Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Merry Christmas!

Thank you so much for the wonderful gifts...a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my students and their families!


Monday, December 21, 2015

Christmas door decorating contest...

We took 2nd Place in the Christmas door decorating contest...nice jobs, guys!


Social Studies 12/21-12/22

Parents and Students - 

  • Reminder that all students must turn in 15 source cards and 15 research cards by the end of the day tomorrow (12/22).
  • Any student (both 6th and 7th grade) who scored below a 70% on the test we took this past Friday are eligible for a re-take. I will be contacting those students via email. The re-take will be in an online format and will need to be completed by Sunday, January 3rd, 2016.
  • Students can bring a snack and drink in tomorrow to consume during class.
  • Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your New Year's celebration! 


Sunday, December 13, 2015

Social Studies 12/14 - 12/18

Parents and Students - Here's what we will be doing in social studies this week:

6th Grade:

6th graders will be watching a couple videos on plate tectonics and supervolcanoes. We will be taking a test on Friday, December 18th. The review for the test can be found HERE (link to document). Study materials can be found HERE (link to resources).


7th Grade:

7th graders will be watching the film, "April Morning". The plot of the movie takes place between April 18th-19th, 1775, the first two days of the American War for Independence. On Friday, December 18th, 7th graders will be taking a test. The review for the test can be found HERE (link to document). Study material can be found HERE (link to resources)


History Fair Updates:

Reminder that each 6th and 7th grade student will need to turn in a minimum of 15 source cards and 15 note cards by the end of the day on Tuesday, December 22nd.

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Social Studies 12/7 - 12/11

Parents and Students - Here's what we will be doing in class this week:

6th Grade:

6th graders will be finishing up Ch. 2. We will take a quiz on Thursday, December 10th. It will be a fill-in-the-blank quiz with a word bank. Study resources for the quiz can be found HERE (link to resources).

6th graders will also be taking a text over Ch. 2 on Friday, December 18th. A study guide/review sheet for the test can be found HERE (link to document). Resources to help students complete the study guide/review sheet can be found HERE (link to resources).


7th Grade:

7th graders will be finishing up Ch. 3. We will take a quiz on Thursday, December 10th. It will be a fill-in-the-blank quiz with a word bank. Study resources for the quiz can be found HERE (link to resources). 7th graders will be taking a test over Ch. 3 on Friday, December 18th. A study guide/review sheet for the test can be found HERE (link to document). Resources to help students complete the study guide/review sheet can be found HERE (link to resources).


History Fair Updates:

Sources and notecards for the history fair project will be due on Tuesday, December 22nd. Each student needs to turn in a minimum of 15 source cards and 15 notecards.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Social Studies 11/30 - 12/4

Parents and Students - 

Here's what we will be doing in class this week:

6th Grade Social Studies:

6th graders will be finishing up Chapter 2. We will be having a quiz next week. Study resources can be found HERE (link).

7th Grade Social Studies:

7th graders will continue learning about the events that led to the American Revolution. We will have a quiz next week. Study resources can be found HERE (link).

History Fair Update:

Students should continue finding sources and working on notecards. Sources and notecards will be due before we leave for Christmas break.

Monday, November 16, 2015

Social Studies 11/16 - 11/20

Parents and Students - Here's what we will be doing in class this week:




6th Grade:

6th graders will be learning about how the different water systems work on Earth. We will have a quiz next Tuesday (November 24th). It will be a 5-question, multiple-choice quiz. Study resources for the quiz can be found HERE (link to resources).

7th Grade:

7th graders will be taking a quiz on Wednesday, November 18th. Study resources for the quiz can be found HERE (link to resources). After the quiz, we will begin studying the American Revolution.

History Fair Update:

We will not work on the History Fair this week. Instead, we will use next Tuesday (November 24th) as a history fair work day. Students are working on gathering sources and taking notes.

Monday, November 9, 2015

Social Studies 11/9 - 11/13

Here's what we are doing in class this week:

6th Grade:

6th graders will be learning about how the Sun's energy affects life here on Earth. We will be taking a true/false quiz on Thursday, November 12th. Study resources for the quiz can be found HERE (link to documents).

7th Grade:

7th graders will be discussing the French and Indian War this week. We will be having a matching quiz next Tuesday (November 17th). Study resources for the quiz can be found HERE (link to documents).

History Fair Update:

Students will continue to gather sources for the history fair project. I would like students to have their 15 sources by the end of class on Friday


Sunday, November 1, 2015

Social Studies 11/2 - 11/6

Students and Parents - Here's what we will be doing in class this week:

6th Grade Social Studies:

6th graders will go over the review sheet for the Ch. 1 test that will be on Tuesday, November 3rd. The review sheet for the test can be found HERE (link to document). Study resources can be found HERE (link to resources).

7th Grade Social Studies:

7th graders will continue to discuss the English Bill of Rights and other historical limitations on government authority. No quizzes or tests this week.

History Fair Updates:

Students who are creating a tri-fold presentation can begin bringing the tri-fold boards in so we can store them in my classroom. On Wednesday, we will work on finding sources for the history fair project.

Monday, October 26, 2015

Social Studies 10/26 - 10/30

Parents and Students - Here's what we will be doing in class this week.

6th Grade:

6th graders will be finishing up Ch.1 this week. We will be having a true/false quiz on Thursday (10/29). Study materials for the quiz are available via Google Classroom. We will also be taking a test next Tuesday (11/2) over Ch. 1. I will post a study guide for the test on Google Classroom.

7th Grade:

7th graders are going to do be working with some primary documents this week and will also be doing some writing. No quizzes or tests this week.

History Fair Update:

I have approved thesis statements for students. Students should now be working on finding sources. Students will need at least 15 sources for the project. The sources will be due next Wednesday (11/3). Students who are creating a tri-fold presentation board can start bringing their tri-fold boards next week and keep them in my classroom.

Monday, October 19, 2015

6th Graders Using Latitude and Longitude...

6th graders are learning how to find places using latitude and longitude. Here's some students hard at work!




















Social Studies 10/19 - 10/23

Parents and Students - Here's what we will be doing in Social Studies this week:

6th Grade:

6th graders will continue practicing with latitude and longitude. On Thursday, students will take a quiz over Section 2 of Ch. 1 and will also take a test on latitude and longitude. On the test, I will give them a world map and several points. They will have to give me the latitude and longitude of each point. Study resources are available for students on Google Classroom.


7th Grade:

7th graders will continue to read about important Enlightenment philosophers. Last week, we discussed an overview of the Enlightenment and the contributions of Thomas Hobbes. This week, we will be learning about John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Baron de Montesquieu. No quizzes or tests this week. 

Monday, October 12, 2015

Social Studies 10/13 - 10/16

6th Grade Social Studies:

Students will continue to work with latitude and longitude. We will be finding the location of cities on a world map. Next week, we will have a test over latitude and longitude.

7th Grade Social Studies:

Students will begin discussing the Enlightenment and the Seven Years War. No quizzes or tests this week.

History Fair:

As many of you have heard, my 6th and 7th graders will be participating in the inaugural Pecatonica History Fair. Students will be working individually or as part of a group to create a tri-fold presentation or a Web site. The theme of the history fair is "Turning Points in History". We have already had several workdays and I have approved thesis statements for most of my students. The final project will be due in the spring. At that time, we will display the projects over at the high school. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. 


 

Saturday, August 8, 2015

My trip to Massachusetts





This summer, I had the opportunity to spend a week in Massachusetts as part of a seminar titled "Crossroads of Revolution: Concord and Lexington in 1775". During the week, our group toured historic sites, studied primary sources, and attended lectures by well-known American Revolution historians Dr. Benjamin Carp (The Defiance of the Patriots) and Dr. Robert Gross (The Minutemen and Their World). This was my second seminar in a row participating in a summer seminar for social studies teachers (I went to Philadelphia last summer). I can't wait to share what I learned with students. Here's a few of the pictures I took during the week. Enjoy!


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First things first...no trip to Boston is complete without a visit to Mike's Pastry. I sampled the pistachio (pictures above) and the peanut butter cannoli. Wow!

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The Customs House in Boston

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Paul Revere's house in Boston

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Paul Revere statue with North Church in the background. One of my all-time favorite American Revolution images!


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One of the lanterns used in the North Church the night of April 18th, 1775 to communicate British troop movements to Paul Revere.

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This spot marks the site of the Boston Massacre in March of 1770. Interestingly, the site is right in the middle of downtown. In the 18th Century, it was right on the waterfront. The city of Boston looks much different from what it did 250 years ago because much of the shallow areas have been filled in and are now used for building and residential space. The area known as "the Back Bay", for example (where Fenway Park is located), is all filled in. 250 years ago, that was still part of Boston Harbor. Another example is what used to be known as Boston Neck. This was a very narrow strip of land that connected Boston to Dorchester. Most of the land between the neck and Dorchester has been filled in. The Neck doesn't really exist anymore as a result. 


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Walking around the North End






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Boston from the Bunker Hill Memorial




Proof that I made it all the way to the top of the Bunker Hill Memorial!

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At the USS Constitution Museum. I was able to etch my name into a copper panel that will be used to repair the Constitution over the next couple years.



On board the USS Constitution, the oldest active-duty warship in the world!

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Tea recovered from Boston Harbor after the "Tea Party" of December 16th, 1773.

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Ensign Jeremy Lister, one of the British soldiers we went during the "Battle Road Heroes" program. To say the least, Ensign Lister was not a big fan of the Americans!

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A reconstructed portion of the Bay Road. This was the road British troops used during the events of April 18-19, 1775.

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The Colonial Inn in Concord. The building dates back to the early 18th Century. This is where we stayed.












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Memorial to Henry David Thoreau in Concord. In 1846, he refused to pay his taxes because he opposed the American war in Mexico. He spent one night in jail as a result.

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Tombstone of John Jack. Epitaph written by a prominent Concord Loyalist who saw great hypocrisy in the Americans fighting the British for liberty while owning slaves.


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At the North Bridge in Concord. This was the site of the first successful armed resistance by Americans against British troops. After the fight at the North Bridge, thousands of Massachusetts militia descended on the Bay Road (which linked Concord to Boston) and inflicted heavy casualties on the British troops during the 20-mile march back to Boston.


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An actual piece of the original North Bridge in Concord. The bridge was torn down about 20 years after the War for Independence ended.

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Buckman Tavern in Lexington. This is where the Lexington militia waited for the British troops. Lexington Green, just to the left of the tavern, was the site of the first battle of the War for Independence on April 19th, 1775. 8 Americans were killed. A few hours later, the British troops encountered armed resistance at Concord (a few miles further west) and were driven back to Boston.


Lexington Green, the site of the first battle of the American War for Independence.

Lexington Green, the site of the first battle of the American War for Independence.

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At this spot, Patriot alarm riders Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott were confronted by a patrol of British soldiers. Dawes escaped but Revere was taken into custody. Prescott also escaped and rode ahead to Concord to warn the militia. Revere was released a few hours later. Even though he had been captured and did not complete his mission, Revere was able to bluff his captors by telling them that there were thousands of Americans waiting for the British at Concord. 

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The "Battle Road" is the name given to the many sites along the road from Concord to Boston where American militia and British troops fought on April 19th, 1775. Almost 4,000 militia from dozens of towns arrived in time to fire at the British troops as they marched back to Boston. By the end of the day, about 90 Americans had been killed or wounded. British losses were much heavier. About 250 British troops were killed or wounded during the day.


Many British soldiers were killed on April 19th, 1775. This rock marks the final resting spot of some of these men.

 

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We attended a dinner featuring 18th Century cuisine and entertainment. The highlight of the evening was enjoying a dessert of strawberry shortcake and drinking a toast to the brave heroes of Concord and Lexington...Huzzah!





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  Here's some pictures of the landscape around Concord. Back in 1775, there were very few trees. Most of the forests had been cleared for farms. These stone walls are very common in rural areas of Massachusetts. They were built along the sides of roads to help farmers drive livestock to market. The last picture above is the modern "Bay Road". Downtown Concord is a few miles further down the road. Boston is about 15 miles the opposite way. This is the route the British troops marched along April 18th-19th, 1775.

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During the week, I had a chance to watch my White Sox play the BoSox at Fenway Park. The White Sox beat the Red Sox 3 our of 4 games, including the game I was at.


The "Green Monster" in left field.



My sister lives near Boston. I got to spend a lot of time with her and her family. We had a great time!


My sister and me at Fenway Park


The Red Sox were retiring Pedro Martinez's number at the game I attended. Many former Red Sox greats were in attendance. Yes, CWS fans...that is Pudge! He was #27 that night instead of #72.




At Fenway Park. Crazy BoSox fan photobombing me...