Ready, Set, Go! December 21, 2015

Happy first day of winter - get ready for weather close to the 70s???  Sure doesn't feel like most winters I'm used to.

Tomorrow, regardless of what period you have social studies, you will take your Revolutionary War test FIRST THING.  You will go to your SECOND period class, take attendance, take your test, and then leave for the movie at 8:35.

Essay Progress Survey

Please fill out this Google Form.

If you have ANY questions or concerns, email them to me!

ESSAY DUE DATE AND CRITICAL INFORMATION

• Tomorrow is the last day to work on the essays IN CLASS with me.
• I want to grade these over break.  If you can submit this to me on Google Drive BEFORE you leave for break, please do so.
• If you have MAJOR questions, or need more time, please take it.  
• If you do not turn in your essay before you leave for break, it is due RIGHT AFTER WE GET BACK.  
• I may assign you to a mandatory after-school help session if you do not turn in your essay within a day or two of getting back from vacation.
• Focus on the Rev War test this weekend for the test on TUESDAY.  

IF ANY OF THIS PRESENTS A PROBLEM, PLEASE CONTACT ME SO WE CAN WORK ON A SOLUTION TOGETHER.

How to Cite the DBQ Packet ("the snake handout"

Here we go!

1) Go to EasyBib.  Click on "all 59 options".
2) Choose "Lecture/Speech" - it will send you to a new page.
3) Look for the option to pick "Reading" - click on that.
4) Type in the title of the packet
5) Scroll down to "Contributors".
6) Click on the box for "Last/corp."  Fill it in with CMS Staff.
7) Fill in the following:  Event Title - Handout given in class  City - Stratham, NH Location - Cooperative Middle School  Date viewed - put today's date
8) Scroll to the bottom and click "Create Citation".

If you need the original cheat sheet to finish your Works Cited, here it is.

Events Template

If you are doing the EVENTS focused essay, here is a possible setup for your body paragraphs:

TOPIC SENTENCE - state why this event made the colonists angry and brought them closer to war with England.

BACKGROUND SENTENCE - explain the event/law - when was it passed?  If it's a tax, what did it tax?  If it's a law, what did it do?  If it's an event, what happened?

ANGER - Explain in a little more depth why it made the colonists angry.  Explain what they did as a result.

REACTION - How did the British react?  Were more laws passed?  Did other things happen?

CONNECTION - explain why this event brought the colonies one step closer to war.

If you write one or two sentences for each of these, you will have a full paragraph!

Review Guides for the Revolutionary War!

Hey everyone - here are some study guides for you!  These are aligned with the handout I gave you in class.

Quizlet for Key People

Quizlet for Key Terms

Quizlet for Key Battles

Checklist for Essay

For those of you who need to see things listed out for you, you are singing the song of my people!  Here is a checklist for you to help you keep on track with your essay:

_____ I have a thesis statement that has been approved by Mrs. Siecke.

_____ I have three topic sentences (one per body paragraph) that have been approved by Mrs. Siecke.

_____ I have identified several pieces of DIRECT evidence (quotes, facts, etc.) that I can use in my body paragraphs.

_____ I have drafted an introduction and asked Mrs. Siecke to look it over if I have questions.

_____ I have drafted body paragraphs and asked Mrs. Siecke for help if needed.

_____ I have reviewed my essay for grammar and mechanics.

_____ I have set up my EasyBib page with chapter 6 from the textbook, the DBQ packet, and any outside sources I used on my own.

_____ I have submitted the final copy of the essay through Google Docs or in hard copy.

The Write Stuff: December 14, 2015

All classes - this week we are focusing on assessment, both in the form of your essay and an upcoming content knowledge assessment on the Revolutionary War.  You have time with the computers this week, which we will use for both of these purposes.

What you need to do for the essay:
By now, you should have an approved thesis, and should have drafted some topic sentences.  If you haven't, you need to get caught up!  The last step before you start writing the essay is to gather your evidence.  I have a handout for you to do that.  Once you have all three of those prewriting steps done, you can start drafting the essay.

Your essay MUST be formatted in MLA style.  It is also best if you submit it through Google Docs, although you can print it and submit it if you want.  If you'd like help making sure you've set up your document correctly, watch this video and Mr. Stowell will show you how to get it done right the first time!!!

Here is the video as a link as well.

What you need to do for the test:
Review the list of topics you were given in class.  If you can't find it, here it is again.  I will make some Quizlets to help you study, and I also have set up some video clips with questions to help you review.  In order to get to these video quizzes, you have to sign up ACCORDING TO WHICH PERIOD YOU HAVE US HISTORY.

Period One, click here.
Period Two, click here.
Period Five, click here.
Period Six, click here.
Period Seven, click here.

These video clips count in the Formative Assessment category, so you will want to make sure to get them done by FRIDAY of this week.

HOMEWORK:  Your homework this week is the same all week.  You need to continue working on your essay and start studying for your test.  You may want to do all your work on the essay in class, and then study outside class for the test.  Or you may want to work on the essay straight through, and then prepare for the test.  If you work diligently in class, and work for 20 minutes to half an hour a day outside class (in study hall, team time, or for homework), you should be able to complete preparing for both of these important tasks!

Revolution continued: December 11, 2015

Today we covered the middle third of the Rev War lecture.  Then you looked at the strengths and weaknesses of both sides to predict how the Continental Army will respond to the challenges of fighting the world's greatest military power.

HOMEWORK:  Draft your body sentence topic paragraphs and bring them on Monday!!!!

Revolution Begins! December 10, 2015

I was out yesterday, so you worked on your knowledge of some of the battles of the Revolutionary War.  If you missed this assignment, come see me.

Today in class, I gave you the rubric for the essay and a handout listing the ideas you need to know for the Revolutionary War assessment.  Remember, the goal is to get your essay and this assessment done and submitted before you leave for the break.

We started reviewing the Revolutionary War content today in class with a lecture!  Everyone's favorite!!!! We will alternate between working on our essays, covering the events of the war, and preparing for our assessment over the next week.  I have computers in class next week, so you will have time to prepare in class for both of these major assessments.

If you need copies of the rubric, the list of required information, or the lecture notes, please see me in class.

Wrapping Up Thesis Statements: December 8, 2015

HOMEWORK: Today in class, we finished our work with identifying underlying causes of the Revolutionary War so you can write revised thesis statements tonight.  Here are some underlying causes we identified:

• The colonists and the British began using military action against each other.
• The British passed laws to punish the colonies and keep them under control.
• The colonists started to organize formally against the British.
• The British violated the colonists' rights with unfair laws.
• The British taxes the colonists to pay off their war debt.

I posted some sample thesis statement setups yesterday - look at those to help you if you need it!  

State Your Case: December 7, 2015

Today is the 74th anniversary of "the date that will live in infamy" - also known as the attack on Pearl Harbor.  We watched the historic film of President Roosevelt asking Congress to declare war on Japan, before discussing what you know about the causes and effects of that war, and then comparing the causes of WWII to the causes of the Revolutionary War.  Why would we do this?  Because some of the underlying causes of WWII were ALSO causes of the Revolutionary War - and by finding the similarities between these two wars, we identified those causes.

HOMEWORK:  Nearly all of you need to revise your thesis statements.  Below are some ideas to help you:

If you are trying the UNDERLYING CAUSES question, here are some examples of underlying causes we found in per 7 today:

SETTING UP YOUR THESIS:  Your thesis needs to PREVIEW the three major ideas you intend to explore.  Here are some thesis "formulas" you can use:

You can adapt this formula to your essay question.  For example, if you are doing the Major Events question, you can substitute "Major events that led to the Revolution" for "The underlying causes of the Revolution".

A WORD TO THE WISE:  Your thesis statement is the LAST sentence of the intro paragraph.  If you have to add sentences after your thesis statement for it to make sense, you don't have a thesis.  See me for help!

Introducing...Your Essay! DECEMBER 1, 2015

I was not in class today, because I was at a day-long curriculum meeting.  I will be back tomorrow, in time for ROPES COURSE!!!

Today in class, you worked with Ms. Crane to get some ideas for your introductions.  We will be working on thesis statements when we return from Ropes Course.  The thesis statements I've seen so far are going in the right direction, but I see a lot of misunderstanding of the concept of "underlying causes" - that is critically important, so we'll spend some time on it.  HOWEVER - I do want you to try to draft a thesis statement if you have not done so already.  It will help you if you have something to work with on Monday!

HOMEWORK:  Draft a thesis statement and give it to me on paper or through Google.  I need this before Monday!