September 2nd

Start the video at the 4:24 mark(Only the second half of the cartoon matters)

If this video doesn't work here is the youtube link

Hopefully the video works for your to watch.
While it is just a cartoon about Donald Duck it does a great job of showing an idea about history. The phrase "snowball effect" comes from something very similar to what Donald showed in this cartoon. Once a snowball starts rolling it begins to get larger and larger and larger. Before you know it, it is an out of control ball. In history we see similar things take place. What starts as a small incident, leads to larger and larger and larger problems. The first big "snowball" we will see this year will lead to the beginning of America starting as a country. The reading you have "widening split" describes this in another way. A split is obviously a separation between two things. A widening split means those two things are growing further and further apart. The two things in this particular case and Great Britain and it's colony America. There are many things that happen that lead America to eventually decide to break free. You are going to begin to look at some of those reasons.

Quickwrite # 3-Come up with an example of when a snowball effect situation has happened or could happen in your own life?  (An example: From history the great awakening and enlightenment leads to questioning British controlling their life, which leads to frustration from the 7 years war, which leads to taxes, which leads to the boston tea party, which leads to stricter rules, which leads to declaration of independence. One thing leads to another and it gets bigger and bigger and bigger)


In case it is needed below is the reading and questions:
Widening Split Reading
Questions for reading

9/1 September 1st

Today in class you will be looking at the Puritans and their role in early America. They established their settlement with strong ideas to make America different from every other nation on the planet. In the quickwrite section of your notebook please answer the following question. Make sure to answer each of the parts of the question.

Quickwrite 2:
Why do you think America has slogans like, "God Bless America," "One Nation Under God," and "In God We Trust."? Do you think they are true? Are they still as relevant today as they were in the beginning of this country?

This is the reading that goes along with the questions you will receive in class.
Questions

If you finish early please move on to tomorrow's work called the widening split reading and questions. You may need to tell the teacher this. The reading is a class copy so please do not take home.

August 31st

I am out this week because of my son's birth. I will be back next week.

Students today began to look at the early settlers to America. This included mostly Spanish and English settlement. The biggest idea with most of these people coming together was the idea of the 3 g's. Gold, God and Glory. For the most part people came to get rich, bring God to the people, or become famous. It turned out a little different for each group that came, but the idea was the same. There were two worksheets that used chapter 1 section 3 and 4 in the textbook.

handouts for class on colonization

Friday August 28

We finished up the first week finishing our sourcing handout. After we begun discussing what the term "The American Dream" means. It is a term that can be used to describe many different things. Some people view making it to America and it's freedom as the dream. To others it is rising out of poverty to achieve greatness. For some it is simply a two story home, a family of 4 and a white picket fence. The American Dream is all things to all people, which makes it unique. No other countries have this sort of calling. At the end of the period students used a blank paper to put in their own words what the American Dream meant to them.

Instructions:

 1. At the top write “The American Dream to me”

 2. Below that please write a definition for what you think the American Dream means

 3. Lastly use the rest of your paper to write down any words or phrases, draw a few images with descriptions, or just try to capture a “big idea” about what achieving the American Dream would look like. This would best work if you were using your own life, but it can be a general idea as well.  

August 27th

Today we finished watching the final scene from Saving Private Ryan. In it Tom Hanks tells Ryan as he is dying to, "earn it." Basically make good use of the life they are dying to save. It was a nice reflection on how many have come before us to provide safety and freedom for us as citizens and how much we should appreciate it. The first quickwrite can be found below. We also began the setup of our notebooks. They should have a title page with Unit 1, your name and period, and the title of the unit Nation's Founding. After that space should be saved for quickwrites, after that comes notes, and lastly all work from class. We finished class by looking at the term sourcing and how we do this when looking at several documents.

Quickwrite 1 from Saving Private Ryan
Sourcing Document

August 26

Today we continued on looking at the question of why we study History. We read a short reading by historian David McCullough where he discusses how invaluable history is to life. Its ability to help you stand up for good, know right from wrong, and even live life better. Below is the reading. We also began to watch the end of Saving Private Ryan which we will finish and discuss tomorrow.

Why History?
Spanish Version of Why History?

August 25th

Today we began answering the question, "Why do we study US history?" Students took a modified citizenship test for the U.S. Though we often emphasize many subjects in school, history is the one our nation expects all immigrants to be familiar with. Becoming a citizen means being able to be a part of our democracy, vote in elections, serve on juries, and know your rights. It is difficult to have an opinion about an election without knowing what a president does. It is why knowing our history is vital to being a citizen.

August 24

Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year!!! This website will contain the material we will be covering in class. While not a substitute for the classroom it should be your first stop on any missed days. If you have any questions feel free to email me at the school address. kleduc@rusd.k12.ca.us

Below is the class syllabus. It needs to be signed by a parent and yourself by Friday the 28th. 

Syllabus