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):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

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):

Google Drive - Comparative Biography Assignment

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:

Google Drive - Map of the United States of America (Blank)

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!

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):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

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):

Google Drive - Comparative Biography Assignment

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!

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:

Google Drive - Notable American Biographies

Google Drive - Bias, Biographies, and Great Americans 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):

Google Drive - Comparative Biography Assignment

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!