Irish famine theories

I have decided to use Google for my product.  I used google docs to create a presentation and I also used Google sites to produce a website.  I will include a copy of my presentation on the website and I will include a link to this blog on the website as well.  I plan on letting my family (and friends who might be interested) know about this website so that they can check it out if they would like to.  I might also include a link to it via Facebook.  I think that I could get a lot of feedback by allowing others to view the website.  I plan on revisiting this subject and going more in-depth so any comments from others would be helpful.  I think that others might like to read about the steps and avenues I took while on this inquiry.  Researching a topic can be overwhelming at first but having steps to follow (such as Lamb’s 8Ws) can help the process.

Going off of the list of possible options for products provided in our readings about Lamb’s Wrapping, there is an wide range of creative ways to present information.  This is important to students because they are allowed options in the ways they think will best get their inquiry information across to their audience.  Some options will work better than others based on the information, project and audience.

I will finishing up my product tomorrow (work right until the deadline!!).  I am thinking I will be using a Powerpoint presentation or a website but I also am planning on incorporating other options from the list into this product.

All of the information I have found pertaining to the Potato Famine is of incredible importance to me.  I think it is invaluable to be informed of your history and to know the battles of those who lived  before you.  It is also important to keep evaluating information to strike out biases or at least make yourself aware of what information could be biased.  As I checked out someone’s video on YouTube, about the famine, I read the comments listed below.  I can see that there is still a divide among the Irish and English over this event.  It would be interesting to find out if the comments were made by Irish living in Ireland and English living in England or by Americans whose ancestors emigrated to the U.S.    Here’s a link to this particle video and comments:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEz5mS_XQcQ

For this inquiry I used several tools to help with organization and analyzing information I had gathered.

I bookmarked on Delicious  websites relevant to the Irish potato famine…here is link:

http://delicious.com/bethalyea

I used bubbl.us to organize my thoughts and ideas at the start of this inquiry.  A copy of it is posted on the blog.

I went to Ask an Expert and received communication about Irish Famine Memorials in North America.

I am planning on using either a PowerPoint presentation or website for my final product, which will include digital photos from the Famine Memorial in Oak Forest, IL.

As I’m working on this inquiry, I’ve been thinking of how to connect it with an actual in-class project.  I have no experience teaching so I’m basically drawing on what I’ve read and through memories of my high school years.  I would gear this towards the high school student.  Because most students have learned about the Irish potato famine, one way to make it new is to have the students study literature that has come from this event.  This literature could be anything from primary literature from those living it to songs/poems to writings from the following generations’ reactions to their ancestors’ struggles.  There are multitudes of such literature, many classics that could be incorporated into high school literature courses.  One book that I’ve read is Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly.  Here is a link to the author’s site about the book:

http://www.marypatkelly.com/content/index.asp

This is a fiction book but is historical correct.  It is the story of a family who struggles during the famine and also their eventual emigration to the U.S.A.  It quickly took over my favorite book position after I read it!

It would seem to me (in my inexperience), that as many of the AASL Standards should be incorporated into teachings as possible.

1.1.2 Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.

{Students already have a general knowledge so the plan is for them to expand on that.}

1.1.3 Develop and refine a range of questions to frame the search for
new understanding.

1.3.2 Seek divergent perspectives during information gathering

2.3.2 Consider diverse and global perspectives in drawing conclusions.

2.4.4 Develop directions for future investigations.

3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view,
use, and assess.

3.4.1 Assess the processes by which learning was achieved in order to
revise strategies and learn more effectively in the future.

4.1.5 Connect ideas to own interests and previous knowledge and
experience.

4.4.4 Interpret new information based on cultural and social context.

When dealing with social/cultural projects, a student has to be able to determine and evaluate what is bias and what is actual fact.  Also, the hope of this lesson is that they can expand their learning…if they don’t want to look into Irish literature, perhaps it will inspire them to consider links between other cultural events and literature/art that has spawned from them.

I am moving on to the wiggling and weaving steps of the process.  There is so much information to be evaluated.  If the source is a website I will look for creator info/legitimacy, date of last update, if they have links to other valuable sources and overall creativity/informative level of the page.

At this point, I think my query most follows the I-Search Model by Joyce and Tallman.  It is geared more towards middle or high school students (possibly even college students).  This is “an approach to research that uses the power of student interests, builds a personal understanding of the research process, and encourages stronger student writing” (Joyce & Tallman, vii). The key element of this approach is that students select topics of personal interest. This model also stresses metacognitive thinking. Students are asked to keep a log of their action, thoughts, and feelings as they move through the process. In addition, students are asked to reflect on their previous research experiences to set the stage for an appreciation of the research process.”  I am finding it very interesting how the models mirror each other in so many aspects and yet offer their own little differences that set them apart and make them adaptable for a different group of students.

Analyzing the information I have gathered is time-consuming but well worth it.  I thought that I pretty much knew all there was to know about this subject but I am finding out quite differently.  I am taking notes on the resources, creating the timeline was vital to keeping information straight.  I still have to delve into the realms of information that is new to me, such as the theories about what caused the blights as well as the outcomes of the blights.  Some trace the blight back to Peru, others to New England, America.  There were various events that spawned from the famines.  The Revolt of 1848, deaths, starvation, emigration can all be linked with the famines.  The behavior by the English during this time did not improve their status with the Irish and the history behind these confrontations during the famines is very intense.  This, I believe, is where many Irish say the English caused the famine.  I think they mean figuratively because there is so much more that the English-led government could and should have done to aid the Irish people but they chose to turn a blind-eye towards the struggles and starvation of thousands of Irish (predominantly Irish-Catholic).

As I finish evaluating and analyzing my sources, I also look ahead to the wrapping and then the waving processes.  I am already thinking about how this information could be used in-class.

As I move through this inquiry, I can see that I will be continuing with it past this project’s due date.    I am so involved with it and especially with St. Patrick’s Day approaching (yes, I count it down) I am more enthralled with learning more and more about Irish history.

To start my information inquiry I did a Google search to find out what kind of information is available on the web.  There is a vast amount!  It is at this point that I look to Kuhlthau’s model steps of Intrepreting and Recording information and evaluating the information.  As has been suggested through this past week’s readings on media literacy, it is vital to be able to decode the media’s resources so that I am able to obtain the most valuable and reliable sources.

As I am wiggling through various resources, I decided to use a timeline to keep all the dates and events straight in my head.  While doing this, I learned that there were multiple potato crop failures that led up to the most devasting period of 1845-50.

I also am considering a trip to the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago to visit their library.  I am hoping that I might be able to fit this in over the weekend.  I will definitely be driving over to Oak Forest, IL and visiting the Gaelic Park located there.  They have an Irish Famine Memorial that I am planning on taking some digital images of.

I have also sent a question to “ask an expert” pertaining to what memorial might be the most moving and asking for any additional resources the ‘expert’ thinks are excellent.

As I start my inquiry, I have established questions pertaining to the Irish Potato Famine and what I want to find out about it.

Do the Irish today still blame the English?  What, scientifically was the real cause of the blight?  Why did it happen more than once?  How did people recover?  How many emigrated?  How many died?  What other events occurred from this famine?  Are there other theories?

My grandmother came over from Ireland in 1929 when she was 19 years old.  I learned a great deal about Ireland from my mom and then through my own studies.  Unfortunately I was too young to know to ask my grandma more information about Ireland and what she went through living there.  My own interest in Ireland is what led me to this topic and to the questions which have spawned off of it.

I have used the site bubbl.us to create a graphical image of my brainstorming process.  This graph includes the basis for my query.

Well it would seem that I am already behind on this blog so I better get to it.  I was actually still musing around in my head with topics for this inquiry. I am interested in all thing Irish so it was really an issue of figuring out what avenue to drive down this semester.  I want to challenge myself while learning more about the topic.

I know that at this point I should have a solid grasp on the inquiry so I have my work cut out for me.  My main concern at this point is how to approach the topic…Irish famine theories. It, of course, would be a lot easier to do a topic like Travel in/to Ireland (which I always love to explore) but I like the idea that I might find more theories than I have never heard before.