Class Summary 12/19/12 - 12/20/12

Yesterday during almost all of class, we took notes on the time period between the Civil War up to 1862. Though it was quite a boring class I like to have notes that tie everything together and help me understand how it all connects. We finished learning about Emancipation Proclamation which was an attempt by Abraham Lincoln to gain control over the states in rebellion. After we were done talking about the Emancipation Proclamation we were given a couple of sheets to read and answer questions about for homework. Today we were to create a billboard that displayed information about the battle we were assigned. I was assigned the Battle of Gettysburg. We answered questions on a sheet we were given and then incorporated them into our billboard. We also drew some pretty terrible stick drawings of people fighting. Overall we learned a lot about the Battle of Gettysburg although I am pretty sure our billboard was one of the ugliest things I have ever seen. One takeaway I had from that class is that no matter how hard they try boys CANNOT be artistic and their handwriting will look like a three year olds. Oh and don't trust Andrew with writing your title because he will forget the "h" in the.  

Classroom Summary 12/17/12 - 12/18/12

Yesterday in history class we had a fun activity. We were given a sheet and were told to use a phone with a QR coder and go around the school scanning codes which gave us information on different battles during the civil war. We then used the information to find out what battle it described. It turned into race with everyone trying to finish first. It was a fun and exciting way to learn and it got us up and moving. Today in history class we were given a piece of paper called "to suspend or not suspend" which was all about, Habeas Corpus. We read situations peopel were in and where or not we thought they should be granted Habeas Corpus. Many people disagreed and we realized how tricky it is to deal with situations like these. We then read another article on Habeas Corpus which told Clement L. Vallandugham's story. We discussed whether  Lincoln was justified in taking it on himself to ban Habeas Corpus.

Class Summary 12/13/12 - 12/14/12

On Thursday we started class by finishing our discussion about Lincoln and why he wanted the United States to stay a Union. We were then given a document to read with corresponding questions on Lincolns speech. After, we discussed what we read and learned a little more about Lincoln, and how he wouldn't call the seceded south the Confederate States of America because that would mean they were their own country. On Friday we went to the Computer Lab. As we walked into class we were handed a paper that divided us into groups. We were told to go to Mr. Boyle's Wiki, where we came to a blank slide show, each person given a slide which had a question pertaining to their groups subject. They all had the same basic structure, North vs. The South. We were then told this would help give us background information for the essay we have to write by Friday. I personally love going to the computer lab because while we learn we also have a little fun with the group chat and pictures we would put on other peoples slides. (hehehe)

Class Summary 12/10/12 - 12/11/12

Yesterday in history class, we were given two pieces of paper as we walked in, one was a speech by Abraham Lincoln and there were questions to go with it. We read the paper and answered the questions by analyzing the speech. We were then given another paper similar to the first, a reading excerpt and questions to go along. Today in class we were given more paper with questions on it (my binder = 100000 trees). Depending on the passage you got you sat with a group. The papers discussed whether or not South Carolina should have a right to leave the union. We filled out both of these sheets and then had a class discussion about our personal opinion and the points the Southerners had. 

Class Summary 12/4/12 - 12/5/12

Yesterday in class we looked at the different candidates for president in the 1860 election. We started class by looking at a picture with the four candidates, who were presented in a way that described their ideas of slavery metaphorically. Lincoln, Breckinridge, and Douglass were tearing down the picture of the map of the US while Bell was trying to glue it back together. I believe that this was propaganda and trying to persuade you to vote for Bell. We then went into further depth about all of the canidates.
Today we had an Ed Cafe on the people that we talked about in our voice threads. I had Daniel Webster and although he was important I didn't have much to argue on the slavery front. I like talking to people about what we are going to be tested on the next day because it sticks in my brain I just wish we did the voice thread more recently.

Summary Blog for 11/29/12

On Thursday in class we learned about John Brown and Harpers Ferry.  We took notes starting at October 16th 1859 when John Brown led about twenty other people that were supporting him in an effort to free the slaves. He expected the slaves to rebel when given the chance and since this never happened his plan did not work and John Brown was caught and hung for murder and treason against Virginia. Then in the second half of class we looked at different testimonies and got to see how they viewed the event. We then discussed our own opinions. Friday we missed class.

Class Summary 11/17/12- 11/28/12

Yesterday in class we read the Dred Scott case and then had a discussion about it. We debated whether or not you should be able to have something legally in one state and then move to a different state where its illegal.  Some people argued since its your property they cant take it away from you, while others thought you should abide by the laws of the state you are in so therefore it is illegal. This is when we realized what the Dred Scott case really meant for that time period, if  owning slaves in a state where it was forbidden was okay because you moved from a state it was legal,  ultimately everywhere is slave state, defeating the purpose of free states, for there to be a safe haven for slaves. Today in class we watched a clip on the Lincoln-Douglas debate. I preferred the video over a reading section because it made it easier for you to understand and retain the knowledge. We then filled out a sheet from documents we were given about the debate and where each potential Presidents opinions lay. Lincoln was anti-slavery and Douglas was pro-slavery.  Oh and so far my thirty day challenge has been good, with basketball starting we run everyday anyways. 

Class Summary 11/26/12

Last week we did not have class so my summary starts and ends with what we did today. Today we learned about the Kansas-Nebraska act. Stephen Douglass was the one who proposed the act stating that Kansas and Nebraska should be able to determine whether or not they would be a free state or slave state by popular sovereignty. The southerners supported this act because it would give them a chance to have at least one more slave state. The Northerners disagreed with the act because it went against the Missouri Compromise. Border Ruffians who were pro-slavery sent in a lot of people illegally to vote for a slave state. After the two states decisions were announced Northerners were angry and the antislavery settlers actually rebelled and killed five pro-slavery people in Pottawatomie Creek. More than 200 people had been killed in Kansas due to the disputes about slavery. We then learned about how Charles Sumner, an abolitionist senator in a speech criticized Southerners and denounced Andrew Butler the senator of South Carolina. Andrew Butler's relative Preston Brooks attacked Sumner's using his cane, scaring Sumner from assuming the role of senator for three years. We finished class by learning about the way the US dealt with unorganized territory. They decided to organize it and use Popular Sovereignty. 

1850's Timeline

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/1850s--10

Class Summary 11/14/12- 11/15/12

On Wednesday in class we learned about the Missouri Compromise by taking notes. We then received papers about the Mexican war, where the Americans fought them. We were then given a sheet to fill out based on the readings. The different excerpts included information on the date, the president, the mexican leader, and other important people. After we filled out the sheet, we discussed what we concluded from the readings and how they related. To give us a summary of what we just read and answered questions about we watched a video and then took a quick true or false quiz on what we learned. Today in class we talked about California and the new states that wanted to join are union and how we personally believed we should handle them. They could become a half state ( Based on the 36 30 line), a slave state, or a free state. Mr. Boyle then took a tally on what everyone thought should have been done. Oh and on a side note so far I have been doing pretty good with my running and I can tell that I am starting to build up my stamina! 

Personality VoiceThread Project

http://voicethread.com/share/3686927/

Forgot

Oh and I forgot to include in my summary that so far my running everyday has been surprisingly consistent though one day I did not get to run I worked out in other ways, jump roping, lifting weights, ect.

Class Summary 12/13/12 and 12/9/12

On Friday, we finished up our work from class on Thursday, on the two papers we had to fill out. The one I had was "The Mudsill Theory" and since I had finished my piece I spent the beginning of class copying my friends notes from her own passage she got. We then started to take notes on slavery and their different escape route. We learned a lot about the most common escape route, The Underground Railroad. We discovered it was a series of stops, where slaves would not only have shelter for the night, but also food, and safe place to rest. We then received a document that had different textbook definitions and descriptions of the Underground Railroad, including important people that partook in many slaves escape to freedom.  Harriet Tubman was frequently credited for a lot of escapes and mentioned in almost every definition of the Underground Railroad. We then filled out a paper, based on the accounts that we read asking questions about how what all the definitions had in common and how we would define the Underground Railroad. Today in class we went to the media lab in the library. We each went to a bit.ly website that had a map with different statistics and information about each state during the 1820's. We then filled out questions that had to do with the the population and land area of states and territories. After we finished that sheet, we were given another paper with similar questions pertaining to the map and slaves in general. 

11/6/12 - 11/7/12

Yesterday in class we read pieces from the constitution and look at it as supporting anti-slavery or supporting slavery. Today first thing we went over it. We then took notes on the "King of Coton" Eli Whitney, facts about slavery, and the different types of slavery. Two passages were then passed out and I got "The Mudsill Theory" we then had to answer questions about the documents. After we were done we got with someone who ha a different document and wrote down their answers. Oh and so far I have kept to my thirty day challenge, going to the gym to run because it is too cold. 

Class Summary 11/2/12 and 11/5/12

In both History and English for the past couple of days we have been on the topic of slavery. I like learning and talking about slavery because although the subject is depressing I find it quite interesting. I also like being able to learn the facts about it in History and then discuss our personal views on it in English. On Friday in History we read accounts of children slaves, learning about how they were treated, really getting a chance to see what slavery was like first hand.Today we spent the class comparing the two different experiences the slaves we read about had. We concluded that due to all of the similar accounts of slavery and the harsh treatments afflicted upon the slaves it not only existed brutally, it was very common, and although we don't always want to believe it, slavery still exists today. We then were assigned a person in our group to read about. After gathering facts about each person we split up our groups and learned about the other people we were not assigned. Oh and on a side-note my thirty day challenge has been off to a good start, today I went on a run when I got home.

Thirty Day Challenge

The thirty day challenge that I am setting for myself is to run everyday before I start my homework. With winter sports coming up I need to make sure I am in shape since I didn't do a fall sport. It will also help me keep a set schedule so I wont put off work. Exercising is also said to help your brain function so it is possible I could see improvements in my studying and homework. If it is raining or too cold to run outside I will go to MAC fitness to run on the treadmill.  

Class Summary 10/31/12

On Wednesday we spent class working on our integrated assignment, which, was due today. My group did a game so during class I came up with a name for it and glued all of the question and answers to the cards. It was very helpful to have this extra time. Today our projects were due and though I was not in school I believe during class we presented our projects. 

Summary Blog 10/22/12- (Going to miss the 23)

Today during class we watched animated battles during the revolution after the Declaration was announced. We saw the intelligent tactics George Washington used to fake out the British which is essentially how they ended beating the British. We then talked about "The Crisis" written by Thomas Paine and how George Washington read it to his troops to get them amped up. We discussed whether or not we believed that today mens souls our tried, recalling what we wrote in our essay on Friday.

The American Revolution Timeline

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-american-revolution--262

Class Summary 10/17/12 - 10/18/12

Yesterday we went over the summaries we did the day before of our section of the Declaration of Independence, writing down the notes other groups gathered and giving them ours. We then had a discussion on whats your word worth to you, and if things don't go your way would you break a promise. We also talked about how in Julius Caesar Brutus trusted everyone to carry out the plan of murdering Caesar but when making the Declaration of Independence they had to sign the document insuring their word. Some people said that this was because we have lost that trust we used to hold for one another while others thought the situations were entirely different so why compare them. We then filled out the handout we were given on the Structure of the Declaration. Today we read a persuasive article by Thomas Paine as to how during the revolution mens souls were tried. "These are the times that try mens souls" was the quote. We then wrote an essay or response on whether or not we felt that the quote applies to today, 2012. I do not believe that today the common man's soul is tried, so in my essay I gave reasons as to why I believed that.

Class Summary 10/15/12 - 10/16/12

Monday during class we presented our American Revolution project. We each were assigned a person to draw and find out about them and how they were significant to the revolution. We were also to attach a pocket containing an item that had something to do with your person but is not common knowledge of him/her. It was fun looking at the other projects and learning about how each person played a role in the revolution. Today walking into class some of us were given a date, person, place, or thing and the others a definition and were to find our match, this is how we were paired up in groups. We then took out our devices and looked up a website that had all of the Declaration of Independence. Me and my partner were assigned the introduction. We then had to summarize our portion of the Declaration and talk about its contents. Towards the end of class we make fake tweets about our section.

Fake Tweet / Krunched URL

Krunched.com/Twistertee

Voice Thread On Patrick Henry

<object width="480" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=3529254"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=3529254" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="480" height="360"></embed></object>

http://voicethread.com/share/3529254/

Summary Of Class 10/11/12 - 10/12/12

Yesterday during class we learned about the Battle of Concord and Lexington and the Battle of Bunker Hill. When we walked in projected on the white board was a map of the all of the different Battles. It showed where the British and American troops rode and had facts about what happened. The map helped us get a better understanding of the battles and the decisions and problems the troops faced. At the end of class we wrote a summary of the battles and how they played out. Today on the way into class we were given a paper that split up into groups based on the article you got. In the groups we read the paper we were assigned whether it was the Olive Branch Petition, the Common Sense Pamphlet or James Chalmers Plain Truth. After reading it we found quotes that we thought did a good job of demonstrating the purpose of the article. We then split off with our original group and sat with people who had the other two documents. At our new group we shared the information we had with each other. At the end of class we discussed all of the information together. 

Nation VoiceThread

<object width="480" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=3511725"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=3511725" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="480" height="360"></embed></object>

http://voicethread.com/share/3511725/

Class Summary 10/5/12 and 10/9/12

Friday during class we reviewed what we had talked about in the Ed Cafe. We took notes on each event or act and what they lead to. Today during class we watched a man talk about a case where a man was found guilty for murder on the behalf of multiple teen boys eye witnesses. He talked about how the human brain adds in things to your memories without you knowing it, that may not be true. It was too dark for the boys to be able to see the shooter, but they had a false memory that they could in fact see him and that it was this man who was put to jail, even though he was innocent. This is why this man believes we should not feel confident a case is close based on eye witness. We then read a resource about the Boston Massacre and decided if the account was reliable keeping in mind what we had learned about the tricks our brain plays on our memories. Each group got a different witness and at the end of class we split up to fill in the other resource's information.

Class Summary 10/3/12 - 10/4/12

Yesterday during class we went to the library's computer lab. There we got in our groups and together we made a powerpoint on the event profile we were given. We broke up the sections evenly and the sections you had you were to summarize in the powerpoint. My event was The Intolerable Acts. Today we did an Ed Cafe on the event we were given. We were to pick a creative name for our event and then  talk about it for eight minutes to the people who had different events. We debated on who in the situation or even was right and who was wrong. We then listened to the other events and took notes about them, finishing each discussion by writing our take away from it. I really like this activity because it gets us up, moving, and talking to one another.

Class Summary 9/1/12- 9/2/12

Yesterday in class we read and discussed the colonies in 1775. Over the weekend we had to fill out a paper about them by looking at maps given to us. At the very beginning of class we reviewed this. We then created a composite person from each of the three colonial regions and started to record our voices reading our descriptions of the average colonists. Today in class we learned about the French and Indian War and the Royal Proclamation of 1763. We started off class looking at a picture of George Washington, and learned how he tied into what we were learning. We then read sections of the packet about the French and Indian War in our groups, taking breaks to summarize what we just read.

Civic Value Comic Strip

http://Pixton.com/ic:cq1g3gfd

Class Summary 9/27/12

In class yesterday we did the activity EdCafe on the freedoms provided in the first Amendment. We got into groups and each group was assigned a freedom to research so they could lead a discussion for eight minutes the next day. The different freedoms we could have been assigned were freedom of speech, religion, press, right to assemble and right to petition. We got to discuss our views and argue with other people on what the most important freedom is. I love talking and getting into discussions so I loved this activity. After hearing about all of the other freedoms we wrote down what we took away from it. I had been assigned freedom of speech and even after hearing everyone talk about their own freedoms I still believe that freedom of speech is the most important. I think this because in order to do most of the other things you need to communicate, but if you can't say certain things the point is blank.

Class Summary 9/24/12- 9/25/12

Monday during class we learned about the Amendments. After briefly going over a few of the rights you have that are backed up with an Amendment we read about a story with people getting multiple of their rights violeted. We then said which Amendments protected those rights. We then we took the scenarios farther into depth and talked about other situations where your rights are or are not violated. Today during class we were given two handouts about the first party system of the United States, the Federalist party vs. the Democratic- Republican party. We then took notes on them and each of their beliefs and how they linked to one another in a web.

Timeline #1 Constitution

<object width="550" height="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.timetoast.com/flash/TimelineViewer.swf?passedTimelines=400654" /><param name="passedTimelines" value="400654" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.timetoast.com/flash/TimelineViewer.swf?passedTimelines=400654" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" passedTimelines="400654" width="550" height="400" allowScriptAccess="always" /></object>

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/timeline-1-constitution

Summary Of Class 9/19/12 - 9/20/12

Wednesday we dropped class, but yesterday in class we discussed the views of the Federalists and Non-federalist. The Federalist supported the Constitution and the non-Federalists did not. We were each given a paper with either the Federalist or non-Federalist views and their reasons for their opinion, I got the Federalists. We then found someone with our same paper and paired up with them to take notes. The paper also had a few quotes that supported the views of the Federalists. We then found a different partner and created a large magazine cover which supported whatever side we were assigned. Rachel and I made the name of our poster be Feds and we drew One Direction stating they also supported the federalist. We also wrote phrases that would catch peoples eyes and make them want to read the magazine. 

The Three Branches Of Government

Summary Of Class 9/17/12- 9/18/12

Yesterday during class we got a piece of documentary from The Virginia Plan, The New Jersey Plan, and The Hamilton Plan. From the document we learned how many people are to be elected, how, for how long ect. We were given a chart to fill out the information about each plan. After completing the chart in groups we reviewed what we got. You would think that everyone would have gathered the same information but because of the way the documents were written sometimes people missed something. Today at the beginning of class we received two packets on the powers of the three branches of government. We read and learned about their responsibility and then did some activities to test what we had learned. To wrap up class we either used the internet or drew pictures to describe each branch accompanied with descriptions.

Civic Value Recording

http://www.spreaker.com/user/4851572/my_audio_presentation

Summary Of Class 9/13/12- 9/14/12

Yesterday during class we went over the notes we took yesterday on each of the delegates and their opinion. Since each group got assigned different people we discussed the delegates we read about and their views and took notes about the others. We then as a class discussed the problems that they faced and the facts that supported each delegates opinion. For example unicameral or bicameral, people or states voting, and proportional or equal representatives. We then compared that to what we live by today and were able to see what compromises were made. Today we sorted out what projects we have due and when, since everyone was getting a little confused because of how behind we were due to the transition we have made into technology (the BYOB project). This was really helpful for me and cleared up a lot of things.

Summary Of Class 9/11/12 - 9/12/12

I have really enjoyed the past couple of history classes. I like how weare doing group work and moving around. It keeps class interesting. Yesterday we talked about the constitution that came out of the Philadelphia convention. This discussion lead us into talking about the our constitution and its preamble.  We talked about different sections in the preamble and expressed what we felt they meant. We also wrote what is done today that we feels ensures and supports the preamble and what is done today- or happens that doesn't support the preamble. Today we learned about the Constitutional Convention. We each got assigned a reading on different people and we learned about their opinion on the matter. Should there be one house or two? Should the election be held by the people or state legislators? We targeted the main points of each person and wrote down their view. At the end of class we did a fun little activity where we got to choose a person we read about and tweet what we would think they would be tweeting to the other delegates.   

Fake Tweet

http://cheezburger.com/6580459008

Photo Essay

http://private.rewindy.com/

http://private.rewindy.com/story/UzeFtyVQ/view/1

Artifacts That Describe Me

The first artifact that would describe's me is my pillow. Whenever I get the question "If you were to be put on an island where you're only allowed to have one thing you own, what would it be?" unlike the common response of electronics, I answer with, "my pillow". I sleep with only one pillow when I go to bed, unlike some of my friends who have so many stacked on top of one another they might as well sleep sitting up. If I ever sleep with another pillow that's not my own, I will wake up with a sore neck. Its like I'm the princess and the pea. Not to mention I love sleeping. I am very particular, and that trait shows through even with something as little as a pillow.  

The Second artifact that would describe me is a cellphone. This is not because I couldn't live without it, because I can- in fact I am constantly losing my phone for months and I hate texting, but because I love to talk and socialize with people.  I can have a conversation or argument with someone for hours, I love to hear their opinion and state my own, whether it is about the latest gossip or more serious topics. Because of my love for conversation and interaction with others although the cell phone itself is not important to me its concept is.

The third artifact that would describe me is my rings. I wear my rings everywhere I go, I have a tiny box just for them. I started wearing rings in sixth grade and they suddenly became my obsession. I typically will wear around five a day. When I don't have on my rings I am constantly rubbing my fingers and freaking out thinking that I lost them. If in the morning I forget to put them on when I notice them missing on the bus it ruin's my whole day. Its funny to think that jewelry can become so special to you.