The students of Team 8-1 American History have moved out of the Age of Exploration and are currently investigating different aspects of Colonial America. I was very impressed with our Chapter Two Exam scores! To prepare for our Chapter Two: Age of Exploration Exam, students participated in a review that included sidewalk chalk! Students went outside and were given the task of drawing the exploration routes of European explorers. Students also identified the locations of ancient civilizations on their sidewalk chalk maps. In addition to going outside, students also used the iCreate Studio space to review for the Chapter Two Exam. Students used the Apple TVs to participate in a Quizlet Live review game. In addition, our class used the large televisions to play a Kahoot review game. As I mentioned before, I am very impressed with the results of the Chapter Two Exam and the total work that students put forth in our first chapter of flipped learning!
Following the exam, students investigated the differences between primary and secondary sources. This school year, I am excited to have the ability to use the IXL platform for American History content. The IXLs that we will be using this school year will help reinforce concepts taught in school and featured in our Flipped Learning videos. The Social Studies IXL are set up differently than Language Arts and Math. There are several stages or phases that students need to complete in order to master the IXL. These IXLs should not take long to complete. If your student is struggling with the IXL, please have their student come and see me either during homeroom or Team Time. To help reinforce the differences between primary and secondary sources, students participated in a Breakout Edu Challenge. A Breakout Edu Challenge is essentially like an Escape Room. The difference is that students are attempting to unlock multiple locks to open a box that contains a prize. In our Breakout Edu Challenge students used their knowledge of primary and secondary sources to locate clues found within my classroom. Students used these clues to unlock different types of locks. Students used a variety of tools, including a black-light flash light to discover the clues. Congratulations to all of our winners! Our new chapter relates to Colonial America. Recently, students had the choice to conduct a Missing Persons investigation based on the Lost Colony of Roanoke, or to investigate cannibalism that took place at the Jamestown Colony. Those students who chose to examine the Lost Colony of Roanoke used a Weebly Website to investigate different theories behind the disappearance of the Roanoke Colony. Students also examined primary source accounts based upon the Roanoke Colony. At the end of their investigation, students selected one theory that they believed made the most sense and wrote a response citing specific evidence that aided their conclusions. The students who decided to investigate the cannibalism at Jamestown navigated a collection of resources from the Smithsonian Learning Lab. Students discovered how archeologist discovered the human remains of a Jamestown colonists and the disturbing signs of cannibalism found on this individual’s bones. Students also saw how forensic anthropologists used the colonist’s bones to reconstruct the face of the colonist. Currently students are working on their Chapter Three: Colonial America Projects. Students have three choices: 1. Film a Colonial America Commercial that advertises one of England’s colonies 2. Create a Colonial America Brochure on Google Docs that advertises the English Colonies. 3. Create a piece of artwork that relates back to content from Chapter Three: Colonial America. I am very excited to see what the final products of these projects will be. After conferencing with each group, I am confident that I will be impressed! Check out our next blog for some pictures and videos from our Chapter Three Colonial America Project.
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Team 8-1 Students have been doing great things in American History Class! As we approach the conclusion of our investigation of the Age of Exploration, below are a few of the “highlights” from the past two weeks:
Students continued work on their Chapter Two Choice Boards in conjunction with our Flipped Classroom approach! I was very impressed by the work that the students have submitted, especially the Pokémon Explorer activity. Last school year, my students were obsessed (and admittedly, I was too) with Pokémon Go, the virtual reality mobile device game. I thought it would be a really engaging classroom activity to combine our investigation of European explorers with the Pokémon craze. Students designed Pokémon Cards, but instead of the pocket monsters, students created cards for the explorers that we have discussed. I did not expect to reuse this activity, but I was surprised to find out that many students still played Pokémon. On these Pokémon Explorer cards students included the following:
The majority of our time in American History was dedicated to a Historical Cold Case Investigation . Our mystery centered up the destruction of the Inca Empire by Francisco Pizarro. I presented this activity almost like a murder-mystery. Students worked in investigation groups to determine how a group of several hundred Spaniards, conquered and destroyed one of the largest empires. Students examined People of Interest and began to investigate evidence behind the destruction of the Inca at the hands of the Spanish. The evidence that students used came from a National Geographic broadcast named Guns, Germs, & Steel. While in college, I read Jared Diamond work titled, Guns, Germs, & Steel and was excited to find the television broadcast of the book. Students examined how European advances in technology and exposure to disease led to the conquering of the Inca Empire. Students shared their findings with their investigation teams in order to form a better picture of how the Inca Empire collapsed. The students concluded their investigation with a writing exercise where they showcased their knowledge and attempted to put this Historical Cold Case to rest. Students participated in a pre-writing strategy that involved creating a giant outline for their response (see the pictures below). I was very impressed with the level of explanation that students utilized when writing their final responses! On Friday, September 29th Officer Jordan Angelo presented a lesson on cyber safety. Officer Angelo and our students discussed the risks of specific applications and how to remain safe using social media applications. Officer Angelo will be a guest within our classroom throughout the school year and we all look forward to the useful information that he will pass along! For the upcoming week, students will be:
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Mr. Steve Hartnett
Mr. Hartnett will update the Room 212 Blog with classroom updates on a regular basis. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @ MrHartnett212 Archives
July 2019
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