also, the homework is easy to do and there is really no right or wrong answer; your mind is free to wander.

    4. When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?

    Yes, I found a poster more effective and accurate at the end of the unit assessment opposed to an essay. A poster gives the “big picture”; the key points. An essay feels like it would be too much work and too complicated.

    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?
    Nothing at all.


  29. November 19th, 2010 at 3:30 pm      Reply Bandhana Singh Says:

    1.Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real?
    I think that it did add a reralism feeling in it. When Jack died and Rose lived most people got into it and wondered how the heck did she live. Viewers were outraged to see the main love intrest die and they were sad about it. Even though we know now after finding real evidence on the Titanic they did find a necklace that probably belong to a real life love story. This sparked intrest in people and they did watch this movie with even more emotion. Realisms key point is to add realistic intrest to make it more relatable.

    2. Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?

    I think it can be accurate because your giving people who had a part in history who did atrocities or good things in their life glorifying them or not. But you also cant judge them for what they did. Hitler thought he was doing the right thing but we think it was wrong. Ghandi helped his country but he was killde by his countrymen becasue they didn’t like what he was doing.

    3.Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?

    I think he is an effective teacher because we actually are learning how to comment on everything we learn in school. To not always agree with what were told. Mr. Ferlazzo is an effective teacher.

    4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?

    Yes, its effective becasue its visual learning and with visual learning we get into it more then complaining about writing a 5 paragraph essay. Also, we spend more time complaining about writing it then actually writing it and with a poster no matter what its always fun making.

    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?
    I think you got everything dwn in your report.


  30. November 19th, 2010 at 3:30 pm      Reply Yovanna Aguilera Says:

    ~What is more important in a historic film, the history or telling a “story”?
    A film is a film. If it is a film made for the mainstream audience then you will appeal to them. A commercial film is meant to make money. Know your audience and give them what they want. History is a backdrop. In commercial “history” films. Leave the facts for the documentaries.
    ~Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?
    That would be being biased. Then again, everything is biased. Its up to your morals and your personal beliefs when it comes to judging history, though it maybe skewed to begin with.
    ~Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?
    Yes, Ive learned many things in this class. Its a perfect balance of fun and higher learning through critical thinking.
    ~When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?
    I feel like this question is an underhand insult. Nevertheless I will turn a blind eye. Yes, it is both effective and accurate. We discuss what we learn and show creativity both in our responses and our presentation.
    ~What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?
    I think you left out the essence of it. We are all friends and are comfortable enough to express our perception on what we’ve learned throughout the class. What you misinterpreted as lack of “work” and “traditional” learning was actually us working together, unafraid of sharing our emotion, perception, logic and art.


  31. November 19th, 2010 at 3:32 pm      Reply Jennifer Yang Says:

    1. I think that the romance in Titanic did add realism, because it flowed along with the history that was being portrayed in the movie because the viewers can feel that it could of happened in real life.

    2.I think history can be accurate by saying someone was bad like Hitler and someone was good like Ghandi because they are based upon their traits and actions. Hitler was seen to be a bad person because he wanted to eliminate the Jews and Ghandi had non-violent movements in order for India’s independence.

    3. I think Mr. Ferlazzo is an effective teacher because he explains the lessons to us by more than one source. He tries to include information from the internet, books, and more.He also lets us do group work so that we are able to see other student’s work or their perspective.

    4.I thought the poster was an effective and accurate end of the unit assessment because we had to write down what we learned and how we applied the ways of knowing. It challenged us to think and remembered what we learn.

    5.I thought she did a good job on her report because she included everything that we did and included examples.


  32. November 19th, 2010 at 3:32 pm      Reply Ka'Breeya Dudley Says:

    1.Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real?

    Yes the romance in Titanic added realism, even though it wasn’t real because it gave you something else to look forward to other than the sinking of the ship.

    2. Can history say someone is “bad” like Hitler, and someone is “good” like Gandhi, and be accurate? What opinions do you already have about history?

    I think history can say those things about historical figures because their opinions are based on the actions of those historical figures. You can only have an opinion based on someone’s actions.

    3.Do you find that Mr. Ferlazzo is an effective teacher? Why or why not?

    Mr. Ferlazzo is an effective teacher because he makes us think about topics that never before crossed our minds. He does this through group activities, book and worksheet read alouds, and class discussions.

    4. When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment. Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?

    I think the poster was an effective end of unit assessment because it was quick, easy to read, and made it easy to clearly see what we learned in this unit.

    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?

    I don’t believe you over-looked anything, it was a very good report.


  33. November 19th, 2010 at 3:35 pm      Reply You Vang Says:

    1.Did the romance in Titanic add “realism” (a real feeling) even though it wasn’t real?
    The romance in Titanic did add realism even though it was not real because it show a perspective of a character and what they feel during their time on the ship.
    3.Do you find the Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher? Why or why not?
    I found that Mr. Ferlazzo is an effective teacher because he and his assignment made me think more seriously about things.
    4.When I got home, I had to work with my son on a 5 paragraph essay as his end of unit assessment.Do you feel the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment?
    I feel that the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment because it made me think more about certain types of items that could show how life was like in my time period to the future historian.
    5.What things did I leave out or overlook in my report on the lesson?
    Overall I think that you cover everything we did and you did a good job with all your examples.


  34. November 19th, 2010 at 3:37 pm      Reply Pa Foua Her Says:

    1. The story in the historic film may seem interesting but the history is more important in a historic film. The reason is because even though the story of it was interesting, it doesn’t show the full facts of the history in it.

    2. Yes, having a point of view or opinion does have a place in history. My opinion is that there is a place for those opinions in it. Even if there isn’t a place for it, there should be because hearing or reading others thought can expand the way we think.

    3. I find Mr. Ferlazzo an effective teacher because of the way he teaches. For example, he separates us into groups every time with have an assignment, so that we can show our answers or opinions to others and listen to theirs.

    4. Yes, I do feel that the poster was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment.

    5. It doesn’t seem like there is anything that leave out or overlooked.


  35. November 19th, 2010 at 3:38 pm      Reply Mai Yee Pha Says:

    2. I don’t think there should be a place in history for peoples opinion that should be like the example given “…U.S. is a special place and “blessed” by God… reflected in history books.” Everybody has their own opinions but if this was into textbooks there will be a lot of controversy and problems with these opinions. There is a limitation to freedom of speech and sometimes some stuff should just go unseen.

    3. I think Mr. Ferlazzo is an effective teacher but sometimes he’s not because sometimes we know the good and bad between what we already know and don’t know. It’s basically self-control and be open minded about stuff which we are.

    4. Yes, the poster is an effect and accurate way of an assessment because it allows us to reflect on what we have learned.

    5. You didn’t really overlook anything on the lesson.


  36. November 19th, 2010 at 3:40 pm      Reply Linda Her Says:

    #1. I say that telling a story is better than and more important if it is told from a first person point of view. But if a stroy is being told and not from a first person point of view then it won’t be as good. Also a history is good too because it is a history.
    #2. Having a point of view and an opinion does have a part in history because if there wasn’t any then there won’t be any history. (bullet point #2)History can be inaccurate of saying someone is bad and good because we do not know those people, so maybe histroy can tell the oppisite of what they hear unless they see and experience it with their own eyes and ears and anything else that they could use to have a first person pint of view.
    #3. Mr. Ferlazzo is an effective teacher because his teaching strategie is going by his own schedule and timing. It is pointed out on what is due when and what work is done when. That everything is already planned out to be done.
    #4. No I do not think that it was an effect and accurate end of unit assessment because he is being helped. I am not saying getting help is bad but he should try working on it by himself and see what he did wrong or could do better when the teacher hands it back. But as a second thought it does help us learn better and have fun with who we work with and what the work assignment is about.
    #5. I personally say that you left out nothing that we did you explain about everything that has been done in our class and has a bit of everything.


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