“Twas the week before holiday break and in American History, the students participated in a mock trial for all to see. The Boston Tea Party, Coercive Acts, and Declaration were shared, and a “Spirit of Independence” exam must be prepared.” As you can see I am not a clever poet, but the students did participate in one of my favorite activities and continued to examine the events that lead to the American Revolutionary War. A test on the “Spirit of Independence” will occur on Tuesday, December 22nd to accumulate the hard work that the students have put in this year. A special shout out to my homeroom for an awesome effort in the door decorating competition. The students created a real fireplace and used the Aurasma Augmented Reality App to wish everyone happy holidays. In addition, several students created an EFMS Twelve Days of Christmas song that was linked with a QR Code. Be sure to check out the door in the images below! The students created a fantastic representation of an “EF Christmas” and were rewarded with top marks in the Craftsmen ship category! Great job 212! Monday: Students continued to work with their groups to create their arguments for the Boston Massacre Mock Trial. Both the Prosecution and Defense Lawyers created their opening and closing statements, and worked on developing scripts for their witness interviews. These lawyers consulted several primary and secondary sources to draft their statements and questions for their witnesses. The witnesses researched the individual they would be portraying and continued to work with the lawyers to develop the question-answer scripts. The members of the jury remained very busy analyzing several primary sources related to the Boston Massacre and other events that formulate the “spirit of independence”. Some of these sources include real testimony from the actual trial, excerpts from Common Sense, and propaganda created by Paul Revere and other members of the Committee of Correspondence. Tuesday: Tuesday marked the day of the Boston Massacre Mock Trial. While I wore my judge’s gown and colonial wig, many students dressed the part to participate in the trial. With my gavel in hand, I listened to some of the best arguments pertaining to the Boston Massacre! Students did a great job emerging themselves in the characters that they played. The lawyers were not only convincing, but also were able to appeal to the members of the jury through a series of arguments and questioning of the witnesses. In the end, two of the class periods found the British soldiers to be guilty and two class periods found the soldiers to be innocent. Once again, Team 8-1 students continue to impress with their creativity and enthusiasm! Well done everyone! Wednesday: The Boston Massacre was wrapped up and new topics such as the Boston Tea Party were discussed. Students were introduced to the Tea Act, The Boston Tea Party, and finally the Coercive Acts. Students also analyzed the decisions of the First Continental Congress, and had a short debate on whether these decisions were valid for the time period. To cover this information, Near Pod was used and students used eBackpack to complete their guided notes. At the end of the class period, students were able to identify cause-effect relationships with the information above and then predicted what would occur next in American History. Thursday: Thursday’s class marked the beginning of the War for Independence. Students were introduced to the Second Continental Congress and the influential members behind some of the major decisions to come out of the Congress. The battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill were also discussed during Thursday’s class. Students also examined the famous portrait titled The Death of Dr. Joseph Warren and read about how Dr. Warren’s death at the Battle of Bunker Hill was one of the first times in American History that forensics were used to identify human remains. Friday: Students read a portion and discussed one of the most important documents in American History, the Declaration of Independence. Prior to the Declaration of Independence, students were presented the arguments for and against independence. The students voiced their own opinions on whether or not the colonies were ready to make the break from Great Britain. In addition, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense was also reviewed during Friday’s class. In past years, I used to pretend to have found a break-up letter and then read the break-up letter to each class. The students always want to know who wrote it, expecting the author to be a peer. When I announce the writer to the class as The American Colonies, the students begin to put the pieces together. This is how I teach the Declaration of Independence… as a break-up letter. Unfortunately, many students have heard about this activity from previous students, so the surprise was unable to take place. However, students still have the opportunity to create their own break-up letter as a bonus assignment.
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The week of December 7th-11th was full of excitement for the upcoming Christmas holiday, and the beginning of the Boston Massacre Mock Trial. The mock trial is one of my favorite activites for the students to particpate in, and I am so excited to see what this group of students come up with! The week also saw students use a Web-Quest, Near Pod, and a iBook to prepare for the mock trial! Monday: Students continued to investigate the French and Indian War. To conclude the French and Indian War, students participated in a Web-Quest, that I created, that guided students through the major events of the French and Indian War. Students were reintroduced to George Washington’s defeat at Fort Necessity and General Braddock’s defeat and death at the Battle of the Monongahela. Students were also introduced to William Pitt and famous British generals such as Amherst and Wolfe. The Web-Quest concluded with the Battle of Quebec and the Treaty of Paris 1763. To access the Web-Quest, please click on the link! Tuesday: Students used Near Pod to gain information to the effects of the French and Indian War and to familiarize themselves with new acts and taxes passed by the British Crown following the French and Indian War. Students first participated in a Jig-Saw activity on five different acts and taxes. These included the Proclamation of 1763, the Writs of Assistance, the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Townshend Revenue Act. Near Pod was used to discuss these acts and taxes in more detail and to examine the reaction of the colonists to these acts and taxes. To access the Near Pod, please click on this link! Wednesday: Wednesday marked the beginning of the Boston Massacre Mock Trial. Students downloaded the Boston Massacre iBook from Edmodo that provides a narrative to the events of the Boston Massacre. I created the Boston Massacre iBook, which includes video, interactive images, concept check questions, photo galleries, and more. Students read the iBook and completed two assessments on eBackpack. If you would like to see the Boston Massacre iBook, be sure to ask your student or email me [email protected] Thursday: Students were introduced to the Boston Massacre Mock Trial. Students were introduced to the major individuals involved in the actual trial to the Boston Massacre. Students were also introduced to the prosecution, defense, witnesses, and jury members of the mock trial. The roles and responsibilities were shared with the students and students began to brainstorm what role they would like to play. I am very excited to the students in action during the Boston Massacre Mock Trial. Friday: Students were given their roles for the Boston Massacre Mock Trial. Several students were chosen to be lawyers for either the prosecution or defense. The lawyers will be responsible for opening statements, witnesses interviews, and closing statements. Several students were chosen to act as witnesses. These students will work with the prosecution or defense to create question-answer scripts that will be performed during the mock trial. The remaining students were chosen to act as jury members. These students will decide the fate of several British soldiers charged with manslaughter. The members of the jury will be analyzing primary sources related to the Boston Massacre during the days that lead up to the mock trial. As I observed each group in action, I am very excited to the students participate in the mock trial next week! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Holiday and enjoyed the break from classes! I apologize for not updating the Blog over the Thanksgiving break. I was diagnosed with pneumonia and spent most of the break sick in bed. I was absent from school Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, and I want to say thank you to all of the students for being patient while I was recuperating! This past week introduced a topic that really hits home for many students, The French and Indian War. Major events of the conflict took place in and around the Pittsburgh area. This topic puts the strategic location of Pittsburgh on full display and students begin to realize why the junction of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio River were so important to the British, French, and Native Americans of the area. When I teach about the French and Indian War I utilize a plethora of resources that I gathered from a training at the Heinz History Center. If you have never visited the War For Empire exhibit at the History Center, I highly recommend visiting the exhibit! In addition, I tie in a video series produced by PBS titled The War That Made America. The PBS series introduces students to familiar names and places such as George Washington, Edward Braddock, Fort Duquesne, Jumonville, and many more. In addition, students get a glimpse of what it was like to be a solider in the French and British armies and also witness the dilemma that faced Native Americans during the French and Indian War. A portion of the video series was placed on the Ed Puzzle App for students to watch. To check for understanding, students answered a series of concept check & critical thinking questions based on what they were watching. Next week begins a new Unit in American History class, titled Towards Independence. Next week also includes one of my favorite activities of the year, the Boston Massacre Mock Trial. Students will be serving as prosecutors, defense attorneys, witnesses, and members of a jury to reenact a famous event in American History. Finally, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who donated to the food drive! Elizabeth Forward Middle School raised over 5,000 food items and $1,400 dollars in cash donations. I am always so impressed by the generosity of the EF community, especially during the holiday season! |
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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