Are You Ready for a Revolution?
This week you received a copy of Standard II on the American Revolution. While the Standard may appear to be a list of things to cover, I like to think of it as a roadmap. It tells us key places we want to stop along the way to our ultimate destination.
As good historians we should always begin by generating questions, assessing our prior knowledge (you are so fortunate that you live where the Revolution occurred), looking for connections and evaluating the numerous sources available to us. Two sites that I would encourage you to visit are Liberty and History of US. If you find other sites that would be useful for your fellow historians, please bring in the address. We will evaluate the site and you can receive extra credit if your site is selected to post on the blog.
Music fans will know that The Beatles (do I need to identify this band?) sang a song entitled “Revolution.” I am looking for a legal copy of the song so we can play it in class, so please start rummaging through that box of old vinyl records your family may have stashed away or check those old cassette tapes.
Habits of Mind
This week we also started thinking about our thinking. The Habits of Mind are steps people can take to help solve problems. We will be looking at the different thinking techniques and trying to incorporate them into our own problem solving opportunities. This list must be kept in your notebook as we will refer to these Habits on a regular basis
War leads to Debt
The French and Indian War, like all wars, resulted in debt. At the same time, the colonists were starting to view themselves as set apart from the citizens of England. Yes, the colonists were still loyal to the King and viewed themselves as British citizens but they also believed they were different. The colonists were developing a different national culture. They believed they deserved equal treatment with the citizens of England through their hard work and tenacity.
The Parliament, in an effort to pay the war debt, passed a series of tax measures aimed at the colonists. At the same time, the King, to prevent further conflict with the Native Americans and curtail military spending, drew a line down the Appalachian Mountains (The Proclamation Line) and told the colonists not to cross this artificial barrier. The colonists were irate. They had just finished fighting a war to gain access to the new land and now the King was telling them not to move west. The parliament was passing tax laws and the colonists had no representation. This was too much to bear and the colonists started boycotting British goods and protesting.
Your homework this weekend is focus on key events that led to the Revolution. This is an opportunity for you to work with your partner (learning by teaching others) and to think about what were the key events. Make sure you take the time to select those events you believe are the most significant. Your rubric requires you to tell why you selected each event.
The Power of Ideas
Next week we will look at the philosophical ideas behind the Revolution. We will be reading the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson and “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine. Both authors draw ideas from the Enlightenment thinkers of Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. You can make a clear connection with your study of Modern World History and United States History.
Current Events
Your next current events assignment will be due November 9. You have several days to do the assignment so you should be aiming to earn extra credit. Follow the rubric and use the comments I write on your paper to make improvements. We will also be ready for a current events quiz so make sure your notes are in order as you may use them during the quiz. You will also be writing the questions for the quiz as you practice writing open (more then one correct answer) and closed (only one correct answer) questions.
One down and three to go
We are finishing the first quarter this coming week. You will have time to update your portfolio and to add up all of your points so you can figure your raw score. I have your essays, quiz on the events leading to the Revolution and your last current events to hand back. Since the class operates on a point system you don’t have to fool with figuring out certain weights for tests, essays or homework. The checks are “money in the bank” and can be used to increase your raw score. If you have checks or check pluses for all of your assignments you can earn extra credit.
Our taxation question
While talking about “no taxation without representation” I asked what location in the United States is still taxed with out representation. What citizens pay taxes but do not have Senators or Representatives in Congress? Do you want to think about it? Do you want to look it up?
War leads to Debt
The French and Indian War, like all wars, resulted in debt. At the same time, the colonists were starting to view themselves as set apart from the citizens of England. Yes, the colonists were still loyal to the King and viewed themselves as British citizens but they also believed they were different. The colonists were developing a different national culture. They believed they deserved equal treatment with the citizens of England through their hard work and tenacity.
The Parliament, in an effort to pay the war debt, passed a series of tax measures aimed at the colonists. At the same time, the King, to prevent further conflict with the Native Americans and curtail military spending, drew a line down the Appalachian Mountains (The Proclamation Line) and told the colonists not to cross this artificial barrier. The colonists were irate. They had just finished fighting a war to gain access to the new land and now the King was telling them not to move west. The parliament was passing tax laws and the colonists had no representation. This was too much to bear and the colonists started boycotting British goods and protesting.
Your homework this weekend is focus on key events that led to the Revolution. This is an opportunity for you to work with your partner (learning by teaching others) and to think about what were the key events. Make sure you take the time to select those events you believe are the most significant. Your rubric requires you to tell why you selected each event.
The Power of Ideas
Next week we will look at the philosophical ideas behind the Revolution. We will be reading the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson and “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine. Both authors draw ideas from the Enlightenment thinkers of Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. You can make a clear connection with your study of Modern World History and United States History.
Current Events
Your next current events assignment will be due November 9. You have several days to do the assignment so you should be aiming to earn extra credit. Follow the rubric and use the comments I write on your paper to make improvements. We will also be ready for a current events quiz so make sure your notes are in order as you may use them during the quiz. You will also be writing the questions for the quiz as you practice writing open (more then one correct answer) and closed (only one correct answer) questions.
One down and three to go
We are finishing the first quarter this coming week. You will have time to update your portfolio and to add up all of your points so you can figure your raw score. I have your essays, quiz on the events leading to the Revolution and your last current events to hand back. Since the class operates on a point system you don’t have to fool with figuring out certain weights for tests, essays or homework. The checks are “money in the bank” and can be used to increase your raw score. If you have checks or check pluses for all of your assignments you can earn extra credit.
Our taxation question
While talking about “no taxation without representation” I asked what location in the United States is still taxed with out representation. What citizens pay taxes but do not have Senators or Representatives in Congress? Do you want to think about it? Do you want to look it up?
posted by "1776 and More" at 1:16 PM
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