After the 100 question test, followed by 4 short answer writing prompts and a 5 paragraph essay ... I say it's time for my kiddos to have a break!
Have a great 2 weeks off, and I will see you in January!
***HAPPY HOLIDAYS***
Friday, December 21, 2012
Midterms
Its midterm time here in Tennessee!
After the 100 question test, followed by 4 short answer writing prompts and a 5 paragraph essay ... I say it's time for my kiddos to have a break!
Have a great 2 weeks off, and I will see you in January!
After the 100 question test, followed by 4 short answer writing prompts and a 5 paragraph essay ... I say it's time for my kiddos to have a break!
Have a great 2 weeks off, and I will see you in January!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
US History Timeline
I have a large wall at the back of my classroom. For the past 6 years I have stared at that wall trying to figure out what to put on it. There are a few posters, but with such a big space it looked a little silly.
At the beginning of the year I decided I wanted to utilize the space as a review for my students. We have an EOC exam from the state each May. When we start reviewing for it in May, I have found that a lot of my students have completely forgotten what we discussed in Augustthrough April. I wanted to change that.
I created a HUGE US History Timeline.
For each chapter we cover, I create some type of visual (something we used in class during the instruction) they can look at to remind them of what we talked about. I gave my students a learning style inventory at the beginning of the year, and a large number of my students are visual learners. This is a way to target that learning style. My hope is that looking at the review everyday all year, the material will stay fresh in their minds.
This week we are reviewing for their Midterms.
The timeline has proven to be very helpful (I THINK)! It is a teaching tool I can reference as we are discussing the different chapters we have covered. We will see how they do on the exams next week, but I think the visual will help trigger the discussions we had in class.
At the beginning of the year I decided I wanted to utilize the space as a review for my students. We have an EOC exam from the state each May. When we start reviewing for it in May, I have found that a lot of my students have completely forgotten what we discussed in August
 |
| Brainstorming |
For each chapter we cover, I create some type of visual (something we used in class during the instruction) they can look at to remind them of what we talked about. I gave my students a learning style inventory at the beginning of the year, and a large number of my students are visual learners. This is a way to target that learning style. My hope is that looking at the review everyday all year, the material will stay fresh in their minds.
This week we are reviewing for their Midterms.
The timeline has proven to be very helpful (I THINK)! It is a teaching tool I can reference as we are discussing the different chapters we have covered. We will see how they do on the exams next week, but I think the visual will help trigger the discussions we had in class.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
1920's Projects
The websites turned out great. I was impressed with the work that was completed.
We used Google Docs to complete this assignment. I went in and created a class webpage, then shared the site with the class so they had access to edit the page. Students told me their topics the day before we started working with the computers. I was able to set up all the pages (topics) to the webpage before they started working.
Students had to use 3 resources, one of those had to be a book source. They also had to include a primary source document on their website. This could include a quote from or about the person they were researching, a newspaper article or magazine from the time; really anything from the 1920s! This proved to be one of the challenges of the research, but many were able to find a primary source to include.
When planning this project, I was debating on how I wanted students to present their research to their classmates. I wanted everyone to see/ learn about the different topics. I decided to do a webquest. As a requirement for this project, I had the students include 5 questions at the bottom of their site that anyone could answer, based solely on the information they included.
The day after the projects were due, I had the students log back into the website and visit at least 5 other student’s webpages. I wish they would have had more time to look at all of them, but that wasn’t possible in one class period. I allowed them to choose which 5 they wanted to look at/ answer. They just had to complete the 5 questions from 5 different sites (25 questions total).
I wish I could link to all the sites so you can see them, but they are protected websites and you must have a log in to see them. If you have feedback, or questions, please let me know!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Prohibition and Organized Crime
The 18th Amendment was added to the Constitution in 1919. The temperance movement had finally won. I guess Carrie Nation showed up to enough saloons out in Kansas to get the vote! (You know, if she had still been alive in 1919).
Prohibition, known as the "Noble Experiment", created one of the most lawless decades of our time. It also contributed to the new music, dance, fashion and movies of the time. Prohibition caused ordinary law-abiding citizens to become police-dodgers!
Organized Crime also was at it's height during the Prohibition age. With the outlawing of alcohol, it became Big Business for the underground market. Bartenders needed a product, and the mobs had what they needed. Men like Al Capone and Bugs Moran ran the city of Chicago by making millions in the alcohol business. Law enforcement tried its hardest to stop the illegal sell of alcohol but with drastic measures taken on the side of the bootleggers, bar owners and bar attenders, it was an impossible task.
Today in class we paired class discussions of Prohibition and Organized Crime with several video clips on the topics (found on Discovery Education Streaming). We discussed the rise of the speakeasies and the bootleggers of the 1920s.
Students connected the 1920's to today. The TV show on the History Channel, Moonshiners, has brought the topic to our TV screens in recent years. There have been many movies in recent years created on the topic too. We also discussed the dangers of the unregulated alcohol, moonshine, of the 1920s and how many could have and did face death because of it.
One student asked the question, if it is so apparent that Prohibition didn't work in the 1920s, why is the country trying so hard to do the same thing with the war on drugs today? Good Question. There are a lot of connections to the Prohibition movement of the 192o's to today's battle the country is facing. With the recent laws changed in Colorado and Washington it will be interesting to watch how the rest of the country responds.
- To further address this issue, check out this article HERE from Scholastic and the Scientist of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The chemical components of this plant are not able to consistently be regulated. There are over 400 different chemicals in this drug - which differ from plant to plant, so it is impossible for the FDA to approve it. The FDA's job is to keep you safe and away from harm!
Carrie Nation, "The Original Bar Room Smasher"
Prohibition, known as the "Noble Experiment", created one of the most lawless decades of our time. It also contributed to the new music, dance, fashion and movies of the time. Prohibition caused ordinary law-abiding citizens to become police-dodgers!
Organized Crime also was at it's height during the Prohibition age. With the outlawing of alcohol, it became Big Business for the underground market. Bartenders needed a product, and the mobs had what they needed. Men like Al Capone and Bugs Moran ran the city of Chicago by making millions in the alcohol business. Law enforcement tried its hardest to stop the illegal sell of alcohol but with drastic measures taken on the side of the bootleggers, bar owners and bar attenders, it was an impossible task.
"Prohibition marked the zenith of the temperance movement. In the end, however, Prohibition proved to be temperance's undoing, for Prohibition proved to be an utter fiasco. Millions of Americans continued to drink illegally, and a lucrative black market in booze fueled a shocking rise in organized crime and violence. By 1932, a large majority of the American population favored Prohibition's repeal, and Franklin D. Roosevelt won the presidency in 1932 in no small part because he promised to let Americans ease the pain of the Great Depression with beer. Alcohol has been legal for American adults ever since." (Shmoop Editorial Team)
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Gender in History of Drugs in America" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 30 Nov. 2012.
Today in class we paired class discussions of Prohibition and Organized Crime with several video clips on the topics (found on Discovery Education Streaming). We discussed the rise of the speakeasies and the bootleggers of the 1920s.
Students connected the 1920's to today. The TV show on the History Channel, Moonshiners, has brought the topic to our TV screens in recent years. There have been many movies in recent years created on the topic too. We also discussed the dangers of the unregulated alcohol, moonshine, of the 1920s and how many could have and did face death because of it.
One student asked the question, if it is so apparent that Prohibition didn't work in the 1920s, why is the country trying so hard to do the same thing with the war on drugs today? Good Question. There are a lot of connections to the Prohibition movement of the 192o's to today's battle the country is facing. With the recent laws changed in Colorado and Washington it will be interesting to watch how the rest of the country responds.
- To further address this issue, check out this article HERE from Scholastic and the Scientist of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The chemical components of this plant are not able to consistently be regulated. There are over 400 different chemicals in this drug - which differ from plant to plant, so it is impossible for the FDA to approve it. The FDA's job is to keep you safe and away from harm!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Scopes Trial
Today in class we are learning about the famous Scopes Trial that took place in Dayton, TN. in 1925.
Such a small town (around 1,800 people in 1925) in East Tennessee made such a huge impact on our country in the 1920s. Times were changing, that is for sure. Modernism pitted against fundamentalism. Creationism vs. Evolution. Rural traditions versus the Modernism of the cities. This court case was more than just guilty or innocent when it came to the issue of John T. Scopes teaching the theory of evolution in a public school. The truth was simple. Yes, he violated the Butler Act. He didn't deny that. He agreed to pay the $100 fine that was imposed upon him at the end of the trial for breaking the law. This trial was much bigger than that.
The trial of the century, as some refer to it, captured the attention of Americans around the country. Not because they cared for a silly school teacher in small town Tennessee. No, they cared about the topics near and dear to their hearts. Religion vs. Science was on trial. And they were turning in to hear the outcome of this monumental case. The Scopes trial was the 1st radio broadcast court case. People tuned in each day to listen in on the famous court room attorneys going head to head. William Jennings Bryan, the former Democratic Party candidate for President and Clarance Darrow, the well known lawyer and speaker on the topic of evolution and science made their way to Dayton, Tn. to defend both the case but their beliefs. In fact, Bryan was put in the witness stand himself and questioned by Darrow on the legitimacy of the Bible. It would seem fundamentalism (the literal interpretation of the Bible), and maybe even the Bible itself was on trial!
In the end, the traditional views that represented many of the rural parts of the South; in this case, the support of the Butler Act, won. The Butler Act remained the law of the land in Tennessee until the late 1960s. It was illegal to teach anything in opposition to creationism in any public school in the state, even at the University level.
Students had the opportunity to read an excerpt from the trial and act out a piece of history today in class. I found the script in America Firsthand: Readings from Reconstruction to the Present 4th Edition by Robert D. Marcus and David Burner (pages 157-163)
When we finished the theatrical performance of the trial, we had a class discussion using the BEFORE YOU READ questions that preceded the document.
We had a great discussion in many of my classes. Students were able to make a connection to their science classes today. Many came to the conclusion that the pendulum has swung the other direction. Today, in their textbooks, they learn about the theory of evolution. But they noted, no where in their biology books does it teach them about Creationism. One student even noted that if this court case would have happened today, it would be the teacher that taught Creationism to its students that would most likely be the one on trial. The last almost 90 years have brought a lot of change to the education system in Tennessee.
Such a small town (around 1,800 people in 1925) in East Tennessee made such a huge impact on our country in the 1920s. Times were changing, that is for sure. Modernism pitted against fundamentalism. Creationism vs. Evolution. Rural traditions versus the Modernism of the cities. This court case was more than just guilty or innocent when it came to the issue of John T. Scopes teaching the theory of evolution in a public school. The truth was simple. Yes, he violated the Butler Act. He didn't deny that. He agreed to pay the $100 fine that was imposed upon him at the end of the trial for breaking the law. This trial was much bigger than that.
The trial of the century, as some refer to it, captured the attention of Americans around the country. Not because they cared for a silly school teacher in small town Tennessee. No, they cared about the topics near and dear to their hearts. Religion vs. Science was on trial. And they were turning in to hear the outcome of this monumental case. The Scopes trial was the 1st radio broadcast court case. People tuned in each day to listen in on the famous court room attorneys going head to head. William Jennings Bryan, the former Democratic Party candidate for President and Clarance Darrow, the well known lawyer and speaker on the topic of evolution and science made their way to Dayton, Tn. to defend both the case but their beliefs. In fact, Bryan was put in the witness stand himself and questioned by Darrow on the legitimacy of the Bible. It would seem fundamentalism (the literal interpretation of the Bible), and maybe even the Bible itself was on trial!
In the end, the traditional views that represented many of the rural parts of the South; in this case, the support of the Butler Act, won. The Butler Act remained the law of the land in Tennessee until the late 1960s. It was illegal to teach anything in opposition to creationism in any public school in the state, even at the University level.
Students had the opportunity to read an excerpt from the trial and act out a piece of history today in class. I found the script in America Firsthand: Readings from Reconstruction to the Present 4th Edition by Robert D. Marcus and David Burner (pages 157-163)
When we finished the theatrical performance of the trial, we had a class discussion using the BEFORE YOU READ questions that preceded the document.
We had a great discussion in many of my classes. Students were able to make a connection to their science classes today. Many came to the conclusion that the pendulum has swung the other direction. Today, in their textbooks, they learn about the theory of evolution. But they noted, no where in their biology books does it teach them about Creationism. One student even noted that if this court case would have happened today, it would be the teacher that taught Creationism to its students that would most likely be the one on trial. The last almost 90 years have brought a lot of change to the education system in Tennessee.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Introduction
This blog will follow what I am teaching in my US History classes. I also teach 2 elective history courses, and may use this space to add information for those classes.
My hope in creating this blog is multi-layered.
Also, please leave a comment when you visit the site! Let me know what you think! (Please be respectful at all times. I will be monitoring the comments.)
My hope in creating this blog is multi-layered.
- I want my students to have a place to view what we covered in class in a different format, and provide a place they can interact with the material.
- As a high school teacher, I have found the available resources on the Internet are limited. My hope is to provide a place for other high school teachers to come for resources on US History.
- I don't have enough to do with my day, so I thought this would be a good filler of my time. :) JUST KIDDING!! I am a mom, wife, sister, friend, TEACHER ... we all know that is not the case. But I am excited to start this venture and I hope it will prove to be a good use of my time.
Also, please leave a comment when you visit the site! Let me know what you think! (Please be respectful at all times. I will be monitoring the comments.)
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