Wednesday, May 13, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
sHs teachers integrate curriculum
By Sianna Flowers
Correspondent
A teacher’s greatest chal-
lenge is making sure her cur-
riculum is not simply learned,
but understood.
Sometimes this is done
through hands-on projects.
Sometimes it takes days of
discussion. Matthew Bradley
and Gail Greaney, two teach-
ers at Sisters High School,
have answered this challenge
in the form of American
Studies. American Studies is
a 10th-grade course that inte-
grates literature and history
into a two-hour block class.
The goal is to help students
learn history and literature in
a way that is full of context
— and lasting.
American Studies is new
to the 2014-2015 school year,
but the idea isn’t new at all.
Gail Greaney, who teaches
the history component, says,
“When Garrett Gladden was
a teacher he — we — team-
taught AP Government, and
that’s how we started think-
ing about team-teaching this
course… We firmly believed
that it was of the most benefit
to students to meld the two
classes together.”
The curriculum is based
around mixing literature and
history to create a compre-
hensive whole. For exam-
ple, while students study
the Salem Witch Trials they
also read “The Crucible” so
they can examine the events
through multiple lenses.
As Zidane Galant-Laporte
put it, “I learned … how his-
tory affects literature.”
Another advantage of
the interdisciplinary style
is having two teachers for
one class. Max Sillers says,
“Having a big class and two
teachers makes the experi-
ence a lot more fun ... my
favorite part is having two
teachers.”
Two teachers means it is
easier to meet students’ needs
with varied teaching tech-
niques and multiple perspec-
tives on the students’ strug-
gles and progress. It is also a
highlight for the teachers.
“My favorite part of
the day is when I’m teach-
ing with Mr. Bradley,” says
Greaney.
However, this class is
an experiment for both the
teachers and the students. For
Greaney and Bradley its been
a great learning experience.
“Mr. Bradley and I are
both creating this course from
scratch, on our own time.
We’ve had a lot of moral sup-
port from the administration
at the high school, but we
didn’t get any actual time to
create the course.”
The students have been
learning right with their
teachers, and about more
than just history and English.
A demanding class like
American Studies leaves no
room for slacking or poor
self-discipline.
Galant-Laporte recalls,
“I had [to] learn how to
time manage [and]…how to
be tough if I got stressed.”
The skills students learn in
American Studies — both
academic and mundane —
will continue to benefit them
in the future, a central goal
of all teachers at Sisters High
School.
If teachers had their pref-
erence, interdisciplinary-style
class would not stop with
American Studies. Greaney
hopes to make the integrated
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history and English course
a year-long program in both
ninth and 10 grade.
Bradley pointed out that
“students are used to study-
ing six different subjects
every single day, and they
often struggle to make con-
nections between those sub-
jects. But [making] connec-
tions … gives them a deeper
understanding of [their]
subjects.”
The impact of American
Studies was put to the test
when students took their AP
(Advanced Placement) test
on May 8. Scores have yet
to come in but most of the
students felt very confident
about the test.
“Greaney prepared us
really well,” said Jackson
Morgan. But the combined
duo of Greaney and Bradley
prepared students even bet-
ter. “The students who took
American Studies definitely
had an advantage,” said Tara
Greaney. “We had a way
deeper understanding of the
social aspects of America’s
history.”
The teaching philoso-
phy of Greaney and Bradley
is defined by the words of
America’s second president,
John Adams: “There are two
types of education... One
should teach us how to make
a living, and the other how
to live.” In traditional Sisters
High School style, American
Studies does a little bit of
both.
17
sisters salutes...
photo proviDeD
The Open door presented a check to the Outlaw Booster Club,
beneficiary of the restaurant’s dine For a Cause program.
The Outlaw Booster
Club would like to take
this opportunity to give
a huge thank-you to The
Rickards Family and Open
Door Crew for making the
OBC the April recipient
of their Dine With a Cause
program.
A percentage of The
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Tuesday is donated to a
selected organization. Their
generous contribution of
$557 to the Booster Club
will continue to multiply
within the Sisters commu-
nity. Thank you, Rickards
family, for exemplifying the
true nature of a small town
and for supporting our local
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