Friday, March 6

KING HIGH REMEMBERS

Thursday, March 5

THE ATOMIC BOMBS: RADIO BROADCAST AND WRAP-UP

We finished up the radio broadcast activity. Then, we held a mini-debate over the pros and cons of the atomic bombs and finished class with a look to the next unit, the Cold War, as students were asked this question. 

Tomorrow is King High Remembers. Our Cold War unit starts Monday.

Wednesday, March 4

THE ATOMIC BOMBS: RADIO BROADCAST

Today, the class started a project in which students created a radio broadcast on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, requiring them to take a position for or against the bombings. Instructions can be accessed on Google Classroom.

Tuesday, March 3

KING HIGH REMEMBERS INFORMATION DAY

Mr. Peters informed the students about what to expect on Friday, dress code and requirements. 

REMINDER, TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR KING HIGH REMEMBERS, YOU MUST HAVE A "C" IN THIS CLASS BY TUESDAY, FEB 17

Monday, March 2

WORLD WAR II: AN EXPLOSIVE END

Mr. Emerson lectured on the end of World War II in Europe and Japan, including the atomic bombs. Then, we looked at two primary source accounts, one from President Truman and one from Chief of Staffs William Leahy, each of which demonstrates a different perspective on the bombings. Students wrote responses to questions based on the accounts, and we held a class discussion about their contrasting views. Later this week, students will be expected to take their own position.

Today's slides.

Friday, February 27

WEBSITE PROJECT PRESENTATIONS

Thursday, February 26

WEBSITE PROJECT WORK DAY

We began class by reviewing this short video about the D-day landings. Then, students had the rest of the period to finish their website project.

CLASSWORK: Website project due by the end of class. Presentations tomorrow.

Wednesday, February 25

WEBSITE PROJECT WORK DAY

Mr. Emerson began class by showing students a personal account of an American paratrooper during the D-day landings. Then, students completed the statistics and personal accounts pages of their website project.

Link to video.

Tuesday, February 24

D-DAY: WEBSITE PROJECT

Mr. Emerson lectured briefly on D-day with these slides. Students were then introduced to the D-day website project and were given the rest of the period to get started. See Google Classroom assignment for detailed instructions and a rubric.

Monday, February 23

THE HOME FRONT: CULTURE

Today, we concluded the home front with a discussion of music, film, art, and propaganda. Then, we did a reverse gallery walk (the sources come to you instead of you to the sources) with five examples of home front culture.

Today's slides.

Friday, February 20

THE HOME FRONT: INDUSTRY AND ECONOMY

Today, students explored Notebook LM, the AI tool that RUSD is piloting this month. The class read these sections in the textbook: American Economy in Wartime (p. 411-413); Daily Life in Wartime (p. 416-417). This is also accessible through Clever. Students took notes on these sections on a Google Doc. Then, they uploaded the Google Doc to Notebook LM and explored the various features, before submitting a link to their notebook and a few sentences of reflection to Google Classroom.

For full instructions, see here.

Thursday, February 19

DISTRICT ASSESSMENT

Wednesday, February 18

SAQ PRACTICE

Students practiced two SAQ prompts in preparation for their district assessment tomorrow.

CLASSWORK: SAQ prompt using this source and responding to the question after. Then another SAQ prompt posted on GC.

Slides.

Tuesday, February 17

WW2: RACE, DISCRIMINATION AND THE INTERNMENT CAMPS

Mr. Peters taught, reviewing the coverage already done on how African Americans and Mexican Americans were treated during the war.  Then, transitioned to the sad story of the racism inflicted upon Japanese Americans and the result of the internment camps.

Students viewed a series of political cartoons from the war that demeaned the Japanese as well as images about the Internment Camps that were started by President Franklin Roosevelt to imprison Japanese-Americans

SLIDES

Monday, February 16 - No school, President's Day

Friday, February 13 - No school, Lincoln's birthday

Thursday, February 12

ROSIE THE RIVETER: RECRUITMENT POSTERS

After a brief background of Rosie the Riveter with these slides, students created their own Rosie the Riveter recruitment poster.

CLASSWORK: Students created recruitment posters. Here are the directions.

Wednesday, February 11

RACE AND THE HOME FRONT: TENSION AND OPPORTUNITY

Mr. Emerson gave a lecture on minorities and the home front. We primarily discussed four groups: women, African Americans, Mexican Americans, and European refugees. Students then participated in a role-playing activity in which they were divided into groups and assigned one of the four roles . They considered the contribution of their group, the conflict they faced at home, and the hope they held for a postwar future. Then, we participated in a radio press conference led by radio host Mr. Emerson. To cap the lesson, students wrote an exit ticket response.

CLASSWORK: Students completed this activity using one of these player cards.

Link to today's slides.

Tuesday, February 10

PRESENTATIONS AND SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR II

Students presented their World War II museum display. Then, we launched into a discussion about World War II soldiers and the sacrifices they made.

Link to today's slides (note - we did not get to the video links at the end).

Monday, February 9

WORLD WAR II MUSEUM DISPLAY PROJECT

Today was a work day for our Museum Display Project. Projects due at the end of the period, with presentations tomorrow.

Friday, February 6

THE EUROPEAN THEATER: ATTACKING THE PERIPHERY

Mr. Emerson briefly introduced the origins of the European Theater, covering from Operation Torch in Northern Africa to the Allied invasion of Italy. Then, students were introduced to the Museum Display Project, which they will have today and Monday to work on. These will also be presented.

CLASSWORK: Students began work on their Museum Display Project. Instructions, links for research, and (loose) examples are on a Google Doc posted to Classroom.

Today's slides (13-23 only).

Thursday, February 5

THE PACIFIC THEATER: ISLAND TO ISLAND

Today, we finished up Pearl Harbor by watching and responding to Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech. Then, Mr. Emerson lectured on the Pacific Theater, from 1941-45. Students were given a letter from a soldier at Okinawa and began responding to a prompt on Google Classroom (based on the letter). Five minutes will be given at the beginning of class tomorrow to finish the prompt.

CLASSWORK: Students responded to these questions on Roosevelt's speech (page 4). After the lecture, students responded to the prompt on Google Classroom using this letter from Okinawa.

Today's slides (1-12 only).

Wednesday, February 4

PEARL HARBOR: SAQ

Today, students wrote an SAQ using the CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) framework. Then, they examined what Pearl Harbor was like from the perspective of Japanese Americans in Hawaii, watching an interview with former Senator Inuoye of Hawaii who experienced the attacks. Finally, Mr. Emerson introduced the aftermath of Pearl Harbor and the government's response.

CLASSWORK: SAQ response on Google Classroom using the CER framework. Students also wrote reflective responses to the Japanese American experience at Pearl Harbor (handwritten).

Today's slides (only Slides 10-17).

Tuesday, February 3

PEARL HARBOR: THE ATTACK

Mr. Emerson introduced Pearl Harbor, discussing the motives and events of the attack. Students then participated in a timeline activity using the two sources on Google Classroom.

CLASSWORK: Timeline activity - see the link above

Today's slides (only Slides 1-9).

Monday, February 2

WORLD WAR II: THE ORIGINS

Mr. Emerson lectured on the origins of World War II, from the end of World War I and the failures of Versailles to the rise of totalitarianism and the outbreak of war. Students then participated in a gallery walk with quotes and primary sources. Finally, the class participated in a Four Corners activity in which they were led to respond to the following statement: The United States and Britain had a moral obligation to stop German and Japanese aggression, even if it meant risking another world war.

Today's slides.

Friday, January 30

PRESENTATION DAY AND KING HIGH REMEMBERS

Thursday, January 29

PRESENTATION DAY

Wednesday, January 28

THE TIME CAPSULE: CONCLUDING THE GREAT DEPRESSION

Students were given time to work on the creation of their projects

Tuesday, January 27

THE TIME CAPSULE: CONCLUDING THE GREAT DEPRESSION

Students were given time to work on the creation of their projects

Monday, January 26

FDR'S NEW DEAL: HELPFUL OR HARMFUL?

Mr. Emerson briefly lectured on the legacy of the New Deal. Then, students created a poster in groups with the pros and cons of five New Deal subcategories and presented to the class

CLASSWORK:  Pro/con posters completed in class

Link to today's slides

Friday, January 23

FDR'S NEW DEAL: THE ALPHABET SOUP AGENCIES

The class finished its Alphabet Soup assignment. Then, students were introduced to the time capsule project that they will be working on next week.

Thursday, January 22

FDR'S NEW DEAL: THE ALPHABET SOUP AGENCIES

Mr. Peters lectured a bit on the New Deal and what it entailed. Students were then tasked with an assignment to read about 12 New Deal agencies

CLASSWORK:  See your g-class for the assignment

Wednesday, January 21

A SIDE CONVERSATION: ECONOMIC AND POLITICS  IN USA

Thanks to great questions from the class, we took a side-bar discussion about US debt, government policy, consumerism and more!  All of it related, actually, to the Great Depression and FDR!!

Tuesday, January 20

THE POLITICAL ANSWER: HOW THE HOOVER ADDRESSED THE GREAT DEPRESSION

We reviewed the "human" story of the GD that we have covered it to this point, then transitioned to a look at the Political Response, focusing first on Hoover. SLIDES   

The last 20 minutes of the class, the students wrote a "quick write" on the topic we covered and we discussed to close out the period.

Monday, January 19 - MLK DAY no school!

Friday, January 16

DOROTHEA LANGE: THE MISSING PHOTOGRAPHS

Picking up where we left yesterday, students were in groups and created a "photograph" (on large paper, drawn and colored) that would "complete" Lange's photo portfolio from the two that we studied yesterday. Students created the photos and then presented.

See your g-class for the dirctions.

Thursday, January 15  (ML King's Birthday!)

OKIES TO CALIFORNIA: THE FALLOUT FOR MEXICAN AMERICANS

Mr. Peters reviewed what we have covered thus far in the unit, specifically, the Dust Bowl from Tuesday.  Then, students were given a series of primary sources and a paper to write in responses to prompts, that dealt with Mexican American history from the 1930's.  Students participated in class discussion as we wen through them. To be continued tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 14  - Mr. Parry teaching, Mr. Peters at conference

PICTURE THE GREAT DEPRESSION: PHOTOS FROM THE ERA

Mr. Parry began the period by dissecting the Migrant Mother photo with students. Students were able to see the details going on in the photo and the larger context surrounding the photo, the photographer, and the subject of the photo. The students divided into groups of four and completed a gallery walk, looking at 4 additional photographs from the depression. At each station, they examined the photo, the senses it appealed to, and thought about what the subjects of the photos might have said. Then, class was wrapped up with a group discussion about the various observations made for the photos. 

Tuesday, January 13

THE DUST BOWL: LAYERING THE MISERY

Ample review of the unit central question and the topics we have done thus far.  Then, introduction to the Dust Bowl as another layer of misery to the decade. Students watched 4 short intro videos from Ken Burns' The Dust Bowl (located on the PBS Education Website) that gave image and voice to it.  Students wrote on paper a summary of each video with discussion by Mr. Peters to help.  

CLASSWORK: submitted the paper at the end of the class for a grade.

Monday, January 12

POEMS OF THE DEPRESSION:  THE HUMAN STORY

Mr. Peters reviewed the content we've covered thus far, then, students were given 25 minutes to finish the "found poem" we started in class on Friday. This was due at 2:55 PM.  The last 25 minutes of class we read several of the poems aloud and then, on a canva mood board that the entire class shared, students wrote individual lines that "caught their attention" as Mr. Peters read the poems.  These, then formed a "new" poem.  

Following the reading (and writing) of 4-5 poems, students then thought of the "vibe" that the poem created in their mind and searched the elements or photos in Canva to illustrate their new poem.

To conclude, Mr. Peters asked the students to write a short response to "Art or History Books?"  See your g-class for this. Due at the bell.

Friday, January 9

SONGS AND ACCOUNTS OF THE DEPRESSION:  THE HUMAN STORY

Continued what we started yesterday by listening to and discussing the last three songs on the list presented yesterday. Then, we transitioned to reading the first person accounts of life lived during the Great Depression. The directions for this are on the document given in the g-class. 

20 minutes in class to work on this part of the lesson, another 20 mintues will be given on Monday to complete

Thursday, January 8

SONGS OF DEPRESSION: THE HUMAN STORY

We finished the clip from the movie with some discussion, Mr. Peters told a couple of personal stories of his grandparents from their lives in the Great Depression, then we started listening to songs that were popular at the time.  Will continue that part tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 7

THE GREAT DEPRESSION:  THE HUMAN STORY

With a visual metaphor drawn on the board, the students were introduced to the "human" and "political" elements of the story of the Great Depression.  What are we to do when so many people are out of work?  To what degree should the government step in?

To begin the "human" part of the story, we viewed a segment of the movie Cinderalla Man ... Mr. Peters stopped it a few time to explain the historical connections that were being dramatized.

Tuesday, January 6

WHAT'S THE PROPER ROLE OF GOVERNMENT? THE CENTRAL QUESTION OF THIS UNIT

Mr. Peters spent the period guiding the students through a visual metaphor of the CENTRAL QUESTION for this upcoming unit.  What is the proper role of government? Is it to take care of us, or just point the citizens in the direction where self-help can be found? Is there a limit to how much the government should intervene in the lives of Americans? Does government intervention rob citizens of liberty? 

CLASSWORK:  See your g-class for the inclass assignment

Monday, January 5

2ND SEMESTER START: MOTIVATION AND DIRECTION

Started the semester with a discussion about the "constraints" of school and how most of us dislike being constrained.  But actually, we are constrained our entire lives.  Whether it is high school, the work world, college, family responsibilities, the military, we are constrained by something our whole lives.  It's not bad, it just is.

The question is, will we see our constraints as "handcuffs" or as "funnels."  Handcuffs certainly constrain and we don't see them positively.  They chafe and hurt and hold us back.  But a funnel is something that constrains movement to, but it is designed to move us toward a desired end.  

So which will it be? Handcuffed by school, or funnelled by school?  

SLIDES

Thursday, December 18

FINALS DAY

Students were given 60 minutes to complete prep for their presentations, then, presentations were given.

Monday, December 15

LESSER KNOWN CHARACTERS: A FINAL PROJECT

Students were give time to work on the project you will present on Finals day.  You will have 60 minutes to complete the assignment on Thursday and then we will present after that.

Friday, December 12 - Mr. Peters out today

THE GREAT MIGRATION: AFRICAN AMERICANS FLEE THE SOUTH FOR OPPORUNITIES IN THE NORTH

Students finished their work left over from yesterday and submitted for a grade

Thursday, December 11

THE GREAT MIGRATION: AFRICAN AMERICANS FLEE THE SOUTH FOR OPPORUNITIES IN THE NORTH

Mr. Peters lectured briefly with context for how and why many Black Southerners begain to leave the South for the North from WW1 onward.  Content covered the migrations of African Americans, the horrible realities black people faced in the South and the chance for a better life in the north

SLIDES

CLASSWORK:  Students were given a diary project to write based on their understanding of the Great Migration.  See your g-class for the directions.  Classtime will also be given tomorrow to work on it and complete it. 

Wednesday, December 10

Tuesday, December 9

1920s SAQ

Students completed their last 4 question SAQ of the semester covering topics like Harding's Return to Normalcy, 1920s consumer culture, and Prohibition.

Monday, December 8

PROHIBITION: THE DARK SIDE OF THE JAZZ AGE

Students were presented the topic of Prohibition, but specifically looked at the dark side of prohibition, including bootlegging, speakeasies, and the gang culture the 18th Amendment created. SLIDES

CLASSWORK: Students then examined a case file with primary sources to determine the different perspective surrounding Prohibition.

HOMEWORK: Study for the SAQ.

Friday, December 5

JAZZ AGE CULTURE: CONSUMER CULTURE

Students examined the culture of the 1920s, specifically the new consumer culture that encouraged many Americans to purchase luxuries that would often define them. Moreover, students also learned about how credit was developed to make these luxuries more accessible for a larger group of Americans. SLIDES

CLASSWORK: Students were then given one product of the 1920s and had 5 minutes to develop a quick pitch on their product. Like the show Shark Tank, students need to pitch why their product was necessary, helpful, and how buyers could pay for it in credit installments.

Thursday, December 4

JAZZ AGE ECONOMICS: FLIPBOOK OF INDUSTRY

Moving on from politics, students looked at the booming economy and industry of the post-war Jazz Age. Students developed a flipbook based on four budding industries in the 1920s: automotive, airline, radio, and advertising. The flipbook required that they draw a picture, summarize a textbook section, and relate the invention to a real-life example of the products in our modern age.

Wednesday, December 3

JAZZ AGE POLITICS: NORMALCY AND PEACE

Students began the Jazz Age by looking at President Warren G. Harding's "Return to Normalcy" policy. America was faced with the issue of whether or not they stay involved in European affairs or return to American isolationism. SLIDES

CLASSWORK: After the short lesson, students did a gallery walk and examined the various policies brought about under Harding's presidency. Once the walk was done, students answered a short-answer question.

Tuesday, December 2

ASSESSMENT DAY

Students completed their district assessment on the Red Scare, including multiple-choice and a free-response question.

CLASSWORK: Once the assessment was complete, students grabbed textbook and began to fill out this worksheet for the new chapter.

Monday, December 1

TEST PREP: THE FIRST RED SCARE

As students prepared for their assessment the following day, they were given a study guide and some test preparation materials to help them review the concepts and testing strategies that would be covered on Tuesday's assessment.

Students were also introduced to their final assignment for the course. The Lesser Known Notables project enables students to explore a historical figure who is not typically studied in class. Students will prepare resources and begin developing their projects over the next two weeks, leading up to finals. For the Final itself, students will have half of the time to build or finish their presentation, and then the remaining time to present their slides to the class.

CLASSWORK: Students completed a review video by answering questions, then proceeded to study the rest of the period using the study guide.

November 24-28

THANKSGIVING BREAK

HOMEWORK: Thanksgiving break extra credit assignment posted in g-class.

Friday, November 21

GOVERNMENT ON TRAIL: THE PALMER RAIDS

Students put the American government on trial by looking at the efficacy and reasoning behind the Palmer Raids as a response to the Red Scare. 

CLASSWORK: Students were given a worksheet to complete as they rotated around the room, examining six different primary sources. 

HOMEWORK: Thanksgiving break extra credit assignment posted in g-class.

Thursday, November 20

COMMUNISTS OF TRAIL: EMMA GOLDMAN

Students put communist and anarchist Emma Goldman on trial for deportation. During the Red Scare, many communists were brought into jails and hearings based on their views, which dissented from the government's during World War I and after the Russian Revolution of 1917. 

CLASSWORK: Student were given a document set and tchart to help them determine whether or not Emma Goldman was guilty and in need of deportation.

Wednesday, November 19

WWI SAQ

Tuesday, November 18

GREAT WAR REVIEW

Students reviewed the lesson material throughout their chapter on World War I. This covered key content on American involvement, Woodrow Wilson's policy, the home front, and American propaganda. This was all to prepare them for the following day's SAQ. They also received a study guide for the following day's SAQ.

CLASSWORK: Students played a review game through GimKit.

HOMEWORK: Study for the WWI SAQ on Wednesday.

Monday, November 17

AMERICAN PROPAGANDA: THE POSTER WAR

Students examined the impact of American propaganda during World War I and how George Creel and Woodrow Wilson sought to persuade the American public to join the war effort. The students then completed a virtual gallery walk, examining various period propaganda posters from WWI, and analyzed them through the featured questions. SLIDES.

HOMEWORK: Study for the WWI SAQ on Wednesday.

Friday, November 14

THE HOME FRONT: FOOD, SPEECH, AND MILITARY

Students were assigned to read from the textbook and answer questions based on the events occurring on the Home Front. This included the wartime agencies established, like the food administration, the booming workforce, the selective service, and the role of women in the military. 

CLASSWORK: Students were assigned this material to complete, which was due at the end of the period. They worked in small groups or by themselves.

Thursday, November 13

THE HOME FRONT: WILSON'S DECLARATION

Students analyze seven experts of Wilson's 1917 Declaration of War speech to Congress. The purpose of this activity was to help expose students to a primary source, but also to get them to think about the connection between Moral Diplomacy and Wilson's desire to support Europe during WWI.

CLASSWORK: Students walked around the classroom in a gallery walk, examining various excerpts from Wilson's speech. At each station, they summarized the passage, defined a hard-to-read or confusing word, and by the end, they summarized all they had read in one word.

Wednesday, November 12 

SIMULATION: IN THE TRENCHES

Students took the imaginary roles of soldiers on the Western Front during WWI. They came into class and immediately took their seats. During the simulation, they were making ammunition, playing "Steal the Bacon," and reading a news article from the French Press. The purpose of the simulation was to help "soldiers" understand some of the conditions that occurred during WWI and the different motivations that caused the War to persist.

Tuesday, November 11 - No School Veterans Day

Monday, November 10

WWI: THE BEGINNINGS OF A GREAT WAR (part 2)

Students picked up where they left off on the Great War. They examined how the war began and how Americans became involved, initially through economic means and eventually through military action. SLIDES

CLASSWORK: Students were given a vocabulary assignment to choose a word from a provided set. Using the textbook, they wrote the definition, used it in a WWI contextual sentence, drew an image, and then wrote a question for the class to answer. After students completed this, they went around and answered at least 4 questions on their classmates' work.

Friday, November 7

SAQ & WWI: THE BEGINNINGS OF A GREAT WAR

Students had their Imperialism SAQ. They were given 15 minutes to review their cheat sheet and study with partners. Then they had 25 minutes to complete their SAQ assessment by answering the 3 questions. After all students were finished, they were introduced to World War 1 and how it began by the one driver taking a wrong turn in Serbia. SLIDES

Thursday, November 6

IMPERIALISM REVIEW: INVESTIGATING THE IMPOSTERS

Students reviewed the lesson material throughout their chapter on Imperialism. This covered key content on the Spanish-American War, the Philippine War, the Panama Canal, and the various types of early 20th-century diplomacy. This was all to prepare them for the following day's SAQ.

CLASSWORK: Students played a review game through GimKit, where they had to answer questions related to the content to earn points and investigate who was an impostor in their spaceship.

Wednesday, November 5

THE EFFECTIVE USE OF AI

Students were guided through the practical and ethical use of AI as they participated in the RUSD Pilot program to develop guidelines for AI usage among students. Students learned what AI is, how to effectively use AI, and how to write prompts that will generate better AI output. SLIDES

CLASSWORK: Students completed this prompt organizer to show they understood the essential pieces of and AI prompt.

Tuesday, November 4

DIPLOMACY: BIG STICKS, DOLLARS, AND MORALITY

Students observed the three guiding diplomacies that steered America through imperialism: Roosevelt's Big Stick Diplomacy, Taft's Dollar Diplomacy, and Wilson's Moral Diplomacy. After the short lecture on diplomacy and imperialism (SLIDES), students rotated around the room, examining various documents and cartoons that captured the essence of each president's diplomatic approach. As students went around, they filled out a Venn diagram highlighting the goals, pros, cons, and overlaps of each method. 

Monday, November 3

SAQ SKILLS: WRITING LIKE A HISTORIAN

Students practiced their SAQ writing skills through the CER Framework. Students watched as Mr. Parry worked through several prompts and laid out various claims, evidence, and facts that supported what students had learned. Then, the students came up with CER short answers to answer questions. Lastly, students completed three SAQ prompts independently using the provided sentence frames. SLIDES

CLASSWORK: Students completed this packet of prompts with their neighbors and individually after working on the prompts with Mr. Parry.

Friday, October 31

IMPERIALISM: CANALS AND WARS

Students had the remainder of the day to complete their art project. If they completed, they had a video to watch and answer questions to.

Thursday, October 30

IMPERIALISM: CANALS AND WARS

Students came into class and answered the discussion question posted on the board with their partners. Then Mr. Parry delivered a lesson on the Panama Canal, Spanish American War, and Philippine War. Students were given the choice to complete a project on the one of the three events through a digital or hand drawn cartoon, propaganda poster, or interactive timeline. SLIDES.

Wednesday, October 29

INTRODUCTION: AMERICAN IMPERIALISM

Student's began the class period with the option to earn extra credit if they presented their art projects from the previous day. Then they began a new unit by discussing American imperialism and understanding the expansion of American responsibility and power. They watched Uncle Ben's speech to Peter Parker about the idea that with great power, there must also be great responsibility. The class then looked at multiple scenarios of American Imperialism and analyzed whether America had used its power responsibly or irresponsibly. As students rotated the scenarios around, they grabbed a sticky note, wrote their idea down, and explained why. They then placed their sticky note on the board under the category they felt most fit. They closed the class with an exit ticket where they answered if Uncle Ben was right and if America was using its power wisely overall. SLIDES.

Monday, September 22

UNIT ASSESSMENT DAY

Students wrote an assessment of the unit

Friday, September 19  (Mr. Parry teaching)

REVIEW DAY

Students participated in a review game for the exam on Monday

Thursday, September 18

RECONSTRUCTION: A CONCLUSION?

SLIDES

Finished our look at the era of Reconstruction with a lecture and two videos that covered the positives of the era and the negatives of the era, including racial terrorism

HOMEWORK: Study for the unit exam which will be next Monday.  Study guide is on your g-class

Wednesday, September 17

RECONSTRUCTION: THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Students finished up their presentations on the 13, 14 and 15th Amendments and in the closing minutes of the class, Mr. Peters brought out the positive and negative results of Reconstruction.

HOMEWORK: Study for the unit exam which will be next Monday.  Study guide is on your g-class

Tuesday, September 16

RECONSTRUCTION: THE QUESTIONS AND THE ANSWERS

SLIDES

We continued our look at Reconstruction, using a few of the slides to unpack the big questions and the definition of Reconstructions, students were tasked to create a visual representation of the 13, 14 and 15th Amendments and the Southern resistance to them.  25 minutes were given to work on them and they will be completed tomorrow.

CLASSWORK:  Poster creation.  Instructions are here and on the g-class

HOMEWORK: Begin studying for the unit exam which will be next Monday.  Study guide is on your g-class

Monday, September 15

A FRACTURED NATION: HOW TO RECONSTRUCT THE BROKEN COUNTRY

Mr. Peters reviewed the unit as we've covered thus far and using the start of these slides students were taught of the end of the Civil War, the death of Lincoln and the destruction of the South and the need to put the country back together again (Like Humpty Dumpty tale)

Then, as introduction to the period of Reconstruction, students were given back the poster that they had made last week.  The poster was cut up into many pieces, and the students were tasked with taping them back together, to "reconstruct" the country.  Students did so and found that one piece was missing from their poster.

Discussion followed, as we talked about:
What was frustrating about the reconstruction of your poster?
How do the posters look now?  Are they perfect?
What does the hole in the poster represent? What might be "Missing" from America after the Civil War is done?

Friday, September 12

No school today

Thursday, September 11

LINCOLN AND GETTYSBURG: HOW IT MOVED TOWARD FREEING THE SLAVES

We finished the analysis of the Address, students were given extended time to write a response (lengthy one!) to question #8.  Turned in at the end of the period

ADDRESS   QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

Wednesday, September 10

LINCOLN AND GETTYSBURG: HOW IT MOVED TOWARD FREEING THE SLAVES

Mr. Peters led the students through the story of how Gettysburg came to be and what the cemetary ceremony was all about.  Students were then given a copy of the Gettysburg Address that we analyzed together.  

ADDRESS   QUESTIONS TO ANSWER     GETTYSBURG SLIDES

Tuesday, September 9

SLAVERY: THE CAUSE OF THE CIVIL WAR

Using the torn poster from yesterday, Mr. Peters illustrated how the poster was torn by slavery and secession over the defense of slavery.  The last of these slides helped to reinforce that as Mr. Peters presented a lecture on slavery's influence on the Civil War and the rise of the Lost Cause Mythology .  

SLIDES

Monday, September 8

AMERICA IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 1800'S: A FLYOVER OF THE COUNTRY

Continuation and completion of the project from yesterday.  Students finished their posters and all were taped to the front of the room. Mr. Peters discussed the contents, emphasizing the point that in these 50 years the country was growing, expanding, developing a "national" spirit, they were no longer "brand new" and were beginning to really develop as a country.... It was "beautiful!"

Posters were awarded and then, Mr. Peters used one to make a point about what was coming ...  the "ripping apart" of a country that was progressing and advancing.  How to patch that together will be the next step of our study.

Friday, September 5

AMERICA IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 1800'S: A FLYOVER OF THE COUNTRY

Continuation of the project from yesterday. 

Thursday, September 4

AMERICA IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 1800'S: A FLYOVER OF THE COUNTRY

Mr. Peters reviewed where the unit had brought us, and then introduced the plan ahead of us.  Students formed groups of 3 to present "USA: 1800-1850"  Here are the directions.  The class time was spent preparing the posters

Wednesday, September 3

THE BILL OF RIGHTS: WHAT THEY WERE, REALLY

Mr. Peters started with a review of the content we have covered thus far as well as a brief introduction to what the Bill of Rights are in the context of the time in which they were written. We watched this video  as well to introduce it.

CLASSWORK: students were given time to complete a short assignment on the Bill of Rights.  See your g-class

Tuesday, September 2

THE CONSTITUTION: A BUNDLE OF COMPROMISES

Mr. Peters reviewed and then we finished the lecture on the writing of the Constitution after the Articles were deemed unsustainable.  We looked at the three main compromises that make up the Constitution

SLIDES.

Monday, September 1  - No School - Labor Day

Friday, August 29

THE CONSTITUTION: HOW OUR SOCIETY IS STRUCTURED GOVERNMENTALLY

We continued our look at the formation of the government, going from the failures of the Articles of Confederation into the Constitutional Convention and the writing of the US Constitution and creation of "Federalism."  We looked at and applied to our modern day the graphic illustrating the levels of government.

Thursday, August 28  - 62nd anniversary of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech!

THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION: THE FIRST GOVERNMENT GETS DRUNK ON FREEDOM

Students were given 30 minutes to complete the advertisements that we started yesterday, and then we presented them and talked through the arguments about the Articles that each one was making. 

Wednesday, August 27

THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION: THE FIRST GOVERNMENT GETS DRUNK ON FREEDOM

Mr. Peters reviewed the concepts as we've been learning them the last few days.

Mr. Peters continued with a discussion of how the Articles of Confederation "met the moment" of the 1770's by creating a government that was big on "freedom" and "liberty" for the states, but created a lot of chaos that would soon lead to a "abolishing" the Articles in favor of a government with more power - the Constitution and Federalism.

CLASSWORK: Students were in groups of 2-3 and were tasked with creating an "advertisement" for why people should approve or "buy" the Articles of Confederation, or why they should reject them.  Use the content covered in the lecture. 

15 minutes of classtime given to work on it, we will finish it tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 26

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH FREEDOM? AN ANALYSIS OF ITS DANGERS TO A FREE COUNTRY

Review of the concepts we have covered thus far, then transition to Students were tasked with writing down what one problem of freedom is, then find two other students in class and write what theirs is. Following discussion, Mr. Peters led students through the first part of this slide show.

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY:  Sign up for my Office Hour on Tuesday Sept 9 or Sept 11 and recite the passage of the Declaration of Independence that we highlighted/underlined today. You can make up to 3 mistakes for 10 points of EC.  Offer ends on September 11

Monday, August 25

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE: WHERE THE MAIN IDEAS OF AMERICA RESIDE

We reviewed last week's content and showed how the ideas and experienced were ultimately leading to the Revolutionary War.  Mr. Peters explained how it was initially a war for taxes and to get the British government to listen but the leaders of the colonies decided to make a break and declare their independence. 

Students received a hard copy of the Declaration of Independence and we started analyzing it. 

Breakout small group discussion about how we interpret the "all men are created equal" line given what we know about Thomas Jefferson's personal history of enslaving other humans.

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY:  Sign up for my Office Hour on Tuesday Sept 9 or Sept 11 and recite the passage of the Declaration of Independence that we highlighted/underlined today. You can make up to 3 mistakes for 10 points of EC.  Offer ends on September 11

Friday, August 22

THE BOSTON MASSACRE: DECIDING ON HOW TO TEACH IT

Website analyzing the Paul Revere progranda engraving

SLIDES

Reviewed what we covered this week, then using the prompt on the last slide, student had a class discussion (earning points for contributing) as we worked our way through the questions.

Thursday, August 21

THE BOSTON MASSACRE: WAS IT?

SLIDES

We went through the story of the Boston Massacre, using video clips that Mr. Peters stopped and started to explain the plot.  We analyzed the event and why it was considered a "massacre".  

Website analyzing the Paul Revere progranda engraving

Wednesday August 20

THE BREAKUP CONTINUES: STEPS TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

We reviewed what we learned about the influence of the French and Indian war's influence on the breakup of the colonies from Great Britian, then students conducted a "gallery walk" working through four stations of further events that would lead to the breakup.  Class discussion throughout, to be continued tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 19

ANATOMY OF A BREAKUP: HOW THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR WOULD LEAD TO THE COLONISTS BREAKING UP WITH GREAT BRITAIN (Part 2)

SLIDES

We finished what we started yesterday as we followed these slides of primary sources to tell the story of how the French and Indian war served as one of the reasons the colonists would "break up" with Great Britain.

CLASSWORK: Continuing on the same paper started yesterday... Part 2:  Write a letter to King George explaining why you're "breaking up" with him, writing from the perspective of the American colonists after the taxes started coming following the French and Indian war.

Part 3:  Students were given a short reading and written response on Ben Franklin's Join or Die cartoon from 1754.  See your the last SLIDE for the link. Write a one page summary of the article.  Papers collected at the bell for a grade

Monday, August 18

ANATOMY OF A BREAKUP: HOW THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR WOULD LEAD TO THE COLONISTS BREAKING UP WITH GREAT BRITAIN

Started our first unit today!! 

SLIDES

We looked and the musician Bono (of U2 fame) and his statement that "America is not a place, but an idea."  Students watched the clip in which he makes that argument and we discussed: What is an American?

Mr. Peters introduced the CENTRAL QUESTION that will guide our study in this unit and then to introduce the French and Indian war, created an illustration of a "break up" and told the story of himself breaking up with his senior year girlfriend.  (yea, it didn't go well).  With that as the metaphor, students began looking at how the French and Indian War served as one of the reasons the colonists would "break up" with Great Britain.

CLASSWORK:  Part one (to be continued tomorrow with parts 2 and 3).  On paper, students analyzed the two maps in the slide presentation, writing down 3 observations of the changes that came from the French and Indian War.

Friday, August 15

THE DANGER OF A SINGLE STORY: LEARNING TO LOOK DEEPER

What's your story? What's our story?  To conclude the introduction to the course, we went around the class and each person in the room added one more element to their personal story other than, "I'm a Junior at MLK in Riverside".  We used this as entry to the deeper learning of how telling stories often starts and stops at a single narrative, even though people and their histories are much deeper than that.  To develop this students watched this video titled, "The Danger of the Single Story."  

ASSIGNMENT IN CLASS - SEE YOUR G-CLASS: 

1) What are three things that help tell your story to this point in your life?
2) how was the speaker's story misinterpreted and
3) what was the message she wanted to get across?

Due at the bell 

Thursday, August 14

SYLLABUS DAY: THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF THE CLASS

Students were introduced to the class expectations and policies

HOMEWORK:  Sign and initial the last page of the syllabus. Have a parent do the same. Return it for a grade.

Wednesday, August 13

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP: RUSD REQUIREMENT

Students completed a lesson for the RUSD on "code switching"  - submitted work on Google Classroom for a grade

Tuesday, August 12

INGRATITUDE IS A SHABBY FAILING: AND OTHER REASONS TO STUDY HISTORY

Review of yesterday and continued introduction to the class and why we are here. Mr. Peters read from a passage of a David McCullough speech on why studying the past should create a sense of gratitude in us.  Slides 

Students wrote a note of gratitude to a "teacher from their past" and submitted it for Mr. Peters to pass along to that person

Monday, August 11

HISTORY STARTS NOW:  Understanding How the Past and the Present Intersect

Why do we study history? What's the point?  We discussed the various reasons humans continue to rehearse, revise and record our past.  We discussed the "past" , the "present" and the "future" and what that means for our class and our lives.

We also looked at three levels of knowledge we use to interact with the past:

- Acquisitional knowledge (we are acquainted with something)

-  Propositional knowledge (how we know something to be true)

- Practical knowledge (how we use what we know to make sense of life)

... and how all three of these relate to water bottles and history. 

Monday, October 27

UNIT PROJECT: ARTWORK FOR THE (INDUSTRIAL) AGES

Students started their final project for the unit, where they needed to recap the topics of the Industrial Revolution, including immigration, industrialization, problems of the age, and the Progressive Era. Students recapped what they covered by watching a video and summarizing the key content of the era. They were then tasked with drafting their graffiti artwork for the following day's art project.

Friday, October 24

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM PROJECT: YOU'RE A MUCKRAKER

Students completed their muckraker project and turned it in by the end of the period.

Thursday, October 23

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM PROJECT: YOU'RE A MUCKRAKER

SLIDES Students were given a project where they became muckrakers and investigated one of four issues (racial inequality, women's suffrage, environmental conservation, Prohibition). In class, they began their research on the topics by utilizing the videos and primary source packets provided for the various issues.

CLASSWORK: Students began the research on their topics and answered three questions: 1. What was the problem? 2. Who was most affected? 3. What reforms are underway? Their answers were due by the end of the period.

Wednesday, October 22

SOLUTIONS: LABOR, IMMIGRATION, & TRUSTS

SLIDES Students researched the Progressives' solutions to major problems of the Industrial Revolution. The analyzed 12 solutions to 4 problems (3 solutions each; child labor, adult labor, immigration, and robber barons). Once students completed their slides on their solution, they had to summarize one solution from each of the four problems and then select a solution that they found was most effective for solving an issue.

CLASSWORK: Completing a slide with a solution to the problems, and then summarizing the solutions and arguing for one that is found to be most effective (worksheet).

Tuesday, October 21

THE PROGRESSIVE ERA: NEW IDEAS DESIGNED TO FIX PROBLEMS

Students were told a story of a small town and its story of progress. This story aimed to highlight how students connected the core ideas of progress as the solution to the flaws of the Industrial Revolution. They were then taught about the the Progressive Era ideal of the Social Gospel and Social Darwinism. These two ideas introduce "solutions" given to solve the Industrial Revolution's problems. Students did a gallery walk and assessed the differing perspectives on the different philosophies.

CLASSWORK:  Gallery walk of primary sources. Students were to fill out a T-Chart that helped students conceptualize the different philosophies.

HOMEWORK: "Flaws of the Industrial Revolution" for those who did not complete in class.

Monday, October 20

INDUSTRIALISM: THE GOOD AND THE BAD

Students were reminded of the Central Question of the unit and how it is woven into the age we're studying but also the whole essence of the American experience.  We discussed "the pursuit of happiness" that is in the Declaration of Independence and the life each student is living "to pursue a better life, a happier life" and the way this has compelled immigrants to come into the country, looking for work both in the Industrial age and today.

Then, students viewed a short video (see here) that covers and reviews some of the big ideas of the Industrial Age and its impact on workers, children, business and consumers.

The balance of the time was given to finishing up the project that you have been working on.

CLASSWORK:  "Flaws of the Industrial Revolution" - can work in partnerships. Due at the end of the period.

Friday, October 17

LABOR UNION PROJECT DAY

Thursday, October 16

LABOR UNION PROJECT DAY

Wednesday, October 15

BUSINESS ON STRIKE: THE RISE OF LABOR UNIONS

Students were given their in-class project on labor unions. They also looked at the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor and their contributions to the rise of labor unions.

Tuesday, October 14

IN CLASS BETTER LIFE PRESENTATIONS

Monday, October 13

IN CLASS PROJECT DAY

Friday, October 10

CHILD LABOR IN AMERICA

Students studied Child Labor in factories and created their own pieces of art that captured various sentiments of child laborers.

Thursday, October 9

THE JUNGLE

Student analyzed excerpts from The Jungle and learned about the terrible working conditions in the factories and the unsanitary practices that occurred in American meatpacking houses.

Wednesday, October 8

IN-CLASS PROJECT DAY

Students were given the whole class period to work on the Better Life Project. Students had to complete an organizer and turn it in at the end of the period in order to demonstrate they had begun working and researching the different areas of their project.

Tuesday, October 7

TITANS OF INDUSTRY: The Robber Barons

For this project, students in Mr. Parry’s U.S. History class were tasked with creating a Fakebook page for one of the Gilded Age’s robber barons—Carnegie, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Fisk, or J.P. Morgan. Each student selected a baron, researched their life and business practices, and then developed a creative profile that included a short biography, lists of six influential friends and six rivals, and a series of four historically informed posts—two longer text-based updates reflecting the baron's views, and two shorter, image-based promotions or reactions. The project challenged students to synthesize key dates and controversies into realistic social media-style posts, using primary and secondary sources, while also thinking critically about business power, public perception, and labor issues in the era. Whatever was not finished in class was to be completed for homework.

Monday, October 6

INDUSTRIAL INVENTIONS DAY 2

Students continued working on their choice boards and took an assessment at the end of the assignment to analyze how the expansion of technology in the Industrial Revolution led to/or did not lead to a better life for Americans. The remaining class time was spent dedicated to the Better Life multimedia project.

Friday, October 3

INDUSTRIAL INVENTIONS DAY 1

Student began working on their Industrial Inventions choice boards, where they looked at and analyzed six inventions of the Industrial Revolution. This project is due on Monday, Oct. 6, by the end of class.

Thursday, October 2

SIMULATION: Parry's Productive Paper Factory

Students participated in Parry's Productive Paper Factory, learning the stages of industrialization, and America moved from a time of craftsman to mechanization. This simulation illustrates the progression and advancement of labor and technology during the Industrial Revolution.

Wednesday, October 1

INTRO TO BIG BUSINESS: Overview of the 1880s

Students were given an overview of Big Business in the Industrial Revolution covering topics like big oil, robber barons, and new technologies. They were then given a primary source packet to allow students to see firsthand accounts and inventions of the period.

Tuesday, September 30

DISTRICT ASSESSMENT 

Students had the period to work on the RUSD assessment.  Extra time, if applicable, was devoted to working on your project

Monday, September 29

DISTRICT ASSESSMENT: REVIEW

Students went over their previous test from Monday 09/22. Then, they proceeded to look over the content and skills necessary for the District Assessment. 

Friday, September 26

CHINESE EXCLUSION: DARK TIMES IN THE WEST

Students had a brief overview of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the trials it made Chinese immigrants and Chinese American hop through during their migration process. Students then had an in-class assignment that was to be completed through Google Classroom.

HOMEWORK: Finish the assignment given in class; Due Monday 09/29 by 2:25 PM.

Thursday, September 25

ASIAN IMMIGRATION: THE GROUP THAT WENT WEST

Students looked at Asian Immigration as Chinese and Japanese Americans came to the West Coast to find homes and jobs in industries like mining, agriculture, and railroads. Students also did a gallery walk analyzing the various primary sources around the room to determine if they were from a nativist or pro-immigration perspective.

Wednesday, September 24

EASTERN AND SOUTHERN EUROPEAN IMMIGRATION: THE LARGEST GROUP EVER (TO THAT POINT)

Students looked at European Immigrants and their push and pull factors for coming to America. Topics such as nativism, living conditions, and Ellis Island were addressed. Students were also introduced to their unit project.

Tuesday, September 23 (Mr. Parry Teaching from this point forward)

INTRODUCTION: WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR A BETTER LIFE?

Students were introduced to the next unit and were given a brief overview of the topics that will be discussed over the next month.