From Phil to Al

Our week of study was shortened with our celebration of Columbus Day and a half day on Tuesday so teachers could engage in professional development...learning never ends, even for teachers.

Before you handed in your “Unrighteous Traffick” worksheet we took the time to focus on the big ideas of each of the four episodes you watched. The big idea gives us the opportunity to step back from all the facts and figures and focus on the key significance of each episode. The last episode entitled “Legacy” was especially powerful and you clearly articulated that talking about slavery is difficult but it must be discussed if we are to understand our history and how it affects our lives today. We spoke about how the legacy of slavery and racism was recently played out with the Jena six in Louisiana.

You also worked on a chart on colonial workers. (See how handy they are in helping you organize information!) Your group interviews allowed you to practice asking open ended questions. We talked about the push and pull factors that cause people to move from their native land to a new colony. The yearning for a better life and opportunity are the same reasons why many people come to the U.S. today. This was also a good review as we prepare for our first PBGR task which will involve reading primary source documents and developing a thesis.

King Philip’s War

King Philip’s War was a conflict that happened in our own backyard with long term consequences for economic dependence on England that ultimately led to the American Revolution. You acted as good historians as you asked questions and checked multiple sources. We quickly discovered that writers have interpreted this event in a variety of ways. One text identified the war “as a turning point in history,” while another text completely ignored the conflict. It is up to each of us to read a variety of sources and then to construct our own understanding of events. The study and interpretation of events is an ongoing endeavor. King Philip’s War was recently reexamined by Jill Lepore in her book “The Name of War: King Philip’s War and the Origins of American Identity.”

Next week we will continue to look at the clashes between the colonists and the Native Americans in the French and Indian War.

Reconnecting the Circle

It is that time of year when many organizations conduct essay contests for high school students. One organization that is promoting a greater understanding of Native American history and its importance to our country is sponsoring an essay contest where 10 students will win cash prizes of $2,500 (that would be a nice addition to your college fund). For further information on this contest you can go to http://www.reconnectingthecircle.com/.

Congratulations Al

What many consider the highest award, the Nobel Peace Prize, was awarded to former Vice President Al Gore and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their work on global warming. The Nobel prizes are awarded each year to people who have made a valuable contribution to “the good of humanity.” The prize is funded by an endowment established by Alfred Nobel, who became one of the world’s richest men in the late 1860’s with the development of dynamite. He was disturbed that his discovery was being used in war and wanted to counter this with an award that promoted international peace.