DBQ'ing It, Day 2: October 30, 2014

Yesterday, I introduced the concept of a DBQ and gave you guys a packet of sources to help you build your knowledge of the causes of the Revolution.  Today, you had time to work on the questions and (I hope) meet with me to discuss the essay option you want to pursue.  Make sure you answer your questions thoroughly and well!

HOMEWORK:  If you have NOT finished all the questions in the DBQ packet, please do the following:

* Start working in your packet where you left off.  You marked it at the end of class with the date. NOTE THE TIME YOU START, AND THE TIME YOU FINISH.  If you finish before the 20 to 30 minute requirement, just write "Finished" in your packet.  Otherwise, just put the time you STOP in the margin of your packet.

If you HAVE finished all the questions, I gave you a document analysis handout.  Work on that for your 20 minutes or so.

Our First DBQ!!! October 29, 2014

Here is my second period class, thrilled to be assigned our FIRST DBQ!!!!!!

Aren't they cute????

FYI, a DBQ is a specific kind of assignment used in the social studies (mostly history).  Think of it as an "essay kit" - it provides you with all the information you need to write an essay on an assigned topic.  You do need to bring your background knowledge and learning to the task at hand, but the DBQ provides supporting information to help you do a good job.

This DBQ is based on - guess what! - the causes of the Revolutionary War.  You have a packet with a number of sources (primary and secondary) for you to review. Each source has some analytical questions for you to answer.  Then, when you are done reviewing the material and your background knowledge, you'll use your learning to help you frame an answer in a traditional five paragraph essay. We will be breaking this down step by step over the course of the next few days, so it will be VERY IMPORTANT for you to know where your class materials are and keep them in order.

HOMEWORK:  Choose ONE of the small-group tasks (not the vocabulary one, however) to answer fully and completely in writing.  Write out the question along with the answer.  PUT IT ON SEPARATE PAPER, PLEASE.  Do NOT just show me your notes tomorrow and claim you did it!

Back In the Swing of Things: October 28, 2014

Hi everyone!  I was out yesterday, and you got to watch an exciting video in lieu of your usual thinking and learning in Social Studies.  I hope you enjoyed the break, because we are back into the groove and a LOT of new stuff is coming our way.  Hold on…

First, many of you are getting your Impressions of America assignments back.  If you are dissatisfied with your grades, you CAN revise it … HOWEVER … your second round doesn't get looked at until everyone else gets a first round.  If I have to submit a change of grade form after the report cards go home, so be it.

Second, we are heading into a MAJOR ESSAY which will be our first major assessment grades for second quarter.  You will want to make sure you stay up to date on your class work and are aware of what is going on, so you do not fall behind.

Today, we continued (and per 1 began) looking at the small-group tasks associated with the Declaration.  You get to pick and choose which tasks you do in what order.

HOMEWORK:  You need to complete the STUDENT SELF-EVALUATION handed out in class.  Keep in mind that this is for ALL your classes, and not just Social Studies, so please make sure you are thinking of your entire Q1 experience when you respond.  Also, we will be using these surveys as a way to communicate with parents/guardians and other teachers, so please fill these out and be specific - name your classes when that is appropriate.  For example, when it says to name projects or assignments you did well on, name the class AND the assignment (English short story analysis, Music original composition) so we don't have to guess what you're talking about.  We appreciate that!

Also, this document is NOT one I made up, so you have to get an original from me and NOT LOSE IT.  I don't have copies of it here.  I will see if I can get one, but no guarantees.

Finally, if you put a bunch of one-word answers, you'll be staying with me at team time to make it more useful and thorough, so use full ideas and explain yourself the first time.

Happy Tuesday!

And here's Garrett sharing England's view of the colonies during this very important time period:

We Need Your Voice!

Here is a link to help us with Student of the Month nominations:

Nomination Form

Please help us by sharing details about what makes this person so great.  We especially appreciate information about what your nominee does when s/he is not in class, and how s/he interacts with peers beyond just friends.  Thanks!

One-Quarter Done With 8th Grade?!? October 24, 2014

Can you believe THAT?!?!

Today, we missed Per 1 for Student of the Month.  Congratulations to Sydney and Nick v.d.M. for their well-deserved accolades!

The rest of my classes continued with the process of analyzing the Declaration and its impact.  Most of you are done with identifying the original quotes and matching them to the "modern" translations, and have moved on to the small-group tasks.  The purpose of these tasks is to get you to put the Declaration in the context of all the events of the times, and to see where it fits in the big picture.

Next week, we will start working on our essays, so be ready!

HOMEWORK:  Complete the "We Hold These Truths" assignment given yesterday, if you have not done so already.

Better Late Than Never? October 23, 2014

Oh my gosh, I forgot to put this up!!  My apologies!!!

We continued our work from yesterday, so check out yesterday's post.  I did add the following:

HOMEWORK:  If you are not done with the Modern Language/Original Quotes assignment for the Declaration, work on that for 25 - 30 minutes, or when finished, whichever comes first.

Due MONDAY is your take on We Hold These Truths.  If you want to do it earlier, great!  I will post it below.

Here it is.

It's Too Late to Apologize: October 22, 2014

W're continuing our work examining the Declaration of Independence today.  First, we all owe an ENORMOUS debt of gratitude to Will G., Peter G., Becca H., and Colin J., because they kindly stapled all the copies of the Declaration I needed to hand out today.  (Note:  I had to copy that document THREE TIMES to get it to copy correctly!!!  I apologize to all trees, everywhere.)  Here is proof of their dedication and effort on behalf of their fellow students:

There was some grumbling about "sweatshops" and "child labor," but I'm sure they didn't mean it :).

Anyway, back to class…. so just about everyone finished the task of identifying the four major parts of the Declaration and matching modern language statements with the correct part of the Declaration.  Most of you are at the point where you are finding the original language quotes and matching it to the modern language versions.  When you are done with that, you'll use your new learning to discuss the content and impact of the Declaration in small groups.  But that is still to come!

To wrap up class, we watched a parody of "Too Late to Apologize".  If you want your parents to feel old, show them this and ask them which musicians are being parodied in the "rock concert" scene….I was the only one who knew them in class, and no, none of them are Kiss!

HOMEWORK:  Nothing new tonight…but you will have an assignment tomorrow. Be sure to stay current with your English essay!

Declaring Yourself: October 21, 2014

Today, we started looking at the Declaration of Independence.  We've been talking about the actions that the colonists took to show their displeasure with England.  We call those colonists Patriots, as opposed to the Loyalists who did not want to split from England, or the neutral colonists who had no preference.

We began by discussing the differences between freedom fighters and domestic terrorists.  We had a very insightful discussion of how violence and intent can make the difference between someone fighting for a cause, versus someone inflicting pain on others for negative ends.  Here are some pictures of period 2's discussion:

We followed this by listening to the Declaration read out loud.  It is worth listening to the Declaration once through before we start breaking it down, as it was meant to be heard in one sitting.  Here is a copy of the video.  It stars Morgan Freeman, and who doesn't love Morgan Freeman?

All the classes completed viewing the video, and most classes began identifying the four major categories of the Declaration and matching ideas to the categories.  Here is a picture of Brett, showing us his masterful work:

HOMEWORK:  You do not have new work assigned today.  However, you DO have an essay in English, and we are rapidly coming up to an essay in Social Studies as well.  You need to know what happened before the Revolution occurred, so if your outline is not finished, you should finish it.  See you tomorrow!

A Brief Update: October 20, 2104

This seems to sum up everyone's feelings about today:

….but we all survived!

Today, we finished the peer interviews we started in class on Thursday (for most groups) and today (for per 7).  We will be using this as a jumping-off point for discussing the Declaration of Independence as we continue through this week.

HOMEWORK:  If you did not have your outline done for today, you can finish it tonight for 8 out of 10 points (per 1, 2, 5, 6) and you should finish it for per 7 for full credit.  The links are available through last Friday's post.

Rebels With A Cause: October 16, 2014

Today in class, you continued to work on finishing your chapter outlines, and you started to use the outlines to answer questions, working with your classmates to draft responses.  I firmly believe that two (or three) heads are better than one, so I hope you are helping each other formulate thoughts and polish your ideas.

HOMEWORK:  Your Impressions of America assignment is DUE tomorrow - please check your High Quality Work checklists!!!  There are links to documents under yesterday's post.

Also, make sure your ropes course form is here for tomorrow - we are going to have an experiential class, and I'd hate for you to miss it! Wear appropriate footgear and bring your form if it's not here.

If you have not finished the pink outline, you need to do so for Monday.  This is a GREAT team time activity, because you can get it done and have nothing to do outside school for the weekend!!!  Period 7:  You need to finish through the bottom of the third side.

Below are some links to the textbook for those of you who still need to get your outlines done.

Ch 6 Section 1
Ch 6 Section 2
Ch 6 Section 3
Ch 6 Section 4

More Thinking About High-Quality Work: October 15, 2015

Happy Wednesday!  It's nice to have a short week, because when Tuesday is your Monday, then Wednesday is your Tuesday and the week is already half over!!!

Today in class, I gave out the grading rubric for the Impressions of America assignment, and the checklist of descriptors for high-quality work for each kind of product.  Please take some time to review your work AGAINST THE CHECKLIST.  It will remind you of the little bits and pieces you might not remember or forgot to include!

We also continued to work on our chapter outlines today in class.  Most students are done or nearly done with them, so we will use them tomorrow and then you can have some class time to finish up.

HOMEWORK:  Be sure to get your ropes course form filled out and returned if you have not done so this week!  Even if you did one at the beginning of the year, do it again.  Not many people turned in the forms, and many of them were the old version, so we do need all of you to turn in a new, recent version of the form.  We are going to do an experiential lesson on Friday, so you want to be ready!!!

Also, keep working on your Impressions of America assignment.  Revision works best if you do a little at a time and do your work thoughtfully and well!

Grading Rubric
Descriptions of High Quality Work
The original assignment, in case you forgot

The Road to Revolution: October 14, 2014

Today, some of you retook your Colonial Development quiz, and everyone worked on their Ch 6 outlines. The point of the outline is for you to have a summary of the key events so that you don't have to go back into the textbook every time we discuss an event or a reaction.

HOMEWORK:  You are taking your Impressions of America assignment to final draft status.  I have attached the rubric and the descriptors you made with me in class.

Here is the rubric.

Here are the description of high quality products.

Quality Over Quantity: October 10, 2014

It's Friday!  It's Friday!  And Monday is a long weekend, in honor of Cristoforo Colombus' "discovery" of the Americas and in recognition of the indigenous peoples who were affected deeply by his efforts and the subsequent colonization of the continent by Europeans.  (Whew….that was a lot to say!)

Today we spent some time testing, and we also spent some time thinking, observing, and collecting ideas about what makes a piece of work high quality vs. acceptable vs. lower-quality.  We are doing this because….drum rollllll…..you will be taking your Impressions of America assignment to FINAL DRAFT FORMAT for a FULL ASSESSMENT GRADE.  This is an opportunity for you to reflect upon, revise, and improve your first efforts at this assignment.

Some of my classes got a chance to analyze some artwork as part of our work around identifying the unique culture developing in the colonies.  Here is Wyatt attempting to strike a pose in the style of King George III:

Wyatt giving us the royal treatment!

HOMEWORK:  Like I said, you will be taking your Impressions of America assignment to FINAL DRAFT FORMAT.  It is due THURSDAY.  Your homework between now and then is going to be to work on revising and improving your assignment, so start thinking about what you need to do!  You will get a rubric on Tuesday.

QUIZ RETAKES - READ THIS!

You will have the opportunity to retake your quiz on Tuesday in class.  You will need to come prepared with your COLONIES CHART and your OLD QUIZ.  If you do not have the first item, look on the old posts for the links.  If you don't have the second item, you will have to take the WHOLE quiz over again - otherwise, you only need to do the parts that you did poorly on.

The quiz will be the SAME content, DIFFERENT format.  You need to tell me on Friday if you want to retake!

"Taxation Without Representation is Tyranny!" October 8/9, 2014

The assembly yesterday threw us off a bit, so I am wrapping today's class and tomorrow's class into one big blog post.  Here we go:

Per 1, 2, and 5 got through our activity summarizing the major ideas we charted on the graphic organizer yesterday, and experienced the tyranny of British rule in "The King's M&Ms".  Tomorrow (Thursday), they will start completing an outline of Chapter 6.

Per 6 & 7 finished the graphic organizers and did a practice round of summarizing for one or two of the categories on the graphic organizer.  Tomorrow, they will complete the summarization activity and experience the tyranny of British rule.

We have TESTING, oh fun oh joy, on Friday and Tuesday.  Stay tuned for more details.

HOMEWORK:  Your Impressions of America assignment is due Friday.  I don't care if you're in per 1 & 2, you need to get it to me sometime that day.

Below is a picture of our thinking, courtesy of Celine, Mark R., Mike C., and Hannah O.:

"If I Am Not For Myself, Who Will Be For Me?": October 7, 2014

Today we had a nice, relaxed day taking some notes on a graphic organizer.   Here's Zoe diligently working, getting photobombed by Reilly!  The purpose of the graphic organizer is to help you gather some ideas about how American colonists were starting to develop a different identity from their British compatriots.  Keep these ideas in mind as we start talking about the road to Revolution.

Today we also have a fantastic opportunity to see history presented in a different way from usual.  We are fortunate to be hosting Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti, performing as Oney Judge Staines, the runaway slave of Martha Washington.  To prepare for this role, she spent many years researching Oney's life, relying heavily on primary source documents and evidence to craft her performance.  I hope you enjoy it!  Thanks to Nick V. and Greta S. for opening and closing our presentation!

Here is a picture of Ms. Quezaire-Presutti in character.  She is performing tonight at the Exeter Historical Society at 7 pm, if your parents would like to see her:

HOMEWORK:  Tonight, you need to write up a brief statement of the following:

* What product do you intend to make for your Impressions of America assignment?

* What supplies do you need, and do you have them?

* What plan do you have to get this done?  When will you work on this, and for how long?

If you want to make up your quiz, you also need to write up a brief plan for how you are going to prepare (take more notes, re-read chapter sections, correct original quiz, or….) and when you are available for a retake.

A New Way of Being: October 6, 2014

Today in class, we began to look at the aftermath of the French and Indian War, and the impact this event had on the colonies.  We started by sharing some of our homework responses and looking at the idea of trigger incidences - events that start a series of chain reactions, leading to another major event.  An example of a trigger incident might be injuring yourself in PE, for example.  Let's say you sprain your wrist in PE one day.  The wrist is your writing hand, so you can't do schoolwork for a couple of days.  You get behind in your schoolwork, and then your grades fall.  Your parents look at your grades on PowerSchool and realize you have - shock and horror! - a C- in your very most favorite class, US History!!!  They ground you until you are 35 and you get in an epic name-calling screaming fight.  The trigger incident in this case was injuring your wrist, and the major event would be the epic fight.

We also looked at how the colonies were starting to get ideas and attitudes that were different from the mother country's ideas and attitudes.  Colonists were used to living with very few rules or restrictions placed on them by England, under the policy of salutary neglect - the official British policy of leaving the colonies to manage themselves as long as they (the colonies) were profiting the mother country.  The French and Indian War left England with an enormous war debt to pay off, so be on the lookout for how that affects their relationship with and to the colonies.

We ended by looking at a clip from Last of the Mohicans, where a British military recruiter comes face-to-face with the new attitude of the colonists, and he doesn't really like what he sees.

If you missed class today, please see me when you get back to find out what you need to do.

HOMEWORK:  All week, we will be working on an assignment called Impressions of America.  For tomorrow, I want you to have identified what kind of product you want to create for this assignment.  The final product is due FRIDAY.

Reading Between the Questions: October 3, 2014

Today, we spent our second and last day reading, reviewing, and reflecting upon the textbook section on the French and Indian War to answer our self-generated questions.  One thing a lot of you have discovered is that the textbook doesn't answer all your questions - NOR SHOULD IT.  If you are REALLY thinking and REALLY inquiring and REALLY learning, your questions are going to be far more wide-ranging, interesting, and complex than any one source can answer.

I'm very pleased with the "lightbulb" moments I saw a lot of you reach.  More than once, I overheard someone say, "Oh!  That answers the question we had right here," or, "Hey, wait, we asked a question about that."  Let me tell you, every teacher LIVES for those moments!!!

HOMEWORK:  You have a very brief reading to read and a chart to complete to wrap up our discussion of the F&I War.

If you lost your copy, here is a link to the reading.

You also need a copy of the chart that goes with it.

I'll leave you with a video clip of Emma and Hannah demonstrating the power of deep and insightful reading:

Reading Like a BOSS: October 2, 2014

HOMEWORK:  If you did not read the handout you were given yesterday and answer the questions to Input #6, please do so tonight.  Look at yesterday's blog post if you need more explanation.

First, let's all admire these pictures of Nick, Al, and Collin KILLIN' IT in Social Studies today!

Awwww yeahhhhh.  That is some HIGH QUALITY thinking and learning going on!!!!

What these gentlemen are demonstrating is the second phase of the Question Building process, which we completed in class today.  Now that you've had time to go through some or all of the evidence available to you, you spent some time in class reviewing the questions that arose while you worked.  We are going to use these questions as Focus Questions for our reading.  What is the point of Focus Questions?  Well, I'm so glad you asked!  

In class, I made the analogy that our brains function a lot like this Velcro wall here.  The stuff you already know is the wall - it's covered with the information you've learned and remember from the past.    The new learning, whether it's from a text or a video or painful experience, is the suit with the opposite side of the Velcro on it.  Now, the more strips you have on your Velcro wall - the more you already know or have experienced about a topic - the more likely it is that the new learning (the kid in the Velcro suit) will "stick" and you'll understand it.  The less you know, the less likely it is that the learning will stick, and/or the more work it's going to take for you to find a way to make that information stick.

The activity we've been doing, the Question-Building, is intended to help you build that Velcro wall BEFORE you read the textbook.  I could have asked you, "Read the section in the text and tell me what caused the French and Indian War, and what effect it had on the colonies."  Some of you probably could find some ideas in the book to repeat back to me, but for a lot of you, it would not have been a very effective assignment.  Now that we've spent some time looking at pictures, reading maps, analyzing quotes, and so on, you've built a Velcro wall for your reading to stick to.  The goal is for you to UNDERSTAND what we're reading and and learning and thinking about in class, not just go on an answer hunt for the "right" response and spit it back to me!

So today and tomorrow, you will be reviewing the questions you generated and reading the text to try to answer as many of those questions your group generated as possible.  If you can't answer all of your questions, THAT'S GREAT - it means that you have more "loops" in your Velcro wall than you did before.  Now, when you hear a snippet of information about the F&I War in the news, or a reference in a movie, or see a poster or walk by a museum exhibit, you may have that Aha! moment when you finally get an answer to your unanswered questions!  Remember, learning is a messy, unpredictable, demanding, and sometimes frustrating business - but only if you're doing it correctly. ;)

Natives and English and French, Oh My! OCTOBER 1, 2014

It's OCTOBER, people!!!! Doesn't it seem like just a week ago we were looking at late August on the calendar???

Anyway, today in class, we continued with the process of reviewing evidence, drawing conclusions from the evidence, and formulating questions.  Tomorrow you will be using the textbook to help you answer the questions you drafted.

HOMEWORK:  First of all, if you did not get the quiz questions revised, you NEED to do that ASAP. If you need links to the textbook, go to yesterday's blog post and find the link.

Your NEW homework involves your Question Building chart.  You were given (or should have picked up) a reading at the end of class about the Albany Plan of Union.  It has the cut-up snake picture on the front.

• Find the chart and look at the questions you came up with for input #6. 
• Read the handout.
• Review the questions you raised.
• Try to answer as many of the questions you raised as you can.
• You can put your answers in the last box of the chart, or on separate paper.