Great job on assignment #1 guys! You put your best foot forward to start the new year, and I'm proud of you! No doubt this will take some getting used to, but you are off to a fantastic start. This week's assignment includes a research requirement. Go to the website www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Colonization_Colonial_Life.html and view the available links. Choose a topic to read about and then report back with your findings. Your topic should focus on a fairly narrow aspect of colonial life and your essay should answer the "W" questions: who, what, when, where, and (especially) why. Example topics include: the story of a particular settler or family; the life of blacks in the colonies; common professions in the colonies, etc. Be creative and choose a topic that interests you. Your essay must be at least 200 words and is due by midnight, August 26. As you did last week, respond to the posts of at least two others with valuable reactions, questions, or (respectfully stated) disagreements with the conclusions drawn.
Remember that the point of the lesson is to practice research, writing, and communication with others while learning more about our American ancestors. You all are fantastic students and I'm excited to see what you come up with! God bless!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Homework 1, Due August 19, 2011
Hello everyone! This is your first assignment. In order to sign in you must have a Google account (it's free and you can sign up directly from this page by clicking on "Comments" and then choosing Google ID). You'll create an account and then be able to leave your feedback. Answer the following question then check in to respond to two other comments left by others. Your initial response is due by midnight, August 19. Your responses are due by midnight, August 21 (Sunday night). Here's the question:
What does it mean to be an American? Without relying on cliches or shallow self-congratulating nonsense, what makes America unique in the world? For those of you who call another country home, what perceptions did you form of America before you came here to study? How did you develop those perceptions?
Your essay should be at least 200 words long and you must respond to AT LEAST two other students' essays (minimum 150 total responses).
Ok, good luck, guys! I can't wait to hear what you have to say!
What does it mean to be an American? Without relying on cliches or shallow self-congratulating nonsense, what makes America unique in the world? For those of you who call another country home, what perceptions did you form of America before you came here to study? How did you develop those perceptions?
Your essay should be at least 200 words long and you must respond to AT LEAST two other students' essays (minimum 150 total responses).
Ok, good luck, guys! I can't wait to hear what you have to say!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Good websites to review your history
www.wilsoncenter.org/coldwarfiles
jeopardylabs.com
thehistorymakers.com
ourdocuments.gov
us.history.org
gilderlihrman.com
jeopardylabs.com
thehistorymakers.com
ourdocuments.gov
us.history.org
gilderlihrman.com
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Homework 7, Due May 20, 2011
This will be the final history assignment of the year (congratulations, especially to you juniors, for whom this will be the last of your high school career!). I would like to end this year much the same as we did last year, with an opportunity to reflect on what we've learned. In your essay I would like you to choose a) an era other than the present that you think would have been the most interesting/exciting to have lived in and explain why; b) a non-biblical person we have studied that you think has had the most positive influence on the world and explain why; and c) an event that we have studied that you would have loved to have taken part in, and explain why.
Please make sure to post your homework on time, to comment on the posts of your classmates, and to follow the guidelines for these assignments. Only a two more weeks until we wrap things up! God bless!
Please make sure to post your homework on time, to comment on the posts of your classmates, and to follow the guidelines for these assignments. Only a two more weeks until we wrap things up! God bless!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Homework 6, Due May 6, 2011
There are so many topics that would be a great fit for this week! This week marks the fortieth anniversary of the heroic “Freedom Riders” that travelled the South to force the integration of bus stops and restaurants that were refusing to honor Supreme Court decisions concerning the rights of minorities in the US. Also, this week the eyes of the world will turn to Kentucky for the “Run for the Roses” – the Kentucky Derby, arguably the world’s most famous race (with a world-wide viewing audience that is bigger than that of the Super Bowl, the World Series, or the NBA finals). The history of horse racing is closely connected with our state’s history. Not far from where you are sitting to read this thousands of spectators used to gather at the home of Revolutionary War hero William Whitley to witness the first horse races in Kentucky. Our state boasts two of the best-known race tracks in America (Churchill Downs in Louisville and Keeneland in Lexington), the world’s most expensive horse auction (Keeneland’s annual sales events), and is home to many of the most successful horse farms in the world. Each year hundreds of thousands of people travel to Kentucky to enjoy what is our state’s signature industry.
However, I feel that it would be appropriate to take this time to focus on a theme that is more closely connected to the material we are covering in lecture. As we continue to study World War II there are so many notable events and people that deserve our attention. For this week's assignment you can choose to research and report on the role of women in the war effort (there's more to the story than "Rosie the Riveter", as you will find at the excellent link http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWwomen.htm - please mention at least three) or you may choose to examine US propaganda efforts by means of war-time posters. These posters were produced and distributed by the government with a purpose in mind - examine and analyze at least three at the link http://digital.library.northwestern.edu/otcgi/digilib/llscgi60.exe?QUERY=jpeg®ION=M8561Z&db=0&SIZE=10&SORTBY=M260C and explain the significance of these posters. Also, do you think they were effective in World War II? Does the government propagandize current wars? If so, how?
Please make every attempt to complete this assignment on time. Respond to the essays of others in the class with thoughtful comments that challenge deeper thinking. Remember to meet all the requirements of these assignments. Thank you and have a great week!
However, I feel that it would be appropriate to take this time to focus on a theme that is more closely connected to the material we are covering in lecture. As we continue to study World War II there are so many notable events and people that deserve our attention. For this week's assignment you can choose to research and report on the role of women in the war effort (there's more to the story than "Rosie the Riveter", as you will find at the excellent link http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWwomen.htm - please mention at least three) or you may choose to examine US propaganda efforts by means of war-time posters. These posters were produced and distributed by the government with a purpose in mind - examine and analyze at least three at the link http://digital.library.northwestern.edu/otcgi/digilib/llscgi60.exe?QUERY=jpeg®ION=M8561Z&db=0&SIZE=10&SORTBY=M260C and explain the significance of these posters. Also, do you think they were effective in World War II? Does the government propagandize current wars? If so, how?
Please make every attempt to complete this assignment on time. Respond to the essays of others in the class with thoughtful comments that challenge deeper thinking. Remember to meet all the requirements of these assignments. Thank you and have a great week!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Homework 5, Due April 29, 2011
Because of the drama performances this week and standardized testing next week, this is a good time to do a two-week assignment (not any longer, you just have extra time to complete it).
As we study World War I (and shortly thereafter World War II) I want you to consider the devastating effects of such protracted conflict in the middle of a densly populated continent. Many of the major battles occurred near cities and millions of people were displaced - some would return to find that everything they owned was destroyed by the war. Of course, the US would play a role in both wars, but in each case the US was not involved in the early military conflicts and had almost no damage at home; this was very different from the European experience to say the least. (In World War II the Japanese made only minimal attempts to attack American domestic targets, and a German submarine was forced to land on the coast of the US after experiencing difficulties. The Germans tried to turn themselves in but no one would believe them until they went to great lenghts to prove their story!)
Your assignment is to research a battle of World War I (excellent link: http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/maps/ ) and share your findings. Do your best to determine the effects of your chosen battle on the local population. Then envision what it would be like if such a battle were to occur close to Somerset. How do you think life would be different? Can you imagine any way in which it would be the same?
Please remember to comply with all the requirements for these assignments. Thanks and God bless!
As we study World War I (and shortly thereafter World War II) I want you to consider the devastating effects of such protracted conflict in the middle of a densly populated continent. Many of the major battles occurred near cities and millions of people were displaced - some would return to find that everything they owned was destroyed by the war. Of course, the US would play a role in both wars, but in each case the US was not involved in the early military conflicts and had almost no damage at home; this was very different from the European experience to say the least. (In World War II the Japanese made only minimal attempts to attack American domestic targets, and a German submarine was forced to land on the coast of the US after experiencing difficulties. The Germans tried to turn themselves in but no one would believe them until they went to great lenghts to prove their story!)
Your assignment is to research a battle of World War I (excellent link: http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/maps/ ) and share your findings. Do your best to determine the effects of your chosen battle on the local population. Then envision what it would be like if such a battle were to occur close to Somerset. How do you think life would be different? Can you imagine any way in which it would be the same?
Please remember to comply with all the requirements for these assignments. Thanks and God bless!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Homework 4, Due April 15, 2011
Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you had a wonderful time and are well-relaxed. We have only a short sprint to go before the end of the school year! Take every advantage of opportunities to get your grades in good shape between now and then!
150 years ago this week the US Civil War began. While slavery was the main issue, as we learned last year in US history (and will next year, for you sophomores) there were a great deal of issues that divided the North and the South. Take, for instance, the name of the war itself. In the North it was called a civil war (which means that different parts of the same country are fighting each other). In the South it was (is) referred to as "The War Between the States." To southerners the word "state" had always meant the same thing as "country" (look it up in a dictionary). Some have said, then, that the war was fought over a verb! The North liked to say "The United States is..." while the South said "The United States are...". And you thought verb conjugation brought trouble to YOUR life!
Can you actually imagine things getting so bad in our country today that an internal war would break out? How much tension and anger would have to build up before you were willing to take up arms and fight your neighbors...or your brother? For your assignment this week I want you to research a topic of the Civil War in Kentucky. You might consider the Breckinridge family - two brothers (one would be a US vice president) were generals on opposite sides of the war! President Lincoln's wife Mary Todd Lincoln was from Lexington, KY, and her brother was a Confederate general - which had to make the holidays a tad strained, wouldn't you think? You might consider a battle (there were many in Kentucky) or a community's involvement in the war.
In the light of the scope of world history, the US Civil War plays a fairly small role. However, it's implications would affect history on a global scale (for one thing, hundreds of Confederates fled the country after the war - there's a huge Rebel celebration held every year in Brazil for Portuguese-speaking descendants of southern soldiers!). It would also mark the end of western countries' holding onto the notion that slavery was acceptable. Everything happens for a reason!
Please remember to meet the requirements of these assignments. Good luck and happy hunting - be sure to cite your sources!
150 years ago this week the US Civil War began. While slavery was the main issue, as we learned last year in US history (and will next year, for you sophomores) there were a great deal of issues that divided the North and the South. Take, for instance, the name of the war itself. In the North it was called a civil war (which means that different parts of the same country are fighting each other). In the South it was (is) referred to as "The War Between the States." To southerners the word "state" had always meant the same thing as "country" (look it up in a dictionary). Some have said, then, that the war was fought over a verb! The North liked to say "The United States is..." while the South said "The United States are...". And you thought verb conjugation brought trouble to YOUR life!
Can you actually imagine things getting so bad in our country today that an internal war would break out? How much tension and anger would have to build up before you were willing to take up arms and fight your neighbors...or your brother? For your assignment this week I want you to research a topic of the Civil War in Kentucky. You might consider the Breckinridge family - two brothers (one would be a US vice president) were generals on opposite sides of the war! President Lincoln's wife Mary Todd Lincoln was from Lexington, KY, and her brother was a Confederate general - which had to make the holidays a tad strained, wouldn't you think? You might consider a battle (there were many in Kentucky) or a community's involvement in the war.
In the light of the scope of world history, the US Civil War plays a fairly small role. However, it's implications would affect history on a global scale (for one thing, hundreds of Confederates fled the country after the war - there's a huge Rebel celebration held every year in Brazil for Portuguese-speaking descendants of southern soldiers!). It would also mark the end of western countries' holding onto the notion that slavery was acceptable. Everything happens for a reason!
Please remember to meet the requirements of these assignments. Good luck and happy hunting - be sure to cite your sources!
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