Word Up: March 31, 2015

Well, March is finally - FINALLY - over!  Here's hoping for a swift arrival of spring, April break, and some warmer weather!

Today in class, we continued to work on our understanding and summarizing of assigned textbook readings.  We will use our small group work tomorrow to identify the "big picture" ideas we think all our classmates should know.

HOMEWORK:  You are identifying and defining topic vocabulary words based on your plans for next year:

Honors - ID and define 10 words
CP - 8 words
Academic - 6 words

DO NOT use specific individuals or specific places as vocab terms
DO use terms from your section of the chapter, and any other related sections
DO use terms that are not "bold faced" words from the text
DO use dictionaries, the glossary, and online resources to define terms, not just your own knowledge

See you tomorrow!

Transformations: March 30, 2015

Hi all,
Today in class, we started looking at ways that America was transformed during the 1800's and into the early 1900's.  You were assigned one section of the textbook to review and complete a Text Review handout.  If you did not get that done, you have to finish it at home OR in Team Time, when many of you choose not to use your time very productively!  I strongly suggest that, if you didn't get this done in class, you come see me at Team Time to use a textbook.

HOMEWORK (only if you didn't finish our work in class):

Here is a link to an online version of the text.  This includes links for Ch 11, 13, 14, 19, and 20.  It stops at 20.

The links do not show the sections by numbers, which is a pain.  It will be lettered instead.  So Chapter 10, Sec 1 would be 10AAD, section 2 would be 10BAD, etc.  Just click on the link and MAKE SURE YOU CONTINUE WITH THE SECTION YOU STARTED REVIEWING.  If this is too confusing, SEE ME AT TEAM TIME!

CHAPTER 21 kids - I guess no one else gets to Chapter 21.  See me during Team Time to finish your Text Review if you need to finish it.

Happy Friday! March 27, 2015

Today in class, we started to transition from discussing Native Americans to our next unit on the 1800s and the transformation to an industrial society.  No homework!  See you Monday!

Wrapping It Up: March 26, 2015

Today, we are bringing our study of Native Americans and the US government to a close - I'm not going to say "to an end," because it continues to be a difficult and necessary partnership, but we must move on…

HOMEWORK:  If you did not finish the yellow "Native Americans and US Government" packet yesterday, you finished it in class today.  Then, we started working on a wrap-up writing assignment.  The chart and paragraph are due tomorrow.  If you need a copy, it is linked below.

Point of View Guide

Happy Wednesday! March 25, 2015

First of all, a little laugh:

Hi all,
Today in class, we continued to work on gathering evidence and insight into the Native Americans' interaction with the US government throughout the 1800's and into the 1900's.

HOMEWORK:  Complete the document titled "Native Americans and the US".  I have linked info to help you below, or see me during team time and I will have the documents you need.

Native Americans and the US

"Little House" excerpt

Picture #1
Picture #2
Picture #3
Picture #4

Quote Sources: March 24, 2015

HOMEWORK:  Choose 3 quotes involving Native Americans that you like and copy them to a document or write them down.  Choose quotes you like and understand.  One must be BY a Native American.  Bring them in tomorrow.

Native American proverbs

Quotes by and about Native Americans

Quotes about land ownership - Native perspective

Happy Spring! March 23, 2015

Hi everyone,
With the windchill this morning, the temperature was a toasty 13 degrees!  Can't wait to see the first few flowers bloom!!!

Today, I saw some classes but not others.  Per 1, 2, and 5 reviewed the answers they found to the questions we generated, and continued some additional reading in the book.  Then, I previewed the activity we're going to do tomorrow.  We ended the day by watching a depressing video clip about a conflict between Native Americans and the US government.

Per 6 & 7 will not meet today because we are seeing a movie for Language Arts.  You should review the homework assignment from last THURSDAY and finish it if you haven't!

HOMEWORK:  See above.

** NOTE:  If you are looking for something to do, you could go to Women On 20s and vote for a female contender to be pictured on the US $20 bill!  Now that you have learned about the Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears, you can see why some people think he should not be pictured on our currency.  There are a lot of interesting and notable female history-makers we could celebrate, so read up and pick your favorites!

Book Learning! March 19, 2015

Hi everyone!
If you were here in school today, we worked on using pre-reading skills and strategies to help us find information from the textbook.  Textbooks are not what I would call EXCITING reading, but they are very useful and helpful.

In class, we used pre-reading techniques to predict where we might find some answers to the questions we generated.  Some of you started reading and finding answers before class ended.

HOMEWORK:  Read Ch 12, Sec 2, and/or ch 19, Sec 2 (linked below).  Use these readings to help you find answers to the questions we generated.

Per 1 - Complete however many sets of questions that were assigned to you
Per 2 - complete assignment as told to you by Mr. Z.
Per 5 and 6 - complete at least two sets of questions
Per 7 - complete one set of questions, two if you are feeling ambitious.

Chapter 19, Sec 2

Chapter 12, Sec 2

REMINDER:  Tomorrow is WELLNESS DAY!  You will be walking outside - be ready!!!!!

Whose Land Part 2: March 18, 2015

We continued our work with Question-Building today, and finished reviewing all our evidence.  Then, we worked as a class to develop our guiding questions for tomorrow's work.

HOMEWORK:  Nothing new tonight, but make sure to go through your assignments and make up anything you haven't done!!

This Land is Whose Land? March 17, 2015

First, to all my friends of Irish descent, Is e ‘n t-ionnsachadh òg an t-ionnsachadh bòidheach! And many happy returns of the day!!!

Today in class, you began a pre-reading activity looking at artifacts and documents related to Native Americans.  I look forward to seeing what kinds of conclusions you reached, and questions you generated.  

HOMEWORK:  Nothing new tonight!

Westward Ho: March 16, 2015

Today in class, we enjoyed the excitement of learning via video!  We watched "Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West".  If you were not in class today, you can watch the video on your own.

HOMEWORK:  You need to complete your GRADED DRAFT of your Early US Web Quest assessment.  If you need a reminder about what you did over the past week, here is the site:

Early US WebQuest

If you just want to get to the resources (graphic organizers, letter format help, etc.), go here.

Hey Mr. Postman: March 12, 2015

Hi everyone,
Today, I got a chance to check in with you around your answers to the web-based worksheets and learning reflections.  If you still have questions, please email them to me.

HOMEWORK:  The graded drafts of your formal letters are due TUESDAY.  Yes, it needs to be in formal letter format.  Yes, it needs to be typed.  No, it does not need to be printed, you can share it with me electronically.  Yes, you may print it if you want.

I just want to make clear that you understand, only the WEB-BASED WORKSHEET and REFLECTION pieces are required.  The other handouts under "resources" are there to help you if you are stuck.  Use them or not as you wish.  Feel free to email me with questions.

Continuing on our (Web)Quest for more learning: March 10, 2015

Hi everyone,
People seem to be making good headway on their WebQuest questions.  Your homework tonight is to answer at least one more question than you had done when you left class.  I strongly encourage you to finish your share of the questions if that's possible, and to be done during class tomorrow so you can prepare for the assessment with your group. The more opportunity you have to reflect, review, and discuss, the better off you will be.

If you have questions, please shoot me an email.  Let me know what you're struggling with, curious about, or otherwise unsure of.  Thanks!

WebQuest Links!

We are starting our Tech Integration Unit this week!  First you will be taking a survey:

Class Challenge Survey

Then we will be starting a WebQuest.
Here is the link to the WebQuest:

Early US Webquest

We will be talking about this in class today and getting you set up for the week!

George Washington Timeline Cont'd: March 5, 2015

What a coincidence - March 5th is also the day that George Washington retired to Mt. Vernon after successfully completing two terms as President.  He did not have as long and restful a retirement as he had hoped, but he was able to enjoy several years before succumbing to an upper respiratory infection in December, 1799.

HOMEWORK:  Make sure your WHITE CHART of timeline events is completed for the start of class tomorrow.  If you are retaking the quiz, you need to come in tomorrow with the prep work for the quiz done!  There's a link to the handout on the blog if you need it. See you tomorrow!

Time (Is On My Side) - March 4, 2015

Fun fact!  Today is the only date on the calendar that is also a command (March fourth…get it?)

Anyway….

We are still working on our timelines in class.  By now, you should have your chart well underway and probably should have one event analysis sheet done.  Tomorrow, I will bring construction paper and crafts materials to school for those of you who want to do a hard-copy version of your timeline.  If you want to look into doing an on-line version of the timeline, feel free, but I do not know which programs are good.  As the Romans would say, caveat emptor.

HOMEWORK:  You assigned yourself something to do at the end of class today (20 to 25 minutes of work on something to do with your timeline).  Also, don't forget to review for the Constitution makeup test if you plan to take it on Friday!

Ch 9 Lesson 1 Link

Ch 9 Lesson 2 Link

Makeup for Constitution and Bill of Rights Quizzes

Today, you got (or should have gotten) your Constitution and Bill of Rights quizzes back.  A number of you will want to redo the Constitution quiz.  Here is what you need to do to make up the Constitution quiz:

1) Review your quiz.  Fix your wrong answers, either on the quiz or on separate paper.  Make sure it is clear which was your ORIGINAL wrong answer, and which is your CURRENT correct answer .

2) Get a parent or guardian signature on the original quiz.

3) Practice using the information on Quizlet.**  Here are the links:

Concepts Related to the Constitution
Government Vocabulary

You must complete TWO sessions of FIFTEEN minutes and record your practice sessions in some way.  I will have a handout available for you in class, or you can set up a piece of paper with your name, the dates, the times you practiced, how you practiced, and signatures of adult witnesses.

** If you don't like Quizlet, you can propose your own methods of studying, but you must participate in two sessions of 15 minutes each and get adult signatures.

4)  Come in on Friday with ALL OF THE ABOVE THREE THINGS DONE to get a new quiz to complete.  You will take the supported version of the quiz.  The highest score you can earn is an 85 (meets the standards).  You cannot take the makeup quiz without the items listed above.

Here is a link to the class handout to record your studying.

Back to the Grind: MARCH 2, 2015

Good news and bad news … the bad news is, we do have to come back to school after our break.  I hope you all had a great break with a lot of rest and relaxation!  The good news is, we have turned the calendar to MARCH, and winter can't last forever (I hope!).

You did a nice job on the whole with your Bill of Rights quizzes. I hope you are pleased with how you did!  For this week, we are going to look at George Washington, the President who set precedent.  As our first president of the US, he knew he was making decisions that would set expectations for all future Presidents to come.  He took this responsibility very seriously.

For this week, we are going to be look at President Washington's decisions and the events of his presidency by creating a timeline of his two terms in office.  You will be picking items that illustrate something important - either a decision he had to make, a problem he had to solve, or an event he was affected by - that happened while he was President.

To get you started, here is a link that explains the basics of a timeline.  I know you probably have seen, used, and made timelines before, but there's always something you can do to make your work better.

Here are the videos we watched in class:

History.com video - presidency

History.com video - legacy

YouTube videos

MORE VIDEOS

Here is a video on the Whiskey Rebellion and the Battle of Fallen Timbers

Battle of Fallen Timbers and Treaty of Greenville - not very interesting, but easier to understand

George Washington's Farewell Address for Dummies - this talks about what Washington meant in his address - if you use it, I suggest using a backup source as well.

ARTICLES

Miller Center article on Washington's presidency - very good, but more difficult reading.  Be sure to go over it a few times to make sure you understand what you are reading!

Battle of Fallen Timbers - Again, not written for students, but this is a short article that covers the key points.

First Cabinet nomination - A short article (that includes a full date!) from Senate.gov, not written for students, but has good information.

Pinckney's Treaty (Treaty of San Lorenzo) - more difficult reading, but the first paragraph explains why this treaty was important.

Hamilton and the First National Bank - not too bad on reading level, but the key date is at the END of the article :)

Jay's Treaty - a harder article, but it explains why this treaty came about.

Jay's Treaty - easier - the first paragraph is hard, but this does a better job of explaining why the treaty was needed.

Jay's Treaty - easiest

Federal Judiciary Act of 1789 - very brief, but has some good info

Another Judiciary Act article - much more descriptive

PBS article on the Whiskey Rebellion - short and to the point, but the vocab can be challenging

Whiskey Rebellion article - Straight from the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms)

Last article on the Whiskey Rebellion - probably the easiest to understand, too

Citizen Genet Affair - this is a difficult topic to understand, but this site explains the basics.  May need to read through it more than once.

Citizen Genet Affair - the first paragraph is hard, but keep going - it gets a little easier further on!

Washington's Farewell Address - this is an overview and not the full speech, it is only part of a larger website, but it explains the different sections of Washington's speech nicely.

The Farewell Address in everyday language - somewhere, Washington is spinning in his grave … but you will understand it pretty clearly!

WEBSITES

Washington's Cabinet - this explains the Cabinet and the four different officers originally set up by Washington.  It includes video links and an article.

PBS - History of US - Another explanation of the Cabinet

SLIDESHOW

A History of Central Banking - Shout out to Alexa Holmes for finding a useful site to help explain the bank issues!