Thursday, February 21, 2019

The Roaring 20s, Day 5 - Class Recap


Last class, we looked at the famous "Somewhere West of Laramie" car advertisement. This is a photo I took of some multicolored cars in Bogota, Colombia in 2009 (the cars happen to be the colors as the flag of the country).

Dear class,

We mostly had a work day on the advertising assignment, as I also went through the Social Studies course offerings for students to think about forecasting for next year. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
KNOWLEDGE ALT 8: I can identify how technological knowledge and innovation shapes a society, place, or region.

Soundtrack: "Sinnerman" by Nina Simone. Selected for today because Nina Simone was born on this day in 1933 and we are continuing to listen to black artists for the soundtrack this month. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/21/19:
News Brief - Jaida
Social Studies Forecasting
Advertising
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog! Advertising assignment due at the start of class on Monday! Next news brief: Gerardo.

News Brief: Jaida had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Actor Jussie Smollett faces a felony charge for allegedly filing a false police report. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Gerardo was assigned to do the next news brief.

Today's Black History Month fact is that Malcolm X was killed on February 21, 1965, at the age of 39. We learned about Malcolm X during our civil rights unit and he has obviously had a lasting impact on America.

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):


Social Studies Forecasting: Because all 9-11 grade students were given forecasting forms yesterday (which are due next week), I wanted to go over your options for next year's Social Studies classes. Most students will have earned 2 out of the 3 required Social Studies credit for graduating after this year. Here's the presentation that I went through with everyone:


As a part of this, I was happy to answer any questions that came up, to the best of my ability. I was also happy to sign forecasting forms as needed.

Furthermore, I told students to look in their emails for a "Know Your Numbers" document that was sent by me yesterday, which should help in figuring out where you are in your high school journey and what the next steps could be. This document was also sent to your parents/guardians. Let me know if you have any further questions!

Advertising: The activity that I introduced last class related to the Business of America notes is here:


This assignment is based on choosing a product from the last slide from this presentation:

Google Slides - The Business of America in the 1920s PowerPoint


Students were assigned a product in class to create an advertisement for. If you missed class, you can select a product from the last slide to focus on. 

Work Time: The rest of class was spent working on the advertising assignment, which is due at the start of next class (Monday). Please let me know if you have any questions - I am looking forward to seeing what you can come up with!

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

The Roaring 20s, Day 4 - Class Recap


I spent part of the long weekend in Minnesota and St. Louis, where much of my wife's family lives! This is a photo I took in 2015 at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

Hi everyone,

Welcome back from your long Presidents Day weekend! We continued our work in understanding how America was changed in the 1920s. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
KNOWLEDGE ALT 8: I can identify how technological knowledge and innovation shapes a society, place, or region.

Soundtrack: "I Will Get There" by Boyz II Men. Selected for today because it might seem like a long way left to go in the semester, but you will get there! Also, because this song was made to help advertise a movie: the Prince of Egypt. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/19/19:
News Brief - Michael
Cartoon Analysis
Business of America
Advertising

Homework: Read the blog! Know your grade (updated on StudentVUE) and how to improve it, if possible! Next news brief: Jaida.

News Brief: Michael had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: FoxNews.com - Jonas Brothers to reunite, release documentary and new music: report. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Jaida was assigned to do the next news brief.

Today's Black History Month fact is that on February 19, 1942 the Army Air Corps' all African American 100th Pursuit Squadron, later designated a fighter squadron, was activated at Tuskegee Institute. The squadron later served in England and Europe during WWII.

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):


Finally, we also watched Westview Wildcat News. If you missed class or wanted to see it again, it is available here:



Cartoon Analysis: Last class, we ended by looking at some political cartoons from the 1920s in class today. Here are the cartoons and the assignment that went with it:


We finished going through this analysis in class (if we did not last class). Please keep this to use later in the unit, as with all work with the 1920s!

Business of America: To continue our rhythm with this unit of notes then an activity, we looked at how business changed during 1920s America. The presentation we went through in class as students took Cornell Notes is here:


Through this presentation, we learned about the impact of mass advertising and new consumer products. The last slide in the presentation is directly connected to this assignment:

Advertising: The activity that I introduced today related to the Business of America notes is here:


Students were assigned a product in class to create an advertisement for. If you missed class, you can select a product from the last slide to focus on. Next class, we will have a work day on this assignment, before it is due at the start of class on Monday, February 25. Hopefully, this is an interesting way of interacting with some of the historical content we have been going through!

Thursday, February 14, 2019

The Roaring 20s, Day 3 - Class Recap


Today is the State of Oregon's 160th birthday! This is a photo I took at Trillium Lake by Mt. Hood. I have no idea who the boy fishing is, but loved the scene.

Dear class,

We continued our unit on the "Roaring" 1920s in class and celebrated Oregon's birthday! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
KNOWLEDGE ALT 8: I can identify how technological knowledge and innovation shapes a society, place, or region.

Soundtrack: "Love Language" by Talib Kweli and Hi Tek. Selected for today because of it being Valentine's Day and because of the ongoing Black History Month of black artists as the soundtrack. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/14/19:
News Brief - Esther
Politics in the 1920s
Cartoon Analysis
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog! Know your grade (updated on StudentVUE) and how to improve it, if possible! Next news brief: Michael.

News Brief: Esther had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: BBC.com - FBI releases serial killer Samuel Little's drawings of victims. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Michael was assigned to do the next news brief.

Today's Black History Month fact is that on February 14, 1817 (202 years ago exactly), Frederick Douglass (who was a black intellectual and abolitionist, born into slavery and who taught himself to read) was born.

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):


Politics of the 1920s: We started this section by watching some of the scandals that were a part of President Harding's administration in the early 1920s (including the famous Teapot Dome scandal):



To continue our dive into learning about various aspects of the 1920s, we went through this PowerPoint together as students took Cornell Notes:


We finished the presentation in class, and made a summary of notes (using the Cornell Notes process). As I said in class, you will be using all of your notes from this unit (and the Great Depression) to write a final in class essay, in a Documents Based Question format.

Cartoon Analysis: As the end of the slideshow indicates, we also looked at some political cartoons from the 1920s in class today. Here are the cartoons and the assignment that went with it:


As the PowerPoint above states, students were partnered up to analyze one cartoon together, then they joined another partnership who did the other cartoon, in order to share out their analysis. This is what we spent the rest of the class on today - please keep your completed analysis to use later in this unit! Have a great long weekend!

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

The Roaring 20s, Day 2 - Class Recap


Air travel makes all sorts of places possible to get to! This is a photo I took in New Zealand in 2014.

Hi everyone,

So, it turned out that last weekend was a bit shorter than we thought it might be, due to the snow forecast not being accurate. That said, next week is still a short week, with President's Day on Monday! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
KNOWLEDGE ALT 8: I can identify how technological knowledge and innovation shapes a society, place, or region.

Soundtrack: "Refuge (When It's Cold Outside)" by John Legend. Selected for today in continuation of the recognition of black artists as a part of Black History Month and because of the very minimal (if any) snow from over the weekend. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/12/19:
Wildcat News Brief - Sofia
Roaring 20s
Air Travel
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog! Know your grade (updated on StudentVUE) and how to improve it, if possible! Finish the air travel assignment if you did not in class. Next news brief: Esther.

News Brief: Sofia had the news brief today, but missed the start of class, so I filled in and selected an article about this story to talk about: NBCNews.com - California lost 18 million trees in 2018, adding fuel to future wildfires. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Esther was assigned to do the next news brief.

Today's Black History Month fact is that on February 12, 1909 (110 years ago exactly): the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded.

I also passed back grades from the American Dream Revisited unit Socratic Seminar. If you missed class for the day of the seminar, the expectation is that you make up the assignment by writing a reflection (I passed out the prompt for this in class). If you would like to revise your Socratic Seminar preparation packet and resubmit for a better grade, you are welcome to!

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):


Finally, we also watched Westview Wildcat News (featuring me!) in class, which is available to watch here:



Roaring 20s: Last class, I went through most (if not all) of this PowerPoint with the class as students took notes:


We reviewed (and/or finished) the presentation in class, and made a summary of notes (using the Cornell Notes process).

Air Travel: Next, I showed students how air travel in the 1920s made many rapid advances and became a mode of transportation for people who could afford it:


As a part of this, I told everyone about my fondness for this invention, while showing my FlightMemory map of places I have visited via air travel. Here was the worksheet that was due in class about the innovation of air travel (especially as it relates to United States geography):


This should have been fairly straightforward for everyone - the advance of air travel made it MUCH quicker to get from place to place in the United States.

Work Time: Finally, at the end of class, I gave students work time and explained some of my favorite websites for finding great airline deals! Here is the presentation that I went through and tried to guide students with:


DISCLAIMER: This information may be out of date - I take no responsibility for any use of this. It is just to help think creatively about air travel (as people in the 1920s were definitely doing)!

Aviation is such an amazing innovation! See you next class!

Friday, February 8, 2019

The Roaring 20s, Day 1 - Class Recap


Today, we learned about the Roaring 20s and the advance of air travel as a technology. I LOVE flying, and used to work at the airport in Portland! Photo taken at St. Maarten in the Caribbean in 2009.

Dear class,

Hello again! It was great to be with you all today as we wrapped up our last unit and moved on to the next one. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
KNOWLEDGE ALT 8: I can identify how technological knowledge and innovation shapes a society, place, or region.

Soundtrack: "Down Hearted Blues” by Bessie Smith. Selected for today because it is a famous 1920s song and Bessie Smith was an African-American woman. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/8/19:
News Brief - Skyla
Debrief
Roaring 20s
Air Travel

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Sofia.

News Brief: Skyla had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: NBCNews.com - Texas woman uses granddaughter's scooter to fight off men in clown masks. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Sofia was assigned to do the next news brief.

Today's Black History Month fact is that Oprah Winfrey became the first African American woman to host a nationally syndicated talk show on February 8, 1986.

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):


Debrief: This week, we had a Socratic Seminar discussion on the American Dream and also watched a documentary on the poverty line in America. I wanted to get some feedback on both from students, so I asked for some thoughts from the class about how things went. I thought that the discussions were very interesting! I hope that students found the documentary interesting, as well. I collected the film notes from last class, which will be scored for self-directed learning.

Roaring 20s: For our next unit, we are going to learn a bit more about what happened 100 years ago in the United States, right after World War I. To begin, I went through this PowerPoint with the class as students took notes:


This was a time in America of a lot of changes, and also a lot of growth of the United States in many ways (which is why it's called the "Roaring" 1920s). We will continue to learn about this era in the classes to come!

Air Travel: We did not get to this in class, but I'm eager to talk about it next time, whenever that happens to be! Have a great weekend, however long it may be! :-)

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

The American Dream: Revisited, Day 4 - Class Recap


Serena Williams in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open tennis tournament in New York City (see today's Black History Month fact). Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

It was a shorter than usual Wednesday today, as there was early release and extended Community for forecasting for next year. I was out of the building at another 9th grade success meeting, so this is what I hope happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 5: I can justify and support arguments or interpretation with appropriate evidence.

AGENDA 2/6/19:
News Brief - Max
The Line
Debrief

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: selected in class!

News Brief: Max had the news brief today and selected a news story to talk about.

Someone else was assigned to do the next news brief.

Today's Black History Month fact is that on February 6th, 1993 (26 years ago today), Arthur Ashe (the first African-American winner of the Wimbledon tennis tournament) died. He was a pioneer in tennis and the biggest tennis stadium in the world (at the US Open in New York City) is named after him.

The Line: Next, the class watched a short documentary called "The Line" about the poverty line. As we wrap up our revisiting the American Dream unit, I wanted to show them just how difficult it is to rise out of poverty, even with a lot of hard work and determination. Here's the worksheet passed out in class:


Here is the documentary itself:



Debrief: Next class, on Friday, we will begin by debriefing both the Socratic Seminar and the documentary, before we move on to another unit. Please be sure to bring your completed worksheets from today to turn in! Thanks, everyone!

Monday, February 4, 2019

The American Dream: Revisited, Day 3 - Class Recap


This is one of my favorite pieces of art that has been on display in a local gallery in downtown Portland. I love it, but not enough to spend $5,000 on buying it! Photo taken in March 2017.

Dear class,

Most of today was devoted to a discussion about the American Dream and if it is a possible reality for everyone. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 5: I can justify and support arguments or interpretation with appropriate evidence.

Soundtrack: "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys. Selected for today to start our month of soundtracks from Black artists, as a part of recognizing Black History Month, and because you all as students were in control of the class conversation today. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/4/19:
News Brief - Emanuel
Black History Month
Socratic Seminar
Debrief

Homework: Read the blog! If you missed class and/or did not participate in the discussion today, I would like you to write a page summary about your thoughts on if the American Dream is attainable for everyone. Be good for the guest teacher next class! Next news brief: Max.

News Brief: Emanuel had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - ICE arrests rapper 21 Savage, says he's in the US illegally. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Max was assigned 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

Black History Month: Because the month of February is designated as Black History Month, I will be seeking to incorporate some ways of recognizing it in class. The soundtrack will be one aspect, and another will be to share a fact or two relating to Black history surrounding the day our class meets. Since today is February 4, the fact is that Rosa Parks (born Rosa Louise McCauley) was born on this day in 1913. In the past, I have had students volunteer to share in class about important figures in Black history - let me know if you would be up for doing this!

Socratic Seminar: Next, we had a Socratic Seminar discussion on the question: "Is the American Dream attainable by everyone?" We prepared for this last week, by going through this packet with readings with opinions about the status of the American Dream:


The packet was be turned in and assessed for a Critical Thinking grade, in combination with the Communication grade from the Seminar.

The second page of the packet asks students for their thoughts on if the American Dream is attainable by everyone, and for some higher level questions. This formed the basis of the conversation today in class, as we circled up and had two different groups have a conversation.

Debrief: After the discussion, I asked students to complete this self-assessment form:


Thank you for your participation and the interesting conversation today, everyone! I enjoyed hearing your thoughts!

Next class, on Wednesday, it will be a short day with a guest teacher (you might see me back to teach Community, but I will not be in class), as I am at another all day 9th Grade Success meeting. Students will likely be wrapping up this mini-unit on the American Dream revisited by watching a video and composing some final thoughts.