Brainball

Mickey Kolis is the author of six books dealing with teaching and learning, a veteran public school teacher, and currently a university professor. Making learning relevant is his highest professional aspiration.Benjamin H. Kolis is an actor, director, theatre-maker and writer living in Minneapolis. MN.Jessica Hobelsberger Flanagan has taught high school social studies for 11 years, and has taught many courses including various history classes as well as Global Issues, Economics, Law, and Civics.

Brainball (Social Studies edition) lays out an inquiry-driven approach of teaching Social Studies in the 21st century. Not only do the authors provide sound reasoning and research on meaningful learning, they also provide lesson plans that educators can use in their classrooms on Day 1. I had countless "Of course! That makes total sense!" moments throughout reading this. Brainball is an excellent resource for Social Studies teachers, curriculum coordinators, and administrators who are serious about making teaching more relevant.

• ForewordAcknowledgementsIntroductionSection 1: Brainball (Social Studies Edition) - Why Social Studies MatterChapter 1: Brainball (Social Studies Edition) – The Point of the Game is LearningChapter 2: The Big Ideas: Product, Process, and Community aligned with PurposeChapter 3: Brainball (SSE) Beliefs (Dispositions)Chapter 4: Brainball (SSE) Key Knowledge CategoriesChapter 5: Brainball (SSE) SkillsSection 2: Preparing to Coach the GameChapter 6: Tip 1: Keep the End-in-MindChapter 7: Tip 2: Play the GameChapter 8: Tip 3: Competitions as EvaluationsChapter 9: Tip 4: Sequences matterChapter 10: Tip 5: Explicit CommunicationsSection 3: Day-to-Day Lesson Plans: Brainball IlluminatedUnit Plan OverviewLesson 1: ObservationsLesson 2: ObservationsLesson 3: Observations/CuriosityLesson 4: Identify Pre-Existing Knowledge/ConceptionsLesson 5: Curiosity Lesson 6: Develop Collaboration NormsLesson 7: Identify Issue/ProblemLesson 8: Project & Time ManagementLesson 9: Research- Bias and Triangulation of SourcesLesson 10: Communication Skills – Interview, Letter and Email SkillsLesson 11: Communication skills – Public SpeakingLesson 12: Create – Research: Gather InformationLesson 13: Create – Research: Sort InformationLesson 14: Create – Project Prep & ImplementationLesson 15: Design PresentationLesson 16: Project PresentationsLesson 17: Synthesis – “I Learned”Lesson 18: Reflection & Self-AssessmentLesson 19: Summative ConferenceConclusionAppendicesAppendix A: Inquiry Based Learning Project ExamplesAppendix B: Global Issues ProjectAppendix C: Global Citizenship RubricsAppendix D: 3, 2, & 1’sAppendix E: IBLP Global Citizenship TrackerAppendix F: Burning QuestionsAppendix G: Collaboration Norms ContractAppendix: H: Preliminary IBLP PlanAppendix I: IBLP Implementation PlanAppendix J: Which of these Things is not like the others?Appendix K: Exit SlipAppendix L: Peer Feedback ProtocolAppendix M: ShapesAppendix N: Global Citizenship IBLP Project ReflectionAppendix O: List of Resources