Way To Go!

Congratulations on successfully completing your mid-term exam. Those students who completed the study guide added significantly to their final scores. You persisted (habit of mind), you worked on accuracy (habit of mind), and you communicated with clarity (habit of mind). Great job!

Upon your return you will have the opportunity to reflect on the mid-term experience using a series of guided questions. This exercise will give you the guidance you need to modify your study habits in order to prepare for future performance assessments. In addition, you will be writing a letter to your parents/guardians updating them on your accomplishments to date and your future goals.

Constitutional Scavenger Hunt

To get us back to thinking about the Constitution, we will start the week by watching a clip from the State of the Union Address. The clip features the House chamber and members of all three branches of government. We will then proceed with a group activity where you will have a series of challenge questions focused on the Constitution. Working with the Constitution and partners you will try to solve the “what if” scenarios presented. Then we will turn to the Bill of Rights and look at how your rights are protected or limited in different high school settings. Our study will feature actual cases that were brought before the Supreme Court on behalf of students. In addition, we will also look at our own local Bill of Rights story that has unfolded at Portsmouth High School.

The Oscars Highlight History

Oscar nominations were recently announced and movies based on historical events once again received numerous nominations. “The Queen,” nominated for Best Movie, tells the story of the true life struggle between Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair as they prepare their country to mourn the death of Princess Diana. Clint Eastwood’s “Letters from Iwo Jima,” also nominated for Best Movie, is the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers. This film complements “Flags of Our Fathers,” which tells the same story from the perspective of American soldiers. Finally, Best Documentary nominations include “An Inconvenient Truth,” the story of global warming. Former Vice President Al Gore has been the moving force behind this movie and is the narrator.

Reminders

Current events will continue on Day 3. You should also return your portfolio to the classroom. The only item you need from the first semester portfolio is your Constitution outline.

A Time to Shine

It is time for mid term exams and I hope you see this event as an opportunity to show your understanding of early American history. As you prepare for the exam, make sure to use your portfolio assignments, your text, standard sheets, study guide and the trusty blog!

When reviewing the material keep in mind that we have been telling the story of the founding of our country. Think about the place, the plot and the characters involved. Try to get away from memorizing facts and think of how you would tell someone the story of colonization and settlement in the three regions (standard 1). How would you tell about the events leading up to the American Revolution and then the writing of our Constitution (standard 2)? It may be helpful to work with a parent or sibling who could listen and then ask you questions.

If you have kept up during the semester and you give yourself ample time to review the material, you should be confident on the day of your exam. The night before, check to make sure you have your study guide, as they will be collected prior to taking the exam. You may use pen or pencil for the exam. Come prepared and bring along a positive attitude.

If you need one last opportunity to go over any of the content or skills, I will be available after school on Monday.

The Bill of Rights in Action

Many of you have been following the quest of Patrick Agin from Portsmouth High School to have his controversial senior photo included in the yearbook. The photo shows Patrick in medieval garb complete with sword. The principal of PHS banned the photo, citing the school’s zero tolerance policy towards weapons. Patrick believed his First Amendment rights were violated so he called on the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to help argue his case.

Yesterday, the Rhode Island Department of Education ruled that Patrick may have his medieval style photo included in the yearbook. The ACLU called the ruling an “important victory for students’ free speech rights.” Congratulations to this young man who understood his rights and knew how to go about defending them against infringement!

But we also must keep in mind that rights and responsibilities have to be balanced and students do not have all of their constitutional rights while in school (Tinker v. Des Moines, Iowa). “The Newport Daily News” of January 20, 2007, reports that the Portsmouth School Committee plans to rewrite the “zero tolerance” policy specifically to exclude weapons from future yearbook photos.

Speaking of the Constitution

On Tuesday, January 23, President Bush will deliver his State of the Union Address. Article II (Executive Branch) section 3 (Duties of the President) of the Constitution states “He shall from time to time give to Congress information of the state of the Union…” I encourage you to watch at least the first 15 minutes of the speech. It is a grand opportunity to see the House chamber (the largest room in the Capitol) and the many dignitaries who will be in attendance. The television commentators do an exceptional job of identifying key people, their positions, and the role they play in the Administration. The State of the Union address is one of the highlights of the Congressional session.

Tivo time

PBS (channels 2, 36, and 44) is going to be running two shows you may be interested in saving for future viewing: “John and Abigail Adams: The Original Power Couple,” and a four-part series, “The Supreme Court.” The Adams story is two hours long and chronicles their life from the American Revolution until John’s death on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (Hollywood couldn’t have written a better script). Both shows have extensive web sites that allow you to further explore your interests.

Checks and Balances

A Day and a Man to Remember

Let us all take time to remember Dr. Martin Luther King and the great service and sacrifices he made for this country. He articulated a grand vision for our country, much like the original founders. Ask yourself what you have done or could do to support King’s dream of a country that treats all of its people with respect and dignity.

Current Events and the Constitution

The Constitution and its system of checks and balances were featured in our review of current events this week. Our worksheet asked how the Legislature could balance or restrain the Chief Executive in exercising the duties of “Commander in Chief” of the armed forces. Many of you responded by citing Article I, section 8, which gives Congress the right to appropriate or not appropriate funds for the armed services. One student even suggested that Congress could stop the President through the impeachment process, an extreme measure but one recently advocated in advertisements in major newspapers. On Wednesday, President Bush spoke to the nation about the war in Iraq and his plan to send an additional 21,500 troops there in an effort to stop the violence. Many in Congress have expressed opposition to this plan, so we will be witnessing what some reporters have described as a Constitutional confrontation. Understanding how the Constitution is structured with its series of checks and balances and separation of powers will give us a better understanding of this confrontation as it unfolds.

Back in 1787 not all supported the new Constitution. The Anti-Federalists feared a strong central government and the lack of a Bill of Rights. The ratification process took several months as Federalists defended the new government with a series of essays now called The Federalist Papers authored by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay. Your ratification worksheet will walk you through the major issues and debates of the time that ultimately led to all thirteen states approving the new government. Rhode Island was the last state to approve the document.

Midterm Exam

Our exam period is fast approaching so here are a few recommendations to help you prepare:

*Use the study guide and the standard sheets to focus your study time.

*Terms, events and key people need to be understood in context and not as isolated vocabulary words.

*Use your portfolio assignments to support your understanding of key concepts and skills.

*When using your text, use the special summary guide, the end of chapter reviews and the graphics and images…a picture is worth a thousand words!

*Use the blog: start with September and read the weekly entries; by reading the entries you will have a review of our entire semester, and the live links will give you the opportunity to review events, ideas, or skills about which you may still have questions.

231 Years Ago

“Common Sense” is celebrating its 231st birthday on January 15. Thomas Paine’s pamphlet clearly outlined the common sense arguments for the colonies to break away from England. In addition, he argued that people could establish their own governments and did not need kings or queens. As we discussed when we read portions of this 47-page document, it is considered the most influential pamphlet every written. It would not be surprising if you were asked about “Common Sense” on your mid-term exam!

Liberty versus Order

This week we watched the final episode of “Liberty,” which focused on how the nation would be governed. England saw the effort of the former colonists to establish a democracy as an “experiment” that was bound to fail. Under the Articles of Confederation, our country was a weak alliance of states. Taxes could not be collected at the federal level and outbreaks such as Shay’s Rebellion where difficult to quell.

Finally, in 1787 a strong group of Federalists arrived in Philadelphia with the idea of rewriting the Articles, but it soon became apparent that a whole new government was required. James Madison, a 37 year old delegate from Virginia, came to the convention with the idea of a bicameral legislature. This kicked off the first major debate of the convention as to how the legislative branch should be organized. You have a graphic organizer that will help you sort through the big state and small state proposals as well as the final compromise, sometimes know as the Great Compromise or the Connecticut Compromise. Remember to use the back side of the organizer to list other compromises the delegates had to make in order to reach a final document. We should pause and think about the role of compromise not only in government but also in our own lives. Is the ability to compromise an important skill to learn or is compromise seen as a weakness? What issues or ideas can be compromised and are there other issues or ideas that can’t be compromised?

Next week we will start our reenactment of the Constitutional Convention. Be prepared with your name cards, introductions and your best acting skills. Let’s put ourselves back in 1787 and try to imagine what the opportunities and challenges must have been to this small group of men who were writing rules for a new nation based on liberty. How could they balance liberty with order? How strong should the federal government be? As one of the historians on “Liberty” said, “This issue is still being debated today.”

Current Events

History was made on January 4, 2007, with the swearing in of the 110th Congress. It is the first time the House has selected a woman, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), as Speaker. In addition, the membership of Congress has become even more diverse with election of the first two Buddhist members and the first Muslim.

Your next current event must focus on the Legislative branch. There are ample stories in the news that talk about the actions of the House and the Senate. Let’s use the stories of today to help us understand the decisions made by those who drafter our Constitution.

Reflection and Evaluation

Many of you mentioned that you had difficulty managing your time when you worked on projects. I thought you might find it useful to read over some tips from the College Board. If you know you have issues with time management you are half way to solving your problem. When you have a multi-step project, you may want to break your task into small tasks and then set up a timetable. The biggest mistake you can make is putting off the tasks, because as time gets short you will be more likely to cut corners and the quality of your work will suffer.

Another Perspective

The Oscar nominations are about to be announced and one of the leading contenders for Best Picture is “Letters from Iwo Jima.” As you may recall, in an earlier blog I wrote about Clint Eastwood’s movie “Flags of Our Fathers,” which is based on the best selling book describing the lives of the young men who raised the flag after the World War II battle of Iwo Jima. Now Eastwood has directed a movie telling the story of the battle from the Japanese perspective. Hats off to thinking and acting like a historian, Clint!

Happy New Year!

Before we left for our holiday break, we had started looking at Shay’s Rebellion by reading the text and three primary source documents. Our first document, written from the farmer’s perspective, clearly outlined a list of grievances. Our second document, written by George Washington, talked about his fears of rebellion so soon after the American Revolution. The last letter, by Thomas Jefferson, seemed to support the idea of rebellion and its value to a democracy. This week we will return to the documents and ask ourselves what is the role of rebellion in a democracy. Is rebellion something to be feared or a natural outgrowth of democracy?

Shay’s Rebellion will lead us into the study of the Constitution and the goal of the Framers to provide a government that will meet the needs of the people by providing for the defense and general welfare of the population as well as for future generations. We will be watching the last episode of "Liberty" and we will be reenacting several of the debates that took place in Philadelphia in 1787.

Current Events

This past week, while we may have been enjoying a time of rest and relaxation, major world and national events dominated the news. The deaths of former President Ford and the hanging of Saddam Hussein, two very different leaders who had a major impact on their countries, captured the front pages of our papers. President Ford will always be remembered as the President who issued a pardon to former President Nixon for his wrongdoings during the Watergate scandal. Hussein will forever be remembered as a brutal dictator who kept Iraq together with force and intimidation.

Keep in mind your current events are due on day 3.

First Spouse Coins

One of our current events focused on the “electability” of Senator Hillary Clinton. As part of our class discussion, one student asked if former President Bill Clinton would become the First Lady if his wife were elected President. It seems as if the Treasury has answered that question, as last week they announced they would be issuing “First Spouse” coins to accompany the recently announced Presidential coin series (see blog of November 23). The gold coins will feature the former first ladies in the order in which their husbands served. The first four coins will go on sale in May 2007. Each coin will feature the portrait of the first lady, with the reverse side depicting something associated with her interests. The Abigail Adams coin will depict her writing a letter to John Adams urging him to “remember the ladies” in his policy decisions.

A New Year…A Time for Resolutions

The beginning of a new year is a great time to pause and think about your goals and aspirations not only for the year 2007 but also for the long term. The work habits, skills, and knowledge that you are gathering in high school will be the foundation for your future success. If you learn to set goals, establish work plans, and practice good study and living habits now, you can be assured that future challenges will be met with success. I have never encountered a person who wished they had studied less, read fewer books, gotten lower grades, or ignored their friends and community. So take the time at the start of this fresh and exciting year to write down two or three goals for the year. Keep them handy, consult them often and strive to complete your tasks at hand. You will never regret taking the time to contemplate your future and to plan accordingly.