Expansion: Costs and Benefits

This week we completed our standard on Territorial Expansion by reading about the Oregon Trail experiences, the decision to remove the Native Americans from prime agricultural land and the War with Mexico which led to the addition of much of the territory now occupied by our southwestern states. The video on President Polk was an excellent review of the motives behind expansion and the idea that the United States had a “Manifest Destiny” to expand from the east coast to the west coast.

This spirit of expansion was captured by John Gast in his painting “American Progress.” You did a great job comparing and contrasting this painting with the “Trail of Tears,” which told another side of the expansion story.

With the end of our unit, we are ready for the final assessment which was announced at the start of our study. Keeping an eye on the calendar I have decided to focus on the chart and a brief writing assignment. You will have a choice as to which activity you would like to do to demonstrate your understanding of territorial expansion. The assignment is due Friday

Mr. Ruscito Reviews PBGRs

This week Mr. Ruscito gave you a briefing on the new graduation requirements. As part of your portfolio you will be expected to meet standard on a variety of tasks. The Social Studies department is preparing to offer a CIM history writing assignment within the next few weeks. The task will be an extended writing assignment requiring research. In English you are currently learning many of the skills that you will need to meet standard on the Social Studies task.

Portsmouth Sword Case

Last week the Portsmouth School Committee issued a new policy on yearbook pictures. We have been following this case which involved First Amendment issues, the American Civil Liberties Union and student rights. Last month the Rhode Island Commissioner of Education ruled in favor of the student, allowing the picture of the graduating senior, with his mock sword, to appear in the yearbook. After the ruling, the School Committee said it would review the picture policy and make changes to avoid this type of conflict in the future. The new policy, announced this week, prohibits any accessories or backdrops. All pictures must be traditional indoor or outdoor scenes and the yearbook staff and faculty advisor have full editorial rights to make any changes to submitted pictures.

Current Events

We will continue with our study of current events every day 3. Make sure you select a quality article (look for the author’s name) about a national or international issue. To earn full credit you must have a full paragraph summary (in your own words) and a second paragraph that tells us why you selected the article and its link to history or government. This is a great opportunity to earn lots of points.

A Word about Homework

The most important homework assignment is the one you assign for your own review. Many of you are not taking the time to review the work we have done in class so your understanding of the standard is limited. You have the standards and benchmarks which clearly outline what a student should understand. If you don’t understand then you need to take corrective action: reread, ask questions, check the blog, or stop by after school for a one on one review.

Thank you

Thank you to many of you who have come by to offer your congratulations on my recent selection as Middletown Teacher of the Year. I feel fortunate to work with so many other talented teachers at MHS, all in an effort to provide you with the best possible education.