Visible thinking routines help students make the most of primary sources, especially when dealing with a text that is from a foreign land.
In Cultural Literacy, our sophomores began class by analyzing the text above. The stamp commemorates Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gregarin becoming the first human to orbit the earth. Many scholars suggest that it is this act that compelled President Kennedy to push for a "Space Race" instead of attempting to work in tandem with the Soviets.
I know--I was just as shocked as you are... Reading those lines floored me and made me realize how little I learned about this time period prior to taking the lead in the classroom. It's amazing what you can discover when you and your students collectively chart a course for personalized learning and discovery.
To get the most out of this visual text, we used the "I see... I think... I wonder..." visible thinking routine.
Students chart observations, inferences, questions, and general comments that come to mind. The important element is getting students to genuinely pause and take notice--to take it all in and marinade in your thoughts for a while... An act so often overlooked, but the most necessary ingredient to authentic learning.
Allanis wondered what the stamp actually said--so, we downloaded the Google Ttanslate App to check it out for ourselves. Give it a try sometime, your students will crave more ideas to discover.
