Friday, September 28, 2018

Historiography, Day 7 - Class Recap


Today in class we did some review on the 50 states as we wrapped up our unit on the study of how history is told.

Dear class,

It was great to be back with you all! It was mostly a final work day for any missing work as we also learned each other's names and reviewed names of states. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 1: I can self direct my learning.
Research LT 1: I can effectively conduct and apply research.
Critical Thinking LT 5: I can justify and support arguments or interpretation with appropriate evidence.

Soundtrack: "Poker Face" by Lady GaGa. Selected for today because of our class learning names and faces of everyone. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/28/18:
News Brief - Issac
Comparative Biography
States Map
Names/Faces

Homework: Read the blog. The Comparative Biography assignment was due today in class - turn it in on Google Classroom ASAP if you have not already! Study for upcoming states/names quiz next Thursday! The next news brief is assigned to: Trent.

News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by Issac, who selected an article about this story: TheVerge.com - Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook page will be deleted on Sunday, says hacker. We discussed this story for a bit and then moved on.

We also checked in about the weekend to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Trent was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Comparative Biography: Last class, you had a guest teacher as I was at a training. I heard that class went well, but the WiFi really was an issue, so I gave a bit more time to students needing wrap up their assignment today. Here it is (also posted in Google Classroom):


We talked about the importance of finding good sources for this (Wikipedia is allowed for this assignment!) as well as how to cite your sources using EasyBib.com or another generator.

This assignment should end up being about 2-3 pages in length, as you look in depth at the biographies you find on your Great American.

States Map: Next, I passed out a blank map of the United States. Students will be quizzed on the states next week on Thursday and spelling counts! Here is the map that I passed out in class:


To practice with this, I introduced the class to this online game (which we played last year a lot with countries of the world): Sporcle.com - States Quiz. Please remember that you will need to know where the state is, as well as how to spell the name of the state, for the quiz on Thursday!

Names/Faces: One of the main takeaways from my work with the 9th Grade Success team on Wednesday was the importance of continuing to build relationships between students in classes. As we brainstormed ideas, we thought one fun way to continue working on this would be to have a quiz on names and faces in the class!

To help with this, I passed out a copy of the class roster with names, nicknames, and pictures in a random order. On the quiz next Thursday, I will use pictures of students that I took in class - these pictures (and the class roster itself) will not be posted online to protect student confidentiality. If you missed class, you need to pick up a copy of the class roster in person to begin studying.

Next week, we will begin our unit on Native American history and contemporary issues, which I am really looking forward to. It will tie in with your work in Lit and Comp with Mr. Puterbaugh well!

Have a great weekend, everyone!
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Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Historiography, Day 6 - Class Recap


The Apollo program was researched by some students as a part of the textbook examination. A few students chose Neil Armstrong or other astronauts as their "Great American" for the comparative biography assignment, as well. This is one of the lunar models build for the Apollo program, now on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.

Hi everyone,

I missed you today in class, as I was out of the building at a 9th Grade Success training with some other Westview teachers! It was mostly a work day with the substitute teacher. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 1: I can self direct my learning.
Research LT 1: I can effectively conduct and apply research.
Critical Thinking LT 5: I can justify and support arguments or interpretation with appropriate evidence.

AGENDA 9/26/18:
News Brief - Gerardo
Comparative Biography
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. The Comparative Biography assignment is due Friday at start of class! Grades for the textbook examination activity have been posted - make sure you have it done! The next news brief is assigned to: Issac.

News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by Gerardo, who hopefully selected an interesting story related to the United States to talk about.

Issac was selected to do the next news brief.

It is unlikely you watched the BBC World News update, but here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Comparative Biography: The last part of the "notable Americans" worksheet asked for the name of someone you consider to be a "Great American" - students were allowed to define that however they wanted, however, the person had to be someone that was 1) real, and 2) multiple biographies existed of. With this person in mind, this is the assignment that I introduced last class (also posted in Google Classroom):


We talked about the importance of finding good sources for this (Wikipedia is allowed for this assignment!) as well as how to cite your sources using EasyBib.com or another generator.

This assignment should end up being about 2-3 pages in length, as you look in depth at the biographies you find on your Great American.

Work Time: The rest of class was devoted to work time on the comparative biography assignment,. Please email me or comment with any questions, as this assignment will be due at the start of class on Friday!

Thanks, everyone - see you next class!
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Monday, September 24, 2018

Historiography, Day 5 - Class Recap


Many students in class selected Martin Luther King, Jr. as someone who they considered to be a "Great American" to research.

Dear class,

This week, we will be wrapping up our unit on the study of how history is told, by doing a little research of our own. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 1: I can self direct my learning.
Research LT 1: I can effectively conduct and apply research.
Critical Thinking LT 5: I can justify and support arguments or interpretation with appropriate evidence.

Soundtrack: "Circle of Life" from The Lion King. Selected for today because biographies are a portrait of someone's life, and for today being the anniversary of my dad's death in 2014. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/24/18:
News Brief - Ryan O.
Debrief Notable Americans
Comparative Biography
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Continue to work on the Comparative Biography – due Friday at start of class! Be good for the guest teacher on Wednesday! The next news brief is assigned to: Gerardo (Wednesday) and Issac (Friday).

Wildcat News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by Ryan O, who selected an article about this story: WCVB.com - Church that firefighter was supposed to be married in, bursts into flames. We discussed this story for a bit and then moved on.

We also checked in about the weekend to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Gerardo was selected to do the next news brief (and Issac will have it on Friday).

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Finally, we also watched Westview Wildcat News today. Here it is if you missed class or wanted to watch it again:



Debrief Notable Americans: The assignment for last class (this was also posted in Google Classroom) was to look at a few short biographies of notable Americans through history and to try and assess any biased words in them, whether or not they achieved the "American Dream," and whether or not this person is a "Great American" - students were able to define this however they wanted. Here are the biographies (try to select a range, not just the first three) and the assignment:



In class today, we talked about the notable Americans and had a conversation about the answers to the questions for each one. This activity transitioned us to...

Comparative Biography: The last part of the "notable Americans" worksheet asked for the name of someone you consider to be a "Great American" - students were allowed to define that however they wanted, however, the person had to be someone that was 1) real, and 2) multiple biographies existed of. With this person in mind, this is the assignment that I introduced today in class (also posted in Google Classroom):


We talked about the importance of finding good sources for this (Wikipedia is allowed for this assignment!) as well as how to cite your sources using EasyBib.com or another generator.

This assignment should end up being about 2-3 pages in length, as you look in depth at the biographies you find on your Great American.

Work Time: The rest of class was devoted to work time on the comparative biography assignment, as Wednesday will be as well (you will have a guest teacher, as I am out of the building at an all day meeting). Please email me or comment with any questions, as this assignment will be due at the start of class on Friday!

Thanks, everyone - see you later this week!
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Thursday, September 20, 2018

Historiography, Day 4 - Class Recap


One of the biographies that was an option to read today in class was about Charles Lindburgh, who flew this plane (now on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC) from New York to Paris in 1927.

Hello everyone,

Today, we continued our work with assessing how history is told, by investigating bias and what makes someone a "great" American. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 1: I can self direct my learning.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 4: I can evaluate information and explanations within a given context and develop a relevant conclusion.

Soundtrack: "Otherside" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Selected for today because of our discussion about bias and being "one sided" in interpretations of history. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/20/18:
News Brief - Faith
Finish Textbook Examination
Bias and Biographies
Great Americans

Homework: Read the blog. Finish the textbook examination if you did not in class! The next news brief is assigned to: Ryan O.

News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by Faith, who selected an article about this story: CNN.com - After 'major escalation' in US-China trade war, what happens next?. We discussed this story for a bit and then moved on.

We also checked in about the weekend to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Ryan O. was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

Finish Textbook Examination: This was an activity that we mostly finished last class, and the main goal of today was to analyze how the textbooks have looked at singular events in history, and how that might have changed over time. Here is the assignment that was due today in class (it is graded):


Hopefully this was an interesting activity for you to see! We debriefed this activity in class today and discussed what we saw in terms of how the events were described over the course of time.

If you are at home and wanting to look at the class textbook online, it is available on this website in chapters.

Bias and Biographies: Next, we continued to discuss historical perspective, as we defined the term bias. Here's the short PowerPoint that we went through:


Bias is unfairly preferring one person or group over another. This often takes the shape in history of people and events being portrayed in very positive or very negative ways, using language that does not present a "balanced" account of who the person was or what actually happened in the event.

Great Americans: The assignment for today (this is also posted in Google Classroom) was to look at a few short biographies of notable Americans through history and to try and assess any biased words in them, whether or not they achieved the "American Dream," and whether or not this person is a "Great American" - students were able to define this however they wanted. Here are the biographies (try to select a range, not just the first three) and the assignment:



The last part of the assignment asks students to write down someone they consider to be a "Great American" - we will be working with this selection next class, so please make sure it is someone that multiple biographies exist for.

Thanks, everyone! See you next week!
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Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Historiography, Day 3 - Class Recap


A passport is a book that also has historical facts in it! This is my favorite page from my older passport. Kiribati is a particularly difficult stamp to get!

Dear students,

I hope you enjoyed our work with looking at how the telling of history has changed through textbook examination! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 1: I can self direct my learning.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 4: I can evaluate information and explanations within a given context and develop a relevant conclusion.

Soundtrack: "Book of Days" by Enya. Selected for today because of our work with analyzing how the textbooks have changed throughout the course of time.

AGENDA 9/18/18:
News Brief - Gabe
Important Events
Textbook Examination
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Finish the textbook examination if you did not in class! The next news brief is assigned to: Faith.

News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by Gabe, who selected an article about this story: XXLMag.com - XXXTentacion's Sister Thinks His Murder Was an Inside Job. We discussed this story for a bit and then moved on.

We also checked in about the weekend to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Faith was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

Important Events: The homework from last class was to create your list of what you believe to be the 5 most important events in United States history. As a class, we made a list of your responses to this, in terms of helping everyone think of these, and also, to see how different historians will obviously interpret and analyze history differently.

Textbook Examination: The main goal of today was to analyze how the textbooks have looked at singular events in history, and how that might have changed over time. Here is the assignment that was due today in class (it is graded):


Hopefully this was an interesting activity for you to see! We also talked in class about the importance of citations when you are researching. I gave an example citation for the textbook as:

Author. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Format.

For the main class textbook, this would be:

Danzer, et. al. The Americans. McDougal Littell, 2005. Print.

If you are at home and wanting to look at the textbook online, it is available on this website in chapters.

Work Time: The rest of class was devoted to in class work time, looking at one of your 5 major events and seeing how textbooks have addressed it throughout time. This assignment was due at the end of class and will be graded for the Critical Thinking LT 4. Thanks, everyone! See you on Thursday!
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Friday, September 14, 2018

Historiography, Day 2 - Class Recap


One of the "lies" that James Loewen discusses in his book "Lies My Teacher Told Me" is about Abraham Lincoln being portrayed as single minded in terms of saving the Union, instead of a deep thinker who wrestled with the idea of slavery and the treatment of people of color.

Hello everyone,

Another interesting class today on understanding history! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 3: I can communicate and work effectively within a team or group.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Love the Way You Lie (Clean)" by Eminem and Rihanna. Selected for today because of the connection to "Lies My Teacher Told Me."

AGENDA 9/14/18:
News Brief - Connor
History
The Biggest Lie
Important Events

Homework: Read the blog. Create your list of the 5 most important events in United States history - due at the start of next class. The next news brief is assigned to: Gabe.

News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by Connor, who selected an article about this story: FoxNews.com - 93-year-old 'Candy Man' from Iowa buys his neighbors chocolate every week. We discussed this story for a bit and then moved on.

We also checked in about the weekend to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Gabe was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

History: Last class, we discussed a question about who or what bears responsibility for the event described. Here's a real life example, regarding an autonomous driving car:


We had another conversation in class about who was to blame for this incident - again, using our interpretations of the facts, as historians do.

The Biggest Lie: Simply put, this is one of the most important books for social studies/history teachers: 


The book came out in 1995, but was recently revised and republished. In class, we read this interview with the author, James Loewen, about the biggest lie that is told in history classes:


As we read, the lie is that America is constantly getting better, all the time, and that there are not times when it is getting worse. We broke up into 7 smaller groups and read through the interview, then I asked the groups to do a little research on the "lies" from the book, which included:

1) Christopher Columbus
2) Woodrow Wilson
3) The first Thanksgiving
4) Betsy Ross
5) Helen Keller
6) John Brown
7) Abraham Lincoln

As a class, we wrote out what we found as the lies about these people/events and had a good discussion about why they are lied about.

Important Events: With this in mind, we devoted the end of class for each student to try and identify what they felt the 5 most important events in United States history are. If you did not finish this today in class, it is homework. Next time, we will look a little at what the text book has to say about these events, as we continue to have a critical eye on history. See you next week!
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Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Historiography, Day 1 - Class Recap


Today in class, we discussed how important perspective is to understanding history. This is a photo taken at the "Four Corners" intersection between Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Photo taken in 2007.

Dear class,

We began a new mini unit on historiography (the study of history) through the lens of American Studies. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 3: I can communicate and work effectively within a team or group.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "History" by One Direction. Selected because of our look at what history is today in class. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/12/18:
News Brief - McKenzie
Revisit 9/11 and 12/7
What is History?
The Biggest Lie

Homework: Read the blog. The next news brief is assigned to: Connor.

News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by McKenzie, who selected an article about this story: USGS.gov - M 4.2 - 70km SSW of Kaktovik, Alaska. We discussed this story for a bit (as well as the ongoing controversy about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and whether or not to drill there) and then moved on.

We also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Connor was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

Revisit 9/11 and 12/7: Because we did not have much time at the end of last class, I wanted to come back to analyzing the two speeches from US presidents about these two days: President George W. Bush on 9/11 and President FDR on 12/7. Here are the speeches:


The questions we looked at were here:

Are there common themes running through these speeches? Be specific.

•  What was the reason for delivering each of these speeches?
•  What effect do you think each of these speeches had on the nation and/or the rest of the world?
•  What are the most important lines in each of these speeches?

I was also curious to hear any stories that students had related to 9/11 or 12/7 that they were willing to share in class. Thanks, everyone!

What is History?: Next, we started our new unit on understanding history a bit more. To begin, this is the presentation that we began in class:


The reading that we did in class from Edward Hallet Carr's book "What is History?" can be found here:


Please note the vocabulary at the bottom, which we went over as a class before reading the excerpt.

As a class, we discussed the story's question about who or what bears responsibility for the event described. This is exactly what historians do all of the time!

Due to the shortened Wednesday schedule today, this is all that we covered in class. See you on Friday!
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Monday, September 10, 2018

The American Dream, Day 4 - Class Recap


This is part of N591UA, which operated United Flight 93 on September 11th, 2001, and was hijacked for possible use against the White House. Instead, a passenger revolt forced down the plane into a field in Pennsylvania. A part of my 9/11 story is that I once flew on that exact same plane, from Portland to Chicago in 1996. Check out my FlightMemory map of lifetime flights.

Hi everyone,

We wrapped up our initial look at the American Dream in class today (we will revisit this concept and whether or not the American Dream is accessible/reality next semester). We also had a timely look at what happened on September 11th, 2001 and December 7th, 1941. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 3: I can communicate and work effectively within a team or group.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "American Dream" by MKTO. Selected for today because a student came up to me to recommend it! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/10/18:
News Brief - Jackson
Gallery Walk
September 11/December 7
What Is History?

Homework: Read the blog. The next news brief is assigned to: McKenzie.

News Brief/Blog Recap: Today's news brief was brought in by Jackson, who selected an article about this story: Independent.co.uk - Florida man stops to help stranded motorist who turned out to be hitman hired to kill him. We discussed this story for a bit (wow!) and then moved on.

We also checked in about the weekend and if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

McKenzie was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Finally, we watched Westview Wildcat News in class, as well. Here it is if you missed class or wanted to see the information again:



Gallery Walk: The main assignment for this introduction to the American Dream unit is creating a poster with your slogan/catchphrase, along with images, captions, and an explanation on the back. The full poster assignment is here:


This was due today in class, so I had students place their posters on a desk and then handed out this form for going around and looking at the rest of the class!


Thank you for your work and participation here! I enjoyed seeing all of your posters and will put them up around the classroom after they are graded (for the Communication learning target).

September 11/December 7: To start this section, I asked students to do a free write for about 5 minutes on the following questions:

What do you know about September 11th and on December 7th? What have you heard about it?  What have you learned before, in class, or from parents?

After the free write time, we shared responses as a class and I told my story about September 11th. I was starting my Sophomore year at Wilson High School in Portland. It was definitely a day I will remember for the rest of my life. To drive home the point as to what the day was like, I showed this video in class, which was a timeline of the day:


From there, I moved on to discussing how September 11th, 2001 came about and some facts regarding the day.

We also talked in class about another incredibly important day in American history: December 7th, 1941, which is when the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was attacked by Japan, which caused the US to enter World War II officially. Here was the video I showed in class about the attack and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's speech the next day:


Next, we analyzed the two speeches from US presidents about these two days: President George W. Bush on 9/11 and President FDR on 12/7. Here are the speeches:


The questions we looked at were here:

Are there common themes running through these speeches? Be specific.

•  What was the reason for delivering each of these speeches?
•  What effect do you think each of these speeches had on the nation and/or the rest of the world?
•  What are the most important lines in each of these speeches?

Thanks for the discussion here! We ended class with this and will touch on it briefly on Wednesday again. See you then!
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Thursday, September 6, 2018

The American Dream, Day 3 - Class Recap


A poster from some of my work before coming back to teach at Westview, helping 9th graders make the transition to high school.

Dear class,

It was a short week, as we continued thinking about the American Dream and creating work that might reflect it. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 3: I can communicate and work effectively within a team or group.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "American Teen" by Khalid. Selected for today because it came up as an example of a related song to the American Dream in one of my classes on Tuesday. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/6/18:
News Brief/Blog Recap - Bailey
Slogans
Dream Posters
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. The American Dream poster assignment is due at the start of next class! The next news brief is assigned to: Jordan.

News Brief/Blog Recap: Today's news brief was brought in by Bailey, who selected an article about this story: IdahoStateJournal.com - Family tradition wins Pocatello man $200,000 at the fair. We discussed this story for a bit (as well as how the lottery works) and then moved on.

We also checked in about the weekend and if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Jackson was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


This brought up this story from yesterday, which we talked a bit about in class: NYTimes.com - I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration. "Lodestar" is a word that many people are questioning the origin of!

I also showed this website and the blog post from last class, so students could see the level of detail with each post.

Slogans: Last class, we ended by discussing what slogans for advertising the American Dream. Students were asked to come up with one as homework, and we shared a few in class. Here are some more examples (no, you cannot use any of these for your poster):


Hopefully these help a little in terms of thinking about slogans, if you had a difficult time with this.

Dream Poster: The main assignment for this introduction to the American Dream unit is creating a poster with your slogan/catchphrase, along with images, captions, and an explanation on the back. The full poster assignment is here:


We went through this carefully in class - my hope is that this is something fun and interesting for you to do, and that we can use the end products in creating a more colorful classroom for the rest of the year.

Work Time: The rest of class was devoted to work time on the American Dream posters, which will be due next class for grading. Please let me know if you have any questions! See you on Monday!
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Tuesday, September 4, 2018

The American Dream, Day 2 - Class Recap


At the New York Stock Exchange in 2009. Photo taken by my friend Ryan!

Hello everyone,

Welcome back from your Labor Day weekend! Today, we started up with class content for real, as we began thinking about what makes someone "American" and what the "American Dream" is.

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 3: I can communicate and work effectively within a team or group.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Dream On" by Aerosmith. Selected for today because of our discussion of what the American Dream is and whether or not it exists. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/4/18:
News Brief/Blog Recap - Max
The Summer
American Dream
Mother to Son

Homework: Read the blog. Create a slogan about the American Dream, ready to share next class. Bring art supplies if you want, as we will be creating posters next class! The next news brief is assigned to: Bailey.

News Brief/Blog Recap: Today's news brief was brought in by Max, who selected an article about this story: NYTimes.com - Map: Tracking Tropical Storm Gordon’s Path Toward the Gulf Coast. We discussed this story for a bit and then moved on.

We also checked in about the weekend and if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Bailey was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

We also watched Westview's Wildcat News for the first time this year, which can be found here if you missed class or wanted to see it again:




I also showed this website and the blog post from last class, so students could see the level of detail with each post.

The Summer: At the end of the last class, I asked students to get into groups and then asked what happened in the United States over the summer, as we made a class list of big events. Today, we finished this activity, as we continue to make connections with what is currently happening in America to what we will be studying this year.

American Dream: To really start with content for the course this year, I wanted to begin by defining "American" and the idea of the "American Dream" in class. To go with this, here is the PowerPoint we went through together:


First, we defined "American" by ourselves, then worked in small groups to come up with combined definitions, then talked together as a class about what makes someone American.

I then asked everyone to try and define with the "American Dream" is in a free write. After the free write, I showed this video:



We have a fair amount of first generation American students in our classes, so I was particularly interested in these definitions!

Mother to Son: Next, we read a poem called "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes. Here is the poem and the in class assignment that goes with it (create a copy in your Google Drive if you missed class):


We discussed in class about the tone and dialect of the poem, as Mr. Puterbaugh noted some of the historical context to me when I shared it with him.

We ended by continuing to investigate the American Dream and thinking of slogans that we will use next class in your first graded assignment. Thank you for your work in class today!
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