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.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
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!
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!
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
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:
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:
Friday, October 24, 2014
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!
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.
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.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
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.
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.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
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!
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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!
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