The Bill of Rights: 10 Ammendments...

Hey Gang,

      Today is another FLEX day.  I will be here at noon and be staying until 8pm.  As for the day today, there are a few things you must do.

1. Finish both the modules that have been assigned over the past two weeks.  ( Slip Game & 7 Principles)
2. Log onto Edmodo and join the group Bill of Rights: 10 Ammendments
3. Read the TIME Magazine article Your Bill of Rights
4. Contribute to an academic discussion centered on the Bill of Rights.

The issues addressed in the Bill of Rights include freedom of religion, press, speech, and assembly; the right to keep and bear firearms; the right to refuse to house soldiers on private property; the right to trial by jury and due process of law; protection against unreasonable searches and seizures; and protection against cruel and unusual punishment. These subjects would be covered in the first eight of ten amendments known as the Bill of Rights. Madison used the Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason in 1776, as he led the development of the national Bill of Rights.


From the cluttered mind of C,
Teacher School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Constitutional Principles II...

Happy Monday Teenie Boppers,

      It is great to be back here with all of you.  I hope your module on Friday helped you construct some meaning out of the Constitution.  Those 7 principles we found in the module can be found and revisited in the media below...

7 Constitutional Principles

Hippocampus Constitutional Principles

      I would highly suggest you revisit at least one of these links to set your table for class.  As we discuss your understanding and learning from last week, there is an essential question we all need to keep in our minds.  Why do you think the Framers and Founders emphasized these constitutional principles so much?

      Remember, you have two modules due tomorrow.  The Slip Game module and the 7 Principles module from last week.  Once you have set your table, revisited some of the media, and have your work, meet in community circle.  Enjoy!



From the cluttered mind of C, Teacher
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

WICR & Constitutional Principles...

Happy Friday Gang,

      Today is Friday, December 14, 2012.  Your teachers will miss you today, and hope you all have a phenomenal weekend.  As you start your work for the day, remember that you will be doing modules for both myself and Dubbs.  Her Module can be found on Edmodo. My module can be found on Bb9  in the same place as the first module you did on the Constitution.

          Historical Literacy - Founding & Framing - Immerse - The Constititution

When you get into The Constititution you will see the Slip Game module, and you will also see 7 Constitutional Principles.  The 7 Constitutional principles are Popular Sovereignty, Limited Government, Federalism, Checks and Balances, Separation of Powers, Republicanism, and Individual Rights.  There is an 8th one called Judicial Review, but I don't think the Founders & Framers had this in mind when they wrote the original document.  Just focus on the main 7.

      The graphic organizer from this module will be due next Tueday.  We will need the graphic organizer for an activity to be done together in class.  Enjoy!  Learn.  Construct Meaning.

Yours Truly,
C

From the cluttered mind of C, Teacher
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

From Founding Fathers to The Constitution...

Hello from the SLATE Conference,

      Please view the links below and read the short blog post that follows.  Last week we tried to take a close look at the first 5 Presidents.  Those men were not just our first Presidents, but they were also what historians call our FOUNDING FATHERS.  We will be switching gears here to look at the work they did on The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, and The Bill of Rights.  

      A CONSTITUTION is a legal framework for government.  It tells how a government is organized and run.  Most constitutions are in writing, but some have unwritten parts.  If a constitution tells a government how to run, then what are the purposes of government?  How should governments be organized?  How are people selected to serve in government, and how is government supposed to go about doing business?  
      
Having a constitution does not mean that a nation has a CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT.  A constitutional government means that there are limits on the powers of government: Limited Government.  This means there are things the government cannot do and actions it may not take.  Our constitution limits the powers of government.  The limits are written into the Constitution.

The CONSTITUTION with Tim and Moby

Webmix on Symbaloo

From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

TLH Categories: How do you think we have met these learning targets?

Good Morning and Good Day,

      Some of these faces should start to look fairly familiar by now.  One, two, and three are GW, JA, and TJ.  Hopefully, if time permits, we will be able to get to 4 and 5.  The two men that followed Jefferson were also Virginians, James Madison and James Monroe.

     Here are the Learning Targets we are trying to meet.  What do you think?  How have we met them?  Have we met them completely?

I can classify series of historical events and developments as examples of change and/or continuity.

I can analyze multiple factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.

From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teachers
District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

TLH Categories: TE, TP, & CE...

Happy Midday 8th Graders,

      Below you will find the link to the graphic organizer needed to complete our work today.  We have been looking at the first few Presidents to find examples of Turning Points, Cause and Effect Relationships, and Through Their Eyes Perspectives.  We are looking within Historical Context to apply what we have learned so far: TP, TE, CE.

TLH Graphic Organizer

      Here are the Learning Targets we are trying to meet.  What do you think?  How have we met them?  Have we met them completely?

I can classify series of historical events and developments as examples of change and/or continuity.

I can analyze multiple factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.












From the cluttered mind of C, Teacher
District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Welcome Back: TLH & Turning Points

Good Day to Everyone,

      Welcome back from a great extended weekend.  We're getting started right away so make sure your tables are set to do great thinking.  We are leaving The American Indian Story and The Holocaust behind as we continue on into U.S. History.  Our next topic of study will be the Founding and Framing of the United States of America.  Today specifically, we are starting with the year 1776.

      1776 was a TURNING POINT for our country.  Some historians refer to dramatic changes as turning points.  A turning point signifies a profound change in one or more of the major arena of human experience (political, social, economic, or cultural/intellectual).  Why do you think the year 1776 could be considered a TURNING POINT?


TLH Blog Post

From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

WKCE, 5 Paragraph Essays, and Thesis Statements: CONTEXT, SUBJECT, CLAIM...

Good Day,

      Today is Tuesday, November 13, 2012.  Beth and I saw a lot of great work yesterday as we took a deeper look at THESIS STATEMENTS.  Here are some examples of what I found as I looked over your work...

      "As an American Indian, what happened to many a tribe would seem like a genocide, and make the U.S. government seem like a cruel, unforgiving enemy.  As an American citizen however, what happened did not seem like a genocide.  I do not think it was genocide, as the majority of those killed died of natural causes." 

      "I've concluded in relation to the genocide known as the Holocaust that the Native American story was in fact a genocide though the context of their conflicts."

      "During the 1600's (17th Century) started the uprise of the American Indian story.  even before that the Native Americans held their land as a gift.  A big event that started a controversy was the Trail of Tears.  This was a controversy because some people think it was a genocide and some people don't think it was.  This all leads up to whether the whole American Indian Story was a genocide.  I think it wasn't a genocide."

      "I'm not sure if the Native American story was a genocide or not.  There are some things that match up and some things that don't.  

      The students who wrote these thesis statements have been left anonymous due to the fact that I did not ask their permission before I posted them here.  Beth and I do try very hard to respect your academic work.  Were you able to find a CONTEXT, SUBJECT, and a CLAIM?




From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Thesis Statements: CONTEXT, SUBJECT, CLAIM...

Happy Monday Y'all,

      I'll try to make this short and sweet.  There are three words for this week:


CONTEXT
SUBJECT
CLAIM

Thesis Statement Media

     
      Where's Max when you need him?  Just like STOP, THINK, REACT, the three words for this week will carry us into next week's visit to Waukesha West.  Next Tuesday we will be visiting our Sophomore friends so we can share our writing with other students.

From the cluttered minds of C 7 Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Finishing American Indian Story: Sources and Essays...

Happy Camel Day,

      Below are the targets that are our focus this week.  Please reread them and commit them to memory.  Our challenge this week is to look deeply at the sources we are using.  When we analyze a source there are a few things we must keep in mind:

-Point of view
-Author's Purpose
-Credibility  


I can deconstruct sources to reveal an author's point of view and purpose.
I can evaluate the credibility of a source.
I can analyze the relationship among diverse sources on the same topic.
I can select specific evidence to support an interpretation.
      Our "to-do" list is as follows...
1. Pass Back Rubrics from Seminar
2. Print Mosaics and place in text sets
3. Discuss "Weekly Contributions"
4. Finish Geronimo Story/History
5. Comp/Contrast with other source

Engage.  Plug in.  Connect.   CONTRIBUTE.  Enjoy and have a great day Kiddies.


From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

BAM, FOX RIVER!!!

Happy Field Trip Day Y'all,

      Here is the post from yesterday which includes reminders, time frame, and the Survival Structures design brief.  Enjoy and have fun!

Blog Post from yesterday.

From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teacher
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Fox River and Survival Structures...

Happy Monday Again Gang,

Please look at the reminders below so you have a heads up for tomorrow. Also, the design brief for the Bear Grylls Survival Structures is posted below. Please survey the information.

-Dress for the weather!  Forecast: 30 degrees and a good chance of rain.
-Pack a cold lunch!  No cold lunch = you don't eat.
-Take a pencil or pen along.
-We are walking to the FRS.  DO NOT BE LATE TO SCHOOL.  We will leave at 7:30 a.m.

-We will eat lunch at the FRS.
-We will return around 12:30-12:45.
-Once we get back:
1) mock election
2) STEaM. FC competitors: Sim Computers will probably NOT be available, so be prepared to work on your essay, research or city planning.

Click Here: Bear Grylls Builds a Structure!

Collecting, GATHERING, and Observing
Bark
Leaves
Sticks
Grass
Pine Cones

Survival Structures: Sheltering Structures

In order to survive in an outdoor environment, one must be able to use what they have access to.  We will be bringing materials with us, but we must also use the materials nature provides.  We will need to use our observation skills along with our skills in gathering.  Think back to our buddy Bear Grylls.  Remember that a survival structure must keep a person warm and dry.  Warm enough to keep us from freezing or exposure.  Key words: WARM, DRY, and INSULATED.

Linking & Binding

Design Challenge: 
Design a survival structure that will keep a person warm and dry using the resources you have at your disposal.  The trick with building this structure at the E.B. Shutz Nature Sanctuary is that we cannot use any living plant matter or wildlife.  DUE TO THE FACT RESOURCES ARE LIMITED, PLEASE REALIZE THAT OTHER GROUPS MAY BORROW PIECES FROM YOUR STRUCTURE AS THE ROTATIONS PROCEED.  

1.We will start out by taking 10-15 minutes to spread out and gather materials in nature.  

2. When the timer goes off, you will then be given 5-10 minutes to brainstorm and sketch with your group.  

3. The remainder of the time during this center is to get to building.

Warm, Dry, and Insulated

Criteria: 
The structure you build must:
- Have a sketch of your structure
- Be three-dimentional
- Incorporate 2-3 items you have found in your natural surroundings.
- Incorporate 2-3 items we have brought with us.
- Be free standing for the duration of the rotation

Materials:  Items from natural surroundings whatever can be gathered.
Tape, Aluminum Foil, Rubber Bands, Paper Clips
Tools: Your hands

From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teachers

School District of Waukesha 

Waukesha STEM Academy

Geronimo Part II: 5 Paragraph Essays & Deconstructing Sources...

Good Morning 8th Graders,

      Please view the short Brainpop that is linked below before or after Community Circle.

5 PARAGRAPH ESSAY

     Think back to Friday.  We started viewing a media source that took a deep look into the life of a Native American by the name of Geronimo.

      Geronimo lived from June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909.  He was a prominent leader of the Bedonkohe Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a battle with Mexican soldiers. His Chiricahua name is often rendered as Goyathlay or Goyahkla in English.

After an attack by a company of Mexican soldiers killed his mother, wife and three children in 1858, Geronimo joined revenge attacks on the Mexicans. During his career as a war chief, he was notorious for consistently urging raids upon Mexican Provinces and their towns, and later against American locations across Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas

In 1886 Geronimo surrendered to U.S. authorities after a lengthy pursuit. As a prisoner of war in old age he became a celebrity and appeared in fairs but was never allowed to return to the land of his birth. He later regretted his surrender and claimed the conditions he made had been ignored. Geronimo died in 1909 from complications of pneumonia at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

      Please get out your Cornell Notes from last Friday and continue them today as we finish.  Below are the 4 learning targets we are trying to focus on.  Read them to try and understand what they mean:

I can deconstruct sources to reveal an author's point of view and purpose.
I can evaluate the credibility of a source.
I can analyze the relationship among diverse sources on the same topic.
I can select specific evidence to support an interpretation.

Sincerely,
C & Dubbs

From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

A Day for You to Read!

“We read to know that we are not alone.”
― William Nicholson

Good Morning!  We have had a week full of hard work, deep thinking, failures, and accomplishments.  As we sit down to confer with you, Mr. C. and I are consistently amazed at what we learn about you as learners.  Keep getting connected and plugging in, keep staying engaged and challenging your mind, keep creating meaning and collaborating with each other.  The journey may be long, and bumpy at times but believe us when we tell you, it's worth it. 

In Lang. Arts today, please finish your Mosaic of Thought and then you may move onto free reading of a book of your choosing, as long as it is a just right book for you.  Take your time on your Mosaic of Thought as we really look to these pieces of your thinking to help us plan next steps for you all.  The thoughtful time you spend on it is more important than the due date (today)!

We will see you all this afternoon!
Dubbs

"I was living peaceably when people
 began to speak bad of me"

      Side note from C...

      The previous two paragraphs could not have been said any better.  We are so very proud of you all, your thinking, your abilities, and your latent potential just waiting to be unleashed.  Please remember...  IT'S NOT A WORKSHEET!!  IT'S NOT ABOUT COMPREHENSION.  IT'S ABOUT CONSTRUCTING MEANING, SYNTHESIS, & INQUIRY.

"I cannot think that we are useless or God
would not have created us."  

      You will be watching a documentary on Geronimo.  Please take at least ONE FULL PAGE of CORNELL NOTES!!  

"The soldiers never explained to the government
when an Indian was wronged, but
reported the misdeeds of the Indians."   

ONE FULL PAGE.
ONE FULL PAGE.

Seminar: Moving Forward...

Please survey the information below...


Inquiry:
- Levels of Questions
Examples:  Costa, Bloom, Marzano

- Skilled Questioning

-Socratic Seminars, discussions

   

-Critical Thinking Activities

- Student ownership of learning

               through critical thinking skills,       

               through writing questions

-Analyzing a prompt, question or academic task  (fr. ACR) *   

Please view the following videos with a partner:
True Grit

Inquiry Skills: 5 E's

Mosaic of Thought 1
Mosaic of Thought 2



From the cluttered mind of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Seminar: Moving Forward...

Happy Camel Day to You All,

      Your teachers are immensely proud of you.  Most of you were pushed out of your comfort zones yesterday.  Some of you were pushed to your limits.  Some of you had breakdowns.  GREAT!  Now is the time for us to learn.

      BREAKDOWNS LEAD TO TO BREAKTHROUGHS!!

      There is a word known to some in education called "GRIT".  Grit is what is needed to pick yourself up after a fall.  Grit is what is needed to try again if a first try doesn't go your way.  Grit is perseverance.  Grit is the "I Can..." attitude.  Please take this with you as you go through your day today.

   

BREAKDOWNS LEAD TO TO BREAKTHROUGHS!!

      Moving forward, there are three things we need to think about:
1.  Go over and pore over the "Back Channel" transcripts.
2.  Conclude our seminar with FINAL THOUGHTS.
3.  SELF-EVALUATE: How did you meet the learning targets and how would you evaluate yourself?


The Learning Targets:
I can effectively communicate in a variety of settings in a way that is
appropriate for the task, purpose, and audience.

I can identify main ideas, analyze supporting details, and
evaluate inferences.



From the cluttered mind of C & Dubbs, Teacher
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Socratic Seminar Is Here!!

Happy Tuesday to you,

The present meets the past with Socrates and Socratic Seminars!!

      We would like to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to our friends from Waukesha West.  Thank you Mr. Jonas and all the students who have come to not only visit us but also to work along side us.  Without further ado, here is what our day will look like:

7:25-8:58  Electives
9:01-10:00 Core1
10:03 - 11:00 Core 3
11:00 -11:30 Lunch
11:30 - 12:00 Core 2 Connect

12:00-1:15  Core 2 

1:18-2:31 Core 4

Notes on our day...
**West Folks arrive in two shifts: Approx. 9 a.m. and 11:45ish**

Each core will be broken up into 3 parts
1.  We have a meet/ greet session.  Once you have a pair or triad we will engage in the Tribes activity One-Minute History.  Think about the question.  "If you could choose a line in a song that represents you, what would it be and why?"  

2.  Socratic seminar begins (approx. 30-45 minutes). Waukesha West kids will be using the evidence gathering sheet and other resources to document what they observe and provide suggestions/ feedback.  Waukesha STEM kids will be using their text sets & NOTE CARDS to drive the Academic Conversation.  

3.  Break at the 30 min. point of the seminar (if we feel necessary - if the pox is on, let the blood continue to flow!). This would be a time for partners to give feedback/ suggestions on evidence, position, lines of argument, etc.

Here are the Socratic Seminar questions.

The Seminar Questions:
What exactly is "genocide"?  How is it defined?  What are the warning signs?

What evidence throughout history proves that the Holocaust is an example of genocide?

Decide whether you think what happened to the American Indians was a true genocide or not.  If not, what label would you use to describe what happened to the American Indians.  Either way, what evidence throughout history supports your position?

The Back Channels
Histlit 1
Histlit 2
Histlit 3
Histlit 4
Histlit 5
Histlit 6
Histlit 7
Histlit 8
Histlit 9

The Learning Targets:

I can effectively communicate in a variety of settings in a way that is
appropriate for the task, purpose, and audience.

I can identify main ideas, analyze supporting details, and
evaluate inferences.

The Text:
What is Genocide?




From the cluttered mind of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Socratic Seminar II: Guidelines & Contributions

Happy Monday,

      We hope you all had a great weekend, and can't wait to hear about it in circle.  Please read through the blog carefully and click on the links provided.  You will see a Youtube video, the blog post from Thursday last week, the seminar questions, and 11 contributions that Beth and I will be grading you on tomorrow during seminar.  Enjoy reading and have a great Monday!

What is a Socratic Seminar and what is it not?

Blog post from last Thursday. TALKING POINTS

The Seminar Questions:
What exactly is "genocide"?  How is it defined?  What are the warning signs?

What evidence throughout history proves that the Holocaust is an example of genocide?

Decide whether you think what happened to the American Indians was a true genocide or not.  If not, what label would you use to describe what happened to the American Indians.  Either way, what evidence throughout history supports your position?

11 Contributions to academic conversations and your evaluation:

1. Adds new ideas

2. Gives evidence to support by referring to text and/or media

3. Asks questions

4. Starts conversation

5. Gives positive comments/affirmations

6. Agrees or Disagrees appropriately

7. Builds on or challenges partners ideas

8. Elaborates or clarifies

9. Paraphrases

10. Actively listens

11. Exhibits distracting behavior

From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Socratic Seminar: QUESTIONS...

Happy Thursday!

      Last night Beth and I had a great meeting with our good friend Mr. Jonas.  Mr. Jonas is the Waukesha West AP English teacher that will be bringing his kids next Tuesday for our Socratic Seminar.  They will be coming because they are learning something called SYLLOGISM.  This is a form of argumentation.  They will be looking for the positions we take on a research question.  Mr. Jonas' students will be partnering with us to help us engage in academic conversation and present our points.

      So, here are the questions we are trying to find answers to...

What exactly is "genocide"?  How is it defined?  What are the warning signs?

 What evidence throughout history proves that the Holocaust is an example of genocide?

Decide whether you think what happened to the American Indians was a true genocide or not.  If not, what label would you use to describe what happened to the American Indians.  Either way, what evidence throughout history supports your position?


      Now that we know are line of questions lets revisit some of our research.  Below you will find Brainpop and Hippocampus sites centered around our research of the American Indian Story.  If your schema is cloudy look at these:

GENOCIDE: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Thanksgiving & The Wampanoag

13 Colonies

The French and Indian War

Tecumseh: The War of 1812

Summary of the American Indians

Wounded Knee Massacre

The Trail of Tears

Indian Removal Act: Hippocampus.org

Indian Resistence: Hippocampus.org

Effects of the Indian Wars: Hippocampus.org


From the cluttered mind of C, Teacher
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

STOP. THINK. REACT.: Annotating & Text Coding...

Good day to you 8th graders,

      Happy Camel Day to you all!  Today we have a STEaM schedule so we have to get right down to work.  You all did such a phenomenal job yesterday.  Beth and I are proud of you for diving into the 5 E's with so many directions and texts.  Thank you.

      So, yesterday we started our Inquiry process by looking at the 5 E's.  Engage. Explore. Explain.  Elaborate.  Evaluate.  Today, Beth and I want to share with you a reading strategy that will take your LITERACY SKILLS to the next level.  If practiced regularly and over the next few days, your thinking will improve dramatically.  The reading strategy I'm hinting at is this...

STOP
THINK
REACT

      When you are reading there are two reasons for stopping.  One, is that the information in the text forces you to STOP because it causes a thought to form.  The second reason to STOP while reading is because you have come to the end of a paragraph or a section in the text.  Whether you stop yourself or the text stops you, the next step is to THINK.

      When you start to THINK while reading you are trying to THINK OUT LOUD.  When you THINK OUT LOUD you are talking about what is going on in your mind.  By reciting your thoughts OUT LOUD this prepares you for the final step: REACT.

      When you THINK, you also decide how you are going to REACT to the text.  While REACTING there are so many options and avenues to choose.  Here are three that engaged 8th graders usually decide on.  If these three reactions to text are practiced regularly, your reading, thinking, and writing will help you as you try to CONSTRUCT MEANING.  Trust us!!

1.  Annotate the information that you think is most important.
2.  Share your feelings/ideas about the information.
3.  Paraphrase/Summarize the paragraph or section.

      The magic words of the day are... STOP THINK REACT

SQ3R: Tim and Moby Style


PARAPHRASING: Tim and Moby Style

From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

The Five E's: Academic Investigation...

What up peeps,

      We have been studying(reading, writing, thinking, talking, and investigating) both the Holocaust (1933-1945) and the American Indian Story (1600-2012).  Now is the time to take our understanding to the next level. We will be doing that today by engaging in a Tribes activity called The Five E's.

The Five E's: These are the 5 phases of our academic investigation.  

Engage (Teacher Leadership): What do we know about the American Indian Story?  What do we know about the Holocaust?  What similarities can we find that link the two together?  What differences can we find that separate the two?

Explore (Student Leadership):  Tasks:  Interact with 12 different pieces of text within groups of 4 or 5 by using SQ3R.

Study Group Roles:

-Scribe for Group notes

-Scribe for Carousel Brainstorming notes

-Paraphraser ("Reciter")

-Readers

      SQ3R 

       1. Survey(Skim, Scan, Read through)

       2. Question(Think about how to attack the text. 

                 What will you be searching for as you interact with text?)

       3. Read

       4. Recite(Paraphrase out loud)

       5. Review 

Explain (Student Leadership): Academic Investigation: Compare and Contrast what we know about The American Indian Story and what we are reading about the Holocaust.  What evidence from the text sets support your findings?  Conduct an academic conversation that presents your discoveries.  

Elaborate (Student Leadership): OPEN UP YOUR FINDINGS AND CONVERSATIONS WITH THE WHOLE CLASS.  Involve other study groups in the class to expand on concepts, connect to real-world issues and think of questions for further exploration.  What is the BIGGER PICTURE on the social or historical level?  

Evaluate (Student Leadership):  Narrow down and generate 15 questions based on new information presented while interacting with texts.

From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teacher
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Welcome to Think Spot Kiddies...

Howdy Y'all,

      This is your friendly, neighborhood Historical Literacy here.  I'd like to welcome you to Think Spot.  This blog will be our weekly stop for THINK BACKS on learning, news and updates, directions and instructions, as well as serving other academic purposes throughout the year.  I like to post videos, texts, and NUGGETS here from time to time as weekly reviews of what's going on in the class.  Think Spot is also a great place to post comments to me and/or start discussions with others.

      That said, please take some time to click on the links below in an effort to jog your memory from last week.  A lot of dust can settle over a weekend so shake out those cobwebs.

Revisit the French & Indian War with Tim and Moby...

Get another look at TECUMSEH the Shawnee Chief

Do you remember the Trail of Tears? (Indian Removal:1830's)

The Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890...


      In closing, I leave you with this quote from a historian by the name of Howard Zinn.  This quote comes from his book A People's History of the United States.

If women, of all the subordinate groups in a society dominated by rich white males, were closest to home (indeed, in the home), the most interior, then the Indians were the most foreign, the most exterior. Women, because they were so near and so needed, were dealt with more by patronization than by force. The Indian, not needed-indeed, an obstacle-could be dealt with by sheer force, except that sometimes the language of paternalism preceded the burning of villages.

What do you think Howard Zinn is trying to get at with this paragraph?
What meaning can you construct from this short excerpt?

Signing off,
C

From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy